Grow your own

I grow Cavolo Nero and we have light alkaline soil so I'm not sure about fairly heavy clay.

You won't get any more action from them now, janea. I find the best growth spurt is just before the cabbage white butterflies start to become a nuisance and they then have to be protected with netting. The stems grow after the first pickings in summer (I have to stake mine) and you get another harvest in the autumn right through to now when there's not much to rave about but I carry on until it's time to pull them out.

The early pickings are great for stir fries and the later, more robust leaves can take quite a bit of cooking. Great flavour!

janeainsworth

Has anyone grown Cavolo Nero?
I germinated some seeds last autumn, potted them on, planted them out and they have just sat there, taunting me it seems with their lack of growth.
Do they wait till spring before they spurt into action or have I just failed?
Fairly heavy clay soil.

Yes I reckon they will be ready for picking in April or May. I would feed them in Feb or Mch and hope for the best. I love it!
I’ve just fed my winter cabbages, I reckon they will be ready end Mch/Apl. I have 3 ? in my square foot garden but all looking really healthy.

I’ve sown 6 leeks have a dozen more to sow.

Just looked at the RHS grow your own app - it’s free and so good - things are definitely hotting up for February.

Going to sow some cut and come again salads in greenhouse - Unheated - at the weekend and hope for the best.

I’ve never tried it before, but the seed packet says sow May to June, harvest September to February if that’s any help?

Has anyone grown Cavolo Nero?
I germinated some seeds last autumn, potted them on, planted them out and they have just sat there, taunting me it seems with their lack of growth.
Do they wait till spring before they spurt into action or have I just failed?
Fairly heavy clay soil.

If anybody hasn’t got their seeds yet, there’s an excellent deal with Kitchen Garden magazine for February -10 packets of Kings seeds - spring onions, radish, leeks, Nero kale, chilli peppers, globe carrots, parsnips, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage - each pack retails for £1.40, and the magazine is £5.99, so a significant saving.

My rhubarb is sprouting too my blackberry bush has come to life. But the soil is frozen so just planning at the moment.

Thanks avalon

Saw this on twitter ? for those of us who are laid back and chilled.

“My gardening jobs for January:

Keep off the allotment (too wet).
Keep off the garden (wildlife).
Don't sow any seeds (too early)
Plan for spring.
No rush.”

I have been collecting new puppy and looking after her the past few days. She is finally asleep exhausted (as am I) so just seen this thread.

WWM2 I have a salad sprouter which I bought from T&M along with sprouting seeds such as mustard, Alfalfa, rape, beetroot, broccoli, fenugreek, mung beans etc. NHS recommend you only use seeds prepared for sprouting and not ordinary ones. You can use a glass jar but the sprouter has 3 layers.

One thing I have not tried is sprouting peas. You can use dried marrow fat peas and grow them in soil in a hanging basket. You then harvest the pea shoots for salad.

I got my rhubarb in the Wilko ‘poorly plants’ section about 10 years ago, it was 59p I think -it does well because it’s at the bottom of a bank - it’s big enough to supply my neighbours as well as us!

Does anybody else get stuff from the ‘poorly plants’ stands? I like a challenge, last summer I got a gooseberry bush for £1.50, hoping that will yield a few gooseberries for me this year, because for some reason they are one fruit the supermarkets never stock.

MamaCaz pleased it was helpful.

I love, love, love rhubarb! I have tried unsuccessfully to grow it in a pot.

Today I’m going to sow a couple of aubergine seeds, lettuce, coriander and basil.

All the brassicas have germinated. Still waiting for the parsley.

The strawberry slips I planted just before Christmas appear to be all surviving. Won’t get much from them this year though.

Not even under a cloche, Spring is definitely coming!

I have ordered all my seeds I think that I need for this year, but I will definitely look at Simply Seeds next time or if I need any I forgot.

I’ve never looked at them.

Jaxjacky

I order from Simply seeds, they’re inexpensive and reliable, that reminds me, need to get onion sets!

Thanks for mentioning Simply Seeds.

When a seed catalogue came last week, I went through it and listed what I wanted/needed, but then went online to look for better prices. Remembering your post, I checked out Simply Seeds and saved a fortune by ordering from them, and my order arrived really quickly.☺

I am lucky to have plenty of space, however I was late planting some last year (elderly relatives took up all of my time). I have had some nice veggies but not many for the work put in! This year I will plant earlier and be ready to pick and enjoy. I did have a bumper crop of runner beans and courgettes last year though.

First seed of the vegetable year germinated???

It is Kabuki Broccoli.

Actually I did! I froze some, gave some away and had them with just about every meal. They were such BIG plants too.

Thanks Whitewavemark2 for the advice on leeks. I usually plant them round the perimeter of one raised bed and grow carrots in the middle, hoping to deter carrot fly! As I also put a high fence of fleecing round them all, it seems a bit extreme so I will give the leeks a couple of square feet instead and keep the carrots in another bed! Must go and sort through my seed packets.............

Daisymae

Have heard about planting by the moon but really don't have the patience! I grew courgettes from seed for the first time last year. Only 8 in the packet but they all grew and were very successful in large plastic pots. I have ordered some golden ones and a quick growing green variety too.

You must have had courgettes coming out of your ears?

Have heard about planting by the moon but really don't have the patience! I grew courgettes from seed for the first time last year. Only 8 in the packet but they all grew and were very successful in large plastic pots. I have ordered some golden ones and a quick growing green variety too.

Callistemon

Has anyone used the Planting by the Moon method?

www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/lunar-gardening-planting-phase-moon/

I have read about it for years now, but never followed it. Would be interested to hear if anyone thinks it brings good results.

Sowed parsley in propagator.

Has anyone used the Planting by the Moon method?

www.allotment-garden.org/gardening-information/lunar-gardening-planting-phase-moon/

In September I planted a small variety of carrot, in a huge pot, which I put in a sheltered spot. They’re doing very well and I expect to harvest them in a months time.

Trisha I am hoping to start my leeks this week in the propagator.

Saving used toilet rolls - 1 plant per roll.

I can plant 9 leeks per square foot and want to plant 2 SF , so only got 2 rolls so far?

I think that you have plenty of time though.