Grow your own

It's been lovely to get out into the garden this morning. We are heating the greenhouse when necessary now to protect seedlings of peppers, tomatoes, etc..

We have some potatoes chitting and will plant them soon. They are not seed potatoes. I know they say don't plant left over supermarket ones but we've never failed to get a crop and we have been doing it for years.

The only failures last year were parsnips and leeks. Planted two packets of seed and only got two parsnips. They just failed to germinate. The leeks just failed to grow to any size and rotted off. We had a good crop of onions and shallots so I have no idea why the leeks failed.

Hurdygurdy... I find Nicotiana are very sporadic germinators.. needs patience and perseverance.. I make sure compost stays moist and cover pot with poly bag secured with a rubber band....fingers crossed

My attempt to 'grow my own' last year turned into a fine feast for the local wildlife who munched their way through pea plants, carrots and cabbage seedlings and cabbages...

The only thing they didn't like was onions, which we're just coming to the end of. Either everything was eaten or it didn't germinate.. (looking at you, leeks..)

So I have ordered a large fruit cage to cover the entire vegetable plot.

Ro60

Lovely sunny day today so dead headed primula & pottered.

Pleased to see the left over garlic that had started to sprout in
the kitchen - planted out last week had started to grow. (GN tip I think)
Having ago at growing courgettes, carrots & kale in tubs. - might be a bit naive? ?

One thing I have had lots of success with is courgettes. I do like courgettes but even I got to the point of "oh no, not courgettes again". I've grown both green and golden ones - always in containers, not in the ground. Good luck

oh dear. As a relatively new gardener, reading this thread, I fear I may have left it a bit late to start my seeds

I got loads of strawberry plants from runners, which I've planted out into troughs this week (I only plant in containers) so I'm hopeful for a good crop this year. Best producing variety last year, ironically, was Korona. I've several plants from runners there so will see if they do as well this year.

I planted some dwarf beans in the propagator at the beginning of March and left it on the lounge window ledge which gets a lot of morning sun, and they have grown really well. They're in individual pots now.

The chilli seeds took a long time to push through, and only three of them (out of about 12) have grown, but looking forward to seeing how they do.

Melon are poking through now, but no signs of the sweetcorn yet.

Tomatoes aren't looking very willing either. I planted way too many last year, and gave lots away, so planted fewer this year. Looks like I should have planted more. Can't get it right lol.

I've got lots of little flower seedlings in the propagator, so will be pricking those out (and feeling terribly guilty at not growing them all on ) - phlox (lots) and morning glory (not many have grown)

Will get on and plant some more of my stash and see how they go. For the third year in a row, I'm trying Nicotania seeds, and if I don't have success this year, I'll give up. Nothing has grown the last two years, so trying a different variety as a last hope.

Lovely sunny day today so dead headed primula & pottered.

Pleased to see the left over garlic that had started to sprout in
the kitchen - planted out last week had started to grow. (GN tip I think)
Having ago at growing courgettes, carrots & kale in tubs. - might be a bit naive? ?

slugs not sluds.

Talking about strawberries - when we had a bigger garden we found the strawberries were being destroyd by sluds and various weeds.
Husband built a wooden 'stage'. a vertical series of long troughs on a frame. facing the sun. No weeds (compost) and not back-breaking to tidy up, harvest etc.

Yes!? I have been tardy in not posting on this thread, but like you today somehow felt different.

I planted in the autumn and lost every single strawberry plant as a result of a week of heavy frost - lesson learned for another winter.

I planted out all 12 brassicas in pots that I started in the propagator, I sowed spring onions, beetroot and mizuma salad mix. I have eaten carrots and winter cabbage from my square foot Trugs and I sowed a square foot of carrots and pak choi.

Heaven?

Redhead - you've given me a reminder of a job for tomorrow. Put in the wigwam canes for my climbing beans! Although most of my bamboo canes are past their best so it might involve some sorting out of the pile in the garage......

I planted onion sets in my raised beds after digging it over. Built my cane supports for my climbing beans yesterday. In doors I have sown tomato seeds beetroot lettuce cauliflower carrots. I put them on the dining room windowsill it's the warmest spot for them.
In case anyone is interested Aldi have Gardenline cold frames on sale for £27.99 this week.

Square feet, not square feel!!!

Today I had a rush of blood to the head and decided to go out in the garden and get stuck in! I cleaned and disinfected (with Jeyes Fluid) the greenhouse. What a difference to the light levels! Raised veg beds given a good dose of fresh garden compost and chicken poo, sowed some carrots outside under fleece (I think I may be a bit optimistic, but I can always re-sow if necessary) and generally got into the swing of it again. I felt I had lost my grow-your-own mojo, but it's coming back slowly! I've decided to dedicate two of my raised beds to square foot gardening this year (thank you Whitewavemark for the inspiration) and have some leek seedlings coming along for one of the square feel- I think 9 will do very nicely? Anyone else been spurred on by the drier weather to get going?

JaxJacky - exciting news about your greenhouse!

I think my pepper seeds heard me threatening them with the compost heap - they are now showing through! Sunny and bright here in East Herts this morning so I might have a tidy-up in the garden, there are lots of perennials that need their dead leaves and seedheads cleared and a bit of rose pruning to do.

Went up to the allotment today, squelchy! Try again at the end of the week. I’ll start sowing indoors this week, tomatoes, chillies and aubergine, potatoes are chitting nicely. My greenhouse arrives on the 12th!

Casdon, I regularly buy poorly plants. Our garden centre has a corner bannered 'help me, I'm dying'. One major success is a beautiful and flourishing flower which no one has yet been quite able to identify. Unfortunately, I stuck it away in a corner (just in case!) and I regret that every summer. It seems so happy that I'm afraid to move it lest I do harm. I regularly apologise to it - Prince Charles has nothing on me!

Long since stopped veg but do flowers and shrubs avidly. I've decided this year to have cosmos interspersed here there and everywhere. Another project is to smother a wall in climbers. All or any suggestions gratefully received, please, particularly vigorous growers.

muse - try Crimson Crush and Crimson Cherry tomatoes if you can get the seeds. They are supposed to be the most blight-resistant yet. I always have problems with blight too - usually late blight but this year I decided to try a different variety. Fingers crossed!

This morning I potted on my tomato seedlings. Still indoors in heated propogator but with the lid off now! They are close to the kitchen windowsill which gets a bit chilly at night, hence the propogator base. Aubergines and chillies have started showing signs of life, but nothing yet from the sweet peppers which were sown at the same time in the same conditions. I think I'll give them another week and if nothing happens I'll re-sow. I never have much luck with peppers.......

All my seeds arrived the other day but not doing anything with them until next month. Only planting those that can go into my polytunnel. They'll all start off on the propagator. Everything else will wait. Soil outside is saturated and I'm having two raised beds replaced. Need higher ones these days

Bought two comfrey plants at the end of last year. Having a go at making my own fertiliser. Slugs got to my cauliflowers and broccoli last year big time. Only deterrent I haven't used are nematodes. Expensive so going to make my own. Found a recipe onRHS site. it sounds revolting but hate slugs.

Just pulled 6 leeks today. Leek and potato soup tonight.

Love growing flowers to cut as well. This year two varieties of asters.

I'll be posting for help with toms. Had four years of tomato blight.

nananet I’m a new trug user. I think one big secret is to keep the compost moist and never let it dry out. Also feeding.

Every time I clear a space I replenish the compost and mix with fish blood and bone.

This will be my first full year. I started in August so be interested to hear how you get on.

Well everything ground to a halt for a week or two, but looking good for a few days, so at long last I’ll be out in the garden.

My broad beans and peas are totally zapped so I’ve pulled them up and composted.

Now busy planning.

JaxJacky, the potatoes I did in a pot got blight every single time I tried to grow some!

Thanks JaxJacky, I'll look out for them.