Any novice veggie patch people want to share the anticipation and hope of growing our first edible things from the garden?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Hi, I've made a raised bed for a veggie patch, spent silly money on soil and compost, and finally planted some seeds in it a few days ago. I'm totally new to this so I've no idea how it will go but I'm quite excited about the possibility of it working. it better anyway after the money I've spent on it

I've only got a 1x2m bed at the bottom of the garden but I've planted:
-strawberries
-spring onions
-spinach
-carrots
-courgette
-leaf salad
All of the above are direct sown (cos I didn't know how to propagate and all that) apart from the strawberries which I bought as plants.

And I've got two separate trough planters for peas plus three bags to grow potatoes. Oh and two blueberry plants I bought last autumn.

I have dreams of nibbling through delicious fruit and veg all summer. Anyone want to join me in the veggie adventures? Or give me any advice?

:)

[JillJ72]

Hi, perusing threads. Not a complete novice but growing from seed, growing in general I love. Thank you for helping me feel the buzz .

We have an allotment, but not one of those dreamy tidy edged, weed-free delights our allotment neighbours have (to be fair, they've had theirs for years and don't work so have time to tickle weeds during the day). Our allotment is one almighty battle with brambles and weeds and couch grass. We'll get there though. Had a good session at the weekend and put some things in (probably too early but it felt like a positive step to do so), and reading your thread is making me look forward to going tonight. Hope those weeds are ready for me! Now 3 years in and it's time to win the plot back from them!

Just wanted to say that if your seedlings are leaning towards the light, turn them round; they'll gradually straighten up and then start leaning again. And so you turn them again!

Enjoy!

[rhihaf]

Hi Jill,
welcome to the thread My garden backs onto a field so the brambles, nettles, couch grass, weeds and general wilderness is a constant battle! but it's fun isn't it?

I can't believe it, things have woken up so much in the last fortnight. My patio planters of spuds have started sprouting already! They've only been in a fortnight I am SO excited . The lettuce will have to go some to grow before the spuds take over.... the race is on!

Planting my early maincrop spuds today, varieties I've never tried before: Juliette and Kilfi, but in the ground, not in bags.

[SilverSixpence]

Think Ive killed my radish and lettuce by trying to plant them out! Also they need thinning but I'm not sure how - do I just snip off the stem or do I need to pull them out by the roots?

I also planted a small tray of carrots from homebase, but they are also very close together, should I be thinning them as well?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I have no idea about thinning, never done that before but will be interested in the answer cos ill need to know soon!

So I'm thinking I've been too early in sowing my seeds outside... I think I need to sow some indoors but not sure what I need to do. Do I need a propogator or can I just buy some little pots and grow the seeds on the windowsill?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Hello Jill too! An allotment sounds both fun and hard work. How big is it? What have you planted?

[orangepudding]

ilike, I put some seeds in old plastic food containers covered in cling film on my window rather than buy propagators - cheap and they worked. I did get a couple of propagators for use in the garden.
I had planted onions in my allotment but felt that they took up to much space for little gain. I cleared the weeds from under the blackberry bush and found some spring onions growing so decided it was probably a good place for my onions! I feel much happier in the portion they are in now.
I pout some seeds in the propagators in my garden and stuck stickers so I knew what was what. The ink has disapered, I have 8 different things planted and won't recognise most of them when they sprout!

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Could I use those plastic containers that you get carry out food in? Would I just put in compost and sow some seeds? Does it need holes for drainage? Or could I use old pots that the supermarket herbs were in even though they are quite big?

Sorry if these are dumb questions!

[fluffypillow]

Great thread!

First year for me. After deciding to start small, I am attempting to grow the following.......................

Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Tomatoes
Courgette
cucumbers
purple sprouting
sweetcorn
Runner beans
carrots
parsnip
swede
peas
sunflowers and sweet peas


Note to self...........must STOP buying seeds

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Omg fluffy wow you're going to be very healthy eating all that! Do you have a big plot then? Have you planted anything out yet?

[orangepudding]

ilike, those containers should be fine to start seeds of in. Cover them worth cling film after planting the seeds in compost. I uncovered mine when the leaves appeared and have now learnt to transplant to bigger pots quite soon after.
Fluffy, I too have a seed addiction - it's hard to resist when they are so cheap!

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Oooo I now have spinach sprouting and some spring onions are peeking through the soil too!

And a big lone shoot has appeared in my carrot row and via google I've identified it as a courgette seed! I

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Oops pressed send too soon.

I planted 3 courgettes seeds about 30cm away from the shoot so I bird must have dug it up then dropped it? Can I somehow move it back to where its meant to be? How would I do that?!

[TwllBach]

My lemon seeds are growing really fast now, and it occurs to me that I don't actually know what I should do with them now I might have to replant them because they're in an old jam jar atm.

I'm hoping the weather is going to hold over the bank holiday weekend because I have a swede that I would like to plant, and maybe some carrots.

With your courgette seed, couldn't you just carefully dig it and a little bit of surrounding soil up, so you keep well away from the seed itself and just transport your little courgette-y ball from that place to the next?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Aha good idea :) ill do that at the weekend.

I bought slug pellets too due to a suggestion up thread, do I put it on now when the shoots are only just emerging or wait until there's lots of leaves to be potentially eaten?

[DewDr0p]

Are slug pellets ok to use around plants you plan to eat? I'd check the box carefully.

Emerging shoots are extra tender and tasty, I think, so never too early to protect them.

[JillJ72]

Hi all !

Carrots - carrot root fly is a horrible little fellow that can smell a carrot from twenty flaps of its wings, so if thinning, bear that in mind. Couple of simple solutions - put a barrier around the carrots at least 20cm high (ie plastic sheeting), or plant them in pots at least 20cm high.

The plants I put in on Monday have perished, apart from the celery which seems to have relished the frost. I bought replacements today, and also got a thigh high greenhouse thing and also a netted tunnel thing for cabbages and broccoli. Allotment tomorrow it is!

Our allotment is something like 100ft x 20ft. It gets the sun all day and has a fox den in the brambles next to it. It became a plot about 4 years ago, we've had it for 3 now. A few more years and I hope we will have conquered it fully, and evicted most of the weeds.

We don't use chemicals; I've found personally using slug pellets seemed to attract the blighters. Would dearly love to rotavate but the weeds would have a field day!

In the ground already we have:-

Dwarf apple tree
Cherry tree
Plum tree
Raspberry canes
Strawberries
Gooseberry bush
Red and black currant bushes
Self-seeded chard
Narcissi, bluebells and aquilegia (for prettiness!)


To go in we have....

Kohlrabi
Purple sprouting broccoli
Red Baron onions
French beans
Runner beans
Pumpkin
Squash
Courgette (green and yellow)
Red, yellow, orange pepper
Chilli
Potatoes
Couple of types of lettuce


This year I've completely cheated by donating my funds to the garden centre's efforts. May sow a few things from scratch but need to clear our garden room of my crap to make space!

Weather forecast for my area is looking good this weekend so will get some time for digging and planting.

Have a good one!

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Wow Jill you sound busy and very organised! Did you go to your allotment today?

I have a mystery going on here! I thought I had a courgette plant sprouting cos it looks like the shoot pictures online and on the packet. But it was about 30cm away from where I sowed it, so today I moved it back to the original hole (where I originally planted 3 seeds) but the three original seeds were still there unsprouted!!!!!



So I've sown three seeds indoors in yoghurt pots in case it's not actually a courgette seed. Hmmmmm. Any ideas what's going on?

On a happier less mysterious note, my peas are sprouting well as are my spring onions, spinach and salad. Carrots are peeking through too and strawberry plants are bigger :)

How's everyone else getting on?

[orangepudding]

I went to my allotment today and noticed that a cucumber has sprouted, I planted a few so hope they will come through soon and won't be eaten by birds or slugs!

Ilike I have no idea about the courgette seed! Will be interesting to found out whether it is courgette or not.

The seeds in my propergators haven't sprouted yet and I'm getting impatient.

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Talking if slugs I'm in a dilemma whether to put slug pellets on my veg patch or not. Don't want slugs but don't fancy the idea of poison in the patch cos a) I have kids though doubt they'd eat the soil! B) don't like the idea of killing things c) worried poison wound get on my veg d) worried poison would seep into the soil.

What are others doing?

[rhihaf]

Slug pellets flat out! After last year I totally reviewed my mollusc policy.

You could try beer traps (just dig a hole, put a jar/cup/cut open can of beer in it), but that only works if you can get out to empty it pretty regularly, or it turns into a beery, slimy, gooey, stinky pit of hell.

Anyone planted any broad beans yet? I've never grown them and and considering it. Thoughts?

[rhihaf]

Re: regular emptying of beer traps - I meant once a day or two, not hourly or anything!

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Argh bloody slugs!!!! I had a row of leaf salad growing nicely, the leaves were about 2cm and today when I looked it has ALL GONE!!!!

The other stuff is all still there but I don't have any salad at all left, they ate literally all of it, sob sob sob :(

Tonight I am going to put the pellets out, little sluggy shits!

[rhihaf]

Poor ilikeyourlseeves, have some . Little sluggy shits indeed! Let's all rage against the lettuce-munching-machines, THIS IS WAR you bastards!

Ah, I feel better now.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

bit of a heads up for a gale warning tomorrow for those of you in the south west, central southern England, midlands (away from the east) and much of Wales.
Went out yesterday and staked my broad beans in anticipation.

also, for the first time ever have been able to get lupins going thanks to slug nematodes. they arent perfect but have reduced my slug mountain.

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I just went out to inspect the war on slugs and there's a huge slug trail mess over about quarter of my row of carrots now!!! It looks like they were having a feast then slowly crawled to their messy death urgh it's disgusting!

Starting to wish I hadn't bothered with this veg patch, for all the cost, time and effort I doubt ill get much at all in return :(