Fruit & Veg growers Club 2007

[nikkie]

What is everyone planning to grow this year?
I have the bluberry bushes, strawberries,apple and pear from last year and hopefully i will get some proper fruit this year.Will be growing peas/tomatos/lettuce for definate as they all did really well. Cape gooseberry plants did well but fruit needed a couple more weeks of sun and never quite made it ,possibly start earlier this time.

what are you using as bird scarers?

Cds , but hoping it desn't bother the local racing pigeons.They are just round the fruit rather than everywhere so hopefully won't have all the pigeon men after me!

have you ever tried plastic bags tied to sticks? know it sounds silly but have seen it a lot in gardens around here and it seems a cheap and easy way of doing it - if it actually deters them. I suppose it's the sound and movement that would scare them off a bit.

Ate our first broad beans of the season today for lunch. They were yummy

not tried bags, but dd2 wants to build a scarecrow though

My broad beans plants are about 3" high! Pumpkins are spreading their foliage out and I have a butternut squash as well.

We've had a lot of rain today

I cheated and planted them in the autumn

We are so far behind you all as we've had so much to do before we could plant anything.
This doesn't stop us enjoying it, though.
It's just so absorbing and satisfying to do some physical work and see the results of your labours.
I've been sleeping soundly, which can be a problem, but spent all of last night's dreams battling with Japanese knotweed which reproduced twice as fast as I got rid of it!! So just like real life!!
Do any of you have a problem with this invader?

No Japanese knotweed here thank goodness. But we do have nettles, brambles, dock, bindweed, ground elder etc which is more than enough to be going on with. And I'm all dig and no spray

Yes we don't use the poison as it is affectionately known by the old boys.
They come up and whisper don't let L,(site manager)see, but a drop of this, brandishing an old bottle, and look so disappointed when we gently point we are organic too!!
The area rpond teir plots is arid, I want mine to be abundant with flowers and herbs.

By the way, have any of you tried the 'potager' way of planting that looks really dense and lush?
Must go and check Community Boys aren't cutting down my trees!!

found a snail in my back yard this am, where did it come from , we never have snails and only ever a couple of slugs (not m,any plants round by me).How do I stop them coming in force? Do I have to protect each plant of will it just come through my yard door /overthe wall?

Come and talk to me!! Is it the fragrance? This evening DP and I have moved a TON of manure that was delivered the other day. It was absolutely pouring down with rain, we had to strip of in the garden.
But it's going to be amazing because our soil is so poor.
If anyone had told me 10 years ago i would be so happy doing this I would never have believed it
And DP is a superstar as has two sessions of s**t shovelling today.

Well done earthy will be worth it in the end!

Am new to gardening. Have grown a load of veg plants from seed (toms, courgettes, pumpkin, aubergine) but am wondering when should plant them out & can't be bothered to trawl back through thread to see where everyone's at.

Currently they are oscilating between mini greenhouse at night or breakfast room at night if v cold. Then normally outside in the day. I live in London. They are all in 3 inch pots. Can other southerners update me where they are vis a vis hardening off/ planting out.

Thanks

kazzia, me too , was wondering when I oculd plant out all my little seedlings... Was going to ask my dad so will post back when I have spoken to him

Hello, could I join? I am absolute gardening ignoramus and have just planted some lettuces outdoors, and am waiting for tomatoes to come up indoors.

Is there anything else fairly fast-growing that we can plant at this time of year, that won't get slugged instantly? I've just put in a load of bulbs and sweet peas and so on but ds keeps saying "I only want to grow things we can EAT"

Your DS sounds like my DH. I had to beg for a 3m sq flower bed.

DH is out in torrential rain and thunder digging over a new veg patch. Think he needs counselling of some sort.

We have only got a tiny little space round the edge of our tiny piece of lawn - say about 1.5 foot by 15 foot long? I think we could maybe get a few pots going as well as there is a tiny paved area at the back that we don't use for anything.

I have just read the whole thread - most interesting - plus I now know who David Gest is

F&Z - how about little pots of salad leaves. You can get lots of varieties from Suttons (you can order from internet) & they only take 4 weeks to do. My kids grew them last year & actually ate salad! A first. You only need a pot about 1ft square & once they grow you can cut about 4 times - saves money on salad from supermarket.

If you get 3 pots on the go in rotation they'll keep you going in salad for most of the summer.

He would love that, kazzia, a friend let us pick sorrel from his allotment and ds was literally jumping with excitement to get home and eat it.

Would they get slugs on them in a pot? I am a bit slug phobic. We just sowed some mixed lettuce in the flowerbed but I am half expecting it all to get eaten by creatures...

Can we grow carrots atm or is it too late? How big a pot would we need for a fruit bush?

Slug damage wasn't too bad as I think if you are using compost you've got no slugs lurking in soil to start with & cos you eat it quite soon after it pops up they don't have much of a chance.

Will check my Gardening Which guide re carrots - we've got some growing in a pot too.

KAzzia- how big are your plants? I have some 4-5inches + in the mini greenhouse all the time with the door open all day.

F&Z- get some copper tape round the pot then slugs/snails can't climb in.

Oh thank you both. Can I get that from a garden centre MrsWho?

I got mine from wilkos so I would think the garden centre would have it.