29th March "Grow your own" newcomers welcome here

[TalkinPeece]

In light of lots of posts on lots of other threads I thought I'd start one for those who are looking at their gardens in a whole new light this spring.

Rule One of starting to grow your own
do not be over ambitious
A couple of growbags and pots at the start will give better results than trying to dig up the whole garden

Rule Two of starting to grow your own
grow stuff that will actually cope with your conditions
Look at where the sun shines on your garden at different times of day and what access to water you have

Rule three of starting to grow your own
grow what you will enjoy eating fresh from the garden
as the crops will be smaller but tastier

Rule Four of starting to grow your own
prepare to develop an obsession with the weather forecast

HOWEVER
Tomatoes against a wall of the house are easy in most of the UK
Herbs in small pots on windowsills are easy in most places
Lettuce / salad greens can work in pots, tubs or even hanging baskets
Spinach can be seeded soon and every few weeks from then on to keep you in greens for months
Baby carrots are quick fun and easy to grow in a tub
Beetroot ditto
Dwarf french beans later in the year are well worth growing even in a tiny garden

If we assume that the biggest newcomer plot is 2m by 1m (or 8 feet by 4 feet in old money)

How much yummy veg can Mumsnetters produce?

Thanks Talkin I’ll have a look at that.

This one I recommend for anyone thinking of investing in a greenhouse (dead cheap on kindle).

SisterOfDonFrancisco If you have a windowsil which does get some sunshine you might be able to grow bell peppers. I grew them in pots on my kitchen sil for several years. You have to watch out for red spider mite further on in the process though, and deal with that accordingly.

I grew the peppers from seeds taken from peppers bought in Tescos and kept in the fridge til I wanted to sow them. Ordinary compost and graduating to larger pots/saucers as needed. I've also had success starting off tomato seeds the same way, but then growing them on in the garden.

I have a tiny garden which has evolved over thirty years into a wild life haven, but that means as it faces north and is now a miniature woodland it seldom gets much sun. The slug and snail population don't seem to have been put off, unfortunately. I have been optimistic and bought perpetual spinach seeds this year though, but don't know really where to put them for their best chance of giving me anything!!

Courgettes grow like mad. Nobody needs seven plants. Opal (pale) and goldrush (yellow) are both yummy.

You can get yellow and white beetroot. Really worth it as they are dead easy. Plus you can eat the leaves.

Mooli radish grow surprisingly well.

Chinese greens are quick to produce results but can be a bit spicy. Mustard leaves make mustard gas

Aztec Broccoli is a big plant that looks like marijuana from a distance. It tastes wonderful and is now grown by may of my friends. [[http://www.realseeds.co.uk/broccoli.html]]

Beans can be fickle, depending on the weather. We grow climbing french beans and runner beans, a wigwam of both and let the pumpkins run riot under them. Grow proper eating pumpkins not carver lantern ones.

I’m going to watch this thread with interest and see what tips I can pick up!

Autumn we have a Lakeland dehydrator www.lakeland.co.uk/31793/Lakeland-Adjustable-Food-Dehydrator pick up on ebay for half the price. Lots of people don't get on with them, hence a good second hand market.

Just added some dehydrated kale to my Monday lunchtime special- left overs from Sunday roast. It should soften yummily in the gravy.
As for which dehydrator I recommend, I went for my usual second cheapest on Amazon with best reviews. It's a Callow but I have no idea if that is brilliant or not. It serves me well.
The holy grail of dehydrators is an Excalibur but that is out of my price range.

Joining. We bought our first house last May but didn't do anything with the garden so it's just turfed over.

In a few weeks we're getting a base for a lovely potting shed and I've just bought a little (tiny!) greenhouse. Not one that you can stand in...one that leans against a wall with about three shelves.

Will do for growing from seed ready to plant though.

So far I just have one lemon tree (potted) that is currently in the lounge for the winter, will need re-potting in a month or two once the frosts have gone.

Planning to plant tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, spinach, chillis and espalier an apple tree against the side of the garage. Oh and herbs too in an old Belfast sink I bought for £20.

Any tips for keeping cats off the beds? I have four of them and the little buggers will shit all over my food if i give them half a chance they have already pissed in the lemon tree because they didn't want to go out in the rain

Hi! I've got a basil plant, aubergine, avocado plant and some broccoli indoors. I've had no luck on getting more than flowers that fall after a few days from the aubergine, my avocado is large but not fruiting and my broccoli is looking like tall cress at the moment. Basil is flourishing though! Can anyone advise me how to make the best of the others? Im worried that the broccoli is wilting as it continues to grow up but wiry (never grown it before and put a few of the seeds in a couple of pots...

In the garden I have potatoes and did try carrots last year which worked quite well in a tall narrow wooden container (thought it might be good to know for those short on space!).

A really good thing is to actually visit demonstration vegetable gardens in your area ....
RHS Wisley is the bees knees
I love seeing when their beds look as tatty as mine
for those in the south west, RHS Rosemoor
for those in the east, RHS Hyde Hall
in the midlands, Ryton or Barnsdale (started by the wonderful Geoff Hamilton)
also
most Botanic gardens - Kew, Edinburgh, Birmingam, Glasgow, Sheffield - have a vegetable area

see the experts at work and scale it back to your plot

I pass RHS Wisley every day on my monster commute and visit at least a couple of times a year and spend too much in the shop

Pallets collars are a very cheap way to make raised beds. associated-pallets.co.uk/product/1200-800-195mm-pallet-collar/?attribute_package-size=Single+Units&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpfqtn_2x4AIVjpPtCh29dgVLEAQYAiABEgIKbPD_BwE You can often find second hand ones locally.

mojo
Any tips for keeping cats off the beds?
physical barriers are the best
I am very partial to chicken wire across seeded beds
and then hanging basket frames over seedlings
once the plants cover the area, satsuma peel between plants reminds my cats they are not welcome there

Lonely have you hand pollinated your aubergines? I had some success with the purple ones doing this before and a lot of success with Thai ones which are green and that’s just reminded me I might try some again this year. I need a greenhouse..

Pesty and bellini, thank you for the dehydrator info. Much appreciated.

Just slipping in here.....

I did 4 square last year and it was an amazing success. I did soil science at uni and would recommend making sure you nurture your soil. I dug in loads of peat free compost to aerate it, but it is like a wonder drug for soils. If in doubt add more.

My horticulture is not so great.... I had bumper bugs. My broad beans were coated in black fly. This year I am going to treat as soon as any bugs show their ugly heads. And take lots of advice from the collective.

Cats off beds? I have three so planted a forest of plastic forks, tines uppermost. Sorted.

Re dehydration- what is the difference between a machine and in the oven on a super low heat?

Grinchly ovens don't go low enough. Unless you have a rayburn and turn it down low for the summer.
Candied quince, jewel like beauty in the dehydrator, toffee in a slow oven.
You can turn the oven on slow for 15 mins every two hours, sooner or later you fuck up. Got some candied peel under going this treatment at the moment.

Great thread. I have been thinking about starting soon on my beds and pots. I've been trying to grow for a couple of years and had some great successes and huge failures. Cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli were failures. My Asparagus bin turned into sludge.

Courgettes started off well, and I got some whoppers at the start. But then they started hiding among the leaves, resting on the soil and rotting :-(

Successes were lettuce, spinach and rocket. The rocket grew like mad, I couldn't eat it fast enough!!

Hoping to grow purple sprouting broccoli, mange tout, rocket, spinach and salad leaves this year, as well as giving the courgette another go. Might try cucumbers too after seeing this thread. I once grew them in a pot years ago and they were great.

I'm not even going ot waste my time with cauli/cabbage this year.

I have a massive garden but it's ridden with slugs. I don't see them during the day but the garden is disgusting if I go out late in the summer.

Is there any point in me trying to grow anything?

Last year they happily sneaked into the oubuilding and over slug pellets to eat the chicken food.

I can't remember what they are called but there are wool pellets that work brilliantly against slugs. You can buy nematodes to dilute and pour into the soil.
Also bury jars up to their necks and fill with beer to tempt then drown them.
Slugs are a constant battle but these are possible strategies for the fight back.

Lazyface
Set up one or two raised beds and then put copper tape around them
other veg, do in pots and tubs raised up with wool pellets around the plants
and then set beer traps and make your garden frog and hedgehog friendly ....

pascal
the only brassica worth doing in a small garden is cavalo nero kale
as the length of time between seed and harvest is so long

try yellow courgettes as they are easier to spot
and start cutting them as soon as they are longer than your hand

Wool pellets ....
www.gardening-naturally.com/slug-gone-safe-natural-wool-pellets
hedgehog friendly, child friendly, pet friendly

Nematodes are the best thing if you have loads of slugs. They get them down to a manageable number. I rarely have problems now, virtually no slugs as I use them once or twice during the summer, last year it was just the once as it was so dry.

Thank you