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?

I'm quite worried about the weather forecast, looks like day time temps are falling down to 11-15 C for the coming week after today.

My small plants are all currently in those plastic greenhouses outside. They've been there for a couple of weeks already and seem ok but should I bring tender plants inside? Tomatoes and cucumbers?

I think that's a good idea, we could be seeing a few frosts...

Aubergines and peppers planted out in the polytunnel
Salad leaves planted out in the garden
Tomatoes all potted up (52 of them)
but the air is still too cold to get the climbing beans in the ground

My greenhouse went down to -3.1C last night

Fortunately all the many seedlings - almost all still at the two leaf stage - seem to be ok. GB (gardening buddy) says that as long as the seedlings were ok, that main risk was if the compost or earth had frozen but we think it was just an air frost that only momentarily got that low.

I've planted up two of my Roma seedlings and will do another one tomorrow and one of the All Blacks.

My beetroot had germinated and I've re-sown my Defender courgettes as they've not appeared, yet all 3 of my Atena courgettes, sown at the same time, came up two weeks ago and have already been potted on. 2 out of the 3 Italian pumpkins are ready to pot on - won't bother sowing another one.

Hopefully this year I'll keep my interest going all season. I've got loads of flower seedlings to look after too.

I've also learnt that inspecting for germination and the seedlings every day doesn't make them grow faster! doesn't stop me doing it though

My courgettes are not happy about the cold. I'll see how they go but might need to plant some more if they don't recover. Everything else seems to be hanging on in there.

Had a big tidy burnup today - old washing machine drum makes the best incinerator

Tomorrow is setting bean towers

We have a "dead" washing machine (currently doing our washing at a friend's place until we buy a new one). Is it difficult to take the drum out?

Prettybird
Give a handy young rugby player a lump hammer, a couple of screwdrivers, a small crowbar, safety goggles and an hour

My son dismantled our with great gusto about four years ago.

The other one is over 30 years old
They make FANTASTIC party braziers as the heat comes out the sides

A job for ds when he gets home from Uni then (Some time in the next 2 weeks when he deigns to tell us when he wants his lift back down )

Our 25 year old washing machine got stuck on a heating cycle and fried the electrics so is good for nothing but the scrap heap. Dh did well to rescue the washing in it, over-riding the lock I think the electrics were so fried it didn't know that it was supposed to be locked even though it still had water in it

Thank you, TalkingPeace.

I've put all tomatoes out last week and some have shrivelled up completely. :-(

My one and only courgette is still happy outside and peas seem to be growing well. I already have a couple of pods with some tiny peas in them.

And after 3 weeks of what felt like watering just the ground my potatoes have appeared.

Lazy
Its early to put Tomatoes outside unless you are in a very warm area
I've got two that will be outdoors and will deal with them in about three weeks

spuds - yup the soil is warming up

Lovely thread thank you. We've just planted out today. I forgot I had a packet of Padron peppers and seeded those too. Anyone any experience with these in a greenhouse?

(((( Padron )))))
Keep them watered, keep them fed, pick them small
you'll have more than you know what to do with - last year averaged 40 per plant

My potatoes are coming up nicely under the fleece. I need to lift it and do some shoring up - which in my case at this time (and because I didn't refill the raised bed before planting out the chitted potatoes ) means piling extra compost from the compost heap along the line of the potatoes.

I really haven't managed to do much gardening recently - DS1 has been ill and really clingy for a week and a half now - just about managing to keep the garden tidy, helped by a visiting dog who chewed up strawberry plants and a buddleia I'd planted a few weeks ago

Went to a local plant sale today and replaced the strawberry plants very cheaply and bought another couple of bits at Poundland (although sadly they didn't have any buddleia). I also got a lovely little fern at the plant sale, but DS2 bashed it whilst proudly storing everything in his pull along trolley, and I think that may be the end of that!

my second attempt at courgettes didn't come up, but we've got loads of salad and my tomatoes, peas and broad beans are beginning to flower, so that's something.

Hi all, read the whole thread with interest and have been inspired to have a go at growing some bits and bobs this year for the first time ever! So to say I'm a complete novice would be overstating it...

Just a quick question for now (sorry it's obvious) - a few of my seeds have sprouted little leaves etc which I was going to leave in the propagator until a bit stronger (basil). I think they'll be ok for a little bit.

However, I have one cucumber that has sprouted well and the roots are peeking out of the bottom of the plug - but it's only been a week since I planted the seed! Should I be potting it now? Or is the root ok 'loose' growing out of the bottom into the tray. I think I know the answer but don't want to ruin my one good sprouting!!!!

If you can leave it until it has 4 leaves (ie not just the primitive initial 2 cotyledon leaves) and then pot it on, it should be fine. Iirc, cucumbers like small pots any (or is that chili? )

When potting it on, remember to handle it by its leaves and not the stem. If a leave breaks off, another one will grown - but you're stuffed if the stem breaks

My courgettes didn't make it through the cold but the rest is doing well. I already have tiny cucumbers on my cucumber plants (indoors) which is very exciting. I put the beans out yesterday but am dithering about the peppers. I expect they will go out next week.

I'm keeping everything in the greenhouse for the moment - although I have started putting out the sweet peas, peas and beans on to the patio during the day to garden off (don't have a cold frame).

Even in the greenhouse, the temperature has been going down to 3-5C over night - and one night the minimax thermometer claimed -3C We think it must have been a very momentary drop to that low, as none of the seedlings seem to have suffered.

I feel like all my plants are super slow growing and I'm not sure if it's something I'm doing (or not doing) or if it's normal and they will catch up once the weather gets warmer and days longer?

For example, the sweet peppers I planted from seed back in March only just have their first set of true leaves! I have half of them on the kitchen window sill and half in a plastic greenhouse outside, not much different between the two lots.

Similarly a lot of my tomatoes from seed are still tiny with one or two sets of true leaves. I planted them deeper when I potted on so they are short and have good stems though.

The cucumbers, and lots of my flowers (fuschias, lobellias etc.) I bought as plug plants are still small too - can't imagine seeing cucumbers or planting flower baskets anytime soon at this rate!

I think the cold weather since Easter has really checked growth.

Most of my seedlings (only really started sowing on 9 April) are still either at the 2 leaf stage or have ably just got their 1st 2 true leaves - except for some of my peas and beans. I've only potted on 2 of my tomato plants and 3 yellow courgettes as they were the only ones far enough on. That was about 2 weeks ago - and not much else has changed (and the tomato plants gave barely grown). A few more of my tomatoes are ready to pot on - was going to do it yesterday but we picked up ds from Aberdeen Uni and when we came back I wasn't feeling well and went to bed) Also have 2 pumpkin plants ready to pot on (only 2 out of the 3 came up).

My 3rd cucumber seed came up about 2 weeks after the 1st two

I'm on my 2nd sowing of my green Defender courgette - all 3 of the 1st sowing failed But 2 Black Beauty(?) courgettes have now germinated and also 2 yellow squashes (the ones that look like wee frilled flying saucers).

Hi Barnsley
Roots out te bottom are a good sign.
If needs be break them off at the base of the pot to make the plant put more effort to inside and upwards
and then wait till at least two proper leaves

I lost a few tomatoes last week but the rest seem to be doing fine.

Could someone identify these things? I forgot to label up my tray. I put tomatoes & peppers in these and these look like weed/strawberry (which I can't remember sowing).

Sorry Lazy, I'm not sure. I have some shrubs in the garden which the dog has removed/ moved round the labels on, I'll have to wait and see what they may be!

I'm desperate to get out and plant some more seeds, and move some from inside to outside, but DS1 has now been ill for two very very long weeks and howls every time I leave him, even just to go to the garden. I'm determined that he'll be back at preschool at least one morning this week, which will give me two whole hours to get things done. Luxury!