Have I sold 16 people a pig in a poke?

[PiggyPokkyFool]

Name changed as this is very outing.
The facts: Saw YouTube video about growing tomatoes from a slice of tomato, had some v tasty cherry ones from supermarket so planted 3 slices with low expectations. 3 weeks later, 54 seedlings, transferred to larger pots expecting to lose half, 52 survived - nearly all grew looking super healthy - had 49 tomato plants. Couldn't possibly use all so planted some, gave away some and had 28 tomato plants left. Got the bright idea of selling them on our local group for 50p each - sold all bar 3 which I offered some to my much older, much wiser chum and he said " Oh, no thanks as they are probably F1s so won't produce anything". Have I sold 16 people a pig in a poke? Never mind friends who think I am a great grower

@EssentialHummus and @BobTheDuvet - how are you progressing? I say you, when I mean your crops, but we are so tied up in what we grow at this time of year ....
@BooseysMom - I hope the weather is as good for you as it is for us - my beans have grown another two feet since the weekend.
Three cheers for the growers - may our produce be heavy and our hearts light🍎🍓🍏🥒🥕

Morning piggy! Yesterday I built a new raised bed for the little guys to go into. Have left it a day for the resident fox to have a sniff so he/she doesn’t dig everything up, then will plant out. Other (earlier) tomatoes and cucumbers are coming along. Gratuitous pics attached!

Yours too bob. We’re really lucky having a garden our size in London. Our building is double-fronted and a corner plot, so we have ended up with plenty of space (most of it currently not utilised!).

Wow - look at all your space and everything looks wonderful - must get some photos of my efforts too.

Haven't read the ft but my husband's compost always has tomato seedlings growing in it ( not planted, just in the compost somehow). The tomatoes are lovely. No idea what variety, just very tasty toms

Hanging basket alpine strawberries, mange tout pods growing through the raspberries, first cucumbers coming

And just for the sheer hell of it two of the glads that my older very knowledgeable friend passed on bulbs three years ago. 16 bulbs produced 12 different colours last year and they are getting into their stride again.

Gladioli look fab piggy!

And those alpine strawberries look yummy! Are they easy to grow?

We have alpine strawberries- they are the bane of my life. The throw plants all round the garden and I can never seem to get rid of them all 🤬

Yes to the alpines being easy to grow - I put them in that hanging basket 7 years ago and they now overwinter hanging in that tree as that seems to protect them from front. They used to be at the front of our house but I bought a new fancy hanging basket for the front which I grow big strawberries in. The big ones start in June for me and finish by the middle of August - the alpines start in May and stop in October and I get 10 small alpines for every big one - they go dark dark red and are delicious and I get some big for alpines in there too. Every week I take it down and sit it in a basin of water and it is good for the next 5-7 days.

@PiggyPokkyFool.. thanks for remembering me on the thread .. yes we're finally getting some gorgeous weather but sadly my one surviving cucumber succumbed to the heat..see very sad pic attached. Also my strawbs seem to have come to an abrubt end after hanging on through the cold, wet spring, they produced about 3 tiny berries and then just stopped. I think they must be the early fruiting variety.

@BobTheDuvet.. very jealous of your phallic courgette !! Also love your cucamellons. We grew loads of courgettes last year and they survived the powdery mildew caused by the hot summer. So this year we gave them a miss. We have three sweetcorn doing nicely and the potatoes are also growing well. Planted carrot and beet seed which are just coming up..everything is so much later this year due to the bad spring. Blame the weather, that's what i say!
Happy growing everyone!

from FROST! Not front - doh!
@Crankybitch - send them my way.
God I love this growing lark - just had redcurrants, strawberries, raspberries and a banana(not homegrown!) with yogurt for lunch.

oh @BooseysMom - so sad - it's like losing a friend when they die. Some of my raspberries got sunburned at the weekend so are ripening with the odd white spot!

Just in case you think I am joking about the sunburn...
gardenbooyah.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/july-7-8-can-raspberries-get-sunburn/
Happy growing x

I never knew they could get sunburn, Piggy!

Bob.. this is what i want to stop the slugs and bad weather...vegepod.co.uk/
Either this or a greenhouse!
Omg who would vandalise pea plants!
Great news about your French beans!
My good news is my two tomatoes are doing in pots..see attached

bob and boo we’ve had good results with slug tape.

Bob.. thank you! It's early days and i'm very much a learner gardener, this being my first proper garden of my own. I've got a lot to learn.

EssentialHummus.. thanks. I have slug tape somewhere i might dig out. The problem i have with them is they hide in my raised bed and eat my mini sunflowers. I chucked a couple out but still they come!

boo I went nuts with mine and taped up all the raised beds . It looks like a rave out there between that and the ultrasonic fox repellent but actually seems to work!