2020 new Gardeners’ thread

[FoolsAssassin]

I think there will be a lot of people this year looking to grow veg and things generally. Thought I would be goof if those of us who have been growing for a bit could help those getting started,

I’m far from expert but a few allotments over the years and I know there are lots of people on here who are far more knowledgeable than me. So if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask and will see what we can do.

Lots of things around the house helpful for getting things started.

Plastic meat container and fruit containers put together make mini propagators useful to go on window sills

Keep yoghurt pots and any ready meal containers you may have to start seeds in

The inside of toilet rolls are good for things like parsnips, sweet corn and peas. Stand then in a container and tie together , they may go moulds over time but don’t worry and then each tube can be planted out without disturbing the toot.

Seed labels can be made by cutting up plastic milk bottles

Plastic bottles cut in half make mini cloches

If by any chance you have newspapers they can be made into pots wrapping around an aerosol can

If you don’t have compost it’s worth bringing in some garden soil which is what I have just done for my tomato seeds,

I have grown my own veg for several years before but usually from plug plants. So, are peas (Seeds) better off put straight in the ground or should I start them in my mini greenhouse?

Oh brilliant, thank you, I have a question!

I heve grown tomatoes before but this year i don't have any seeds and... one of the panes completely fell off my greenhouse in Storm Ciara

Do you think if i use a bog standard Tesco tomato to plant seeds indoors, i could move them to the greenhouse maybe late april or something?

Wildernesstips I usually plant peas directly but this year as we have time and want to try to get as much going as possible I would suggest using the greenhouse . Mice are fond of pea seeds and slugs nip off the young tops if given the chance.

People often start them in old pieces of guttering so they can just slide them out the end but obviously not many people have this around. You might be able to replicate that with a plastic bottle of milk container .

Alltheicecream yes absolutely try with a Tesco tomato if that’s what you have. Think and not 100% that you will get something but not the same as the parent tomato. There is is long thread in this section called something like ‘have I so,d 16 people a pig inn a poke’ which I only briefly read and I think it was this situation.

If you can’t get glass to mend your greenhouse see what plastic you have and use that,

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/3592257-Have-I-sold-16-people-a-pig-in-a-poke

Thanks from me too. Excited novice here. I've sowed courgette, lettuce, sorrel, chilli & pepper seeds in a few old cheap propagator trays/yoghurt pots/toilet roll inner tubes. Put them in front of south facing windows. Used coir seed compost (Amazon) and put cling film over them. Got some tomato plug plants currently inside on a north facing window sill, hoping to keep these alive until I can begin to harden them off.

Hoping desperately for some to germinate, only sowed on Friday.

This is why I'm on the lookout for a cheapo greenhouse. Will read this thread regularly.

Q 1. Should I have cling film over my makeshift seedling trays? It's getting condensation on it! Also how often should I water them, the coir seed compost seems to get very dry.

Leli maybe make a couple of small holes in the cling . The compost wants to be damp but not soaking . Old bottle and use something to pierce fine holes in the lid so you can water gently.

This is so brilliant, thank you OP. I’ve got a really basic question. Our garden is basically thick clay. Do I need to mix other soil in with it before I plant tings out? I am a complete novice

Hi. Have started with my pots. Have rhubarb, herbs, lettuce, carrots, strawberries already growing. Tomatoey, peppers and chilies are a couple of inches tall and inside at the Moment

Looking forward to hearing how everyone gets on 🥕🌶🍅

Trying to get hold of seeds here. I’d usually buy plugs but all the garden centres are shut! Not sure what I will do for compost either.

I’m going to put peas in today. I’ve got a root trainer I’m going to start them in to give them a fighting chance because I have a real issue with slugs and usually lose a lot. Once those are out I will put some runner beans in.

We usually grow corn but I’m not sure I will be able to get any this year.

I have tomatoes, cucumber and courgette seedings indoors. I’ve planted out some lettuce under mesh.

Almahart the conventional wisdom with clay is to introduce grit I think and something else I have forgotten to help break it down but that isn’t practical at the moment.

I’m not very experienced with clay but I know a lot of London gardens are so there must be lots on here who will know what best to advise you. Hopefully someone will come along very soon, there will be a way to manage it.

We are growing this year after a few years break (short of time with young DS). We started the seeds off in the kitchen, they are coming up nicely now and we take them out to the greenhouse in the day now its sunny. I'm worried its too cold in the greenhouse overnight for them as they were started on the kitchen. Should we wait a bit longer before planting them in the greenhouse permanently?

Polkadot depends what they are to an extent but night time temperature does seem quite low still I think so maybe sensible to hold off for now but it does depend what it is .

Great thread :) I would suggest in these difficult times, to keep your tea bags, and use one to a pot will help keep the soil moist and also goodness from the tea leaves. Also echo using different things as pots, I use a lot of the plastic trays that you get fruit and veg in at the supermarket, mushroom ones are ideal. Also I have started some spring onion seeds in a flower pot and they are doing well, so going to try some more. Great ideas from everyone, good luck with your sowing :) Have you tried ebay to order seeds online ?

Didn't want to buy anything online as couldn't decide if it was the right thing to do?

Trying old seeds from 2018. Hopefully some will take. But to do it properly, i'd need to dig a veggie bed and plant in sucession. My last garden was massive and I had 3 veggie beds. Now I have a new build and can see ill need week by week planning to grow proper food.

Did plants soft fruit canes in waste land by house.

Thank you @FoolsAssassin

@almahart we have clay soil and it is amazing for some veg but not for others. We have an odd mixture where the soil is clay but they built the garden on the ruins of old cottages so it is full of stones, pottery etc. Carrots do not grow well in this as they need nice soil to grow straight down.

We've had great success with brasiacas, beans and sweetcorn.

Hi! I’m a flower gardener rather than a vegetable grower, but I can help with the London clay question!

For best results, you need to add bulky organic matter, such as composted bark. I’ve done this for several years (laid it on the surface and let the worms work it in) and it’s made a real difference, but it’s been quite expensive. Grit is fine for adding drainage but doesn’t help the structure of the soil in the same way. For now, use what you can get your hands on - your own garden compost if you have any - and defer any more ambitious plans until next year. Oh and don’t double dig as you risk bringing the even heavier clay substrate to the surface (which was a rookie error on our part 20 years ago!)

Q 1. Should I have cling film over my makeshift seedling trays? It's getting condensation on it! Also how often should I water them, the coir seed compost seems to get very dry. OK to have condensation as long as you keep it clear of germinating seedlings. Before the seeds have germinated it's easier not to have air holes in the cling film as the water won't evaporate so quickly.

Almahart You can add grit to clay but you need an awful lot to make a difference.Remembering that clay + humus = loam, the other approach is to mulch each year with home made compost, spend hops or whatever you can get hold of, and you'll end up with rich moisture retentive soil.

For this year, mulch if you can, but otherwise avoid growing anything that wants a "light, free-draining soil".Avoid the temptation to dig a hole, fill it with compost, and plant something in it - all the water will drain into the hole and then have nowhere to go to.

Didn't want to buy anything online as couldn't decide if it was the right thing to do? See if any of your local small garden centres are doing deliveries or an on-line operation - that way you are helping stop a small business go bust, and hopefully any workers aren't regarded as expendable cogs in the machine.

Thank you so much for this thread Foolsassasin, I came looking for one and here it is.

I'm a novice gardener and I'm lucky to have a small, independent nursery up the road whose still open. I'm going to go and get some compost today and some seeds and plants. I thought I'd try and grow:
Tomatoes
Courgettes
Peas
Spring onions
Herbs
Strawberries
Potatoes

But, my garden has a septic tank at its border and it's not a big garden. I'm worried about transference of e-Colin so I thought I'd try and use containers - would I be able to grow all of the above in containers? I've got a few old wine boxes but I don't know if they're deep enough?

Thanks for this thread OP! My DS2 has planted some peas by just putting them in a pot outside. I'll try doing some inside now as you suggested. When it stops raining, I'm going into the shed to dig out all the other seeds we have languishing round the house after failed previous attempts so I'll have a few million questions after that too

Thank you to those who have come to give advice, I’m recovering from a possible case of CV and quite fuzzy headed at times so if I say something and someone else says something after, please absolutely listen to them

Most of those things should be ok in wine boxes, Tony, but be careful as being quite small they’ll dry out quickly in summer. Potatoes would be better in something like an old compost sack (stab it with a garden fork to make drainage holes, start with seed potatoes and a few inches of compost and then add more as they sprout). Tomatoes also like to be planted deep - they’ll produce more roots from the stem - so again a big pot or cut-off sack would be better.

One last thought from me ...

For anyone excavating old seeds from the depths of the shed. Most seeds - especially if they’re in foil sachets - are viable for longer than the pack states, so give them a go. They may not give you as many seedlings as if they were fresher, but you’ll get something.

My Twitter life is all about gardening, and a lot of smaller nurseries there are very worried about business. Do support them if you’re able to.

TonytheDog:you can do those in pots and containers. Have a look around and see if you have any old plastic storage containers , they will go brittle and break eventually but fine for a season. Old buckets useful too and I have used old wicker baskets.

The wine boxes would be good for lettuce and strawberries I think. Courgettes and potatoes the larger containers.

If you are at a loose end at any point have a look at both Gardener’s World and Beechgrove Garden to see the trials they have done with growing tomatoes in pots.

Unfortunately tomatoes outside are more prone to blight but it’s not a given and absolutely worth a go and even if it does happen it is often at the point where you have green tomatoes which can be used in some way. My friend grows them on a pot on her front doorstep under a bit of a roof that sticks out, my cousin does similar and they both have done well.