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.

That’s brilliant Fartlek, you’re inspiring me to have a go at something ! Female flowers on a courgette (and other members of the cucurbit family eg. Squash, cucumbers and melon) have a small bit behind the flower that develops once fertilised, the males are in a plain stalk.

Mere I am also trying to fill my garden with fruit trees. My lovely neighbour has just given me a pear tree in a pot she had so very happy with that as Implanted one in the ground recently .

Flowers as Assassin describes, but also (not for recognition but interesting to understand the mechanics) the male flowers produce pollen, the females have a sticky sort of lump, sticky so it can adhere to the pollen brought in by pollinating insects.

The plants tend to produce nothing but males to begin with but after a week or so start producing a mixture of males and females.

You've done a really good job on that greenhouse, Fartlek

If you put a frame on the plastic flap, you could put a door hook on it. Otherwise fasten tape tie fastenings at about 6-8 inch distance - would be quite annoying when you're just going to take a tray of seedlings in there and find the "door" shut, though.

Complete novice here looking for some guidance please. I have a 20cm height raised bed, W 120cm and L 120cm. I bought it last summer from b&q and fitted it with the recommended liner. I filled it with a 50/50 mix of Wickes top soil and compost probably Grosure. I tried transplanting some vegetable greens seedlings at the time but they just died within days so have no clue what I did wrong. I want to start again now but am just scared to waste time and money. Since it's been sitting for a year should I do/ add anything to it before I attempt to plant? I would like tomatoes, onions, herbs and spinach. I would be grateful for any help. Many thanks

Fell off this thread so checking back in. My lawn has been getting the most attention recently- lots of bald patches and high foot fall from the kids on it all day-seeded netted and watered...a never ending task I think...
Tomatoes are coming along well in my mini grow house, everything else needs some love this weekend.
First lots of pak Choi look nearly ready for picking...

Can I join? My lack of commute means I have regained 4 hours a day. I am devoting it to transforming my weed patches.

I have a really clay soil and in parts clay sub soil carefully added to the garden when the previous owner added a small conservatory & needed somewhere to put the spill. I have spent the last couple of years digging out & disposing of the dumped sub soil. It is inert & not worth keeping. Where the soil is not too bad I have added compost, bark chippings and sand over each year. Finally I have got to a point it is going to support some plants. It will need re-mulching with compost and bark each year forever. I can do soils (degree back in the dark ages & not used since), plants are another thing.

I am hoping to achieve a edible / ornamental all mixed with 2 x raised vege bed (120 x 180 cm each) type of hippy look.

I am intrigued by the grow the squashes up a frame approach mentioned by a pp - I have germinated 4 summer squash, 4 x green courgette and 4 x gold courgette and I can't quite let them go (is it just me or are seedlings surrogate babies?). Space is going to be an issue ( I will deal with the how on earth I am going to eat so many later in the year).

I may have also been over enthusiastic with the tomatoes.... do people think it would be ok to dot them around the garden in the spaces I am saving for the cordon orchard to be planted in the autumn.... which leads me to the next question where is a good place to buy fruit trees.

Sorry I am going to be so annoying.

lannister although you said you planted in summer, perhaps it was too early for the seedlings, were they hardened off, so that the fall in night temperature didn’t kill them.
I don’t know what kit raised beds have as instructions, but does the liner have drainage holes?

unescorted courgettes do take up a lot of space, we grow ours in very large pots.

lannister If they wilted and died, then lack of water. Even if the compost is moist, they need a good watering after planting because no matter how careful you were, their rooots will have been damaged and aren't as good at sucking up water out of the soil. Otherwise, as bumble says, cold nights.

unescorted You need a strong frame and to tie in at frequent intervals. Squashes and marrows have heavy fruit. Tomatoes -yes fine to dot around.

Fruit trees - I was going to suggest Reads but they seem to have folded. So I haven't a clue! My own favourite, Scotts of Merriott, died about 15 years ago.

Lannister I think the same thing has happened to some strawberry suckers I re planted. They look very sorry for themselves.

Thanks for the squash / courgette frame advice.

Thanks for the reply all. Unfortunately I didn't harden off. All this is all new and overwhelming, didn't even know I was meant to. I did do a good amount of watering though. The liner doesn't have obvious holes but the packaging said the fabric was porous & allowed for drainage. I think I need a step by step beginners guide to gardening.

lannister As I said on another thread, the best way to learn is to make lots of mistakes

Oh no it's meant to freeze tonight! (Scotland) I just spent all day getting a corner of my yard set up with a large planter and planted out my kohlrabi seedlings. I have some insulating fleece, will that keep them safe?

Morning peeps.

Where did the summer go? It threw it down with a mad thunderstorm in the late afternoon. Overnight the temperature plummeted and it is now windy - but everything looks OK (except the strawberries which I may just give up as a bad job).

I have been furiously googling about fruit tress & have come across this growers website Orange Pippin that has loads of useful tools on size, pollination, and stuff. They even have a free advice service - so I have contacted them re what to grow in the space I have. I am worried I may have been over influenced by Instagram. I will let you know the outcome.

Another question for you guys - given that the weather it a lot colder & it is windy, should I put my seedlings out for their daily constitution or should I leave them indoors? They have been going out during the day for about a week now and have lost their leggy-ness, except the Broccoli and Lavender. I think I started the squash and courgette a little early because they are now going for world domination and it is way too risky here to put them out ( talk of frost & sleet). Would it be beneficial to put them into larger pots & if so what size?

I feel I am a one person question generator.

Would it be beneficial to put them into larger pots & if so what size? Put them in a larger pot if the roots have outgrown the current one, which you will recognise by the roots growing out of the hole at the bottom. Just one or two short roots poking out, no problem, but if the roots are more than 1cm, and there are lots of them, then time to repot into a pot about an inch taller.

Thanks - I will investigate.

Argh the cold! And the wind! I have been putting up a greenhouse over the past few weeks, a second hand one which doesn't have all its glass. I've learned many interesting things in this process including how to cut glass (very bloody carefully, but confidently, as it can smell your fear and your glass scorer tool will go off course...). I merrily moved all my seedlings in there onto a bench just before it got cold! I have arranged it so that the glass I do have is covering the south side of the greenhouse and I've rigged up some builder's sheeting and hessian wrap to keep it insulated. I'm also bothered about wind but it seems to be sheltered enough so far. Hopefully I will get the rest of the glass in soon, which will be better for retaining heat and not be windy either.

Everyone’s plants ok after cold night last night?

I thought I had lost a big butternut plant in my cold frame but after a water it looks like it has perked up. All my plants are going to be in planters and buckets this year as I'm in a rented house....

My greenhouse rigging worked! And my potatoes didn't seem to suffer either. A few more nights of frost due accorsing to metcheck so I'm covering everything overnights.

Glad things have survived. Hopefully after this cold spell over that will be it. My french beans started to appear yesterday (direct sown) which was not the best timing.

Awesome greenhouse @TyneFilth!
I laid a few sheets of insulating material and some boards over my kohlrabi and pea planter and they seem to be ok. I'm putting my tomato plants in the greenhouse during the day but bringing them in at night. If no other crops come through that is fine but I'm determined to get fresh tomatoes!!!

Very impressed by the greenhouses @Fartlek and @TyneFilth

I have a little plastic greenhouse outside, my tomato plants are in there but don't seem very happy about it, they were doing much better indoors. Unfortunately there isn't any room for them! The DC have a school project of growing things so we have started lots of runner beans and peas (they are rather impatient, best to choose something that grows quickly!) and that's taking up all available room.

Gosh it is cold here at night though (south east) - frost every morning. Who'd have thought it in mid May?!

Gosh it is cold here at night though (south east) - frost every morning. Who'd have thought it in mid May?! Our latest frost I expect any time up to 5th June. So mid may not surprising, though a bit of a shock after the unseasonably warm weather we've been having.

So far so good with the cold - but I have kept things on the dry side. I will have to water tomorrow. We also appear to be in a bit of a warm patch. There was frost on all the other gardens except ours, having said that Mr Rhubarb flopped for the 3rd day in a row and a fuchsia in a basket is looking a little worse for wear. the Strawberries are past it I think - when I need the space I will pull them up.

Positive news - salad and radishes are popping up and so far the areas I have hand weeded are still free of mares tail. I need to crack on with the rest to make sure it does not spread back. Roses have grown and all the seeds I direct sowed too early have come up and not frozen to death.

How are we all doing?

I haven't planted anything outside yet but thinking this weekend might be right - are others doing so? I am south east. I haven't run out of greenhouse space so happy to keep them in if better.

I have shifted my cucumbers from their tray into individual fairly big pots, they will stay in the greenhouse as I think they are better there.

I have a lot of broccoli seedlings in one tray which I am planning to put in multiple places - ground, grow bag, pots in the greenhouse and pots outside to see which do best. I have brought the tray outside today to harden off, not sure how long I need to do this for.

Also have some courgettes which look like they're outgrowing their tray & planning to do the same as with the broccoli.

I'm also planning to give a lot of seedlings away as I now know I planted far too many seeds!

Have been following for a while and thought I'd post some photos. I've a small garden with feck all topsoil so have been planting in pots. Bought a wee pvc greenhouse for tomatoes and used bark over a weed membrane to create a level floor