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.

Just about to head out, it is sunny but was briefly snowing about 20 minutes ago! Fortunately bought compost in Sainsbury's a few weeks ago.

Agree is definitely worth a go with old seed. I have got an old takeaway container and damp kitchen roll and put seeds in between the kitchen roll, seal up and see what happens. If they sprout gently transfer to compost . They do need to be a decent size to do this.

Have on occasion used an old picnic cool box with a warm hot water bottle to get things going.

And Lizs has given a timely reminder that the weather is still cold. I am south coast and have seen a all the beans on an allotment wiped out be frosts in April. Things sown later do catch up and it’s still very early for somethings.

If you start too early then you are stuck with a jungle on the window sill.

www.gardenfocused.co.uk/adjust-dates-england-b-alt.php
This site will give you an idea what to do for different types of veg depending where you are. Use as a general guide and keep an eye on the weather.

Thank you FoolsAssassin and FromIbiza. I'm sure I've got some higher pots hidden in the shed and I have got some old feed sacks! I'm quite excited.

The advice about not planting out too soon is very useful - I'm going to clear my kitchen windowsill and see if I can find a little pvc greenhouse somewhere.

I hope you're feeling better Assasin.

I've grown veg before (container only) but have been more of a shrub and flower gardener until this year.
I managed to get hold of various composts and manure as well as a fair few veg seeds before stores started closing.
I've probably been too keen to sow outdoors as the only thing coming up at the moment are the broad beans in the sunniest spot in the garden that I had already germinated in the conservatory.
No sign of the early peas that I sowed outdoors a couple of weeks ago. Think I will sow some more in the conservatory in case mice have got them.
Sowed lettuce, spinach, radish, beetroot in pots.
Planted some sprouted potato peelings yesterday.
I had a delivery of bare rooted strawberries yesterday (Dobie's). It's cold here atm, shall I pot them up and keep in conservatory or plant straight out? I've already rehydrated the roots for 20 mins but not sure what to do now...

My tomato seedling have gone very leggy - anything i can do with them or will they be ok?

I planted my strawberries in pots but have put plastic bottles over them as cloches until things warm up

In the past hour we have had sunshine with string wind then hail, sleet and snow, now back to sunshine again! Planted seeds in the shed and now on windowsill. Outdoor sowing will have to wait.

@Ihavenoidewhatsgoingon thanks, die to jail/sleet etc here today I think I'll pot up the strawbs and keep in the conservatory until it's warmer to plant out

@FoolsAssassin thank you so much for the garden focus link - that is so helpful. I am planting way more than usual this year and getting confused about what to do when 😦 I usually have strawberries, blueberries and some form of beans or peas. This year I have strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, sweetcorn, tomatoes, peas and runner beans as well as some carrots and sweet peppers in those M&S packs that someone gave me. My daughter is very very keen on gardening and those are all the things she has requested. I also have some raspberries that I have had for 3 years and only ever got a handful of fruit from - they are my daughter’s favourite but I have told her that if they don’t get their act together this year I am pulling them up!

Tonythedog those feed sacks will be handy ! I am ok thanks, just not quite there yet but am on day 20 of whatever so hopefully nearly going.

Tiddletaddle I would pot them up and keep in conservatory for now. Next winter they can stay in the ground as are very hardy. They look like they have died over winter but come back in the spring.

Not sure if you know but they produce runners which are baby plants on a stem so you get more plants. They are generally more productive year 2 I think and have a feeling some people advise not to eat them in year 1 but I ignore that personally.

Ivenoidea once they have their second leaves they can go into another pot then bury then as deep as possible right up to leaves if you can.

Some people say if you blow on young seedlings it mimics the wind in nature and they grow with thicker stems. Wouldn't like to say if this is true or not.

Purplestorm glad it helped. Are they summer or autumn fruiting raspberries and what have you been doing about pruning ? I think raspberries like a good feed as well.

If you don’t have seed potatoes can you sprout a potato for eating and use that? How long until you can harvest that if you plant in a pot?

I can’t get anywhere that has seed potatoes and also only want one or two for a pot

Yes you can Ihavenoidea and I will be doing similar as no seed potatoes either. There are downsides as some been treated not sprout and they may not be disease free. I got a decent crop from some in a compost heap last year. You can chop them up so they have several ‘eyes’ (sprouts bits) to fo Further.

Timing hard to say as depends on type of potato, see here:

www.gardenersworld.com/plants/potato-types-explained/

popped over from the allotment thread! Hello :)
For all the first time veg growers - one big piece of advice . Work out how much space you have to grow , and look online to see how big plants get and how far to space things out . It doesn't matter if carrots are thick sown in a pot , you can pick out thinnings later , but tomatoes need a certain amount of space and soil to grow and produce. If well looked after a few can give you more harvest than if you have a lot with not enough compost and space . Pots and containers are fine as long as you keep watering and feeding on a regular basis.
It is still very early , still with chances of very cold nights .
Plants grow better when there is more light during the day , so seedlings may become leggy - they are reaching for light . If you have low light levels , try standing some cardboard covered in tinfoil behind them to reflect more light onto the plants .
Old seeds - definitely try old seeds - you will only need a few to germinate, so it won't matter if only 50% work

Need seed potatoes and tomato seeds. Anyone seen them available online recently otherwise will have to chance Wilko on next shopping trip.

FoolsAssassin - I usually waft my hand across the very top of seedlings to try to get that sturdier, windblown effect and I think I’ve seen Monty do it with a bit of cardboard. Of course, I’ll never know whether they’d have been any less sturdy if I hadn’t.

Thank you BookBook

Checking in, long long time since I've been on the gardening threads (or any at all!)

Hello, Tyne!

Here's my ideas request post...

Firstly, in a fairly substantial flower bed (6x3m) under a mature Norwegian Maple (possibly Crimson King), what shrubs and flowers can I grow for year round interest. So far there is a 4ft high red camellia there, a zingy yellow variegated euonymous, some heather, foxglove, carex, herbaceous peony, bush form verbena, and in the autumn I randomly chucked in there all the daff/iris/tulip/crocus bulbs I had. They are all doing quite well even having been thoroughly soaked in the winter surface flooding we had. But at the moment it's completely un thought out. It will be in dappled shade most of the year - just now because of boundaries close by, and in the summer because of the tree being in leaf. Heavy clay soil!

Secondly, please complete my small-garden tree set: white blossoming cherry, deep purple magnolia, acer, ...? I've got two birch trees on our boundary which had become part of an 8ft hedge, but having stripped away the privet, pyracantha and holly, I'm keeping the birches to see how they do in a sort of lollipop shape (above head height). I'd like some others to reach a similar height. Very tempted by fruit of course.

Tony I grow all of your list in containers. The one that needs the most space is the courgette. I grow them in tubs about 2ft across and 18 inches deep.

They crop OK but I don't get the gluts that other people get. Internet advice on septic tanks seems to be keep 10 or 20 ft away from tank and drainage area. If you must grow nearer, avoid root crops and low growing leafy crops. So climbing beans would seem to be a good bet - clear of possible soil splash, and you cook them before eating.

I speak as the daughter of a healthy mother who grew up eating tomatoes which sprang up when the septic tank was emptied and spread on the garden, so you should probably err on the cautious side compared to me.

My tomato seedling have gone very leggy - anything i can do with them or will they be ok? Get them into more light and keep your fingers crossed.

What you have there is the seed leaves - once you have true leaves, you can pot them on holding y the leaves not by the fragile stem), and if you're really careful you can take the opportunity to plant them slightly deeper.

Need seed potatoes and tomato seeds. If all else fails, you can cut up a potatoe that you've bought for eating. Cut so each piece contains an "eye" and a reasonable amount of tuber as energy source.

You can also extract the seeds from a tomato and grow those. they won't necessarily be the variety you were eating, but most tomatoes taste better left to ripen on the plant, so they should be reasonably good.

Secondly, please complete my small-garden tree set: white blossoming cherry, deep purple magnolia, acer, ...? Sorbus and amelenchier.

Sorbus- bunches of white flowers, berries in orange, red, pink, yellow or white according to species, good autumn colour. Blackbirds and thrushes will strip the orange and red berries but will take longer to realise that the other colours are edible.

Amelenchier - white flowers, nice bronzey new leaf growth, good autumn colour.Berries inconspicuous, but blackbirds like them.