The Vegetable Patch 2024/2025

[MereDintofPandiculation]

Come and share your triumphs and failures in your vegetable plot or allotment.

@Lovemusic82 interesting you say that about your fruit bushes. My raspberries, strawberries and blackcurrants all great, but red and white currants and gooseberries quite poor in terms of fruit set. Don't think it's an age or pruning issue as the redcurrants are only two or three years old and the gooseberries are mature but I pruned out only some congested/dead branches last year.

I potted some of the tomatoes in their final pots yesterday and am going to pop them outside today then probably bring in overnight. Need to pot cucumbers and peppers up properly as they're outgrowing their seedling pots!

My celery seems to have disappeared so have some new seeds in the propagator.

I also have had much more success with the butternut squash seeds than I expected and now have 5 young plants and not much space ... Anyone have any experience in growing them upright in containers and any tips?

It is beginning to look like the frost may be behind us up here in the NE.

I have had the first spears off my asparagus, the rhubarb is ready for its first cut, and the raspberries are doing well.

I need new strawberry plants but forgot when I was out yesterday.

I have peas, mangetout, sweetcorn, assorted lettuce and courgette seedings in the propagator, and rainbow chard seeds to go in.

So far it hasn't rained so that might be this afternoons job

Same, I'm really behind most other people! I think in these dull springs, the lack of a greenhouse really shows, as you just can't maximise sunlight on a windowsill!

My tomatoes are just getting their 2nd true leaves, they're still just babies. My courgettes haven't yet germinated.

I do have runner beans that are desperate to get out however. But I'm only just hardening them off.

My tomatoes are still only just getting their second true leaves too, but I'm in no rush to plant out, I'm in a frost pocket in the SE and it's not at all unknown to have hard frosts here in late May.

I planted my toms and chilli in Feb, and they're tiny!

Really very very behind, I think we're all in the same position and I'm sure they will catch up.

Next week's weather is looking much better 🤞

My tomato plants seem to be thriving, here's some of them, the others are in the greenhouse, there's even a few flowerbuds...

Did you grow them from seeds this year, @Ozzyskye ?

I did, popped them in the propergator in Feb @ddaisychain01

Have grown squash upright over arches or fence posts - just needs to be quite a strong support. This is my preferred way to grow them actually - otherwise they take up quite a bit of real estate!

I have started hardening my runner beans off today, I’m running out of space for seedlings so I need to get the beans in soon, I think I’m just going to go for it this week. Just planted more beetroot and spinach before I got rained on.

Things seem to be taking ages to germinate and grow due to the lack of sun light and warmth.

Good weekend for the veg beds.

Got new strawbs and a golden raspberry.

Put beetroot, rainbow chard (because of this thread), and cucumber in the ground.
My peas, courgettes, and salad leaves are all doing well in the propagator.

Just need the weather to co-operate now ☀️

Bit of progress today , got onions in and shallots and cobbled together some net covers to keep the birds off , potatoes are peeking through - only got allotment in March and the weather has been dreadful in Northumberland so nice to actually get stuff in the ground

My tomatoes went in on Easter Monday and currently look like this. About 25cm tall.

My peas have gone in the ground, the direct sown ones were poking up and the indoor sown ones were just getting in a big tangled mess so decided it was worth risking. Someone at some point has dumped some bamboo on some open ground near our house so I harvested myself some canes for supports :-)

It's the lack of warmth that's the problem. Even a greenhouse will struggle this year, it hasn't been sunny enough to compensate for the cool days.

I moved everything out to the greenhouse about 6 days ago, and the difference now that it has got warmer is marked. Just feeling the soil, it's warm and lovely. That's what seedlings like, not my bloody cold house.

We have a week of 20 degrees forecast, so fingers crossed.

Good to have a fellow northerner. I'm in Whitley Bay 👋

@mrsbyers your allotment looks great considering you've only had it a couple of months, you've done well.

Ellington is where we are , from Amble originally via Slough then Sunderland

The old fellas who gave it up left it in good nick for us , main issue is the weeds that have come up last couple of weeks - strimmed them down today and tackling one section at a time

Bloody slugs have been at my lettuce as well as my celery, there goes my pride in my copper tape! Think I'll save ground space and buy some lettuce for tubs to replace them!

Things have been really slow for me too. I'm normally harvesting rhubarb by now but it's only just poking out of the ground. We've got a week of sun forecast so hopefully things will spring into life.

Courgettes and tomatoes seem to be doing ok but beans very, very slow.

After advice please - my toms are huge (thanks to a south-facing bay window!) and I've risked putting them out in final fabric bags now, but unsure what to do with my courgette plants. We're about to go into a few days of very nice weather here in Herts, but next week is more like 8-18 with rain. I've got containers ready for them so am tempted to go ahead, but will they miserable in the rain?

The other reason I want to do it now is that we're away for a few days in May half-term so I'd like them to get properly established in their new space before then (I have terracotta pot things for watering).

Just got my cabbages in and covered with netting. I think I’m going to attempt to plant my leaks but I’m not sure where to plant them as I have a lot of beans going in and apparently leaks shouldn’t go next to beans? Most of the space I have left will be filled with squash, pumpkin and I need to squeeze in beetroot and spinach 🤔. I need more space.

As long as they aren't going to get frosted, I think the courgettes will be fine now. My home beds are now just about prepped ready, and I've got beans and peas in.

Looking fab @tizwozliz ! I wish I had space to grow at home.

I have put a tester courgette out, I planted 2 seeds (only really need one). Hopefully tester courgette will make it through the weekend without getting eaten by slugs and snails, if it doesn’t survive I have a spare.
planted out my climbing French beans and my dwarf sunflowers today too.
Bind weed is driving me nuts, seems to reappear every day.