**Newbie Gardener Thread** support, advice and ideas swap shop!

[NattyPlus2andAHalf]

this is a thread for people who have just started out with gardening, in pots or ground, that wish to swap ideas, share stories of triumph or sorrow!

everyone is welcome! so introduce yourself and get chatting.

[callmeovercautious]

I think the trick might be to plant a few at a time, especially salad type stuff that doesn't keep too well. Well I am a realtive newbie still

[lucysmam]

well I'm starting on my side of the garden in the next couple of weeks so will have a look and read around before then to get a better idea.

you don't sound like a newbie compared with me, I really haven't a clue, would just like to try & learn something different really

[callmeovercautious]

Well no - I have had a small bit of garden for a few years but had DD in that time so it has all been hit and miss! Mostly reading gardening mags and dreaming whilst the catapillars and slugs ran free

One good book I got a couple of years ago was the Delia Smith grow your own/cook your own one - can't remember the title but it has tips for what to do each month and recipes for what is in season. Check out amazon and you should be able to find it.

[lucysmam]

I was after a new book to read, will have a look for that once I've had my morning cuppa & the lo chills out. sounds ideal since I enjoy cooking as well

[callmeovercautious]

Hi lucysmam - on amazon

However I was chatting to a friend who is a chef and she was talking about a book by another celebrity chef/veg grower but I can't remember who! I will ask her and let you know.

Still no chance of planting anything here though It looks like snow and rain/wind all week again. Hey ho - the snow will be killing off all the bugs and moulds that have been plagueing me

[lucysmam]

Twas snowing here a while ago too. I want to get the last of the rubbish cleared this week as well if I can but not looking like it'll get done tomorrow.

Thanks for the link, will order on payday maybe if there's enough left over

[callmeovercautious]

Check out the library first. Ours have loads of good ones I never have the time to read. My time in the library consists of herding DD away from PCs and back into the Childrens library

[lucysmam]

Our library never has much of any use for what I want in it but I might have a look tomorrow

[Sibble]

This thread fell off my 'I'm on' list so got neglected. I can ditto the phased planting. This is our first year and we only had 1 courgette plant yet have had courgettes coming out of our ears. I've frozen 6 boxes, given heaps away and still have them coming out of the woodwork.

It was the same for the spinach and most of our other veggies/salad we planted. It breaks my heart to see them go to waste. I've frozen other items but does anybody know whether you can freeze chillis and peppers - I'm at a loss what to do with them all.

Re. tomatoes a friend has oven dried a batch and others have put them through a juicer and frozen in small batches for pasta sauce. We've got 5 plants (over did it again! which will no doubt all ripen together) so I've been asking around in advance.

TIA

[NattyPlus2andAHalf]

oooh this thread is still going!
my threads never last more than a week, how exciting.

bulbs appearing here too, weather has been crap but i am determind to get out and do some weeding soon, its easier after its rained as they pull up easier.

how is everyone doing?

[Concepta]

Wanted to let you know that any of you who are interested in growing potatoes - there was some bags (think they are called potato grow pods) - specially made to grow potatoes in, advertised in the Daily Mail last week and a few weeks before. I am sure they might be in this weeks paper too - it was the Saturday edition I saw it in. They send you everything including the seed potatoes and include all the instructions. They say you can get 26 lb of potatoes. I thought it was worth a try and have sent for some. We did grow some potatoes last year in the ground. They lasted us until nearly Christmas.

[lucysmam]

Sibble, I chop & freeze peppers from the supermarket, they're a bit softer when defrosted but other than that are ok if you're not going to use them for a while. Chillis, I have frozen ready chopped before as well & they were fine although I've not had any for a while

Concepta, they soun like a good idea, were they expensive?

My garden is going to have to be small I think, we are having new walls built by the council in March, which last time they did them (at our old house) took 6mths to complete & they must have dug up a good 3ft into the yard space to put the foundations in so I'm going to have to be careful where I plant so I don't lose anything

[Concepta]

The ones I saw were £19.99 plus £5.95 P&P. There were 4 of these pods for that price. They say you will have new potatoes in just 7 weeks. You start them off indoors and then wait for the first frosts to pass before placing them outside. You would need a garage or a shed to put them into at the start. We have sent for ours a few weeks ago but they haven't come yet.

[snorkle]

If finding £25 or so for a few new potatoes seems a bit steep and you have an old dustbin lying around use that (or any other large container - even strong bin bags will do).

We've just been switched to wheelie bins, so my old dustbin was cleaned out, drainage holes put in the bottom & quarter filled with compost from the garden. Then I bought 5 seed potatoes (I used the variety 'swift' which are supposed to be the quickest to grow) from the market for 50p and set it up in my unheated conservatory last weekend. I used the dustbin lid as the 'saucer' to stand it in so hopefully I wont get water all over the floor when I water them.

Apparently water is the key to success with these - the plants need a lot and if you don't give it to them they won't produce many tubers.

[callmeovercautious]

Nice to see more of us on here again

Tip for chilies - dry them - a sunny windowsill will do. Then give them a quick blitz in a food processor and voila! Dried chillies for your cooking. You might want to take some seeds out before you blitz though or it might be too hot

I also agree on the peppers, I slice mine into rings then freeze in bags.

Potatoes - I have always done a large pot with just a couple of seed potatoes. I don't get huge amounts, one pot will do 3/4 meals for 2. They definately need loads of water - especially when nearly ready to swell the potatoes.

Snow finally gone here

[lucysmam]

Finally a clear sunny day! Am off to town in a while for some bits and pieces & then off in the garden to clear the remains of the bonfire so we can get it looking a bit neater & am going to invest in a gardening book from the library while I'm there, have a read this weekend

[callmeovercautious]

Lucky you we had snow and I had to work

Next week is looking good though.

[lucysmam]

Does anyone get kitchen garden magazine?
I was looking at it in Tesco yesterday dead romantic but it was in plastic wrapping as had some free seeds so couldn't have a proper look. Is it worth getting for a read or would you go with something else if you were going to get a mag?

Bonfire almost cleared, couple more bags of stuff that I didn't manage to clear the other day & then they can go in the bin & it's done. Still thinking about grass for the larger piece of mud but want something pretty as well so off to Wilko on Tues with a bit of spare cash to spend

[Mumwhensdinnerready]

I got KG magazine as I spotted the free seeds. I'd say it was worth buying as lots of tips for new veg growers.I haven't bought gardening mags for years but enjoyed this one.
I'm not a newbie gardener myself but I was once!
Moved into my house 20 years ago and the "garden" was a buliding site so I started from scratch.
My lovely FIL (now long dead) taught me loads. He used to have an allotment and spent his whole life there.

This year I'm expanding my veg patch and have been out this weekend heaving up paving slabs and bags of sand.

My main tip on choice of veg is to grow stuff you know you like and which you would normally buy regularly. Also stuff that freezes well because if you succeed you will, at some stage, have a glut, even if you supply the neighbours as well.

My freezer is still full of runner beans, chillis and peppers from last year. The rest has gone though.

[callmeovercautious]

I got it my first year and it was good but it does reapeat itself in following years so I stopped buying it.

I have found Gardeners World the best one. You can get a cheap subsciption through Tesco vouchers but tbh the website is the best.

[snorkle]

Some gardening bits and bobs on offer at Aldi this Thursday.

[callmeovercautious]

Oh No. I am going near one on Thursday as well Thanks for that snorkle

[Sibble]

thanks for the tips, have frozen heaps of peppers. Have held off picking the chillis as they seem to be getting stronger the longer they are on the plant - is that the case!????? e.g. ds1 was picking them and eating them like peppers, did it on Saturday and had a nose running, ear tingling experience which dh and I thought (horribly I know) rather funny as we had been telling him, take care they're meant to be hot and he had poo poo'd us.

[Mumwhensdinnerready]

I guess you're not in the UK Sibble.
The chillis I have grown are straight and grow to about 4cm. If you leave them on the plant they eventually turn from green to red in a good summer, not last year though I ended up picking a lot while still green.Yes I think the heat increases with ripeness.
I freeze chillis whole. They're small enough to chop from frozen and I find they are safer to handle when frozen.

[callmeovercautious]

Well I planted Broad Beans today in the Sunshine with DD

They are in little pots in the greenhouse (an underused gift from my Mum). A few more weeks and I will be on a roll