Veggie Club 2010

[Dumbledoresgirl]

Anyone interested in joining?

I have a large garden and want to develop a reasonably large veggie plot. I have a small side lawn which I want to start digging up this year with the aim of turning it all into a veggie plot in the next couple of years.

Up until now I have only grown the occasional veggie, eg last year, I had 5 courgette plants, so I am a relative newcomer to all this. I would love any tips about converting lawn into veggie plot and would really like to know what other people are planning on growing this year (and when you are starting!)

Based on what we like to eat, previous experience of growing veggies and reading through books, I have it in mind to try growing courgettes, runner beans, carrots, beetroot and maybe onions this year. Anyone else want to join me?

Yes please, if you'll accept a total novice...unless you count cress in an egg?!

I've bought some of those potato bags and some seed potatoes and I'm just waiting until the weather is a bit warmer to start those off.

I've also got some rocket seeds, and some carrot seeds and a kit for growing tomatoes.

The soil in our garden is quite poor so I'll be doing it all in containers.

My dad's a keen veggie gardener so I'm going to get as many tips as I can from him!

Oh yes novices completely welcome. I too am from a gardening family, going back generations actually, but I am completely hopeless at it myself.

I am already panicking that you have made so many preparations already! Dh suggested buying seeds last weekend but I thought it would be too early, especially as I have to dig the lawn up first

I went to the garden centre a couple of weeks ago and bought all the stuff....then realised it was far too early as it's still getting quite frosty at night, so it's all just sitting in the shed waiting.

I'm hoping to grow some veg this year! I did some last year, had success with potatoes, tomatoes and runner beans, but other things not so well! I got a tbsp of peas! I'm hoping to do better this year!

I converted field to raised veg beds by

• making raised beds (you can buy them nowadays quite cheap, check out ebay)
• plonking them on the grass
• covering the grass with newspaper
• covering the newspaper with a nice thick layer of mixed well-rotted horse manure and topsoil; right up to the top of the beds about 6" deep. It settled of course.

Then I just planted stuff in them and hoped for the best and it worked really well. Grew courgettes, beans, peas, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, leeks all planted in the soil on top. After the first year it all rotted in together and you would never have known there was field underneath.

Alternatively rent one of those turf strippers like they use on Ground Force.

Deffo Raised Beds for me though.

Would love to join! Am hoping that the weather picks up so that I can sort my raised beds out!

Will grow;

Pots (currently chitting)
Carrots
Celeriac
Fennel
Sweetcorn
Peas and low beans
Herbs - dill, coriander, parsley and tarragon
Beefsteak toms
Borecole
White onions
Garlic
Salad leaves
Spaghetti squash
Pumpkins
Marrow (for work marrow growing competition)

Will look forward to hearing how everyone else gets on.

Can I join in too. I've just taken delivery of a polytunnel (its still to be put up) so I'm very keen to get growing.

For the past couple of years I've dabbled in growing pots,corgettes, sweetcorn, pumpkins.

This year I hope to grow alot more and so far have

Chitted pots
sown toms (cherry and plum), basil, corriander and salad leaves indoors.

If anyone is near Harrogate there is a Grow Your Own show on at Harlow Carr this weekend which might provide inspiration.

Right, feeling inspired now, am off into the garden to dig up some more lawn.
Had success last year with:
Tomatoes
Runner Beans
French Beans
Carrots
Beetroot
Various Salad Leaves

Failed miserably with:
Sweetcorn
Potatoes
Broccoli
Butternut Squash.

Can I join?
I have a greenhouse and a south facing corner which is my veg plot.
I have some regular favourites that I always grow and I usually try something new each year.
I also find that crop success varies from year to year and so if you have failed with something one year I'd try it again. Two years running and I'd give up as it probably means your soil or site doesn't suit.

Last year
Success
Chillis (I have a huge bag in the freezer still)
Runners - just two or three bags left in the freezer
garlic
chard
kale
Leeks - I'm wondering whether I should lift those still in the ground?

Failure
Tomatos - I tried a new variety and didn't like them
onions
carrots
sweetcorn
butternut squash.

Intothegroove I'm wondering whether to try again with the squash, not sure why they failed.

Which squash did you grow, inthesticks? Butternut isn't the easiest variety, especially in a cool summer. There are various species of squash commonly grown - C. pepo (courgettes, pumpkins & various others) & C. maxima (lots of the hubbards) are generally the most successful in Britain.

Butternut is a C. moschata which prefer hotter weather. There are cooler weather varieties (look for Waltham butternut in particular) which have been crossed with other species to make them do better.

But I would generally go for either a Buttercup or a Hubbard squash - just as tasty as Butternut & much easier. Acorns are also easy if you like them, but don't keep so well.

It was butternut squash. They struggled to germinate and never thrived at all.
I usually do well with courgettes but not pumpkins.
I still have some seeds left from last year's butternut. I might give them another go as I don't think I would bother to buy another variety.Maybe keep them under cover longer before planting out.
I won't be trying carrots or sweetcorn again as I've given them 2 or 3 goes and failed. I don't think they like my very heavy , stony clay soil.

I am too useless to join you but dp is having a splurge on growing herbs in pots at the moment and has succeeded wiso far with rosemary, thyme and chives. Is it possible/easy to grow rocket in a pot on the windowsill maybe? Or easy vege in pots outside? Our garden is too useless.

wiso? That should say 'so' - no idea where the 'wi' came from!

Oh - he has a huge chilli plant on the go too, which produces tiny hot chillis.

Best time to plant out squash is meant to be when the second true leaf is fully opened out - & I'd try to make sure that isn't before mid May at the absolute earliest. I often put some kind of cover over squashes for a while after planting out - cloche/bottomless pot/fleece or whatever particularly if the weather isn't fab.

Complete novice here too

I tried to grow stuff last year, but it all failed. I think the seeds were too old.

This year I will be growing:

Tomatoes (3 different types)
Radishes
Carrots
Lettuce
Rocket
Fennel
Chillies
Potatoes
Onions
Peppers

My raised veg bed was going to be built today, but Jewsons shuts after 12 on a Saturday so will have to wait until next weekend.

Also got LOTS of flowers to plant out, but the veg is the priority at the moment.

can i join please

had some success last year with runner beans, cherry tomatoes, herbs and courgettes, and salad leaves but the peas were a disaster.

this year am going to try
cherry tomatoes
runner beans
french beans
peas (will try diff variety)
herbs
salad
sweetcorn
parsnips

ds wants to grow carrots but have heard lots of tales of woe about carrot fly destroying the whole crop so not sure on that one..

We may be moving end of april/early may, so not going to plant anything out yet although may start a few things off in the conservatory over easter.

Has anyone done any spring sowing yet? I spent Saturday attempting to dig up our lawn to make a veggie plot and have suffered all week for it with terrible aches in the backs of my thighs and buttocks and lower back - but mainly thighs. I know I should dig some more as I haven't got enough space yet, but after that experience, I am not keen to dig again.

Anyway, I have bought seeds for runner beans, tomatoes, beetroot, peas, carrots, spring onions and broccoli, and hope to find my leftover courgette seeds from last year somewhere. But I can't see myself sowing seeds for a week or two yet.

me! I've planted onions, spring onions, peas and sweet peas.

Eek! I have peas and spring onions..... better go and check the sowing dates on the packets again.

Have planted onions, garlic, peas, potatoes (5 types ), beetroot and nasturtiums (ok I know they're flowers, but you can eat them so they count as far as I am concered).

This weekend I hope to plant carrots, raddish and lettuce.

Hello!
I have had a few years growinga few bits and bobs but 2010 is the year of he veggie patch for me! We have what used to be a gravel and concrete yard out the back that we have gradually converted into 'garden' using pots, my lovely bench, more pots, raised beds, trelises to cover nasty garage walls on wither side and more pots.

This year I am going to try ad be as productive as possible and grow a few 'to look at plants' and much much more food plants.

Plans so far:
Spuds, lots of them in lovely blues tesco bags for life.
Runner beans - lots in troughs all around the walls of our yard
Carrots - in more troughs and pots
Look after my rhubarb and gooseberry. Have enough harvest for 2 portions of each last year.... hoping for more!
Lots and lots of lettuce.... herbs and maybe try a few things that come with the diggit seeds. (google diggit and apply for free seeds!)

My usual thing is to grow stuff that is expensive to buy as food such as lettuce and beans. But I also love my dsughters face when we get carrots and spuds from the ground!
Last year I had a courgette that took over my small raised bed.... and I don;t like eating it so wont bother this year...

ANy other thoughts? Maybe somw strawbs....

And lots of marigolds!

DG, don't panic Peas can be sown from now, right through until summer. If you sow successions, it means the season last for longer, is all. Fist sowing may not even take (mice and pigeons love the little spouted seedlings...)

Spring onions, can also be sown now, but just sow a few and every couple of weeks.

potatoes traditionally go in on good friday

It is raining this weekend.

I doubt that would stop some of you, but I am not going out to get wet. So another week goes by....

When can I start sowing runner beans in pots? I much prefer growing things indoors until they are big enough to transplant out.

I always fear that seeds put straight into the ground either won't germinate, will get eaten as seedlings, or will be mistaken for weeds and pulled up by cackhanded me.

Hi, room for another one?

I have grown quite a few things over the last couple of years but I work very much on trial and error rather than actually knowing what I'm doing

Until last year everything was in pots in my back yard but we now have a longish garden (with two green house ) and will be making mor effort!

We are doing the garden up (patio bit was supposed to be getting done started today but its raining) and we will be doing a grass area and moving a pond leaving about half the garden for fruit & veg.

We have a good blackcurrant patch & rhubarb and very productive raspberries. We have a quite a few fruit trees in pots which moved with me and some blueberries/goji berries.

I'm all excited this morning because the plant stall on the market has veg plants back which will mean every week I come home with more

dumbledore - April I think for runner beans. I'm going to do mine over the easter hols.

Went to the garden centre and bought all my seeds this morning. Planted brocolli, peppers, mint, french beans, aubergines and marigolds in seed trays in the conservatory

Got runner beans, peas, tomatoes, sweetcorn, lettuce, courgettes, carrots and cucumbers still to plant over easter.

btw - do you all know about Dig In? if you go to the website you can send off for 5 free veg seeds (carrots, beans, courgettes, basil and salad leaves) link here