***Grow Your Own 2011***

WillyNelson

WillyNelson

WillyNelson

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Joined
28 Oct 2003
Posts
5,508
Location
Worthington-on-sea
Didn't see a thread for this yet so here's one, with stars 'n everything.

What are you growing? How are you growing it? How's it growing?
Grow your own pics, tips, questions or bragging about the size of your marrow!



More of the same for me this year both on the allotment and at home. I'm hoping to build on some successes (and a few failiures) from last year with squashes and sweetcorn. I'm also going to try peas and beetroot and I'm giving poatatoes in bags a go as well. I've got a new greenhouse on order which should extend my tomato growing as well as giving me the chance to try peppers and indoor cucumbers.

What's going on in your veg patch?
 
therutz said:
I have a chilly plant but it has lots of white flys on it how the hell do i stop them
as the spiders do a rubbish job :p
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A spray of weak soap solution made with washing up liquid or garlic soap is supposed to do the trick. I had a terrible problem with whitefly on my brassicas last year so I'm going to try garlic soap this year.
 
AcidHell2 said:
what you reckon to early, too late or just plain rubbish.
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Probably too late. All the warm sunny weather has caused my PSB to bolt just like that; long leggy stems, loose flower heads and very few of the tasty leaves. You could cut it and see if it's still edible but it's probably only good for the compost heap :(
 
lookitsjonno said:
Any tips to improve strawberries - my plants are 2 years old now so we should get a good yield.
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Make sure you cut any runners off them as soon as possible or the plant will expend energy it could be using to fruit. Give them a feed every couple of weeks with a tomato feed. Keep the birds off the fruit and keep the fruit dry and you should be ok.

They fruit best in year 2 & 3 so you can always keep a couple of plants aside to produce runners, pot them up and keep them well for the next year. That way you'll always have a supply of 1 year old plants ready to fruit the next season. From 4 plants last year I've now got 20+ 2yo plants ready to go and will hopefuly have 10 or so new ones this year.

Full list of things so far:
Salad potatoes (Rocket)
Maincrop potatoes (King Edward)
Red & White onions
Garlic
Beetroot
Peppers
Cherry tomatoes (Gardener's Delight)
Plum tomatoes (Roma)
Pumpkin (Jack o Lantern)
Butternut squash
Yellow courgette
Green courgette
Cucumber
Climbing French beans
Curly kale
PSB
Sprouts
Calebrese
Leeks

Plus:
Blueberries
Goosberries
Blackcurrants
Raspberries
Strawberries
Rhubarb
 
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Planted my climbing french beans out at the weekend with a healthy footing of homemade compost, also sowed half a row of carrots, a row of parsnips and planted out the beetroot. I had to pull all the remaining leeks as they'd all bolted in the warm weather but it gave me some room for other things, probably some of the squash when they've come on a bit further.

All the maincrop potatoes (KE) on the allotment are up and looking good and onions/garlic keeping well but could do with a weed. Salad potatoes (Rocket) in patio bags and two planters of strawberries seem to be flourishing.

I also took delivery of my new greenhouse over the Easter weekend but I'm having problems with the council about the removal of the unsalvagable derelict one, so for now that's still in a very big box. No use to me there though :(
 
Depending on how big your raised bed will be shop bought compost could work out pretty expensive. Better to buy decent topsoil in bulk.

There's plenty you can start now and plant out later, anything fast growing and good cropping like squash & cucumber, all the salad leaves, carrots & raddish, plus things to put in for winter like leeks, cabbages, sprouts.

This is a rough planting guide from Gardener's World mag which might help
 
Planted out my outdoor cucumbers and last three squashes yesterday, in the drizzle. The ground is still bone-dry beneath the surface so they're all going in specially prepared planting holes for strategic watering. Helps save on water and keep the weeds down.

With aphids I tend to just squish then off with my fingers. You can kill scores of them easily like that.
 
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