**Grow your own 2012**

Still need to sort the greenhouse out. Got last year's grow bags in there still and it needs a good clean. Need to cut back some trees overgrowing the veg patch too! I can't get in the mood with this poor weather! :(
 
I haven't even thought of outside yet. Nothing stands a cat in hells chance. Got to do some clearance work first, but it's been too cold to do that recently.
 
My blueberries are flowering, seems rather early even being in doors! I'll hopefully get it out this weekend. Would it be worthwhile to cut off the flowers to promote more stem growth hopefully allowing for more flowers later in the season?
 
Getting a cover for my greenhouse soon as last one blew off and ripped during the heavy stormy winds.

Thinking about doing tomatoes again this year. Not sure what ones to do tho. Anyone got any good uk varietys to try, i tried some heirloom ones last year and got 2 brandywines which were not that big out of about 6 plants and had horrible leaf issues with mold. So staying well away from them this year. So i need some types that grow well, grow a lot and grow in a greenhouse in the uk climate. I have heard of sungold, are they any good. I will defo be doing tumbling toms again as they were lush last year. I need some good ones i want a beefsteak one that doesnt mold the leaves and does some decent crop, i want a normal sized tomatoe, and 2 cherry types which one is tumbling tom i reckon.

Any ideas are welcome, but they have to be coming from ppl who has grew them before so i dont waste my time growing something that doesnt work well for uk weather.

Also lookin for something hardy that can grow in pots, container plants i can use on the shelves of the greenhouse which dont need much looking after just water once a week if possible.

Probs be doing from seed. Is it too late to bother starting btw, i wasnt going to grow anything this year as no cover for greenhouse but contacted the place i got gh from and they are going to arrange a replacment for me which i will get within 10 days. :) So might do somit this year afterall. Defo somit with good mold resistance tho because im not going through what i went with heirlooms last year. Tho kinda my fault not opening the door too often but still. Had done greenhouse stuff past 3 years and only last year i think mainly cos of heirlooms was the mold issue.
 
Last year I grew Shirley tomatoes outside not realising that they were a GH variety. They grew really well outside in growpots in a growbag, so can only assume that they would fly in a GH. Getting a GH this year and will be doing a couple of plants in there. However, I tend to concentrate on cherry toms as I prefer their taste, particularly Gardener's Delight.

Certainly not too late to plant seeds under cover.
 
The usual this year, with a bit more of a focus on squashes to keep through the autumn/winter now that i've got all of my plot opened up and a bit more space. Going to try chard for the first time & give sweetcorn another go.

I should also have my greenhouse up by the end of April so toms, cucmbers & peppers should fare better than outside. I'm going to give chillies a go as well.
 
Do you think it will be a good year this year for warmth and sun or pretty bad like last year?

Im also hoping for no more stormy winds like last year and the begining of this year as well.
 
Last few years have been an off & on cycle so I'm hoping for a good one. Last year was particularly bad because the spring was so hot when we really needed rain and the summer was wet when we needed the sunshine.
 
About to put the order in to Marshall seeds for all my stuff for this year. My son is chomping at the bit to get started.

Just bought the wood to build a frame for my raised bed to keep the cats off this year. I have to build a permanent frame really and decent cheap netting has been a nightmare to find to cover.

Looking to learn from my mistakes with the tomato's last year where I fed too early. Also looking to do some later varieties of potatos but with these temps I'm a bit worried about starting chitting now.

I really need to do some brocolli as well because my son eat's a head of it every 3 or 4 days!
 
I'm looking at getting an allotment myself, but was wondering how much work would be involved? How often do you guys with allotments go down?

I could probably go down everyday for an hour after work and spend a few hours at the weekend.
 
hamesy said:
I'm looking at getting an allotment myself, but was wondering how much work would be involved? How often do you guys with allotments go down?

I could probably go down everyday for an hour after work and spend a few hours at the weekend.
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In the winter, every couple of weekends for maybe a half hour to harvest and do little jobs, unless something big needs doing then its a couple of hours. In the summer it's at least a half hour each evening to water & harvest, then a good couple of hours each weekend to weed & tend to things. Spring/Autumn is somewhere in between as necessary.

There's a thinking that half an hour each and every day should be enough to keep on top of all your allotment needs.
 
Spent about 20 - 30 mins each day tending the greenhouse + veg patch last year. Not a great deal of needs doing once all the plants are in, it just a case of watering, weeding and just keeping a general eye on things! :)
 
I think I'll put my name down for one then.

What sort of things do you recommend a beginner to grow?
 
hamesy said:
I think I'll put my name down for one then.

What sort of things do you recommend a beginner to grow?
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Last year was my first ever year, I grew potatos, carrots, garlic, peas, spring onions, onions, rocket, chives, various salad leaves, various herbs, tomatos, all quite successfully.

I read the packets, joined marshall seeds because they send out nice brochures with hints tips and the growing seasons. When to plant etc.

I made mistakes but that's part of the fun and learning.
 
dannyjo22 said:
I made mistakes but that's part of the fun and learning.
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Got to agree. This is one of the main parts of growing things, learning from your mistakes so you do better the following year.

Learnt so much last year, and there are loads of things ill do different this time around. Some may work, some might not. :)
 
Just got some seeds other day.

Moneymaker
Sungold f1
Cauliflower
Broccoli
tumbling toms
Spring onions lisbon
gardeners delight.

Not doing chillies this year. Made loads last year and didnt use many and still in freezer lol, gona make chilli flakes with em soon tho.

Like tomatoes so just concentrating on them and trying to grow a few coli and brocoli in some troughs and scatter a few seeds in the back garden and if owt grows cool. But rest will be in my greenhouse. Why i dont use back garden is because its not really mine its the councils/gentoo and they probs get nancy if i did anything with it.

Hope i have the will this year. Halfway through i got tired of watering and opening the door when its hot and almost all tomato plants were f....d. :( Shame cos i tried heirlooms and only got 2 toms off of 7 plants. :( Such a waste.

Im hoping some of the true and tried ones that shops sell will do better, they may not be very unique but at this point i just want a lot of tomatoes and nice ones that wont have the habit of growing mold on the leaves like heirlooms do (hate potato leaf ones). Sungold F1 was very expensive in wilkinsons at £3.05 for 10 seeds. I have heard good things from sungold tho as heavy croppers and does well in uk weather.

Anyone know a good beefsteak tomato that grows well in uk weather and doesnt have issues like mold or disease and a guarentee of a decent harvest and grows big? Hopefully a cheap one too as spent a lot already on seeds this year. Hoping a ribbed one can be found.
 
First part of my order delivered. The large grow bags I got to try an idea. Growing my peas in between the trees in my garden. I will net between the trees and place a large patio bag between each tree to hopefully use the space and grow up the netting :)

All my other potatos I got from my local garden center and are busy chitting on my window sill.

Swifts as first earlies
Maris peers for seconds
Maris pipers as main
King Eds as main.

Some pea seeds planted in my propagator to hopefully start some off early.

 
Need to get the greenhouse sorted still! Might try this weekend but I can see myself not having enough time. Maybe Monday instead.

Got to get some new mega growsack things by Miracle Grow. They were a massive success last year, much better than the conventional tiny growbags. Allowed me to plant the tomatoes much deeper and with the addition of a tomato pot I got great healthy plants. Highly recommended.

Pic from last year:




Think I may get the toms started this weekend and need to sort out some potato sacks as I fancy growing some nice spuds this year too :)
 
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