Grow your own fruit and vegetables

[peterf]

Read the book first before criticising.

LIGHTEN UP PP,you must have missed the smiley at the end of my post :o

have you read it ?, if so a small review would be great.

Edited May 30, 2008 by peterf

[peterf]

well some more welcome rain overnight,the ground is finally ready for planting out.

carrots,turnips,sweet peas and runner beans going in today.i was talking to my mate (local nurseryman) yesterday and he was really worried about the cost of gas and electricity.hes had to increase prices by 20% and is feeling the pinch now.

i suppose the big chains can handle the increase in production costs,but i fear a lot of the small family run buisness are heading for disaster

[jethro]

We had a little more rain than was welcome, down here in Somerset.... it's been a very wet Spring around these parts but the Sun's out today at least. I got drenched on Tuesday planting out Runner Beans, Dwarf French and Broad Beans, discovered my well worn water-proofs aren't, any more.

I share you friends concerns about rising energy costs, nurseries work to tight margins already, it doesn't take a great deal to tip them over the edge. Factoring in all the variables like transporting compost, production costs of that too as commercial compost isn't produced via a huge compost heap, it uses massive amounts of heat to speed the process. Energy costs to produce fertiliser and pesticides. Transportation costs to get it out to the consumer, vast energy costs in hot-house production to supply us with out of season produce; the list goes on and on. There's only so much cost which can be absorbed by the supermarkets before they have to pass it on to the consumer, and I can't see any charitable actions coming our way.

I've got many friends who've struggled to get on the housing ladder, mortgaged up to the hilt, often 5 or 6 times their salary; with interest rates going up, fuel prices going up, gas and electric going up and now food costs likely to rocket too. The times of everyone having a veg patch at the end of the garden may make a comeback out of necessity.

[peterf]

We had a little more rain than was welcome, down here in Somerset.... it's been a very wet Spring around these parts but the Sun's out today at least. I got drenched on Tuesday planting out Runner Beans, Dwarf French and Broad Beans, discovered my well worn water-proofs aren't, any more.

I share you friends concerns about rising energy costs, nurseries work to tight margins already, it doesn't take a great deal to tip them over the edge. Factoring in all the variables like transporting compost, production costs of that too as commercial compost isn't produced via a huge compost heap, it uses massive amounts of heat to speed the process. Energy costs to produce fertiliser and pesticides. Transportation costs to get it out to the consumer, vast energy costs in hot-house production to supply us with out of season produce; the list goes on and on. There's only so much cost which can be absorbed by the supermarkets before they have to pass it on to the consumer, and I can't see any charitable actions coming our way.

I've got many friends who've struggled to get on the housing ladder, mortgaged up to the hilt, often 5 or 6 times their salary; with interest rates going up, fuel prices going up, gas and electric going up and now food costs likely to rocket too. The times of everyone having a veg patch at the end of the garden may make a comeback out of necessity.

your not wrong there Jethro,lets all dig for victory against the greedy corporations

[J07]

Remember to pee around your cabbages, that should keep fertiliser costs marginally down.

And seaweed is always free

[peterf]

Remember to pee around your cabbages, that should keep fertiliser costs marginally down.

And seaweed is always free

pee on the ones you dont want,give them to people you dont care much for

[Azores Hi]

well some more welcome rain overnight,the ground is finally ready for planting out.

carrots,turnips,sweet peas and runner beans going in today.i was talking to my mate (local nurseryman) yesterday and he was really worried about the cost of gas and electricity.hes had to increase prices by 20% and is feeling the pinch now.

i suppose the big chains can handle the increase in production costs,but i fear a lot of the small family run buisness are heading for disaster :lol:

Ah but neccessity is the mother of invention they say! Sorry completely OT I know but alot of my customers are now relying on alternative sources of heat, one I know uses waste heat and CO2 from a factory power plant to heat a vast greenhouse to produce tomatoes, plus another has a digester which produces methane from waste vegetable matter. The methane he burns in a combined heat and power plant, the electricity produced he sells back the the national grid and the heat and CO2 is used in his glasshouse.

Another I know uses a giant wood burner to heat her greenhouses.

All very clever stuff, the point being that if the times are changing then growers must change with them. But unfortnately your are correct, alot of the smaller growers are struggling, luckily this year, produce prices are high enough that most will get through this year at least.

Anyway. Back on topic, this is a great thread and I hope it continues, I have got my veg in but my plot is very small, just signed up for an allotment and there are 15 people in the q ahead of me

Growing your own veg seems to be more popular than ever!

[Filski]

Hi folks, nice to see a 'grow yer own' thread. Reducing your own costs but also reduces vege-miles and your own carbon footprint too (let's leave that discussion for the appropriate forum).

I'm in Greenwich, up in the sky on the 7th floor of a new apartment complex. No yard, not even a nature strip. Nothing but a 3m x 1.2m balcony that faces west, is a place for our bikes, a chair or 2 during summer. And lots of pots. Well... 2 rectangular ones about 20cm x 30cm x 80cm and a couple of others.

I'm only posting to show that everbody can grow your own, no matter how small or how difficult you think it may be. It's really very easy! We've had strawberries for the last 4 years (bought at Chelsea Flower Show) and only repotted once. We almost never water them, never bring them inside and we look to have another bumper crop this year. After they finish we'll divide them into 2 pots now that they're getting too big.

Variety doesn't suffer either. Last summer we had more lettuce growing than we could eat, same goes for cherry tomatoes and carrots. We tried chillies but failed on those. This year we'll grow much the same crop and maybe try potatoes and a few others.

There's nothing like making a salad for friends and asking them to pick their own lettuce.

[grab my graupel]

Well I have got the available garden space, and I'm ready to get started with this

Veg growing thing; my problem is, I'm not sure about the timing etc.

Is there anything that I could be getting started with at this time of year, or anything I could

be sowing now, and if so, what do people recommend as an easy low maintenance

veg to begin with.

[peterf]

Well I have got the available garden space, and I'm ready to get started with this

Veg growing thing; my problem is, I'm not sure about the timing etc.

Is there anything that I could be getting started with at this time of year, or anything I could

be sowing now, and if so, what do people recommend as an easy low maintenance

veg to begin with.

brian you still have time for most veg,my seed tatties only went in 10 days ago which is very late for me.

here's a couple of links to very good forums which have packs of advice for growers.

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php...bd0018982ccc2ed

http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/index.php

Hi folks, nice to see a 'grow yer own' thread. Reducing your own costs but also reduces vege-miles and your own carbon footprint too (let's leave that discussion for the appropriate forum).

I'm in Greenwich, up in the sky on the 7th floor of a new apartment complex. No yard, not even a nature strip. Nothing but a 3m x 1.2m balcony that faces west, is a place for our bikes, a chair or 2 during summer. And lots of pots. Well... 2 rectangular ones about 20cm x 30cm x 80cm and a couple of others.

I'm only posting to show that everbody can grow your own, no matter how small or how difficult you think it may be. It's really very easy! We've had strawberries for the last 4 years (bought at Chelsea Flower Show) and only repotted once. We almost never water them, never bring them inside and we look to have another bumper crop this year. After they finish we'll divide them into 2 pots now that they're getting too big.

Variety doesn't suffer either. Last summer we had more lettuce growing than we could eat, same goes for cherry tomatoes and carrots. We tried chillies but failed on those. This year we'll grow much the same crop and maybe try potatoes and a few others.

There's nothing like making a salad for friends and asking them to pick their own lettuce.

brilliant Filski just goes to show you dont need large areas of land,i think we will have more like your good self joining the band the way prices are going.

that can only be a good thing aswell :lol:

[jethro]

Peeing on Cabbages??? Not on mine you're not, don't care if it is good for them, yuk factor over-rides I'm afraid. Quite welcome to pee on the compost heap though, ammonia's a great activator.

Allotments and waiting lists, sign of the times; a few years back you couldn't give them away. I know several people who took on two, sometimes three plots in order to keep the sites tidy and the councils at bay, who were eyeing them up for housing developments. Worth the wait though, fantastic sense of community with plant swops back and forth; added bonus of if you all band together it's really easy to get trade accounts with seed suppliers - much, much cheaper.

Filski; a huge :lol: You've proved the point I've always argued, you don't need a garden, let alone a huge plot to grow something to eat. Well done you, I'm impressed.

Easiest, low maintenance crops which can be sown now; I'd recommend starting with salads. Lettuce, radishes, spring onions are all easy to grow and can be sown throughout the summer. Probably be best to buy plants for Runner Beans now, but still time to get some peas in. Courgette plants should be available - bear in mind though, they're quite big plants eventually so if you've only got a modest plot, you may not have room, one plant will be ample. You may still be able to get hold of some Brussel Sprout plants, also Cabbage. If not, and you want to have something to pick over the winter then I'd recommend Swiss Chard. It grows really easily from seed, small young leaves can be picked and added to salads, larger leaves treat like Spinach. It's one of my favourite all-rounders, can be eaten during the summer, roughly eight weeks from sowing, will continue to crop right through to next Easter, tough as old boots. Carrots and Beetroot can also be sown throughout the summer, you'll get quicker results, seed to table wise if you go for one of the small golf ball carrots.

Happy gardening, I'm off to the Bath&West show tomorrow, fingers crossed we don't come home with more livestock. Probably just as well we don't have room for Alpacas.....

[Snowly does it]

and if so, what do people recommend as an easy low maintenance

veg to begin with.

I would get some radish seed in - very quick cropping and you can keep replanting throughout summer and early Autumn. Radishes rock!

The first things I grew were radishes, Spring onions and the like.

Take a trip to a local farm shop and check out their seeds. You could probably pick up some very cheap tomato plants now. If you want herbs, be careful with mint - whilst lovely it will take over the garden very quickly!

Next year get your plot dug over in Jan/February and leave thick clods of earth on the top - the frost will break them up naturally. If you have a compost bin you can dig this in in winter too which will give you a really good growing medium for next year ready to go from march onwards.

Edit - Sorry Jethro, just realised I have said some of what you said! But I stand by radishes as the very best first thing to grow in a garden - easy peasy!

[SnowBear]

A few more ideas for a starter year of veg.

Turnips.

Swede (though these are really a field veg only)

Cabbages, though strictly these should now wait til a July sowing for spring cabbages and greens.

Outdoor Cucumber, sow under a cloche to bring them forward.

Sweetcorn, sow these in blocks, eg: 3 rows of 3, 4 rows of three etc to aid pollination. Again cloche them on cool days to bring them forward.

Broccoli, last week for those for sowing

Cloched plants remember to take the cloche off of prop it open on warm days or the plants will "cook".

[grab my graupel]

brian you still have time for most veg,my seed tatties only went in 10 days ago which is very late for me.

here's a couple of links to very good forums which have packs of advice for growers.

http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php...bd0018982ccc2ed

http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/forum/index.php

Thanks for those Links Jethro..I have safely bookmarked them

I would get some radish seed in - very quick cropping and you can keep replanting throughout summer and early Autumn. Radishes rock!

The first things I grew were radishes, Spring onions and the like.

Take a trip to a local farm shop and check out their seeds. You could probably pick up some very cheap tomato plants now (Tesco had them the other day at 25p each). If you want herbs, be careful with mint - whilst lovely it will take over the garden very quickly!

Next year get your plot dug over in Jan/February and leave thick clods of earth on the top - the frost will break them up naturally. If you have a compost bin you can dig this in in winter too which will give you a really good gorwing medium for next year ready to go from march onwards.

Hi Charlotte

Thanks for the advice...yes radishes and spring onions sound fantastic to me..I love my salad stuff, so those would be

a great start.

I know what you mean about mint, I bought a little pot of it a fews years back, and as you say, it is everywhere now;

It reminds me of nettles actually, which are a bit of a nuisance around here.

My wife will be doing the digging so that isn't a problem :lol:

A few more ideas for a starter year of veg.

Turnips.

Swede (though these are really a field veg only)

Cabbages, though strictly these should now wait til a July sowing for spring cabbages and greens.

Outdoor Cucumber, sow under a cloche to bring them forward.

Sweetcorn, sow these in blocks, eg: 3 rows of 3, 4 rows of three etc to aid pollination. Again cloche them on cool days to bring them forward.

Broccoli, last week for those for sowing

Cloched plants remember to take the cloche off of prop it open on warm days or the plants will "cook".

This brings me to another question that I have S.B.

Before he died, our old nextdoor neighbour very kindly used to pass us the odd Cauliflower and Cabbage over the fence,

which he had grown himself. The cabbage was Ok, but the Cauliflower was always crawling with greenfly. This has always

put me off growing them in the past; thus, I would prefer to buy an insect free one from the supermarket.

The Cauliflowers seemed very difficult to wash and rid them of the infestation.

Is there any way to prevent this, preferably an organic way if possible?

Brian

[Greyowl]

Well I have got the available garden space, and I'm ready to get started with this

Veg growing thing; my problem is, I'm not sure about the timing etc.

Is there anything that I could be getting started with at this time of year, or anything I could

be sowing now, and if so, what do people recommend as an easy low maintenance

veg to begin with.

Have a good look around an online seed catalogue Brian. Most of the major growers have them. Suttons, Marshalls etc. Some even sell ready to plant veg seedlings if you want to grow something that you are a bit late for starting. To add to your salad patch try cut and come again salad leaves. You only pick what you need and they keep growing and also look quite colourful with the red and yellow mixture.

Soapy bath water is good for keeping aphids away or plant something like marigolds between the rows.

Don't forget the Garlic and Onions.

Edited May 31, 2008 by Greyowl

[J07]

Peeing on Cabbages??? Not on mine you're not, don't care if it is good for them, yuk factor over-rides I'm afraid. Quite welcome to pee on the compost heap though, ammonia's a great activator.

Puts me off too, that's why I only do it a few weeks before harvest :lol: And I mean pee around them, not on them directly...not that it matters. I've heard of people (I stress the "heard of"!) who use human turds in their compost. Not keen on that myself, seems an ideal way to transmit disease. And the yuk factor would be even more overwhelming!

Graupels, just don't plant seeds like tomatoes, peppers, watermelons, cucumbers or chilis now as you certainly won't get a crop this season.

Someone mentioned sweetcorn, I might be wrong but I think it may be a touch late for that also (from seed).

[biffvernon]

(Useless fact edit: I think it was World War I, not II, that made poppies famous, Flanders Fields and all that.)

It's great to see the resurgence of interest in veg growing. We're going to need all the growing skills we can muster as we head for the transition to a post peak oil future. At the last count I think we have about 60 varieties of edible stuff growing (not counting about 30 different varieties of apples and other top fruit).

[bluecon]

Well I put my tomatoes in. We have a great climate for growing tomatoes and vegetables in general.

And am selling the old farm to some nutty business man that wants to make it a solar farm. And he is paying a big premium.

Taking some of the money and moving the old log house(built in 1848) to a heritage park.

[SP1986]

All the fruit I grow will be absolutely hating this weather especially since most of the fruit is more comfortable in dry weather, ie Olives, Dates, Lemons. Unfortunately I think this cold and wet weather means I probably will lose the plants even before next winter has begun. I think when Ive lost them I will probably start growing something more realistic in terms of fruits, some that can hack the cold British climate!

[J07]

All the fruit I grow will be absolutely hating this weather especially since most of the fruit is more comfortable in dry weather, ie Olives, Dates, Lemons. Unfortunately I think this cold and wet weather means I probably will lose the plants even before next winter has begun. I think when Ive lost them I will probably start growing something more realistic in terms of fruits, some that can hack the cold British climate!

Think positive....before you know it, high pressure will be all over the model outputs with no end in sight, and many will be saying (where did this come from?).

[Chris Knight]

A word or two of warning about inexpensive, self-assembly plastic greenhouses. They rattle apart in the wind, dropping seed trays & pots onto anything below :o . Use a high modulus silicone sealant to glue the joints together, site against a sunny wall, and fix to both wall and ground securely - I'd use battens to minimise the number of fixing points, bracing the front verticals back to the wall with wire or straps. Otherwise, you can find yourself battling against the elements in the midst of a squally shower as I did twice last month.

Also, these potential box-kites seem to magically attract slugs and snails, and many slug baits seem to be loaded with fungi, so don't sprinkle this stuff on seed trays, unless you want botritis, and fuzzy compost! Use it instead to act as an entrance barrier at ground level, patrol daily for bodies and wounded (if you are kind-hearted, you could give these unfortunate mollusks a thorough wash and relocate them to a distant site where they often recover, or consider setting up a vivarium for garden snails to predigest cardboard, vegetable kitchen waste, & any suitable garden offcuts, flowers, weeds, prunings, windfalls, etc.. I am told that garden snails, suitably purged, are as good to eat as the larger roman snails, if you are adventurous enough! ).

Finally, ventilation is essential, and often inconvenient with the zip-up doors. If anyone has a good fix, I'd like to hear it.

Otherwise they are an excellent use of space for small gardens, allowing early starts for seedlings, vegetables, etc., tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, softwood summer cuttings, extending the season for strawberries, and overwintering half-hardy plants, as well as winter storage for tools and pots etc.,

[SP1986]

I do not use greenhouses to raise any seeds, they grow outside, in the elements and are brought up as seedlings in the elements, most have usually done well. That may be a climate thing, but I think greenhouses can be a bain sometimes.

[disco-barry]

I'll be planting my first lot's of veg soon so i'll let you know how i get on

[J07]

We had a prolonged strawberry season here but it's just come to an end. Doesn't feel right eating them in winter anyway.

[Louby]

my strawberries are just starting to grow to a decent size , my tommy plants are huge but not sign of any toms yet though.