Grow your own fruit and vegetables

[jethro]

Hi Snowmaiden, they sound fine to me, they've only been planted for 3-4 weeks, usually anything potted on or planted out takes a week or so to settle before making any new growth. Most of the action has to take place below ground before top growth commences, the roots will be busy growing to support the top. It's been a bit cool for rapid growth, when it warms up a bit they'll all spring into action with renewed vigour and catch up.

[Snowly does it]

Hi Snowmaiden, they sound fine to me, they've only been planted for 3-4 weeks, usually anything potted on or planted out takes a week or so to settle before making any new growth. Most of the action has to take place below ground before top growth commences, the roots will be busy growing to support the top. It's been a bit cool for rapid growth, when it warms up a bit they'll all spring into action with renewed vigour and catch up.

Thanks Jethro!

I'll just wait and see for a bit, I know my veg plot needs a lot of work over the winter, the ground is not ideal here, very stony. Hopefully I'll get a reasonble return this year anyway

[Cakie]

I bought two pots of potatoes as an experiment. One was an early crop, the other a main crop (late)

They have both wilted but I watered them well and the main crop one has really gone yellow in the leaf and is not looking very well at all. The early crop is also a little yellow tinged but is hanging in there.

Does anyone have any idea what is wrong. The lady at the garden centre reckons it's cost I repotted them and they have been disturbed (she didn't think it was a good thing for them to sell in the first place)

[jethro]

It ever ceases to amaze me how plants will grow and often thrive in the most inhospitable places. I know a lot is written and talked about with optimum soil, do this, do that, this plant needs this or that and to a certain extent it's true, but it's also not vital. Plants are destined to grow, almost regardless of what we do or do not do to them, the best we can do is help them grow bigger, stronger. I shouldn't fret too much about having stony soil, the only plants it will effect are root crops like Carrots and even then the effect will be they'll still grow, but around the stones and into odd shapes. Improve the soil but don't fret too much.

A quick tip; when it gets to the end of the summer and you're clearing the Beans and Peas, just cut off the top growth, leave the roots in the ground. The roots will have developed nodules which are almost pure Nitrogen, these will slowly rot down and release the Nitrogen into the soil as it warms up in Spring. Leafy crops like Cabbages and Lettuce love Nitrogen, sow these where the Beans and Peas were the previous year, they'll get a head start with zero effort from you.

[Louby]

my toms have been battered quite a bit by the wind the past week and look worse for wear :huh:

[Cakie]

my toms have been battered quite a bit by the wind the past week and look worse for wear

Did you support them? I mean sticks n string not councelling :huh:

[jethro]

Katie, the commonest reason for yellowing leaves on most things is a nutrient deficiency, usually Nitrogen, sometimes Potassium - give them a dose of a broad spectrum fertiliser like Miracle Grow. It could be the beginning of "Blight" but that usually shows up as brown or black patches, if it does turn out to be blight, unfortunately there's not a lot you can do.

As for re-potting them, well no, it's not usual to re-pot spuds but so long as the root ball remained intact, it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference.

[Louby]

Did you support them? I mean sticks n string not councelling

:huh:

I have yes, but they have got rather big now

[Cakie]

We were careful not to disturb the rootball but it could be early lack of nutrients. I have been giving them a nice little drinky of Miracle grow but the Main crop looks FUBRd

Trial and error. It's our 2nd year in this garden and we are learning what does grow (courgettes and peas) and what doesn't (cabbages and broccolli)

Thanks for your tips though :huh:

[Snowly does it]

Thanks again jethro, i'll certainly leave the roots in and see what happens!

[Mr Sleet]

Hi All.

I had an allottment for about 7 years and grew all sorts of stuff, soft fruit , asparagus the lot. Just a tip for dealing with slugs - boil up garlic cloves in water.Dilute. Spray on crops to be protected. Solution should keep for a while if you keep it cool and dark.

You may need to experiment a bit with the strength and spray every few days or so. Don't worry, your veggies won't taste of garlic

Might also keep cats away.

Garlic Wash Recipe

Take 2 bulbs of garlic, crush them, and boil them rapidly in two pints of boiling water for approximately 4-5 minutes, or until there is a very strong garlic smell.

Let the liquid cool then strain it.

Top up to the two pints mark again and bottle the result.

To Use – Put one tablespoon of the Garlic Wash into one gallon of water and water over the plants with a fine rose making sure the whole plant is covered. This is a completely natural product and should do none of the other plants any harm.

You can add a bit of fairly liquid to the mix.

Sleet Out.

We were careful not to disturb the rootball but it could be early lack of nutrients. I have been giving them a nice little drinky of Miracle grow but the Main crop looks FUBRd

Trial and error. It's our 2nd year in this garden and we are learning what does grow (courgettes and peas) and what doesn't (cabbages and broccolli)

Thanks for your tips though

Katie

If you wanted to grow cabbages and brocc but can't maybe you are a bit too acid ? Liming the soil in the cabbage patch should make it tickety-boo. ( there is a wrong and right time to lime though).

Edited June 24, 2008 by Mr Sleet

[Cakie]

Oh, I will have to try that one Mr Sleet

We seem to have tons of Slugs but I guess all the rain we get in Devon helps that

Katie

If you wanted to grow cabbages and brocc but can't maybe you are a bit too acid ? Liming the soil in the cabbage patch should make it tickety-boo.

The cabbages just took forever and didn't really grow. The Brocolli got filled with little catterpillars and made me too squimish to eat it

[Mr Sleet]

Oh, I will have to try that one Mr Sleet

We seem to have tons of Slugs but I guess all the rain we get in Devon helps that

The cabbages just took forever and didn't really grow. The Brocolli got filled with little catterpillars and made me too squimish to eat it

Caterpillars ?Well, with the price of meat as it is, why complain ? You have a ready meal

Liming the soil in late autumn should promote growth in cabbages and broccoli. If you get strong growth the plants find it easier to shake off pest attack.

[Greyowl]

I have yes, but they have got rather big now

Give them a hair cut Lou.

[SnowBear]

Trample the ground down for cabbages etc too, they tend not to like loose soil.

We had trouble with slugs and snails last year, hate to say we resorted to slug pellets. But I have noted down your recipe there Mr Sleet to try this year!

We havent had too much problem with the wind this past week or so, except it was a warmish wind and it dried the soil and seared the plants a little, especially some lettuce plants which were transplanted earlier in the week.

So far we have had..

Radishes

Lettuce

Rocket

Beet

First Early spuds

Second Early spuds

Turnips

Broad Beans

Spring Onions

Carrots

Herbs of various sorts

Runner beans are flowering, toms a bit slow but first flowers showing now, onions coming on well, main crop spuds going crazy lol

[Louby]

Give them a hair cut Lou.

That is tomorrows job have toms now

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Feedback please; it's obvious you all know a lot about gardening, I don't want to insult anyone and I certainly don't want to teach granny to suck eggs so should I carry on and post a "how to grow fruit&veg" following on from my first post or should this evolve into a more general thread?

Please can we have both? I'm a veg plot virgin. And would like further advice. My attempts this year went titties up all I have left is 1 corgette, 3 sweetcorn and a tomatoe plant I brought. Everything else got eaten

One assumed things under a cloche would have been safe. Clearly one was terribly wrong ...

[*Stormforce~beka*]

I have another question not really related to fruit and veg though. We planted some little hedging plants round our compost in the hope they would grow big quick and cover up the compost heap. We planted them 6 weeks ago and they don't seem to have done anything! Any advice? I have them some liquid feeder over 2 week periods and yesterday I also put round them some of those slow release balls of food. They are dug in with new compost. I've ran out of idea's!

[Mr Sleet]

I have another question not really related to fruit and veg though. We planted some little hedging plants round our compost in the hope they would grow big quick and cover up the compost heap. We planted them 6 weeks ago and they don't seem to have done anything! Any advice? I have them some liquid feeder over 2 week periods and yesterday I also put round them some of those slow release balls of food. They are dug in with new compost. I've ran out of idea's!

Not sure about which hedging you are using but they are normally quite slow growing and take a while to establish before they start to gain height, maybe 3 or 4 years is more realistic. You say they are around your compost- is it rotting compost if so, not good as that takes nitrogen out of the soil.

Is it a sunny site ?

My advice is give it more time.

PS See my tip above regarding garlic to stop slug attack.

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Not sure about which hedging you are using but they are normally quite slow growing and take a while to establish before they start to gain height, maybe 3 or 4 years is more realistic. You say they are around your compost- is it rotting compost if so, not good as that takes nitrogen out of the soil.

Is it a sunny site ?

My advice is give it more time.

PS See my tip above regarding garlic to stop slug attack.

I can't remember the name of the hedge! lol. It's got tiny small green round leaves. Came in a pack of 6 from B&Q for a £5 I think. Ah didn't realise they took that long. I'll come back and complain in 4 years then lol. It is around the compost heap so on the outside of it. I dug standard bagged compost into the soil I put them in too. Yes very sunny and sheltered its the top corner of my garden.

Thanks for the garlic tip!

Edited June 26, 2008 by *Stormforce~beka*

[SnowBear]

I am going to hazard a guess at your hedge being Box or Buxus by its formal name. Slow growing but once it gets going it needs clipping often to keep it in shape.

[chionomaniac]

Hi all,

Great thread this. More so because this is the first year that I have attempted to grow my own greenhouse fruit and veg in my greenhouse at work. I am growing strawberries, 3 types of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and chillies and various herbs.

I have 3 cucumber plants , 2 in a grow bag and 1 in a pot. I have already harvested 3 cucumbers which taste so much better than shop bought. However I have a problem with the potted cucumber plant which has some good sized cucumbers already developing. The cucumbers, in the middle of the plant, which are no more than 5cms long, have turned yellow and stopped developing. Does anyone know what could be causing this? They have been fed and watered religiously.

Many thanks in anticipation!

c

[SnowBear]

Possible cucumber mosaic virus there chiono, not much you can do I am afraid except destroy the plants if it is.

[chionomaniac]

Possible cucumber mosaic virus there chiono, not much you can do I am afraid except destroy the plants if it is.

Oh no! How has it caught it?

[Mad Murdoch]

What a good thread, not been about much due to moving house.

I must admit i am a bit of a green fingers and this house is perfect for it.

Already growing in my garden is.. Grapes, Plums, Eating apples, raseberrys, cherrys, longon berries, blackberries, and probley a lot more which i havent discovered yet.. Also my veg patch is looking good with carrots, running beans, pumpkins, beatroot, radishes.. and more to go in..

To be able to do all this, i feel is good because and i know that what me and my boys eat are home grown and had nothing added to them or chemicals been used on them, over the seasons i hope to increase what i grow.

Also I am involving my two boys (aged 7 & 4 ) in helping in the garden, which will hopefully give them more of a learning experience than being stuck infront of computer or tv..