The "Grow Your Own" Thread

[Wolf Hunting]

Me dad used to put orange peel down around the veg plot to keep cats off. I don't grow veg and me dad's no longer with us so can't say how successful it is, but he swore by it.
I enjoy the garden but it's all shrubs and flowers for me except for what I grow in the greenhouse - toms, strawbs, herbs and peppers.
I have a nice crop of giant snails in the garden as well.

Get an old pint glass, bury it in the ground, half fill it with sugary water, and watch the snails and slugs fill it up.
You need a few slugs cause the birds eat 'em, but you sure don't need 3,000 like I used to have.
And they can't crawl over salt...!!

 

[Wolf Hunting]

I have a low wall at the front of my house about 2' high. I want a bit of coverage, either a bush or a bit of hedging... for the bit of privacy it'll give us.

Someone told me a few conifers or leylandi will do it, very fast but need to keep on top of them - hard work.

I want it about 4' maybe 5' high max. Something varigated would be nice - preferably fast growing.

Any suggestions?

 

[lemonjelly]

Get an old pint glass, bury it in the ground, half fill it with sugary water, and watch the snails and slugs fill it up.
You need a few slugs cause the birds eat 'em, but you sure don't need 3,000 like I used to have.
And they can't crawl over salt...!!

Salt kills em.
Remember telling a mate salt kills slugs. Next time I visited him, every plant had a ring of salt round it. "That'll stop em" he proudly boasted.
It rained overnight & I went back in the morning. Every plant was dead as the salt poisoned the soil...

 

[lemonjelly]

I have a low wall at the front of my house about 2' high. I want a bit of coverage, either a bush or a bit of hedging... for the bit of privacy it'll give us.

Someone told me a few conifers or leylandi will do it, very fast but need to keep on top of them - hard work.

I want it about 4' maybe 5' high max. Something varigated would be nice - preferably fast growing.

Any suggestions?

Don't go with leylandi - become a nightmare to keep on top of, as they grow too fast, & you have a little un now.
I'd suggest a row of conifers should do it. Won't grow too fast, & easy enough to maintain should you act quick enough to stop em getting too high.

 

[lemonjelly]

Little bit of progress starting to appear...
One thing is certain, I'll definitely have carrots this autumn.
The carrots planted out straight into the ground are starting to develop. Spent an age weeding around them today.
The cucumbers are getting stronger & starting to get bigger.
2nd batch of toms kicking in now, & will need repotting in a week.
Planted out about 20 beetroot into the ground this evening.
First lettuce will be brought in for eating over the wekend. More will instantly be planted!

I also used lots of my home made compost from the comoster for some of the bigger tubs with carrots/beetroot in them, & onions & a few other things. In those tubs there has been sproutage of something which I had no idea what they were. Have realised they are extra tomatoes. I'll be repotting them over the weekend. Looks like there are so many I'll be giving em away somewhere.

Project weeding in the back has been completed (for a couple of weeks at least!) This is good news, as the composters have been full to brimming every time I manage to shove the latest lot in.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Potatoes coming on well

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As are Broad Beans

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French beans looking a bit sick though!

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

I'll defo post some pictures on here at some point. Off on my hols at the minute so I'm worried about my mother-in-law being entrusted to water everything while I'm away. Before I left me runner beans were starting to grow their first crop

 

[From Distant Shores]

Still no sign of life from the ginger sadly...

Might be a good thing if you've not got it in pots. There is a lot of illegal ginger farming in forest land on these distant shores which pisses off green-minded people as they say nothing will grow for seven years where ginger was grown.

 

[PPB]

Thinking that the warmer weather has enouraged the first batch of toms to get a move on. Re-potted 9 of them which had sprouted today. 2nd lot are still too small, so I'll leave them another couple of weeks.

Tried to get some of the greenhouse stuff out for a while in the sun today.

Recieved some chillis through the post earlier in the week. Planted them straight away. I'm not keen, but I'm sure I'll find a taker!

When do I fold over the onion leaves to encourage them to bulk up? I only grow onions to keet the carrot fly at bay anyway, so have no idea!

Hoping next weekend will see me eating the first lettuce of the year!

Project weedathon is entering its final stage! (for now...)



Alas, still no signs of movement on the ginger front though...

That's cos he's lying on his back in the sun sipping beer all day with Langers

 

[lemonjelly]

Might be a good thing if you've not got it in pots. There is a lot of illegal ginger farming in forest land on these distant shores which pisses off green-minded people as they say nothing will grow for seven years where ginger was grown.

It is in a pot, fortunately.

Those maverick tomatoes sprouting from the compost in all sorts of other pots have been "weeded" out into their own pots. I'm going to see/hope they strike out on their own.

As a result, I now have an additional 74 tomato plants!

 

[lemonjelly]

Repotted my 12 cucumbers today. They're coming along really well!
Bought some more compost.
Repotted the 2nd tomato batch from trays into pots.
Have been eating home grown lettuce all week.
Also noticed this morning that the free chilli seeds I got were starting to sprout.
Think I'll give up on the ginger now...
Toms not anywhere near flowering yet.

 

[lemonjelly]

Planted out some carrots sowed into tubs this weekend. They really could have done with being put out sooner, but time didn't allow me to.

I wanted to do a few other things - repot some toms & also repot the chillis, but time & the weather didn't allow. I'll have to try and get that done one evening this week - at least the weather is looking good for that!

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

Picked my first sugar snap peas of the year last night, I was a bit confused as I was sure I'd planted out more runner beans than sugar snaps, it would appear that I've planted out nearly all Sugar snaps. Does anyone else have problems with beans etc staying on the poles, mine seem intent on finding anything but them to climb up

I really need to spend some time on the veg patch as its gone a bit wild, but with everything going on at the moment I'm struggling to find any time/motivation to spend on it. I'm a bit annoyed as well as the advice I picked up of earthing up you spuds with grass clippings has been disastrous, rot has taken hold with the heavy rain we've had the last couple of weeks and all but wiped out my spud crop. My Sprouts are shooting up, just hoping they don't try and bolt, but they've pretty much dominated the Broccoli I had in front of them

My Toms are starting to flower, but not getting any signs of fruit yet...

 

[lemonjelly]

Must admit I've not heard that earthing spuds with grass thing before. Always soil/compost from what I know?

Generally not had that problem with beans either. I try planting them out pretty close to the canes & they go for it (with a little encouragement).

I may have mentioned that I got a ton of maverick tomato plants growing out of the home made compost I have.
After giving a fair few away to family, I still have a lot (more than I need) left.

This week I have the pleasure of giving these away to colleagues, so they can try their hand at growing something to eat. I hope it gives them as much pleasure as it does me/I (?)

This weekend I'll then be finding a new home for half my cucumber plants, which are in great nick.

I'll also have to find homes for some of the chilli plants, as far more grew than I anticipated!

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

I picked it up off a growers forum, they all seemed to rave about it - I won't be trying it again though...

Cucumbers, I appear to have had no success whatsoever with these, still got my Courgette coming on strong, just a pity I'm not keen on them!

 

[lemonjelly]

Fry em in a little butter - lovely!
My cucumbers the first time weren't going well (or so I thought) until all of a sudden flowers appeared so I planted them into the ground. I think I'd restricted the roots. Perhaps put them into a bigger pot?

 

[lemonjelly]

planted more lettuce this week.
Just repotted 9 tomato plants into bigger pots.
Also moved up some of the chilli plants.
I now appear to have a major pot shortage. May need a wilko's trip this weekend as loads more needs moving up!

 

[Newbridge Wolf]

planted more lettuce this week.
Just repotted 9 tomato plants into bigger pots.
Also moved up some of the chilli plants.
I now appear to have a major pot shortage. May need a wilko's trip this weekend as loads more needs moving up!

It's amazing what they stock in Wilkos these days.....

 

[Hereford Wolf]

Some pictures of my 'Tumbling Toms' (not yet tumbling), blueberries (just about to fruit) and sacks of potatoes.

I know it's not much but I am quite proud of my efforts. Hoping to add more stuff next year and even get some raised beds.

 

[lemonjelly]

I'm always proud of what I grow Hereford. Good on yer...

The nice weather prompted industry in the jelly garden over the weekend.
Repotted the growing tomato plants. They'll only need moving up one more time.
I repotted the last of my chillis from the tray they were in. However having repotted some on saturday, when I was repotting sunday, some of the already repotted ones looked distinctly the worse for wear. I'm not sure many will succeed...
Planted out the onions that were in pots in the greenhouse.
A couple of the carrot tubs have also been planted out.
I think I no longer have room to plant anything else out.

Project eradicate every blimmin weed kicked in again with major force & resulted in backache.
Also finally got around to giving the lawns a much needed mow. Composters are now full again.

Need to plant some more lettuce this week, & also get the cucumbers planted into the ground (saved a space for them).