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Do any of you grow your own vegetables
- Thread starter DIFFBROOK
- Start date
We do.
I grow quite a lot, I have cauliflower, sprouts and cabbage out there that need picking this afternoon.
We also have runner beans, broad beans, carrots, potatoes, a few different tomatoes, a few different lettuce (which I am struggling with) onions, leek, radish, spinach, cucumber, sweetcorn, beetroot and some fruits (one lone blueberry grew so far :-( ) I tried to grow aubergine this year but nothing happened.
I have some stuff in pots/tubs - chillies (I took the advice of someone here - whose name has slipped my mind entirely - Marc?), lots of herbs, peppers.
Almost all are in raised beds that I just mixed compost in with the soil and hoped for the best. Been plenty of rain so haven't watered much at all this year just been out to pick/mulch. I have had far more success growing in raised beds than when I just planted stuff at random in the actual ground.
This is our smallest bed from the beginning. I have two more like that but slightly bigger and then the potatoes/beans are in a much bigger deeper one.
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I think tomatoes and beans are the easiest, my lettuce keeps bolting and I will admit defeat this year. It looks like it might sprout a few leaves but it's a waste of time, I am obviously doing something wrong but no idea what.
I grow quite a lot, I have cauliflower, sprouts and cabbage out there that need picking this afternoon.
We also have runner beans, broad beans, carrots, potatoes, a few different tomatoes, a few different lettuce (which I am struggling with) onions, leek, radish, spinach, cucumber, sweetcorn, beetroot and some fruits (one lone blueberry grew so far :-( ) I tried to grow aubergine this year but nothing happened.
I have some stuff in pots/tubs - chillies (I took the advice of someone here - whose name has slipped my mind entirely - Marc?), lots of herbs, peppers.
Almost all are in raised beds that I just mixed compost in with the soil and hoped for the best. Been plenty of rain so haven't watered much at all this year just been out to pick/mulch. I have had far more success growing in raised beds than when I just planted stuff at random in the actual ground.
This is our smallest bed from the beginning. I have two more like that but slightly bigger and then the potatoes/beans are in a much bigger deeper one.
-
I think tomatoes and beans are the easiest, my lettuce keeps bolting and I will admit defeat this year. It looks like it might sprout a few leaves but it's a waste of time, I am obviously doing something wrong but no idea what.
HampshireSeagulls
Moulding Generation Z
You can grow almost anything. Check out something called "Square Foot Gardening". I use it on my allotment, it works really well. About to introduce it to the school I am working at as well.
Square Foot Gardening.
http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/SqFt/
Creating a square foot garden - The Teaching Zone
The only thing that SqFt gardening does not cater for is potatoes - do them in a bucket.
Square Foot Gardening.
http://www.organicgarden.org.uk/SqFt/
Creating a square foot garden - The Teaching Zone
The only thing that SqFt gardening does not cater for is potatoes - do them in a bucket.
London Calling
New member
Start with traditional british crops, that will do well every summer, herbs if you like them such as rosemary, thyme that thrive in all conditions.
But remember only grow what you like, otherwise you will have loads of X taking up key space.
Only start with a few veg, I made a mistake of buying seeds galore!
And ended up with 8 carrots, gone in one meal etc.
Normal Rob
Well-known member
Veg wise - runner beans, mange-tout, lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes and radishes have all flourished, or are flourishing, this year.
herb wise - Sage is trying to take over my garden, Rosemary is strongly trying to fight it off and Marjoram has faired quite well. Thyme as ever, is doing well in the rocky dry area of the garden. In Pots - Oregano has gone mad, as has parsley but yet again I have failed with Basil.
Fruit wise - losing a battle with slugs on my strawberries, blackberries coming along fine.
herb wise - Sage is trying to take over my garden, Rosemary is strongly trying to fight it off and Marjoram has faired quite well. Thyme as ever, is doing well in the rocky dry area of the garden. In Pots - Oregano has gone mad, as has parsley but yet again I have failed with Basil.
Fruit wise - losing a battle with slugs on my strawberries, blackberries coming along fine.
severnside gull
Well-known member
raised beds are a great idea but cost a few bob more to construct. You are a bit late to start this year but could begin by double digging your soil and diiging in plenty of compost / manure. Double digging is just that - take out a spit of soil then dig down again in the hole left - mix the soil with well rotted manure (free from most stables).
For this summer some salad stuff seeds....lettuce (sown now wont bolt) radish, herbs. tomato plants (alicante are an easy variety) and buy some runner bean or pea plants pot grown to get a crop this autumn.
Put flowers in with your veggies - roses, dahlias, and marigolds are great for attracting bugs away from the stuff you want to eat.
For this summer some salad stuff seeds....lettuce (sown now wont bolt) radish, herbs. tomato plants (alicante are an easy variety) and buy some runner bean or pea plants pot grown to get a crop this autumn.
Put flowers in with your veggies - roses, dahlias, and marigolds are great for attracting bugs away from the stuff you want to eat.
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
Veggies: carrots (early and late), peas, onions, courgettes, spuds, tomatoes, mini toms, cucumbers, kale, peppers (sweet and chilli), various types of lettuce, rocket, radishes and scallions.
Herbs: only coriander and basil, the latter of which was attacked by a large fat catterpillar but seems to be slowly recovering...I also have some mint in the garden, was already there when I moved in.
Fruit: Nothing that I have planted myself but have loganberries, blackberries and rhubarb growing already.
I have also grown a few flowers to brighten Gully towers up a little: alyssum, lobelia, livingston dasies, marigolds, nasturium, hollyhocks (growing very well but won't flower until next year)...plus a few other random flowers to attract birds, unfortunately these have been dwarfed by the self seeding nasturium.
Don't know anything about soils, most of the above seem pretty happy in my garden, I reckon that I am on the floodplain of the river Severn...that may or may not have anything to do with it.
Herbs: only coriander and basil, the latter of which was attacked by a large fat catterpillar but seems to be slowly recovering...I also have some mint in the garden, was already there when I moved in.
Fruit: Nothing that I have planted myself but have loganberries, blackberries and rhubarb growing already.
I have also grown a few flowers to brighten Gully towers up a little: alyssum, lobelia, livingston dasies, marigolds, nasturium, hollyhocks (growing very well but won't flower until next year)...plus a few other random flowers to attract birds, unfortunately these have been dwarfed by the self seeding nasturium.
Don't know anything about soils, most of the above seem pretty happy in my garden, I reckon that I am on the floodplain of the river Severn...that may or may not have anything to do with it.
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,235
Did you try the Aubergines outside or in ?. Only they don't like it to drop below 20c. They also need the tops pinching out when they reach just under 2ft and will need humidifying for the fruit to set ( put a bowl of water next to each plant ).
Your lettuce could be bolting because it's not getting watered enough and is in full sun ? They do better if they have a bit of shade. Don't give up, there are plenty of winter varieties available now that mean you can virtually have lettuce growing outdoors all year round.
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,235
London Callings advice is good - only grow what you like. I would add that it's also nice to grow crops that are expensive in the shops ( not much point in loads of spuds unless you have masses of space and want to break up new ground )
Severnside Gull spot on too. The key is plenty of organic matter into the soil before you start. Don't worry if you can't dig for toffee, there are no dig systems out there that work too.
You might also like to do a bit of reading up on companion planting too once you're up and running.
Good luck and happy veg growing. And remember.......
Whosoever plants a garden, plants love
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
One piece of advice I was given, which in retrospect turned out to be pretty good, is that the first time you dig a plot over...particularly if it hasn't been used for sometime...is to do it by the traditional method, with a fork, and not to be tempted to use a rotovator as this just cuts the weeds up into little pieces that will all grow...it is far better to remove them, plus as much of the root as possible, by your own fair hand.
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,235
Wise words indeed.
I've spent more hours than I care to remember diligently removing couch grass as I dig knowing that the smallest piece that breaks off will just regrow again. Our plot is in it's second season and it's only now that it's finally under full cultivation. It's all hand dug.
'Twas the over use of machinery on the land that caused the dust bowl crisis in USA I understand. Continued rotavation of land can cause a hard pan to develop just below the finely tilthed surface. Double digging is sound advice.
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
Likewise with the second season, I moved into my house two years ago but did nothing with my veg plot the first season...there were a few things growing that the previous owner had planted but most of it was overrun with weeds, so all I did was clear it but didn't actually dig it over until I wanted to start planting last spring. It surprised me how little time it actually took to dig over once I got started...though I doubt if there is any risk of it turning into a dust bowl!
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,235
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
I don't have a big fast car either...just a small slow one...reckon my veg plot is about 3m x 4m...though I am trying to expand it a little by moving a path...this will give me about another 50Cm strip on the side...enough for a row of broad beans!
1066familyman
Radio User
- Jan 15, 2008
- 15,235
I don't have a big fast car either...just a small slow one...reckon my veg plot is about 3m x 4m...though I am trying to expand it a little by moving a path...this will give me about another 50Cm strip on the side...enough for a row of broad beans![/QUOTE]
Best sown on bonfire night in double rows.
Gully
Monkey in a seagull suit.
Thanks for the tip, broad beans are one of my favourite vegetables, didn't get my act together in time to plant some for this year.
Leekbrookgull
Well-known member
Broad Beans for me,just love them.
London Calling
New member
sweet corn, good luck.
This year I put more emphasis on fruit bushes, we have little ground space for veg and the kids are too young at the mo, to be into veg.
But we now growing strawberries, planted a cherry tree, apple tree but that sufferd from "mealy moth"?
Black, red and white currants, japenese wine berry (suffering a bit) and a hybrid of raspberry/ blackberry.
oh and a blue berry bush.
Most of these will also make great climbers, except the blueberry which can be grown in a pot.
My veg plot now is a bed I made on my patio about 6ft by 2ft.
Mainly lettuces (medetarian, chinese) a couple of unusual toms - they would be expensive in the shops - cos toms around here at harvest time are dirt cheap here in Hackney, and strawberries. Kids love 'em!
The kids and birds will be vitamen c rich.
LC
This year I put more emphasis on fruit bushes, we have little ground space for veg and the kids are too young at the mo, to be into veg.
But we now growing strawberries, planted a cherry tree, apple tree but that sufferd from "mealy moth"?
Black, red and white currants, japenese wine berry (suffering a bit) and a hybrid of raspberry/ blackberry.
oh and a blue berry bush.
Most of these will also make great climbers, except the blueberry which can be grown in a pot.
My veg plot now is a bed I made on my patio about 6ft by 2ft.
Mainly lettuces (medetarian, chinese) a couple of unusual toms - they would be expensive in the shops - cos toms around here at harvest time are dirt cheap here in Hackney, and strawberries. Kids love 'em!
The kids and birds will be vitamen c rich.
LC
Easy 10
Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Can't you just keep the garden gate shut then ?
Anyway, on the subject of broad beans (which I ADORE), I'm buggered if I can find any lately in Tesco, either tinned or frozen. Is there a world SHORTAGE or something ? If we actually get some decent weather this weekend I might trundle along to the pick-your-own and see if I can snaffle some. Will they still be in season ?