Advice for a hopeless gardener

[Frnc]

My courgettes haven't appeared. No idea what happened there. So, I have peas and spuds. Slugs had the broccoli. Carrots never appeared.

[Rusty74]

My courgettes haven't appeared. No idea what happened there. So, I have peas and spuds. Slugs had the broccoli. Carrots never appeared.

planted two rows of carrots myself and not one has come up this year?,sweet corn doing well though and 1st attempt at growing it

[jennyjj01]

My courgettes haven't appeared. No idea what happened there. So, I have peas and spuds. Slugs had the broccoli. Carrots never appeared.

planted two rows of carrots myself and not one has come up this year?,sweet corn doing well though and 1st attempt at growing it

Guys,.... Meet my carrots and friends

Carrots: In a bucket. Very crowded. I've no idea what's going on under the soil.... I had a hell of a job getting carrots to germinate except these.
Curtis Courgette: Something's been nibbling his leaves. i'll be cross if they attack the fruits which are starting to form.
Beets and Chard: Romping away. Again some loss to insects. I can't eat the chard quick enough.
There's a very few Paris Market carrots over on the left.
Parsnips: Took ages to germinate, very patchy turnout.

[Arzosah]

Fascinating to see the pix, Jenny. I've repotted my courgettes, they haven't died from the shock yet. I need to do something about the light levels where I've got them. I *do* have a grow lamp, but its still in its box, need to get that operational. My chard, it sprouted after 2 days, but its extremely leggy, just got the first signs of true leaves, but I don't think its going to do anything. Purslane, not bad, breadseed poppy from realseeds, terrible. Cornflowers are starting to look like mini plants, which is nice


ETA - Chinese chives are looking like proper chives - will need to repot into proper sized flowerpots in a few days. American landcress (from realseeds) is tiny and not ready for that. I'm wondering about putting a little bit of nutrition into the water.

[GillyBee]

I have had to resow some of my courgettes. No sign of the seed in the pot so I wonder if a mouse found them -. A slug or snail ate another one the day after it popped it's head up. I have an ongoing battle with a huge snail population round here. I think they breed next door and come to mine for snacks. Nematodes are little help with snails so most of the time it is hunt and stomp at the first hint of a nibbled leaf.
I find that chard is almost impossible to kill. Even looking scruffy it seems to do well once planted out. Carrots seem impossible for me. They show their heads but then vanish to the hungry molluscs despite my best efforts. The only one to make it were the ones in a couple of pots in the greenhouse that got there by accident.
RUnner beans are looking good but I had to resow the french beans - snails again I think although they now seem to be OK so I think I have managed to get that batch of *******!.

[jennyjj01]

I've repotted my courgettes, they haven't died from the shock yet. I need to do something about the light levels where I've got them. I *do* have a grow lamp, but its still in its box, need to get that operational. My chard, it sprouted after 2 days, but its extremely leggy, just got the first signs of true leaves, but I don't think its going to do anything.

Get that grow lamp out. We need you to report on if it works.
Fingers crossed, I planted out the Courgettes at just the right time, about 7cm high. Chard was sowed direct and seems to be foolproof. My next door neighbour sowed beetroots and chard in pots and hers sprouted very leggy and feeble and even now she's planted them out, they look tiny and weak. I'm convinced that they do best sowed direct.
It's not too late to sow more beetroot and chard direct. I didn't plant mine till July last year and it still grew well into October.

...I have an ongoing battle with a huge snail population round here.

Little bu66ers. I lob snails over the fence to the neighbour with the overgrown garden. but I can't touch slugs and can't stomp them. They are removed very gingerly with a trowel.

Carrots seem impossible for me.

Agreed. Why do we bother? (Ok. I know. I know! ). We spend more than that on compost for them. Definitely seem easiest sown into buckets. If I get pests eating mine I'll be well annoyed.


Anyways.... Onto another dumb mistake.....

My hydroponically growing asparagus in a coffee-jar was not shielded from the sun and now has algae in the feed water. How bad is that. I expect I've laid the foundation for an ongoing problem now. Water changed and now shielded from the light, but the spores are probably everywhere now

[Frnc]

Finally seen life from one of my courgette seeds! Just hope slugs don't eat it!

Peas are growing so fast they'll out grow the canes and net soon. About 2 ft high already. I only planted the seeds in April.

By the way, I'm using a meter to check soil moisture. Was only about £6 and it doesn't even need batteries. Also tests for light and PH. I use it for water almost every day.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09NVQ2ZJ2

[jennyjj01]

Finally seen life from one of my courgette seeds! Just hope slugs don't eat it!

Peas are growing so fast they'll out grow the canes and net soon. About 2 ft high already. I only planted the seeds in April.

By the way, I'm using a meter to check soil moisture. Was only about £6 and it doesn't even need batteries. Also tests for light and PH. I use it for water almost every day.
https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09NVQ2ZJ2

Cool. Good luck with the courgette. Now it's surfaced, watch it double every few days.
You might be ahead of me on peas. Mine showed its first flower today. Love how they grab things. Have to keep steering mine back to the canes.

I bought two of those meters. One had to go back as it would not detect moisture. They are no good for little pots, but great for buckets and growbags.

About 7 tiny green strawberries now appeared. I do hope the critters stay away long enough.

Peppers, aubergine and okra are very dormant as are some of my tomatoes.

My four spuds in a tub have broken through.

This is fun when stuff survives.

Went to Poundstretcher today and emptied their shelf of Coir Compost bricks at £1.25 each (in the half price sale)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DIVCHI-COCO-FR ... NrPXRydWU=

Don't pay the amazon price!!!

That's fun stuff. one brick fills a bucket. 8L of compost per brick. Zero nutrients, though.

Poundstretcher sale is really weird and they have some decent prepper bargains. It WAS everything half price. It's now Everything half price so long as you spend a fiver. All they've done is doubled the marked up price on everything. That does mean they rip you off if you only spend £4.99 'cos then you pay the doubled price.

[Frnc]

Cool. Good luck with the courgette. Now it's surfaced, watch it double every few days.
You might be ahead of me on peas. Mine showed its first flower today. Love how they grab things. Have to keep steering mine back to the canes.

I bought two of those meters. One had to go back as it would not detect moisture. They are no good for little pots, but great for buckets and growbags.

About 7 tiny green strawberries now appeared. I do hope the critters stay away long enough.

Peppers, aubergine and okra are very dormant as are some of my tomatoes.

My four spuds in a tub have broken through.

This is fun when stuff survives.

Went to Poundstretcher today and emptied their shelf of Coir Compost bricks at £1.25 each (in the half price sale)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DIVCHI-COCO-FR ... NrPXRydWU=

Don't pay the amazon price!!!

That's fun stuff. one brick fills a bucket. 8L of compost per brick. Zero nutrients, though.

Poundstretcher sale is really weird and they have some decent prepper bargains. It WAS everything half price. It's now Everything half price so long as you spend a fiver. All they've done is doubled the marked up price on everything. That does mean they rip you off if you only spend £4.99 'cos then you pay the doubled price.

Don't repeat my mistake with the coir. Tried to hydrate it in situ, with a hose. Should have put it in the wheelbarrow. It's buried in the cellar, was being lazy. My bricks were bigger though, too big for a bucket.
Ordered some copper strip to go round the raised bed. Slug wall not working.

[jennyjj01]

Don't repeat my mistake with the coir. Tried to hydrate it in situ, with a hose. Should have put it in the wheelbarrow. It's buried in the cellar, was being lazy. My bricks were bigger though, too big for a bucket.
Ordered some copper strip to go round the raised bed. Slug wall not working.

Cheers. I literally measure the water into a bucket and pop it in. First one I made it too runny. But by putting it into a tub with holes (Outside, of course), it drained and sorted itself out.
I like the idea of this stuff, but getting the nutrients right might be tricky.

Copper strip sounds a good idea. I might use some slug pubs too and barbed wire .