Planting 2012

[maxilaura]

shame Lil, hope you get over the flu quickly, sorry to hear that your hens had to go.

[gadgetguy]

Hi Lil hope things get better soon

[diamond lil]

TY. The hens are ok, she is emailing me pics and even videos and they're free-ranging all day. But the flu just wont shift bloody ribs ache with coughing and who has flu in May for goddsake!

[buttystella]

hope things improve for you soon Lil, any consolation i haven't had a cold for more than 3 years and i now have had 3 one after each other sick of coughing.

[i_am_jim]

try having man flu. talk about debilitating. it is a life threatening condition.

[hobo]

try having man flu. talk about debilitating. it is a life threatening condition.

Seconded!

[diamond lil]

*visualise eyeball rolling smiley here*

[maddriver]

Finally got the potatoes in the ground last Saturday, which I've been meaning to do since the beginning of April If I ever get a veg plot sorted I'll have to be a bit more organised or find some motivation from somewhere.

[jansman]

Finally got the potatoes in the ground last Saturday, which I've been meaning to do since the beginning of April If I ever get a veg plot sorted I'll have to be a bit more organised or find some motivation from somewhere.

Motivation for me this year is a rapidly changing economic situation. And I don'tmean getting richer here at Chez Jansman! I have always cultivated a garden here,and even an allotment when the girls were small and we were really hard-up. It paid off too.

So this year the planting is really going full steam ahead. Spuds in 12" pots x30,toms in the greenhouse x8,toms outdoor x12,climmbing beans various,x48,sweetcorn x18,squash Winter x6,perennials include Welsh onions,rhubarb,herbs and fruit trees. Raspberries xloads! Garlic, enough to last the year, onions and shallots the same. I am experimenting this year with a Square Foot Bed. Results not conclusive there,obviously. Broad beans are going well and spinach beet too.
I am experimenting with letting 6 self set sinach beet plants go to seed in the perennial section and reset themselves.
Sprouting broc is started and leeks looking good. Summer cabbage in and Winter savoys just comming through. As for cabbage ,I have an Asturian Tree cabbage seed from real seeds. It has germinated well. I believe it is a marrow stem kale. Also growing Sutherland Kale as it is Winter hardy. All these cut and come greens will be good for chucking in with the hens. They are not laying yet but they ARE quite young yet.
Got courgettes to plant out in old dustbins x6.Also this year I am growing Gherkins as I love them pickled ,a Polish chap near me grows them ,and he gave me some tips.

I am really enjoying it this year-but Jan moans I am always in the garden...

[i_am_jim]

@jansman, sounds like you have been busy, all but one of my sweetcorn plants in the green house has been eaten by mr snail, he had a good go at my butternut squash aswell, had a mouse early on in the year that was digging up and eating some of the seeds i had planted in pots in my greenhouse. couldn't understand why nothing had sprouted until i found a few poo's he'd left in my propogator then had a dig around in the pots and found my seeds gone. the little blighter. he sadly is no longer with us, he couldn't resist some popcorn that i had smothered in butter attatched to a trap. it set me back a bit but i have a 200w cfl bulb that got i got some new seeds started under. they are now ready for planting out. the only other worry i have is a few rabbits and some ferral youth that use the footpath that runs through my back garden. they keep kicking the fence to my veg plot down. they must be really bored. hope your spuds do well in pots. i have never done them like that before might give it a go next year. my back is not to fond of digging but i love potatoes. i have some heirloom highland burgandy potatoes in again this year ( bright pink skin and a pink core with a white ring) they taste fantastic. it's a pain v pleasure trade off.