Garden activity

[Medusa]

Planted tomatoes a few weeks ago and nothing! Decided to buy more seeds, planted them and the next day, yep you guessed the first batch had sprouted. I am far too impatient as they were in an unheated greenhouse. Not quite sure what I am going to do with them all. but will probably attempt to re-home quite a few. I have gone a little over the top this year and will probably need a few more raised beds even though we really don't have space for them. I have got such pleasure from growing my own food over the past few years that I am now a little over enthusiastic.

[jennyjj01]

Planted tomatoes a few weeks ago and nothing! Decided to buy more seeds, planted them and the next day, yep you guessed the first batch had sprouted. I am far too impatient as they were in an unheated greenhouse. Not quite sure what I am going to do with them all. but will probably attempt to re-home quite a few. I have gone a little over the top this year and will probably need a few more raised beds even though we really don't have space for them. I have got such pleasure from growing my own food over the past few years that I am now a little over enthusiastic.

Swapsies or even giving them away to a neighbour can work well. A seedling or two that costs next to nothing can pay dividends if your neighbour goes on to grow a better crop than you.

[Moorland Prepper]

Hi jennyjj01

Hi MP,
I read about your successes and failures from last year. Good luck for this time around.
I envy you your heated greenhouse, where you had most success. Are you planning on keeping your tomatoes in the Greenhouse throughout? You say your greenhouse is crowded. Do you have a multitude of the same type of veg, or a wide variety? Have you considered peas and beans and some sorts of squash for this year? Apparently they are easier to grow and more hardy outside

.

All the veg. that we have in the greenhouse are tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spinach and rocket. The lettuce, spinach and rocket will go outside anytime as the weather looks like turning out quite a bit warmer. Once done, we shall build frames in the greenhouse (out of canes) for the tomatoes and cucumber. This worked really well for the cucumbers last year which was lucky as I like cucumbers. Mrs MP also has a selection of succulents in there to protect them from frost. These will go outside soon and then we will be able to move in there! I'd like to grow something in the greenhouse in winter but Mrs MP has a large (and valuable) collection of bonsai trees, some of which have to go in the greenhouse over winter, so I might be thinking 'hydropnics' next winter.

We are not trying anything else this year as we are now on a learning curve, and need to walk before we can run, as it were. I feel more in control now - i can't believe that last year I just brought anything that took my fancy and expected it to grow.

[jennyjj01]

I feel more in control now - i can't believe that last year I just brought anything that took my fancy and expected it to grow.

I'm still being impatient and impetuous. Jansman is trying to rein me in I have a small bucket full of assorted packs of seeds and seem to sow something every week. Like yourself, I started way too late last year. This year, I started way too soon and have to keep restarting.
Not something we can easily learn from books or even the internet. Nothing beats actually having a go.

[jansman]

I feel more in control now - i can't believe that last year I just brought anything that took my fancy and expected it to grow.

I'm still being impatient and impetuous. Jansman is trying to rein me in I have a small bucket full of assorted packs of seeds and seem to sow something every week. Like yourself, I started way too late last year. This year, I started way too soon and have to keep restarting.
Not something we can easily learn from books or even the internet. Nothing beats actually having a go.

This little lot was sown a month ago.Tomatoes ,chillies and gherkins,because they have to have a bit of time,but I’m still not rushing to sow anything else. My dad traditionally would sow runner bean seeds on St.George’s day. With climate change as it is now,that is too early,as unlike dad’s era,the crop will continue to yield well into late September/ early October.I’ll sow mine ( direct into the ground - no faffing about with nurturing plants in the greenhouse) second week of May.

[izzy_mack]

Just been given half a dozen sacks of cow dung, well rotted stuff better than any gift OH could have brought me Will start digging it in today. Have already put a load in a big tub and added water which I will then use as a sort of liquid fertiliser.

[British Red]

Nice to see the early asparagus is up today. Perennial vegetables - especially expensive ones - feel like cheating somehow

Asparagus by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Planted out the sees grown Rijnsburger onions today. We seed save this variety and it's great that we can get them to this point with good roots and as much top growth as Spring planted sets. I want to experiment with August direct sowing this year and then let them over Winter in situ.

Rijnsburger onions by English Countrylife, on Flickr

[Medusa]

Planted out broccoli, sprouts and cabbages into raised beds yesterday, they will be covered at night and also some onions I grew from seed this year. A few beetroot seedlings have gone into the big water tanks I use for growing stuff in and planted out the first early spuds a bit later than normal. I gave a whole lot of spare seedlings to brother in law who was happy then realised I still haven't planted out the leeks so husband has been busy this afternoon making me another raised bed. Planted some rocket too. The garlic I planted back in October seems to be coming on really well this year so hoping for a good crop as are the autumn planted onions. The strawberries have flower buds appearing as do the blueberries and gooseberries. Planted a whole load of wild flower seeds too, mostly for the bees but because I love wildflowers.

[Moorland Prepper]

Got the lettuce, spinach and rocket outside yesterday. Plants are doing well.

Mrs MP thinned out the lettuce and spinach so we now have two more troughs, making six troughs in total. Good job that we like salads!

Tomatoes and cucumber now nicely spaced out in the greenhouse and we have started building cane frames for them.

No sign of the potatoes yet but they have only been in for a week or so.

Everything sorted out and growing well - nice change for us after last year's chaos

We are a bit more at the mercy of the weather than most, so hopefully the weather will be kinder than last summer.

[jennyjj01]

Nice to see the early asparagus is up today. Perennial vegetables - especially expensive ones - feel like cheating somehow...

Planted out the see[d]s grown Rijnsburger onions today. We seed save this variety and it's great that we can get them to this point with good roots and as much top growth as Spring planted sets. I want to experiment with August direct sowing this year and then let them over Winter in situ.

Awesome Asparagus. That's a demanding long term crop isn't it? Two years from first sowing to first harvest?

Onions from seed, I just don't understand them. Those seeds are blooming tiny so it can't be possible !! When did you sow those seeds to get them that big? I see sites saying to sow seeds in autumn for harvest late the following summer? Or to keep sowing seeds for transplanting as others get harvested?
Do you think we amateurs can grow seedlings to set sized and then suppress them for later sowing? Maybe similar with garlic, which is another one that flummoxes me?