Warm boot recommendations please

[Mrs Frugal]

why didn't you just turn them into veggie plots!

 

Don't you think that I might have suggested that a few times already !! The lawn is very patchy on the right hand side and LSH has put down more grass seed - I told him not to bother, another veggie garden would look much better!!

 

Wish my garden was as beautifully tidy (and big!) as Lesley's . It's looking lovely, Lesley .

 

It's all a bit shabby still - it got seriously neglected last year but we're putting down grey brick edging round the paths and borders in summer and making the girls' run more permanent looking. At the moment it's just fruit cage netting and a very makeshift gate. LSH is very handy and is going to make something much nicer for them (he loves them really!) and I'll swap photos when he does!!

 

Roll on summer !

[Lesley]

Would you like close-ups of the weeds? It really isn't as tidy as it looks. Couldn't you see the green mould on the decking? It's being painted black next week, and so is the summer house

 

I've been out of operation for over two years because of my knee, and before that we had builders in but last year managed enough to bring it back into line.

 

I still can't kneel down and the hand-weeding is a bit of a ******* when having to do it bending over all the time

[Mrs Frugal]

Not being able to stand on the lawn is a big headache for me!! I can see the weeds but I can't get at them !

 

Ok, that's my excuse, I'm sticking to it !

[Nicola H]

Kate your garden is lovely, you have used the space really well, the run you have is about the same size as mine.

 

I never quite know what to do with our garden it has no structure and I lack inspiration and time maybe this topic will help me find my way............I shall try to photograph my garden tomorrow and then you will see what I mean.

[Cate in NZ]

I've just been reading some of these postings, you all sound so proficient at gardening, I'm quite envious. I'm relatively new to gardening, have grown tomatoes & courgettes etc in growbags for several years, which generally do OK, and have even grown potatoes in old tyres with quite a lot of success, but this year I'm getting more ambitious, and am trying things like artichokes (because I like the architechturalness -and I'm sure that's not a real word- of them), baby leeks, chilli peppers and pumpkins for the first time. Not sure how I'm going to get on with them, but I'll probably stick mainly to container planting, water regularly and cross my fingers

 

If anyone's got any tips about these crops I'd be really happy to take advice.

 

Happy gardening

 

Kate & badly trained family

Sage & Onion

[Lesley]

Hi Kate

 

Out of those the main problem will be Artichokes! They are easy enough to grow but they are BIG! I've had to move ours because they took over the veg. plots and made so much shade

 

I have them in three areas now and they need about 3'/1m space - beware where you site them.

 

The others should be easy - are you starting them inside?

[Lesley]

Right - Square 30 Gardening!

The book I use is called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. ISBN 0-87857-341-0 Softcover (there is a HB version) It is American but very readable!

 

It is a different way to garden and I still can't quite get my head round it but I do know it works when we have done it on a small scale. Next year we will convert one plot at a time to this method.

 

It is ideal for children and those of you who are new to veg. gardening.

 

The main principles:

It is a simple gardening method which produces a lot of harvest in a small space.

It is an easy, no-work, foolproof, continual harvest method.

It uses small beds that you don't walk on thereby reducing damage and hard work.

It saves 80% of the time, space and money of traditional gardening.

 

These are Mel's words, he says you only need to spend 10 mins a day on maintenance. I would say it depends on how many of these square beds you have but we are supposed to approach this with an open mind

 

Obviously I don't want to sit here typing out a whole book and neither do I want to clog the forum so I will start with the very basics and perhaps if people will tell me how many square beds they are attempting then I can tailor it accordingly?

 

At the moment we only have one - quarter size - bed planned but I feel I ought to do it properly so I will make up a full-size bed myself

 

At the moment it is still early for planting directly in to the soil and also for planting out seedlings. Once you have planned what you would like to grow - start in the usual way in pots or trays in a greenhouse, polytunnel or on the windowsill. Or wait a few weeks when Garden Centres and DIY stores will be selling the most popular veggie plants. Even better - beg some from family or friends who have done all the hard work and have too many!

 

Only choose things you know you will eat! Sounds obvious I know but I've grown things in the past which we don't really like

 

At the moment, the only thing that needs doing is preparing a bed. Try to choose somewhere that will get at least some sunshine - veg don't like total shade.

 

Measure out as many 4' x 4' beds as you want to use. Divide beds from each other with paths, whatever suits your garden and budget. The beds don't have to have raised edges if the paths are something like 30cm sq. paving slabs but I use 6" or 4" wooden gravel board to edge all my veg plots. I use black pathway sheeting covered with pebbles as paths (I used to use pea gravel which is small, 10mm, but it gets stuck in the treads of wellies ) a 30cm wide path is all it needs but do whatever suits the space you have chosen.

 

Prepare the soil and add any compost of soil improver. Some of ours is still quite clay so I add last years grow-bags or new Organic compost or any home-made. Take out any large stones.

 

Each square will be divided at 30cm intervals with garden string to make 16 squares.

 

Let me know what you think

[Nicola H]

That sounds easy enough, I will only have one bed though, I measured it and it is about 5' x 4' the ground is prepared the chooks kindly weeded it and raked out all the stones and added there own fertiliser, so all I have to do now is seperate it into 16 squares, is that in each 4'x 4' bed or in total...........I might struggle to make 16 squares as I also have raspberry canes in this area and usually try to grow things in between them.....

[Cate in NZ]

Thanks for the advice about the artichokes.

I inherited a garden with borders largely laid to shrubs, with a greenhouse, small veggie patch, assorted fruit trees & an amazing sweet chestnut tree at the bottom. So the idea with the artichokes was that they are attractive enough to plant in the shrubby borders, whilst still providing produce, leaving space in the greenhouse & veggie patch for other vegetables

Not sure if it'll work though

 

Kate with the badly housetrained family

Sage

Onion

[Lesley]

Nicola - just make as many squares as you can! wherever you can!

 

Kate - the artichokes should be fine in the shrub border.We don't always eat all of ours and they have the most amazing blue flowers and then seed for the birds.

[Karen1]

I spent the whole weekend building a fence and a couple of gates to keep my chooks off my veg

I let them out into the garden on Sunday afternoon, and they were a bit put out when they saw the fence. I wouldn't have thought chickens were capable of logic, but there was definitely some kind of thought process going on as they tried all sorts of ways to get round the fence

[Trish]

Thanks Lesley, that's more or less where I'm up to only I did two raised beds 2m by 1m, so that's like two plots next to each other. Looks okay for now I can always change it if it's to unweildy. I also found something to keep the chooks and cats off, when the compost first went into the beds our Jasper cat thought it was the biggest cat loo in the world The stuff is called Enviromesh and you put it on the bed like in a cloche type arrangement but it is for keeping off birds etc, it also claims to be too small a mesh for many pest including carrot root fly to get through but you can water, rain can get through, without remaoving it. You only need to move it for weeding and harvesting. I just put bent canes in the ground over the beds and put the msedh over them, gatherd the ends and weight the edges down with bricks, a bit make shift but hey got to start somewhere. I've got some seeds that say they can go in March/April so I might get going with those. I also got some stuff started in the plastic green house, very Percy Thrower eh

[Lesley]

Trish - that sounds great. I've sown runner beans and sweetcorn in trays in the polytunnel at the weekend and soon I will plant stuff straight out in the plots.

 

Kate plants her veg. on certain dates so perhaps she'll tell us in time what we're supposed to do next?

 

I need to get Enviromesh to keep Cabbage Whites off the cabbages! Picking caterpillars off all the time is annoying even if Tallulah does love them.

[Mrs Frugal]

Not saying it works but I plant many of my veggies on days that were used in old wives' tales. My first early potatoes go in on Good Friday and I sow my tomato and herb seeds then too. The other auspicious day is coming up - St Georges Day. Everything else that hasn't already been planted goes in then - main crop potatoes, runner beans, french beans, climbing french beans, carrots in pots and peas in long window boxes. In between these dates, I've also had the propagator going, filling it up as the seeds germinate and get potted on. So far, I've potted on 2 varieties of tomatoes, basil, chilli peppers, sweet peppers, cucumbers, little pumpkins and at the moment, the propagator has reluctant courgettes in! I've also got reluctant chives and coriander in pots in the greenhouse and I'm losing patience! I might end up buying ready grown plants from the garden centre if they don't hurry up !!

[Helen]

Like you Kate I have lots and lots growing in the greenhouse that I have raised from seed. I was obviosly lucky with my courgettes...I had 6 seeds left from last year that have all germinated and doing well. I have overdone the tomatoes and have far too many baby plants. It's a shame we're not all closer as e could then swap our surplus plants.

 

I have suggested starting a local gadening club in our little area, the first meeting is here tomorrow night at 7.30...so we can have a walk around the garden first...now I have to worry about tidying the house and sweeping paths clear of chicken poo!!

 

Hopefully it will work out and we can swap our ideas, plants etc I just don't want anyone else telling me I've planted my broadbeans too close together!!

[Mrs Frugal]

Good luck, Helen. Sounds like a great idea and I wish I lived nearer.

 

Hope it's a great success and don't worry about the chicken poo - your guests will probably be eyeing it up for their compost heaps !!

[Lesley]

My courgettes are still in the packet

 

Helen - is your Gardening Club going to be veggie based or flowers? (or both) We have two local clubs but it is always flowers so we stopped going. We did ask but nothing ever changed, even down to the annual trip to look at ....flowers!

[Lesley]

Gardening topic moved to its new home!

[Helen]

Oh dear Lesley...I never gave flowers a thought....I'm rather focused on veg at the moment, but I suppose flowers might get a look in. As someone who is studying the RHS general certificate in horticulture I suppose I cannt exclude flowers altogether as that would be flowerist !!

 

I have sent the robotic lawnmower out this afternoon to do the grass (very bewildered chickens ) and I have done the edges so it all looks tidy for tomorrows launch.......now it will probably rain.

[Lesley]

Keep the flowers to a minimum Helen and tell everybody that if they want flowers there are plenty of other groups - yours is different! More people need to grow vegetables

[Sammi J]

Oh ... by the way ... remember those who do not have good size veg patches ... you can do lettuce/tomatoes in hanging baskets (keeps the mice and chooks off too) and train courgettes/pumpkins/beans/peas up a simple wigwam, or obelisk in a pot on the patio ... just remember to water these more (drainage holes in bottom too) and liquid feed reg.On the other hand you can ignore my "wittering" fill my glass, and do your own thing

 

Helloooo!

 

Sorry if asking something that has already mean mentioned but I quick read this topic because there was lots of pages.

 

Sarah Jo mentioned lettuce etc in hanging baskets, can I do cabbages in pots? Please don't laugh if silly question, I'm not much of a gardener and every plant I touch in the house seems to die!!! (Good job I don't have the same effect on animals!?!) But we have not got any space at the mo for veg as I took the last area for the chooks. So until we change a small area from shrubs/plants to veg I will have to make do with pots.

 

I want to grow things the rabbit and chooks will eat so cabbage etc. What can I grow in pots? And how deep, long etc do the pots need to be?

 

Thanks for replies and for not laughing.

Sammi

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[SarahJo]

Sarah Jo mentioned lettuce etc in hanging baskets, can I do cabbages in pots?

... hey don't "Quote"me, I did say at the end to

.On the other hand you can ignore my "wittering" fill my glass, and do your own thing

.

 

Sammi ... I saw last year in the garden centre these purple looking cabbage type plants, for sale in tubs etc. I don't see why you cannot put cabbages in pots .. lettuces are fine, as they don't have a really big or deep root system. If doing lettuces sow the pick leaves as they grow, as then you leave the main growing plant to grow . (If that makes sense). As regards size ... imagine a fully grown cabbage and then decide on a pot ... maybe just one or two in each would be best, also, I should imagine you could harvest the out leaves.

One more thing Sammi ... if your lettuces do "take off" and grow well, try not to keep on the south facing patio .... give a little shade if its too hot, as they soon wilt .

 

No doubt others will come along soon to help me out with my wittering.

[SarahJo]

Oh ... forgot to say .. in the allotment pics "Sarahs Castle grounds" the one of the mini greenhouse shows a trough .... brown one with not much growing . This is the kind of thing I do lettuces in, and you could prob get 3 cabbages in this .

 

Cheers ...... off to take Ben to swimming lesson.

[Mrs Frugal]

I think you can grow most veggies in pots, Sammi - we've done potatoes, carrots, leeks, peas, beans, lettuce, tomatoes, etc etc but haven't tried cabbage as we have big problems with caterpillars here !! Did you know that you can also buy seeds for things called "Mini Veg" which are ideal for growing in pots. You harvest them before they get to the size we would buy in the shops - good because they're young and tender and delicious.

[Sammi J]

Big Thank you's to Sarah Jo and Kate.

 

I have always enjoyed plant and flower gardening but had to stop that when I injuried my back. But would love to do a small bit in the garden and veg in pots seems ideal for a few reasons, I can stand at the garden table to sow seeds etc and hubby can then move later, we don't have the garden space for a veg plot at mo and I can manage the pot veg garden on my own if we did have the garden space hubby would have to do digging etc as I couldn't manage it (like he has to dig lime in chook area and move eglu).

 

Fantastic, off to garden centre over next few days me thinks to buy my veg, thanks again girlies.

 

Sammi

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