The "Grow Your Own" Thread

[Parkins left foot]

Went out to weed the veg plots at 7.30am this morning as going to be far too hot to do it later (grass cut will have to wait till the temp drops a bit)

Potato's doing well as is the lettuce (some ready to use soon) & new raspberry canes have taken well though wouldn't expect that much fruit off them in their first year

 

[lemonjelly]

Went out to weed the veg plots at 7.30am this morning as going to be far too hot to do it later (grass cut will have to wait till the temp drops a bit)

Potato's doing well as is the lettuce (some ready to use soon) & new raspberry canes have taken well though wouldn't expect that much fruit off them in their first year

I put off weeding the veg patch through the weekend.

However went to b&q, and found they'd loads of flowers on clearance, so got a load for the chimney pots and hanging baskets. Bit of colour. Got some lobelia, plus some upright and trailing petunias. They'll go with the loads of marigolds I have.

Potted up some tomatoes last week. Parsnips in the ground and beetroot also are doing great. Have some more parsnips to plant out too.
Thankfully the beans have taken well.

 

[lemonjelly]

Think the fall in temp has started slowing down the growing. However the cucamelon is going nuts. The lemon cucumber is doing well (but is in a greenhouse). Cucumbers are going very slowly, yet there is a flower! Tomato plants have flowers and one has tomatoes too!

Parnsips are going great guns, and I have 2 settled leeks, and planted a few others out yesterday.

Repotted the sole chocolate mint plant recently.

The basil and thyme are going brilliantly - looking forward to getting those in the slo-cooker!

The beans have started developing flowers too. Plants look a little thin. First time I've grown french beans.

I need to re-pot the cherry toms I'm growing, and I suspect my strawberry plants are too far behind, but we'll see. The blueberry plant has loads of potential fruit on it though!

 

[Paul]

Already had a couple of courgettes off the plants (the secret I've discovered is keeping them sheltered)
Had planted half a dozen potato pots / bags and the area now looks like a jungle, getting hard to see the pots for watering
And the slugs have ravaged my peas
My tomatoes are going great guns !

 

[lemonjelly]

I've never had any luck with peas mate. Shame, as I love peas, they're my favourite vegetable.
I'm hoping for a decent tomato crop again this year.

 

[PPB]

Think the fall in temp has started slowing down the growing. However the cucamelon is going nuts. The lemon cucumber is doing well (but is in a greenhouse). Cucumbers are going very slowly, yet there is a flower! Tomato plants have flowers and one has tomatoes too!

Parnsips are going great guns, and I have 2 settled leeks, and planted a few others out yesterday.

Repotted the sole chocolate mint plant recently.

The basil and thyme are going brilliantly - looking forward to getting those in the slo-cooker!

The beans have started developing flowers too. Plants look a little thin. First time I've grown french beans.

I need to re-pot the cherry toms I'm growing, and I suspect my strawberry plants are too far behind, but we'll see. The blueberry plant has loads of potential fruit on it though!

What do you do with the chocolate mint plant? Use it in tea?

 

[lemonjelly]

It's actually a flower!

It's plant name is coleus. A friend got me some seeds a couple of christmases ago. Sadly, it appears me & the friend have lost contact.

 

[PPB]

It's actually a flower!

It's plant name is coleus. A friend got me some seeds a couple of christmases ago. Sadly, it appears me & the friend have lost contact.

Never knew that was called that. I have some in my planters at the mo!

 

[Doctor Doog]

First crop of blackberries picked tonight. Looks like it could be a good year for them.

 

[lemonjelly]

Have a fair few raspberries and blueberries in the freezer. Plenty more blueberries that need to ripen. I sense a crumble...

In other news, I have beans, sighted the first cucumber fruit, appear to have a fair few cucamelons, and have plenty of tomato flowers as well as a few fruits.

My balloon plants seem to have survived, and are actually thriving!
I'm trying to grow some fuscia cuttings my mom gave me.
I need to pinch out the tomato plants. Maybe this weekend.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Raspberry canes produced nothing so far, but didn't expect much this year as new ones into new veg beds.

Half of the broad beans have germinated well though so should reap some off those in a few weeks

 

[Parkins left foot]

Potato harvest in today - shedload of potatoes gathered in as I planted 30% extra expecting that not all would germinate/grow

They all did & I now have enough to feed the 5000!!

 

[lemonjelly]

Got a small amount of fruit from the blueberry, raspberry and blackcurrant. Perhaps enough by combining all 3 to make a small crumble. Apple tree has done nothing this year, though there was heavy pruning earlier in the year - that may be the cause.
leeks - got a few in the ground planted at different times. Growing slow this year!
parsnip - doing wonderfully well. Need to wait for the first frost to harvest apparently.
black cherry tomatoes - 3 plants survived. Plenty of flowers, no fruit yet, & its late...
other tomatoes - turning red - first one had with lunch earlier this week.
thyme, basil - thyme doing well, basil drying out.
lemon cucumber - only 1 plant survived. Currently flowering, but not optimistic.
cucamelon - gone nuts! Loads of fruit. Supposed to be hard to grow, but has done really well. They're nice too.
normal cucumber - leaves are dying off on the plant. 4 or 5 fruits. Should be enough.
french beans - being picked regularly, and are delish!
pepper - I'm amazed to have peppers forming! Genuinely thought it'd be a failure, but the fruits are there. None harvested yet.
and lots of beetroot - that will need harvesting next month.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Bump up for the new season

First cut on the back lawn just finished - about 6c with sun & very little wind so easily warm enough (feels about 15c warmer than yesterday at Fulham with the wind whipping round the cottage & as I was in row 4 directly in line - without the thermal vest & thick socks would have had to carry me out with hypothermia)

Going to get a lot colder next week so not even thinking about planting - just getting the beds ready for when I can

 

[lemonjelly]

Wow! I'm a month behind you I guess. Not even got close to consider morning the lawn.
Have some ivy and a hedge I allowed to get out of control that needs severe pruning.
Doubt I'll mow the lawn for a month, and suspect I'll need to scarify it.
Planted some tulips a couple of years ago, and the first ones have popped up. The daffs are showing, but not in bloom yet. I have one solitary snowdrop!
Some peeps at work mentioned last week planting stuff. I think it is too early (especially with this cold spell).

 

[Parkins left foot]

Really warm day down here so have cleared all of the borders & the veg beds ready for new planting - bit of a workout without paying to go to a gym

 

[lemonjelly]

Gotta take advantage of the nice weather. Trees now have buds, so decided to start sowing seeds.

lettuce was already in, though think I've a bad pack of seeds, as 2 lots sown haven't sprouted anything in 3+ weeks.
cucumbers are in, as are tomatoes, parsnips, peppers, leeks (some still in the ground from last year, be good to go in a month), beetroot, cauliflower (never tried before), cress, beans, lemon cucumber (had no luck last year).
this evening I sowed some sunflowers, marigolds, and various poppy seeds.

lets see what happens...

haven't weeded my veg patch yet. that and numerous other things will have to start in earnest soon.

 

[Parkins left foot]

Agree that with the sun coming out there is a need to do something

Veg beds are weeded & clear so have second early potatoes to go in over the weeked plus some broad bean seedlings that have germinated

Raspberry canes that went in last year are doing well so hope for some fruit off those this year - trying some cauliflowers this year which I haven't done before. No idea how that will work out

 

[t3ch]

I ordered an aerogarden the other day. looking forward to growing our own herbs.

 

[b3h]

Off the grandparents, better find some gold n black paint before it rains