Gardening 2008

[grumpyoldb]

My outdoor toms have just gone in the hanging baskets this week.
They are about 10" high, open in the day, and covered in poly at night.
They seem to be coping quite well.
I roll the poly up during the day..................

and roll it down at night...........

Please excuse the images......................
Stella has been on my tongue all afternoon....................:0

 

[pie sandwich]

I don't understand this gardening lark, 6 weeks ago I planted some chilli seeds, into some small ish pots and kept them covered with clingfilm to act as a makeshift propagator and kept on the window ledge in the back of the house to get the most sunlight, and sod all has happened.

Yet last tuesday I planted some Toms, basil, lettuce and more chilli (free from Gardeners world) the toms and basil have all sprouted.

How come some have sprouted in such a short space of time and others have failed??

 

[grumpyoldb]

Too much sunlight and heat can have an adverse effect on seeds germinating.
I tend to put mine in the airing cupboard where they get an even temp. throughout any 24 hr period. Steady and gently is the best way.
At this time of year, a window sill can give high temps during the day, and chill at night.
Seeds do not need sunlight to germinate, just gentle heat.

 

[gemarriott]

Just noticed my potatoes poking starting to poke through the soil...So I need to dump more compost onto the greenery to earth them up or should I let the greenery get a bit more established?

My cucumbers, corgettes and toms seeds have all sprouted and are about an inch high.

I haven't earthed up yet but at the first frost warning I will. No matter what when there is 2 inches of growth showing I'll pile in another 6 inches of peat/growbag. a

 

[gemarriott]

Chillies can be a buger. Grumpy is right they germinate best in the dark. I have a shelfing unit in the greenhous and the bottom shelf is curtained off with black poly. I stand an elctric propagator in there. However chillies do brilliantly sowed as you said in the airinng cupboard though in the dark. They can take 4 weeks to germinate even then. When the green shows you can bring them into the light.

basil is easy to germinate and grows very fast but keep it warm.
Toms likewise.

 

[Inch High PI]

I have been inspired by this thread and have gone out and bought myself some Tomato, courgette, red pepper and aubergine plants as well as some seed potatoes that my grandad kindly gave me.

As we are in a quarter I have planted a couple of chitted potatoes in a big deep half barrel. How long do you think it will be until I see any action?

Also I have planted my courgette plants outside in a tomato bag under a portable poly tunnel, is it to early or do you think I will get away with it.

I have kept my tomatoes, aubergine and pepper plants inside for now until mid/end of may.

Does anyone have any advice for growing of other veg in a MQ garden when you can't really start digging stuff up? I have lucked in with regards to garden size its fookin massive so space isn't a problem, however it has just taken me about 4 hours to cut the grass with my wee flymo, new mower methinks.

On chillies, when I was in the block myself and a few of the lads used a spare room to grow about 100 hundred chilli plants, so it can't be that hard. The chilli man test was born that summer and chilli vodka parties were a regular occurrence on a thursday night.

 

[gemarriott]

I have been inspired by this thread and have gone out and bought myself some Tomato, courgette, red pepper and aubergine plants as well as some seed potatoes that my grandad kindly gave me.

As we are in a quarter I have planted a couple of chitted potatoes in a big deep half barrel. How long do you think it will be until I see any action?

Also I have planted my courgette plants outside in a tomato bag under a portable poly tunnel, is it to early or do you think I will get away with it.

I have kept my tomatoes, aubergine and pepper plants inside for now until mid/end of may.

Does anyone have any advice for growing of other veg in a MQ garden when you can't really start digging stuff up? I have lucked in with regards to garden size its fookin massive so space isn't a problem, however it has just taken me about 4 hours to cut the grass with my wee flymo, new mower methinks.

You are probably abit early with the courgettes but as longas you keep them covered at night and ventilated during the day you should get away with it. If a frost is forecast either get a bit of horticultural fleece to wrap them in or news papers till thefrost has passed.

Your potatoes will show in about 2-3 weeks depending on temperature. There's a lot of gen on them earlier in the thread.

peppers grow best under a bit of cover where they keep warm but middle to end of May is about right for aubergines and tomatoes. A good tip for all 3 is to feed them tomorite half the strength it says on the bottle twice a week once they flower.

Carrots grow well in deep pots as do beetroot. A good crop in flower beds are some of the colourful lettices, radishes and spring onions and from June onwards scatter basil and coriander seeds liberally in the borders for smell and use as salad leaves.

thyme sprinkled in small patches into a lawn also is magic for the smell it gives when you cut the grass

 

[vim_fuego]

Quite an exciting visit, in gardening terms, to the plot yesterday...and considering this is my first year of being a gardener and the first (obviously) year on this plot which 4 months ago was a field mit brambles I'm feeling encouraged and upbeat about all the graft that has been put in so far...

I've got spuds shooting up which I've piled more soil on (although Gem should I be putting on peat or something?)...I've got four rows of broad beans at 3-4"...Some of my strawbs are flowering and the rasps/blackcurrants all are shooting...a whole plot of lettuces is growing well and so far my anti-bunny/slug defences are holding up...I've got cabbages and collies in yesterday as one of my neighbours gave me 3 trays of them in exchange for some of my leeks (of which I have hundreds) and my onions have all got big green shhots coming out of them and the birds don't seem all that interested in picking them out of the ground...

All in all it's going pretty well and I can see how, once stuff starts happening, it becomes quite addictive...

 

[Inch High PI]

Cheers Gem, thyme sounds like a top idea and I think I will give carrots a bash.
Ta!

 

[gemarriott]

Quite an exciting visit, in gardening terms, to the plot yesterday...and considering this is my first year of being a gardener and the first (obviously) year on this plot which 4 months ago was a field mit brambles I'm feeling encouraged and upbeat about all the graft that has been put in so far...

I've got spuds shooting up which I've piled more soil on (although Gem should I be putting on peat or something?)...I've got four rows of broad beans at 3-4"...Some of my strawbs are flowering and the rasps/blackcurrants all are shooting...a whole plot of lettuces is growing well and so far my anti-bunny/slug defences are holding up...I've got cabbages and collies in yesterday as one of my neighbours gave me 3 trays of them in exchange for some of my leeks (of which I have hundreds) and my onions have all got big green shhots coming out of them and the birds don't seem all that interested in picking them out of the ground...

All in all it's going pretty well and I can see how, once stuff starts happening, it becomes quite addictive...

The peat or growbag compost is mainly for those growing in tubs. You have sown directly into the ground so just drawing up the soil between the rows over the haulm (green stuff sticking out the soil) is fine . You can always add a bit of peat as the year grows on to help improve the soil.

The onions should be fine now the shoots are green, it is the little brown bits of dry skin at the top of the bulb when you first plant that the birds find attractive for nesting material.

 

[Downsizer]

Just bunged another 6 inches of compost on my potatoe shoots, so nothing showing now....as I'm going away for the weekend am I correct in assuming that this will protect them from any frost damage?

 

[gemarriott]

Just bunged another 6 inches of compost on my potatoe shoots, so nothing showing now....as I'm going away for the weekend am I correct in assuming that this will protect them from any frost damage?

Yes it will do that also promote more growth. I'll do the same to mine before I go away in a week or so.

 

[Tin basher]

Snag with me spuds

Snag with me spuds

I put some spuds in the ground around 4 weeks ago and so far zip , zero, feck all happening. The ones I put in my spud bin 2 weeks later are showing through already. Why?? Both where planted to about the same depth, chitted to about the same shoot development stage. I guess that the bin ones are getting an advantage from the heat through the sides of the bin whereas the ones in the ground are waiting for it to get a bit warmer. Any thoughts?

 

[gemarriott]

I put some spuds in the ground around 4 weeks ago and so far zip , zero, feck all happening. The ones I put in my spud bin 2 weeks later are showing through already. Why?? Both where planted to about the same depth, chitted to about the same shoot development stage. I guess that the bin ones are getting an advantage from the heat through the sides of the bin whereas the ones in the ground are waiting for it to get a bit warmer. Any thoughts?

Warmth is certainly a big deal. I assume the ones in the bin are in growbag compost and so will have more nutrients. If your spuds are in ground which has been limed or grown tomatoes or potatoes in last year that will severely retard them. When they come through and you earth them up a handful of grow more per plant will help.

 

[laboratoryqueen]

I've got carrots, sweetcorn, pumpkins and strawberries all growing nicely in the greenhouse in troughs. We're still getting frosts on the morning so not planted out yet as shoots are still quite tender, apart from the strawberries.

If I'm to move them outside it's going to have to be this weekend or wait until june, which is going to be too late.

Would I be able to plant out safely while we're still getting the frosts, hopefully they won't last much longer, or would they be more suitable left in the troughs. Main concern is that the pumpkins end up growing like wild fire and shoots spread quickly, and not sure if the carrots would be restricted in the troughs. I won't be here to tend to them so need a way which will allow proper growth with no care.

 

[Tin basher]

Warmth is certainly a big deal. I assume the ones in the bin are in growbag compost and so will have more nutrients. If your spuds are in ground which has been limed or grown tomatoes or potatoes in last year that will severely retard them. When they come through and you earth them up a handful of grow more per plant will help.

Spot on Gem spuds grown there last year. Spud food to follow ASAP when they start to show through.

 

[Tin basher]

I've got carrots, sweetcorn, pumpkins and strawberries all growing nicely in the greenhouse in troughs. We're still getting frosts on the morning so not planted out yet as shoots are still quite tender, apart from the strawberries. If I'm to move them outside it's going to have to be this weekend or wait until june, which is going to be too late.
Would I be able to plant out safely while we're still getting the frosts, hopefully they won't last much longer, or would they be more suitable left in the troughs. Main concern is that the pumpkins end up growing like wild fire and shoots spread quickly, and not sure if the carrots would be restricted in the troughs. I won't be here to tend to them so need a way which will allow proper growth with no care.

Carrots should be alright now to bung outside (depending on how for North you are) mine have been sown outside 4 weeks ago (midlands) if you keep them in troughs that will really slow them down, carrots need depth. Gem knows carrots better than me so he may have more gen. But for me get them out now before you go away.

 

[gemarriott]

Carrots should be alright now to bung outside (depending on how for North you are) mine have been sown outside 4 weeks ago (midlands) if you keep them in troughs that will really slow them down, carrots need depth. Gem knows carrots better than me so he may have more gen. But for me get them out now before you go away.

carrots should always be sown in the position/tub/compost they are to be grown in. They don't transplant well. You can start them in tubs in the greenhouse and then move the tubs out alright. Keep them a bit on the dry side and they'll be fine. just thin them out now and they'll be OK

Too early for pumpkins they need 2 weeks hardening off if there is to be any danger of frost. I'd leave them ion the greenhouse. same for sweetcorn your strawbs should be ok if you harden them off for a couple of nights. June is dead right for pump[kins and corn up yopur way but you'd be better growing leeks, kale and turnipsDT_Xtremez_28:

 

[pie sandwich]

Warmth is certainly a big deal. I assume the ones in the bin are in growbag compost and so will have more nutrients. If your spuds are in ground which has been limed or grown tomatoes or potatoes in last year that will severely retard them. When they come through and you earth them up a handful of grow more per plant will help.

I have had to bite my lip there, Just the thought of being retarted and bombheads made me chuckle DT_Xtremez_30:

I was very surprised last night, I checked on the second lot of chillis I planted using the seeds I got free with Gardeners world about 3 weeks ago. And lo and behold the chillis have sprouted up (only just).

But the only difference between the way I have treated the seeds is, the first lot went into a medium sized rectangular pot and the left over seeds went into some ramakins (sp) they had cling film over them as a makeshift propogator, and after a few weeks until someone said on here I put them into a dark warm room and in my flat thats the bathroom. So in all they have been going a good 6 weeks and nothing.

But the next lot of seeds, the free ones. I put them into some doubled up plastic cups with holes in the inner cup for drainage, some clingfilm over them and into the bathroom, with in a space of a week the tomms had come through a day later the basil had come through, and now the chilli and chinese lettuce.

I knew they would take different amounts of time to come through but I am just surprised that some have faired better than others in the same conditions, but in different pot's, well free plastic cups from a water fountain.

 

[gemarriott]

Pie mee old mucker, bombheads aren't retarde we just enjoy behaving as if we are.DT_Xtremez_30:

Gardening is a atrange hobby. Most seeds propagate best in the dark, preferring damp rather than wet and warm conditions. As soon as they start growing they need as much light as you can give them and things like peppers thrive on a sunny windowsill. Aslo chillies like to be just moist not sopping wet. I always srtand mine on a saucer and water the saucer they get plenty that way. I do however give a tomato feed straight into the pot at least once a week when the flowers are set.