This week in your Kitchen Garden.

[free spirit]

right, question... do potatoes need the ground to be at a certain temperature before they'll start growing or did I just not chit them long enough before planting coz my earlies have been in a month and having seen nowt from them I dug one back up and it's done fuck all in the way of growing

 

[Brixton Hatter]

right, question... do potatoes need the ground to be at a certain temperature before they'll start growing or did I just not chit them long enough before planting coz my earlies have been in a month and having seen nowt from them I dug one back up and it's done fuck all in the way of growing

In my experience pots will grow even at quite low temperatures, so it's possible you didnt chit them for long enough. It has been cold as fcuk recently though, which will slow down anything from growing. They'll grow eventually....have patience I reckon.....the leaves will start poking through just as you decide to give up!

 

[riggerboots]

hopefully the weather stays like this! we'll all be on to a winner then!!

 

[Mrs Magpie]

The peach blossom is opening. Let's hope there's not a frost...

 

[free spirit]

In my experience pots will grow even at quite low temperatures, so it's possible you didnt chit them for long enough. It has been cold as fcuk recently though, which will slow down anything from growing. They'll grow eventually....have patience I reckon.....the leaves will start poking through just as you decide to give up!

it's possible I didn't chit them for long enough, but I'm sure I put some in last year that were in about the same state and they grew no problem, the only difference being I put them in later in the year so the ground was warmer.

I've now got a bit of a dilemma because I only planted half of them and left the others to chit for a bit longer, which are now starting to need planting, but I was hoping to have 2 harvests a month or so apart, not like a million potatoes all at the same time which I'll get if I plant these now just as the others start to grow.

Think I might dig em up and start again with the properly chitted ones now the grounds hopefully warmed up a bit.

 

[gentlegreen]

Another pile of money invested this morning.

The first two salad mixes turned out to be all mustards, so I've bought some mixed lettuce leaf.

But also - inspired by a certain Charles Dowding - who seems to be aiming for Joy Larcom's "salad guru" crown :-

http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/


- I have bought some cut and come again varieties which I will be thinning out to whole plants :- salad bowl lettuce, some red-tinged French spinach and some frizzy endive.

I found Alys Fowler's programme deeply annoying, but I've bought some sugar snap and asparagus peas with a view to eating from the shoot stage onwards - they should work at the back of my salad bed.

I also bought a third kind of heirloom Mediterranean sweet pepper - a round, thick-fleshed one called "Topepo rosso" - also a "baby" greenhouse cucumber.

I'm so behind with my greenhouse sowings I'll buy a couple of tomato plants when I'm ready ...

 

[hiccup]

A mere five weeks after planting, my chilli seeds have sprouted, which has made me inordinately happy.

 

[gentlegreen]

A mere five weeks after planting, my chilli seeds have sprouted, which has made me inordinately happy.

Do they always take that long ?
I hope my peppers sprout a bit more quickly ...

So far, after 7 days in optimum conditions, only my Gardener's Delight tomatoes have appeared ...

 

[hiccup]

They always seem to be the last to sprout, but five weeks seemed a bit excessive. I'd given up on them tbh.

The ones that sprouted were some I bought recently. I also planted some I got from Wahaca (you get a free pack of chilli seeds when you get the bill), but no sign of life from them as yet.

 

[gentlegreen]

Anyone see any problems with my provisional cropping plan. ?

10 foot by 2 foot 6 bed on the south side of my greenhouse.

I'm thinking of putting peas at the back - one on every greenhouse glazing bar, and carrots all along the front ... if they shade the greenhouse too much, I'll have to eat the tall peas as shoots too ...

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Ive planted up my strawberry plants which I swapped with a mate for some eggs from my chickens and my potatoes went in today.
Ive repotted some beans and prepared the garden a bit more for planting seeds and seedlings this week. Im still trying to get round to sorting out the fencing to keep the chickens at bay.
Ive given it all a good dig over, just got to get some compost for containers and the garden now.

My purple sprouting broccoli which I planted last spring has finally sprouted which was a really nice suprise. Id all but given up hope. I got some fruit canes from aldi but they dont seem to be getting anywhere but fingers crossed

 

[Melinda]

Built a cold frame from a an old glass door! Everything apart from my chillis and peas have been placed inside.

Moved the shed.


Finally completed the planter I made from a couple of pallets.
There isnt a right angle in the whole thing, but its now stained and ready to use it as a long term container for a large climber.

Re-painted the back wall.
A productive weekend -Im pleased with myself!

 

[Melinda]

I would soak them overnight and sow them indoors with bottom heat.

The soil in the seed tray has begun to fur over. Looks like some kind of fungal attack. Should I persist with it or compost the lot?

 

[gentlegreen]

Oh dear.

Was it fresh compost ?

 

[Strumpet]

Help!
Not experienced in green gardeny things. Got given 2 little strawberry plants in little pots a few days ago. Theyre on the window sill and i've watered them a little bit each day. I have no garden (next house I move to HAS to have a garden!) just a (nice sized) back yard.

What I do??

 

[sheothebudworths]

Have prepared my strawberry bed and put the plants out under the cloche till next week.
Planted loads of seeds...peas and parsnips and more salad leaves straight into the bed and dwarf beans, sprouts, aubergines, sweet peppers, tomatoes, pak choi, holy basil, coriander, chives into seed trays and propagators.

Also some trailing lobelia and from seed...some sunflowers (standard and black), sweet peas and livingstone daisies.

Tidied up the clematis and mowed the lawn for the first time too.

Still got my PSB, caulis, courgettes, squashes, melons (LOL) and sweetcorn to go, but not quite time for those.

 

[gentlegreen]

Help!
Not experienced in green gardeny things. Got given 2 little strawberry plants in little pots a few days ago. Theyre on the window sill and i've watered them a little bit each day. I have no garden (next house I move to HAS to have a garden!) just a (nice sized) back yard.

What I do??

Water them thoroughly, then allow to almost dry out - not in dribs and drabs.

When the roots really pack the pot, go up a pot size - rather than feeding.
Though I would guess that being a bit stingy with pot size might encourage flowering.

Feed if they actually look hungry - very dilute tomato food.
Indoors you'll probably have to hand pollinate.

 

[Strumpet]

Water them thoroughly, then allow to almost dry out - not in dribs and drabs.

Ohhhh ok!

When the roots really pack the pot, go up a pot size - rather than feeding. Though I would guess that being a bit stingy with pot size might encourage flowering.

Ok

Feed if they actually look hungry - very dilute tomato food.

Tomato food?

Indoors you'll probably have to hand pollinate.

Eh?

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Tomato food, available in garden centres, wilkinsons, supermarkets etc

hand polinate.... tickle flowers with paintbrush when they open

HTH

http://www.ehow.com/how_2102682_hand-pollinate-garden-plants.html

 

[Strumpet]

Ty LMHF! Will have a read of that later

Lol@tickle them. Ohgod....if I put them outside in their pots will they tickle themselves?

 

[gentlegreen]

Ty LMHF! Will have a read of that later

Lol@tickle them. Ohgod....if I put them outside in their pots will they tickle themselves?

Bees may well do it for you.

 

[Melinda]

Oh dear.

Was it fresh compost ?

Fresh-ish. Everything else seems to have done ok with my out of date seed compost mix though.


Ive given my geriatric peas the equivalent of reheated rice, havent I?

 

[boing!]

I have a few chilli seedlings coming through now. Very exciting! Only one of the habanero plants so far though and it looks a bit weird, more like a thin stalk with no leaves, Im wondering if its a weed that has got in my compost somehow.

 

[gentlegreen]

Fresh-ish. Everything else seems to have done ok with my out of date seed compost mix though.


Ive given my geriatric peas the equivalent of reheated rice, havent I?

I use a lot of out of date compost - it wasn't "organic"/ peat-free stuff was it.

Maybe the beans were just knackered. It wouldn't hurt to sprout a couple on kitchen towel just to see.

I'm a bit obsessive about hygiene when I'm raising seeds - I wash the plastic pots out with dilute chlorine bleach, keep indoors and outdoors as separate as possible, and I prefer lightweight composts - B&Q MP is full of peat, but is unfortunately about as good a compost as you can get.

I now use supplemental light and bottom heat too - compost temp. 20 to 25 degrees C.

 

[Strumpet]

Bees may well do it for you.

Kinda knew but sshh

Isn't nature cute(sometimes)?

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

I'm now trying my hand at growing food in the garden. Hurrah!
We planted some radishes and some broad beans. Lots of broad beans, in fact. I planted about 25 in a tray and if we get a lot of plants out of it then I'll be able to donate most of them to a community allotment
Also planted some more strawberry plants (the squirrels and the slugs got all of our strawberries last year ) and I'm going to plant some salad leaves soon.

I'd like to grow some cherry tomatoes but last time I planted tomatoes they absolutely took over and I won't have much space unless I pull up some flowers and I don't want to do that.... So I was thinking about hanging baskets, can I grow cherry tomatoes in a hanging basket? I was going to plant some nasturtiums in a hanging basket as well this year because they also took over the garden last year... Could just get a growbag for the tomatoes but I'd like something more decorative...

What else shall I grow?

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Cherry tomatoes are great in hanging baskets, there are some varieties specifically designed for it
I grew tomatoes well in large tubs last year, that worked really well too

 

[gentlegreen]

You could follow the broad beans with winter brassicas of some sort - something compact for spring greens. (Leave the roots in the ground with their nitrogen nodules)

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

I love kale, so I'll probably try some of that

 

[gentlegreen]

... or there's leeks - it isn't ideal to grow brassicas in the same spot each year due to clubroot ... though my leeks used to get rust.... you could do half and half - dibber a hole and pop them in ...