This week in your Kitchen Garden.

[ShiftyBagLady]

When do I need to plant this winter stuff for because I've not got much room in my garden, it's tiny.
I may have to choose between a veg patch and a seating area

 

[gentlegreen]

After the broad beans - without even cultivating the soil.
It's been some years though since I was starting brassica and leek seedlings ready for summer planting ...

I've always started my plants in small pots / plugs.

 

[Hellsbells]

My free seeds from the BBC website arrived this week
I have lettuce, broad beans, carrots, basil and courgette.
Have only ever grown tomatoes before so am a bit of a novice to all this.

I'm intending to grow the veg in pots.
At the moment i have 2 fairly large-ish pots. Will this be enough? Can i plant different veg together in the same pot, or is it better to have a seperate pot for each veg?

 

[gentlegreen]

It's better to group plants depending on their likely watering / feeding requirements. So salad all in one pot, carrots in another.

Courgettes are big thirsty plants and definitely need their own space. I would be going for a builder's tub and a bulk buy of compost.

 

[Melinda]

Ooh Hellsbells - looks like the bbc have substituted broad beans for French beans.

Round yours for falafel then! Would you like some French beans? Ive got a few left.

 

[Badgers]

I might plant some spuds soon.
Good ones to grow in a bucket?

 

[gentlegreen]

You couldn't go wrong with Mrs. Magpie's suggested Pink Fir Apple - delicious potato you'll never see in the shops.

You'll want a big bucket though - perhaps a bag of compost with the end cut off ?

 

[free spirit]

so, I may well have planted my courgettes a bit/lot too early as they're now upto about 7-8 proper leaves and looking like they're starting to develop actual flower buds, yet apparently they're not meant to be planted out until June

I'm thinking about planting half of them out now anyway coz I've got double the number I actually need... what says urban?

also same question with runner beans...

(I'm in Leeds btw).

also my outdoor planted peas / mangetout are now coming up, just as my reserve indoor peas / mangetout need planting out, and I've forgotten which are peas and which are mangetout and erm, yeah

 

[Melinda]

when did you do your planting?

 

[gentlegreen]

They're predicting a possible frost for Bristol on Friday - so I would be inclined to throw something over anything tender. I'm tempted to put hats on my treeferns as the fronds are on the brink of unfurling.

I bought my first roll of fleece yesterday - from Screwfix of all places ...

 

[Melinda]

Alys is on

I love her ginger goodness.

 

[Dooby]

So this next week or two I'm gonna be planting my first potatoes, mate bring some chitted (?) ones round that I'll stick in a couple of bags.
I'm also told to try courgettes.

Is that it for this time of year for stuff that'll be safe from my severely neglectful ways? Herbs and chillies? I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm brilliant with house plants but have murdered everything in the garden pots over the years.

 

[gentlegreen]

Alys is on

I love her ginger goodness.

But there are always a few ideas to be gleaned.

I saw her with kale squaeezed in here and there, and I'm wondering if I could get away with winter brassicas in my shady bed.

 

[prunus]

so, I may well have planted my courgettes a bit/lot too early as they're now upto about 7-8 proper leaves and looking like they're starting to develop actual flower buds, yet apparently they're not meant to be planted out until June

I'm thinking about planting half of them out now anyway coz I've got double the number I actually need... what says urban?

also same question with runner beans...

(I'm in Leeds btw).

also my outdoor planted peas / mangetout are now coming up, just as my reserve indoor peas / mangetout need planting out, and I've forgotten which are peas and which are mangetout and erm, yeah

I wouldn't put either courgettes or runner beans out now, both are very frost tender and it's at least a month til the last frost date I'd guess. Pinch out flower stalks, consider potting into larger pots if they're getting potbound (will encourage flowering) and feed with a high nitrogen feed to encourage leaf growth (ie not high phosphorus as that encourages flowering).

 

[free spirit]

I wouldn't put either courgettes or runner beans out now, both are very frost tender and it's at least a month til the last frost date I'd guess. Pinch out flower stalks, consider potting into larger pots if they're getting potbound (will encourage flowering) and feed with a high nitrogen feed to encourage leaf growth (ie not high phosphorus as that encourages flowering).

ok, when you say 'pinch out flower stalks' do you mean to actually get rid of any flower stalks, or something entirely different?

I'm thinking about maybe transferring some of them to a semi outside glass porch that get's less sun, is colder but shouldn't actually freeze to just slow them down a bit and get maybe half of them ready for an early transfer outside under cover in a couple of weeks or so as I'd still have 3 spares in reserve if it all went wrong. Only thing is I keep forgetting to water the plants I put down there

eta - in terms of larger pots, I'm staring to hit space issues, which is why I'm thinking of clearing 3 of these big pots out of the way soon to make room for the stupid number of tomato plants I'm about to need to pot up separately...

 

[prunus]

ok, when you say 'pinch out flower stalks' do you mean to actually get rid of any flower stalks, or something entirely different?

Yes, break them off

I'm thinking about maybe transferring some of them to a semi outside glass porch that get's less sun, is colder but shouldn't actually freeze to just slow them down a bit and get maybe half of them ready for an early transfer outside under cover in a couple of weeks or so as I'd still have 3 spares in reserve if it all went wrong. Only thing is I keep forgetting to water the plants I put down there

eta - in terms of larger pots, I'm staring to hit space issues, which is why I'm thinking of clearing 3 of these big pots out of the way soon to make room for the stupid number of tomato plants I'm about to need to pot up separately...

Porch area sounds ideal. Mine are in an outside plastic temporary greenhouse sort of thing, well sheltered but still does get very cold at night. The important thing is that they don't get below about 4C, that'll upset them mightily. And yes, the colder temperatures will check their growth for now.

I won't be putting my courgettes outside in the big bad world for about another 6 weeks.

 

[Melinda]

But there are always a few ideas to be gleaned.

I saw her with kale squaeezed in here and there, and I'm wondering if I could get away with winter brassicas in my shady bed.

She snaffled that old man's fattest tomatoes!

Brassicas have to be the poorest value for money/ effort veg there is.

My lettuces are up! Yay!

My peas are all furry! Boo!

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Planted out the parsley and planted some basil and rosemary outside today and a window box of lettuce.
Fruit canes seem to be a bit hit and miss, two doing ok, two doing nowt but not bad from a supermarket impulse buy.

Purple sprouting broccoli for tea tonight, planted this time last year in a large pot and looking yummy

I have a few things to get going in seed trays, peppers etc

Strawberry plants developing well now Ive planted them out

Fencing off the chickens and sorting out a fence arrangement for the veggie patch, am slowly managing to rid it of all the remains of the shrubs/bulbs which were in it and digging out anything which appears ready to plant out the veggies. I have onions, shallots and garlic to go in first along with beans, carrots, cabbages and sprouts.
Tomato seedlings ready to go into a growbag and Im going to use an old towel rail which was taking up space as a support/greenhouse style thing with some plastic sheeting over the top. A similar set up in lakeland/seed catalogues is about £70!

 

[fogbat]

I've planted some of my sweet pepper plants outside in a nice big tub. They've totally outstripped the chilli peppers, planted the same time, in terms of growth.

What with this possible cold spell, I may stick them under some plastic drinks bottle cloches for a week or two. I've got a load of spare plants, but would rather not lose any unless I have to.

 

[gentlegreen]

You actually have visible growth ?

I won't be putting mine in my greenhouse before the end of the month - and even then with extra protection.

 

[Melinda]

Basil outside already? Whereabouts are you LMHF?

I love the Heath Robinson nature of gardening contraptions!

Im planning to grow my beans and peas up a dismantled one of these.
Each frame has mesh built in.

 

[fogbat]

Oh, not much visible growth since putting outside - they've only been outside since the weekend, but they had 4-5 sets of leaves and the weather seemed sunny. Plus I was rapidly running out of space indoors, so needed to put something outside.

 

[gentlegreen]

I have my own home-grown bamboo.

 

[Melinda]

Oooh you can make some really pretty cane obelisks for peas and other climbers.

*jealous*

 

[gentlegreen]

Oh, not much visible growth since putting outside - they've only been outside since the weekend, but they had 4-5 sets of leaves and the weather seemed sunny. Plus I was rapidly running out of space indoors, so needed to put something outside.

You'll need to bring them indoors before the temperature drops tomorrow :-

 

[fogbat]

Stoopid weather.

 

[gentlegreen]

Oooh you can make some really pretty cane obelisks for peas and other climbers.

*jealous*

I don't really have room unfortunately.

I'm going to try and turn them into bamboo screens for my cooking / eating area.

Some of those canes are over 16 feet tall.

 

[gentlegreen]

Stoopid weather.

7 degrees C is generally reckoned to be the minimum for most conservatory plants.

 

[fogbat]

I have a biig pot to move off my neighbour's roof, then

 

[Melinda]

Cant you wrap it in an old towel or summink?