This week in your Kitchen Garden.
- Thread starter Mrs Magpie
- Start date
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
A bit of advice re. composts for seed sowing.
Whereas B&Q MP seems fine for seedlings, Westlands with added JI isn't - it's way too rich - in spite of having a seed sowing guide. It's a bit irregular too - with suspicious lumps here and there- making me suspect it isn't mixed well enough - whereas B&Q is very consistent.
Some seedlings hate it more than others - my mixed mustard salad rolled its leaves as if I'd poured salt on them. It appears to have fried some of my tomato seedlings too.
There being nowhere locally, I'll have to see if I can fit a 20 litre bag on the back of my pushbike.
Whereas B&Q MP seems fine for seedlings, Westlands with added JI isn't - it's way too rich - in spite of having a seed sowing guide. It's a bit irregular too - with suspicious lumps here and there- making me suspect it isn't mixed well enough - whereas B&Q is very consistent.
Some seedlings hate it more than others - my mixed mustard salad rolled its leaves as if I'd poured salt on them. It appears to have fried some of my tomato seedlings too.
There being nowhere locally, I'll have to see if I can fit a 20 litre bag on the back of my pushbike.
free spirit
more tea vicar?
that's the spirit
roger... must remember to add them to my watering scheduleYes, break them off
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.
ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
I'm feeling self satisfied at the moment because I'm sitting here drinking a strawberry and mint smoothie made with my own garden mint 
I've just planted some lambs lettuce, mizuna and mustard salad leaves. I'm looking forward to having some very nice salads
Right. I'm seriously considering converting my seating area into a vegetable patch. It's sheltered and mostly shady but gets some sun during the late afternoon and evening. With that in mind, what use would it be? What could I grow there? Excite me...
I've just planted some lambs lettuce, mizuna and mustard salad leaves. I'm looking forward to having some very nice salads
Right. I'm seriously considering converting my seating area into a vegetable patch. It's sheltered and mostly shady but gets some sun during the late afternoon and evening. With that in mind, what use would it be? What could I grow there? Excite me...
Spinach!
SBL, I was in Phoebe's garden centre today do you go there? Really well stocked but kind of expensive!!
However I did find a Golden hop for £12.
Went to the 99p store and got 4 packets of seeds for 99p. Bargainacious.
Leeks, parsnips, more sweetpeas and plum tomatoes.
SBL, I was in Phoebe's garden centre today do you go there? Really well stocked but kind of expensive!!
However I did find a Golden hop for £12.
Went to the 99p store and got 4 packets of seeds for 99p. Bargainacious.
Leeks, parsnips, more sweetpeas and plum tomatoes.
ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
No, I live in Brixton so I go to Croxted Road Garden centre which is similarly well stocked and similarly expensive.... It's not too bad really.
I keep meaning to look in the pound shop actually....
ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
I'm so sorry to disappoint you Melinda.
Damn. I feel ashamed
Damn. I feel ashamed
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
My indoor seed-raising cabinet is starting to fill up so I scraped together one of my small collection of PVC greenhouses to give extra protection in the greenhouse - but it has inevitably been cannibalised ...
... to fence off the salad bed that has now had its subsoil loosened, bindweed pulled, all the cat poo sieved out, and enhanced with once-used compost and organic feed ..
.. I'm going to have to come up with a neater cat-fencing solution - both to make it less of a hassle to work on, and so I get my mini greenhouse shelves back. Annoyingly the local pound shop hasn't been selling off remaindered stock this year.
... to fence off the salad bed that has now had its subsoil loosened, bindweed pulled, all the cat poo sieved out, and enhanced with once-used compost and organic feed ..
.. I'm going to have to come up with a neater cat-fencing solution - both to make it less of a hassle to work on, and so I get my mini greenhouse shelves back. Annoyingly the local pound shop hasn't been selling off remaindered stock this year.
Attachments
free spirit
more tea vicar?
I've now transplanted virtually everything from the original seed trays into separate pots, and then had all these seed trays left empty so I filled them with new stuff.
Had to dump a tray of sprouts, purple sprouting brocoli and kale that I think had got too hot in the double glazed front porch and badly wilted, so I've added some shelves to the cooler back porch and replanted some indoors and some outdoors.
I've paid a tenner for a table at my parents church's table top sale next month to flog off any excess seedlings coz I think I'm going to have a lot too many
Had to dump a tray of sprouts, purple sprouting brocoli and kale that I think had got too hot in the double glazed front porch and badly wilted, so I've added some shelves to the cooler back porch and replanted some indoors and some outdoors.
I've paid a tenner for a table at my parents church's table top sale next month to flog off any excess seedlings coz I think I'm going to have a lot too many
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
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?
Id buy at least one large pot ( as in the large tub planters you can buy in garden centres/supermarkets)for each, based upon my last years dig in efforts in containers. One seed in each large pot per courgette ( they take up the whole pot) Basil will do ok in a large pot or a series of smaller ones. Salad does well in a window box or a tub container. Carrots I would put in a couple of large tubs and the broad beans again, a couple of large tubs at least.
Follow the instructions on the dig in website, they are usually pretty good, alternately look up growing guides elsewhere on the net, you will get to grips with it all. The more space you can give each thing the better the results
LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
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.
Im in Cardiff but have a south facing garden which is a real suntrap. Its roasting out there much of the time, I have quite a few packets of basil seeds in my collection so I thought it was worth a pop at getting them going, if it doesnt work its no biggie. Am planting some more indoors at the same time
Like the frame.... I found a masive sheet of clear plastic in the shed which I was sent eons ago to send something back to a catalogue and didnt need. Thats going to be my cover for my mini makeshift greenhouse
BTW if anyones interested theres a lightweight/temporary greenhouse in aldi this week for £30... a large enough size to grow loads in 1-9 m long and about 6ft high.... about 4ft wide
fogbat
The Talibum
I'm already growing stuff on our neighbours' roof terrace (it gets much more sun than ours does).
Wonder how they'd feel about letting me put up a mini greenhouse...
Strumpet
gypsy girl
Damn you ppl! And my neighbour! You have ALL made me buy some seeds n pots and compost and a lovely cheap wire shelving unit 
I have put the strawberry plants into slightly bigger pots and theyre on the shelf outside. We also bought Poppys (minime wanted them) and a packet of mixed flowers and planted them in pots. I even bought a trowel and fork thing. I feel like a propah gardnah.
I have put the strawberry plants into slightly bigger pots and theyre on the shelf outside. We also bought Poppys (minime wanted them) and a packet of mixed flowers and planted them in pots. I even bought a trowel and fork thing. I feel like a propah gardnah.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
You must grow salad too.
Salad is the new "must have".
Salad is the new "must have".
)LilMissHissyFit
Disturbed in a pink bra
did you get the 'dig in' seeds hun? If not, get a 'cut and come again' packet of salad leaves ( any big supermarket will have them)
They are fab for kids to grow. Another idea is go give ministrumpkin her own tub's to plant up with salad/tomatoes/ herbs and she can grow her own dinner!
You can also grow spuds from seed potatoes in one of those garden waste sacks or even a growbag with the top snipped open and rolled back
They are fab for kids to grow. Another idea is go give ministrumpkin her own tub's to plant up with salad/tomatoes/ herbs and she can grow her own dinner!
You can also grow spuds from seed potatoes in one of those garden waste sacks or even a growbag with the top snipped open and rolled back
ShiftyBagLady
Thinks she is a flower to be looked at
That's because you are. Propah.I feel like a propah gardnah.
You must grow salad too.
Salad is the new "must have".
Yes, I agree. Very very simple and easy to do in a pot. I did mine last week and I'm already looking forward to having loads of fresh salad. DO IT
Strumpet
gypsy girl
Mine too! I have poppies n all! Well at mo
No
Cool ty! If I decide to be brave n get some I'll letcha all know
Will mark that down for next time I think. Nice one. We are muddling through this together so far and both learning as we go!
Interesting!
*beams*
Hellsbells
World's best procrastinator
I think i've killed all my seeds
I've got a load of courgette, basil and green bean seeds in little pots on the window sill. Put them there about 10 days ago, but i think I put too much water in the compost when i planted them. Plus I've been watering them from above, probably drenching them in way too much water. There's no sign of any growth yet, and i've just been reading about how leaving seeds in over wet compost is very likely to kill them.
Should I wait and see if anything happens? Or just start again with new seeds. I have loads left over....
I've got a load of courgette, basil and green bean seeds in little pots on the window sill. Put them there about 10 days ago, but i think I put too much water in the compost when i planted them. Plus I've been watering them from above, probably drenching them in way too much water. There's no sign of any growth yet, and i've just been reading about how leaving seeds in over wet compost is very likely to kill them.
Should I wait and see if anything happens? Or just start again with new seeds. I have loads left over....
Hellsbells
World's best procrastinator
Keep waiting. Ive only had lettuce and 2 french beans come up so far.
Wait a week and then do a successional sow. Win/ win
But could I, in theory, have killed my seeds by using too much water?
prunus
Tick tock.
Yes you could, I've done this in the past - basically seeds don't need any watering at all until they're germinated. You, like me, may have found out the hard way.
But just plant some more - it's still early
Hellsbells
World's best procrastinator
Yeah, any new roots could rot.
But do wait a week and then sow more in another container.
Are your pots sitting in water?
no. I think bcos i watered them from the top, the compost soaked up all the water. I'm a bit worried the compost is crap aswell though. It was from a big bag of multi purpose compost that said it was suitable for growing veg - but it just looks a bit crap. I will wait a week though. Although it's VERY hard - I'm so impatient
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
The trick is to thoroughly drench the pots of compost before you sow, and thereafter maintain a wet-dry cycle - watering thoroughly from the top once the plant has used the last lot.
One key reason for regular repotting (apart from saving space) is so there aren't large volumes of cold, wet, airless compost. It also trains the roots to use the compost efficiently.
I like to use 7cm square (0.25 litres) pots initially. You can get 15 of them in a seed tray.
The next size is 11cm (1 litre) - 6 to a tray.
I also give them bottom heat to keep the soil temperature between 20 and 25 degrees C, and artificial light from some 25 watt CFLs.
Having found my Westlands MP was too hot for seedlings, I'm now using Levington's JI seed compost - which I'm finding tricky to judge the watering with as it's quite heavy itself - the loam also makes it set like concrete.
One key reason for regular repotting (apart from saving space) is so there aren't large volumes of cold, wet, airless compost. It also trains the roots to use the compost efficiently.
I like to use 7cm square (0.25 litres) pots initially. You can get 15 of them in a seed tray.
The next size is 11cm (1 litre) - 6 to a tray.
I also give them bottom heat to keep the soil temperature between 20 and 25 degrees C, and artificial light from some 25 watt CFLs.
Having found my Westlands MP was too hot for seedlings, I'm now using Levington's JI seed compost - which I'm finding tricky to judge the watering with as it's quite heavy itself - the loam also makes it set like concrete.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
The temperatures are expected to dip over the next couple of nights.
It's been so long since I used my greenhouse, I'm a bit nervous ... I'm planning to move everything inside my inner greenhouse this evening instead of trusting a bit of fleece.
It's been so long since I used my greenhouse, I'm a bit nervous ... I'm planning to move everything inside my inner greenhouse this evening instead of trusting a bit of fleece.
Hellsbells
World's best procrastinator
So should i be watering from the top or the bottom 
And should i be using one of those watering cans with an sprinkler attachment thingie? The one i've been using just has a spout and i think this may be how i end up over watering.
And should i be using one of those watering cans with an sprinkler attachment thingie? The one i've been using just has a spout and i think this may be how i end up over watering.
gentlegreen
I hummus, therefore I am ...
From the top. With a sprinkler - but thoroughly - and not again until the plant has drunk it all.
By all accounts the act of pushing water down through the compost pushes out stale air (CO2) and draws in fresh (oxygen).
(I don't have any patience so I just pour it in up to the rim of the pot, and repeat as often as necessary.)
By all accounts the act of pushing water down through the compost pushes out stale air (CO2) and draws in fresh (oxygen).
(I don't have any patience so I just pour it in up to the rim of the pot, and repeat as often as necessary.)
