Topic: New to gardening - advice needed

[jo9919]

Thanks everyone,

There really doesn't seem to be any reason for not giving containers a go. You've all gone to show that most things will grow in them.

We don't have a Morrisons nearby, but there's one in the centre of Leeds which I will have to pop in to next time I'm there.

The home made tomato sauce is a great idea. Yes, I would be able to use this on a pizza base and hubby would eat it that way. Does anyone have a good recipe?

I just need to decide now what I'm going to grow.........definitely tomatos and peppers. Quite fancy spring onions, garlic, carrots and raddish and perhaps lettuce, and maybe try potatos. Do you think I'm trying too much for my first attempt considering they're going to be in containers?

Joanne.

[manicscousers]

go for it Jo, if you've got the time, there's no limit ( apart from space)   ;D ;D

our tomato sauce
roast as many tomatoes as you want, throw in some peeled garlic, chopped onion, chopped peppers, bit of chilli to taste, roast for about 40 mins, push througha coarse seive, salt and pepper to taste, then boil it down until it's
a/ thick enough for a pizza topping or
b/ thin enough for pasta
we make loads as we always have a surplus we can't give away, and it freezes brilliantly   ;D

[jo9919]

Thanks so much. I will hopefully be able to use some of the other things that I'm considering growing in this recipe too  :)

Jo.

[sally_cinnamon]

I just need to decide now what I'm going to grow.........definitely tomatos and peppers. Quite fancy spring onions, garlic, carrots and raddish and perhaps lettuce, and maybe try potatos. Do you think I'm trying too much for my first attempt considering they're going to be in containers?

Joanne.

Not at all!  Last year was my first year and I started off with a couple of tomato plants and a chilli and ended up with loads of things cos you just get hooked.  Oh yeah, I grew courgettes too, they were a great thing to grow for a first attempt and they kind of look after themselves and give loads of produce.  They could go in the sauce too...?

[cornykev]

Go for as many veggies as possible, if some don't crop you will have wished you had planted some more, and scousers I hope you didn't slip some extra morrisons black buckets in that stack of 8. :o :o :o ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[jo9919]

Thanks for all your replies. Wow, you lot are such a friendly bunch, I never expected to receive so many replies and such good advice too.

I signed up to a yahoo group, asked a similar question and didn't get one response  :(

I was a little apprehensive asking my question on here as I don't even have enough garden to grow any veggies in, never mind an allotment, but you lot are fantastic  :)

I will let you all know what I do decide to grow in the end. I came onto here wondering if I should grow anything at all, then with the first responses thought "yeah, why not try it'', then with further replies I got ahead of myself, wanting to grow so many new things but wondered if I was getting a little ambitious, trying to run before I can walk. You have all given me so much encouragement. I now just hope that I can manage to grow SOMETHING, lol.

Of course, I will keep you all updated. I'll let you know what I'm growing and post piccies of the results (hope they're not ALL failiures), but you've given me the encouragement to give it a go and try. I'm sure there'll be many, many more questions along the way!!!

Thanks everyone,

Jo.

[cornykev]

A lot of us giving advice have only been growing for one or two seasons so before you know it Jo you be answering questions of your own. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[macleaf]

Jo,before you go out and buy books,try the Garden Register,on http//www.gardeningregister.co.uk,everything you will need to know will be there,i think they will even give you monthly guide, free of charge :-* :-*

[euronerd]

Hi Jo. I'm oop norf too. You mentioned potatoes. I've grown some of my earlies in a dustbin for a few years (well, it is a container, isn't it?) with good results, but I'm sure if you've read some of the books people have recommended the idea will already have occurred to you. I don't know if your family's eating habits include potatoes but, once you've eaten a portion you've just dug up,  I daresay you won't be too distressed if you have to eat them all yourself.  ;D
Good luck.

Geoff.

[pye]

We don't have a Morrisons nearby, but there's one in the centre of Leeds which I will have to pop in to next time I'm there.

Try your local florist - mine happily flogs me 10 buckets for a quid.

I grew carrots, spring onions, potatoes, radish, lettuce, land cress (yum), rocket, salad greens, chillies, peppers, tomatoes and strawbs in pots and trays last year - they all did well, but blimey they needed a lot of watering in last year's heatwave.  ::)

Last year I grew cucumbers, courgettes, gherkins, chillies, aubergines, peppers, cape gooseberries, squash and... MELONS!!!

Amazin - were these all in black buckets? :o
Want to try cape gooseberries and squash this year, but thought I'd have to put them in the ground. I've only got a little plot of earth, so try to save it for the big stuff.

[saddad]

A happy cape gooseberry plant, say in a greenhouse is a monster...
 ;D

[Blue Bird]

Hi and welcome as you can see everyone is so helpful and as a newie I have found them so helpful
books I have found helpful  -   The allotment handbook Caroline Foley and The Allotment Gardener's handbook Alan Titchmarsh

Good luck and happy growing :) :) :)

[zorro]

Hi Jo, If you only have a 'VERY' small piece of land take a look at Grown Your Own BBC2 Fridays At 8. 30 Two ladies from RHS are producing veggies all the year round in 3metre square

[jo9919]

Thanks again everyone for all your advice.

Sorry I haven't been around over the weekend to answer or acknowledge but I've been away with work in London.

You've all given me so many ideas that I can't wait to get started now. I might just have to plant SOMETHING at the weekend!!!

Jo.

[gary]

Their is a book called the "Square Foot Gardener" or something similar. Their method is to grow your plant in small blocks as apposed to rows. I think that is the principle that "Grow your own food" BBC2 are copting?

[jo9919]

Thanks for the advice.

Now what I want to know is:-

I've decided to grow ..definitely tomatos and peppers. Quite fancy spring onions, garlic, carrots and raddish and perhaps lettuce, and maybe try potatos. Sooooo..........can I get anything started now? I'm so impatient and I want to get planting. I do have an electric windowsil propagator and a cold greenhouse.

Any advice?

Jo.

[manicscousers]

my lettuce came up 2 days ago, in an unheated propagator on the windowsill, they're now in individual fibre pots in the same propagator in the unheated greenhouse, later will be planted in to the polystyrene box i keep for growing early mixed salad leaves in  :)

[jo9919]

Am I still ok to start growing lettuce then or have I missed my time for sowing?

Jo.

[manicscousers]

no, you can plant lettuce all through the season, just a few at a time, don't do what I did first time, 36 lettuce, all ready at the same time,  ;D  if you want baby leaves like in the supermarket, just sprinkle a couple of different varieties, I grow them in a trough, and pick them as you want them,  ;D

[supersprout]

Thanks to tim and others, I realised that there's no one time to sow - better far to sow in succession for fresh, tender crops :)

Sow a few carrot, beet, baby parsnip, green beans (and probably lots of other fast growing veg) every ten days or so from March to August inclusive.

You can start carrot, beet, and lettuce indoors in modules now.