Topic: Garden plans for 2010

[pigeonseed]

Oh so much! I've only had my new plot a few months and it's still a bit wild! Next year I want it to look like a garden.

I want to grow more winter veg (start next summer).

And yellow courgettes.

And chillies for the first time.

[tartonterro]

sweetcorn at home for 1st time - grown it once when i had the plot.  saw an interesting suggestion, plant alternative rows 2 weeks apart, seemingly due to the way that sweetcorn polinates you will get the alternative rows fully polenating - not sure but gona give it a try.
more beetroot - 1st year getting a half decent crop i could pickle - and its yummy
more tatties in tubs and tyres - got some good crops this year
hope to get a new greenhouse - nothing fancy mum has one of the ones with plastic walls and double skinned roof pannels - seems really good.
hopefully another year of good garlic and onion crops.
gona try and grow some of the single clove garlic bulbs from lidls for seed and then grow on the year after
put stakes in for rasps - make it easier for picking
hopefully have solar powered watering system up and running, got the panel, battery, converted cordless drill and pump.  Just need to put it all together lol

[GrannieAnnie]

hopefully have solar powered watering system up and running, got the panel, battery, converted cordless drill and pump.  Just need to put it all together lol

tartonterro,  I'll be very eager to hear about your watering system and its particulars. Best wishes.

[tartonterro]

hopefully have solar powered watering system up and running, got the panel, battery, converted cordless drill and pump.  Just need to put it all together lol

tartonterro,  I'll be very eager to hear about your watering system and its particulars. Best wishes.

will get some pictures and post on friday/saturday.
the basics are an old cordless drill that ive "converted" by ripping out the trigger and wiring directly to the motor, this i then connect onto a 12v "hobby battery" i got from screw fix, attached to drill is a fluid pump i picked up from diy show (not sure which one) to pump the water from water barrels round the garden.  i will keep the battery charged with a solar battery charger you can use to keep your car battery charged up with.
i was very lucky last year and picked up 2 aqua pod 10's for £15 each - think they retail for £35 to £40 each and will use these along with other bits of micro tube irrigation i have to water the 3 raised beds i have and hopefully as far as my greenhouse (hopefully getting a new one for start of year)

[GrannieAnnie]

hopefully have solar powered watering system up and running, got the panel, battery, converted cordless drill and pump.  Just need to put it all together lol

tartonterro,  I'll be very eager to hear about your watering system and its particulars. Best wishes.

will get some pictures and post on friday/saturday.
the basics are an old cordless drill that ive "converted" by ripping out the trigger and wiring directly to the motor, this i then connect onto a 12v "hobby battery" i got from screw fix, attached to drill is a fluid pump i picked up from diy show (not sure which one) to pump the water from water barrels round the garden.  i will keep the battery charged with a solar battery charger you can use to keep your car battery charged up with.
i was very lucky last year and picked up 2 aqua pod 10's for £15 each - think they retail for £35 to £40 each and will use these along with other bits of micro tube irrigation i have to water the 3 raised beds i have and hopefully as far as my greenhouse (hopefully getting a new one for start of year)

My eyes began to cross when you got to "ripping out the trigger" and the rewiring jazz. Guess this will be another for long suffering husband.

[tonybloke]

What are your veg garden plans for 2010?
What will be new,old and left by wayside?

what are your plans? you've found out some of ours, now tell us yours!!

[plainleaf2]

 mine are still in flux.
but there will be
3 water melon plants Carolina cross
1 Atlantic giant pumpkin plant
2 nc giant cantaloupes
16 tomato for size plants
30 tomato plant for sauce san marzano
several other tomato varieties
21 eggplants 7 different varieties and colors
50 peanut plants
50 sweet potato plant Beauregard
cucumbers of 7 varieties one them being white wonder.
4 hot pepper varieties
5 sweet pepper varieties
lot types lettuce greens
carrots at least 7 varieties
sweet corn silver queen.
and about 50 other things.

tonybloke you turn

[plainleaf2]

I also will be growing
d'Alger  melon
and Melocoton
sweet potatoes

[amphibian]

purple Italian pole beans

What variety do you grow?  Are they for eating as pods or for dried beans.  I grew a heritage variety called Mrs Lewis's Purple podded this year and it was amazing.  Ate piles of pods and then left some to run to seed and ended up with 400 beans.  Only started with 10 beans, and ended up with only 8 plants.

Did you actually count the beans?

I'm sticking to Cherokee Trail of Tears from now on, I sowed 10 beans and harvested 511g of dried beans. No idea how many beans that is, but I'd guestimate over 1000. The beans harvested are perfectly dry too, shattering when struck with a hammer; and all this despite being a neglectful gardener. We were drought hit here in Maidstone, but I didn't water my beans and the CToT still delivered.

My jumbo beans were a disaster, though, 10 beans from 20 sown.

[tartonterro]

purple Italian pole beans

What variety do you grow?  Are they for eating as pods or for dried beans.  I grew a heritage variety called Mrs Lewis's Purple podded this year and it was amazing.  Ate piles of pods and then left some to run to seed and ended up with 400 beans.  Only started with 10 beans, and ended up with only 8 plants.

Did you actually count the beans?

I'm sticking to Cherokee Trail of Tears from now on, I sowed 10 beans and harvested 511g of dried beans. No idea how many beans that is, but I'd guestimate over 1000. The beans harvested are perfectly dry too, shattering when struck with a hammer; and all this despite being a neglectful gardener. We were drought hit here in Maidstone, but I didn't water my beans and the CToT still delivered.

My jumbo beans were a disaster, though, 10 beans from 20 sown.

did you leave them on the plant to dry, ive grown these for the last two years and this year is the 1st year ive tried drying them, but with the weather we have had ive taken them of the plant and have them on drying racks in the hut

[amphibian]

did you leave them on the plant to dry, ive grown these for the last two years and this year is the 1st year ive tried drying them, but with the weather we have had ive taken them of the plant and have them on drying racks in the hut

Yes, I dried them on the plants, no mildew at all, but until recently it just hasn't rained here. It has been an incredibly dry year in this area, something I understand has not been the case elsewhere in the country.

If I am forced to pick early, I leave them in the pods to dry further.

You can also dry them out using a food dehydrator thingy on a low heat, an oven is too hot.

Once they are shatter dry I bung them in the freezer for 12 hours (you can only do this if they are shatter dry) this kills off any bean weevils and ensures they will store well and be good for sowing next year. If you do freeze them, do it in a airtight container and do not open it until the beans have had time to return to room temperature, otherwise condensation will make them soggy.