Hello everyone! I'm a 26 year old mum of three living in Essex.
I started growing a few veg last year, it was a bit of a dry run. I grew(successfully!) Spring Onions, Beetroot, Carrots and tons of Tomatoes. The Broccoli was enjoyed by the entire Essex population of Cabbage White Butterflies, who decided to have a party on my leaves and produce millions of hungry babies. >:(
I gave up fighting them in August and handed the Broccoli back over to Mother Nature. ;D
This year I'm terrified. I'm no longer a beginner. I should know what I'm doing.
I don't.
I have decided on one variety of tomato. I grew ordinary salad tomatoes, plum and cherry last year and the cherry toms were divine. I'm going to stick with them this year. I'm also going to grow Spring Onion again(easy peasy!), Leeks, Onions, Lettuce, Potatoes and a couple of Swedes and Parsnips
So I'm working out what needs doing in what months, and I've realised I'm already behind. I haven't bought my spuds yet, and they need chitting soon. I also need to decide what I'm doing with the actual patch and fertilise it. I'm also worrying about what to do when we go away in August. Two weeks is a long time, I can't expect friends or neighbors to look after the plants for two weeks, especially not at one of the busiest times for harvesting. Can you hire people, like you do to cat or dog sit, but to plant sit? ;D
Here was my tiny starter patch last year:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0009901.jpg (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0009901.jpg)
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0009921.jpg (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0009921.jpg)
And within two months it looked like this!
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0005091.jpg (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0005091.jpg)
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0005111.jpg (http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/367/2458/1600/IM0005111.jpg)
I want to do raised beds this year, but haven't much money to be building the beds with. I've had a look at rough sawn timber prices, and I can build two, 2 metre long by 1 metre wide beds. The timber itself is 20 cm high off the floor. Is this deep enough for the beds? Does anyone have any tips for me as I have no idea what I'm doing here! What composting material would you put in the beds themselves? One is for potatoes and the other for my other veg.
I think you deserve a big pat on the back for what
you achieved last season!!
I think most veggie growers get a little bit scared
at the beginning of each season...I know I do and
I've been growing stuff for 30 years and I've only just
scratched the surface ;D
As for what tp put in the ground to bulk it up.....
you might find that your local council has a compost
plant and they occassionally sell cheaply or even give
away material that is good for conditioning the soil.
Failing that you could scout around the countryside for
stables that sell horse poo quite cheaply.
I used to have cow manure delivered to the allotment
but my back has finally given up carting it all over the
plot, so this year I shall be investing in a product called
Orgrow...which is a concentrated organic fertilizer,
which can be incorporated into the ground and works
very well. It can be a little expensive but you don't need
too much to get good results.
You can also start making your own compost. There are lots
links on this site that will give you more information.
Ihav'nt got my potatoes yet either...so don't panic,...there's
still lots of time.
As for others plant sitting...I'm not sure about that ;D ;D One
of the best things to do in case you can't get anyone is to mulch well :D
I started a topic on raised beds a couple of days ago. Click on the link. It will hopefully give you some pointers or other points of view. It has been very informative.
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,26861.0
There was a fuss about raising beds or not raising beds in 2006, and you will find loads if you use the search facility.
I have raised nearly all my beds because my plots are 40% under water from October to March if I don't!
Scavenge timber from skips and neighbours. Use the innards of rolls of carpets - carpet firms are happy to dump them with you! Or just pile up the soil and pat it down at the edges. Just have a laugh as you bumble through raising the levels with a motley collection of items/materials.
I agree with delboy, enjoy your plot, if you stress out, you'll undo all the good having a plot does
we've not got our potatoes, someone somewhere on this site says they don't chit their potatoes, so that's a challenge out of the way
you've got your plan, another challenge out of the way, many 'experience growers I know don't even work out a plan!
we went away in september, first for 1 week, a week at home, then 2 weeks away, just try to work your planting so's not too much can go to seed, if they do, enjoy the flowers, the wildlife does
we cover our cabbages with either fleece or nets, they don't need pollination so can be covered, we use plastic plumbing pipe or just canes, to support it, you've done great things, this year's an adventure to come,
you'll be fine :) :)
We went totally raised beds, the theory being that the plot would be more manageable (we both work very full time). In retrospect it might have been better to mark out the planned beds and work with them for a couple of years, because once established it's quite a chore to rearrange them. For instance I made the paths quite wide and now regret the lost space!
Use the innards of rolls of carpets
explain more please delboy???
All rolls of carpets have thickish cardboard rolls inside them. Most are quite durable, and can be used singly or in a sort of triangle as borders for raised beds. They take 2 years or more to rot down, but in the meantime they sort of firm up the bed edge.
If you interlock them at the corners you can build them up quite high!
I also cut them into one foot deep sections and grow carrots and parsnips in them.
Hello Laney and welcome! Pop into the shed and say a big hello, more people will see you in there ;D
Good idea, guess if you got enough of them you could cut into foot lengths and build raised bed with them standing upwards and also grow carrots in them as they act as a border......
Thanks for the lovely welcome! I'll be able to stick around for a bit tonight and have a nose at the other forums as I've finished work for the week, and am putting my feet up with a glass of Baileys...yippee!
I may have to drag my partner down to the carpet stores and give that idea a go. It sounds brilliant, do you have any photos of your beds?
Carol Klein ?, don't know if it's spelled right, is on bbc2 tonight, telling us all how to grow veggies, might be worth a look ? :D