Allotments 4 All

Hi, new to this forum, grew 2 tomato plants in a grow bag for the first time this year and am so pleased with my success. would like to grow few more things now that i'm feeling the bug, mainly potatoes, onions, carrots, tomatoes again, lettuce and cucumber. Unfortunately i have neither a greenhouse or an allotment so am considering turning an area of my decking into a haven of vegetable tubs, can anyone give this novice some advice on how and when to start and recomment some varieties. Appreciate any help,  thanks

You can grow all of those things in tubs and autumn is a good time to start planning and orgering your seeds from any of the major suppliers - Marshalls, Kings, The Organic Gardening Catalogue, Fothergills and loads more. You can order on line.

You can plant your seed potatoes in March/ April for crops from June right through to autumn. Most catalogues do starter packs so you can try a few varieties without having to buy loads of each. Try experimenting with different types of lettuce and salad crops that you can sow every few weeks to ensure a continuous supply. And I'd advise going for onion sets rather than from seed, especially as you're new to this.

Don't forget to feed your crops regularly. I'm a great fan of liquid seaweed and seaweed meal. And finally, good luck and have fun!

Quotewould like to grow few more things now that i'm feeling the bug

You realise there no antidote, dont you?  ;D

Welcome to A4A and congrats on your success so far. I've had my plot for three years now but was bitten by that same bug when I tried growing veg in the garden - in fact, it was when they started to take over that I realised I needed an allotment! (handy hint: put your name down for one NOW!)

It's almost the end of the season now but you can grow some winter salad leaf varieties and hardy spring onions etc, and there's a couple of recent threads on the board listing other things to try at this time of year. If you need to protect anything, you can cover with makeshift cloches using a cut up polythene dustsheet and some wire coathangers - or go for the expensive stuff and buy ready-mades from your local pound shop.   ;)

And if you need any seeds to get you going, you can post a request on the Swap shop thread.

Welcome to the site Phoenix..... as Amazin says, that's how it starts. Get your name down now!!  ::)

hiya, phoenix, nice to meet you  ;D
don't forget, you can grow winter lettuce etc in troughs, fish boxes(polystyrene ones) window boxes etc , beans up a trellis, plus squash over arches, work out what you like to eat and then experiment , there's lots of people on here who grow veg in containers and they have loads of great ideas  :)

What worked really well for me with only one planting was baby cos romaine in a tub of compost/well rotted manure.  It stands upright so you can plant many in one pot and then only harvest the outer leaves so it keeps producing.  The best part is the lettuce stays clean, is easier to pick and out of reach of rabbits. I believe I added some liquid fertilizer after a month or so to give it a boost.

Welcome to A4A, great site to be a member of.

Welcome! ;D

Welcome Phoenix,

Just remember as you are growing in containers you will have to water more obtain than in the ground, also you can get most of the seeds you need quite cheaply from Wilkinsons or lidl

Wow thanks everyone for your words of wisdom, I think my husband is tired of hearing about my plans now, maybe i can talk him into a greenhouse who knows.
Looking forward to getting started and harvesting next years crops, will keep in touch

 ;D ;D Welcome Phoenix!! If your OH gets too bored with your euphoria just talk to us. We're mostly all mad ;D ;D ;D 8)