vegetable plotters

[Fnaar]

i got two massive marrows for my efforts... tried lots of stuff (i got loads of advice on here this time last year, for my first attempts at veggie growing)... garlic and shallots seemed just to rot away after a bit (it was very very wet) broad beans were healthy enough plants but didn't produce much, runners got eaten by slugs, as did any lettuce, spinach etc I tried, cabbages doing ok though... toms were doing well in a plastic greenhouse thing, but died when it blew down (and around the garden) while we were on hols....
me marrows were great though! I'll try again, cos I enjoyed the process, even though we were only self sufficient for sort of two evenings

 

[dantheman]

my first year (mainly in pots)
did well (will do again)- aubergines (mini), peppers, potatoes, tomatoes (yellow ones ripened better than the red though), blackberries (only about 12, but very large and tast- and its still only about 2ft tall) parsnips- just tried my first on sunday, so much flavour, my favourite crop this year..

ok- blueberries (3 small plants, grew well, though i only got a couple, bloody wildlife)

non runners- courgettes, carrots, radishes, strawberries (well, they wouldnt have fruited as were from seed this year, but they definitely couldnt after my son emptied the seedlings out and jumped on them), onions and garlic (again, due to my son more than anything else)

next year, plan to make 6 raised beds out front door, about 1m x 60cm each, so will have more space to grow other things.

 

[summerdays]

but they definitely couldnt after my son emptied the seedlings out and jumped on them)

Hmm that could be a major pest ... and I'm not sure I know any good methods of getting rid of those...

next year, plan to make 6 raised beds out front door, about 1m x 60cm each, so will have more space to grow other things.

I definately recommend the raised bed technique.

 

[cisamcgu]

Good carrots, OK-ish onions - the rest pretty rubbish

 

[dantheman]

Hmm that could be a major pest ... and I'm not sure I know any good methods of getting rid of those...



I definately recommend the raised bed technique.

thing is, kids do that look , you know "i didnt mean to do anything wrong, im innocent" and make you feel bad if you shout at them, but the watering he does is of help..
making the raised beds is easy, and wont cost me a thing, but getting soil to fill them is a problem as theres none spare around that is suitable, so it may take a few years for me to make my money back..

 

[summerdays]

Could you advertise on freecycle to see if anyone has soil they want rid of ... (though it could very in type and amount of weed seed etc)?

 

[dantheman]

i may try that, cheers, the main prob would be transportation though, the father in law would prefer it in sacks if its going in his car, you see. im sure ill find an answer by springtime anyhow..

 

[Cab]

Disaster: Butternut squash (very few fruit, and those that grew never got above 2 inches in size) Is there any tips on growing conditions to improve these.

Sow in April in pots indoors. When there is no risk of frost, and you've got an adult leaf, plant out.

Dig a hole somewhere that gets full sun, put in a bucket load of well rotted manure, and more on top. Plant out into this. Feed sparingly as the plant grows, only really if there is any yellowing or discolouring of the leaves, there should be plenty of nutrition in the muck, and give it plenty of room.

 

[purplemoon]

What's the best way to build raised beds cheaply? I got fed up with grass and weeds encroaching onto my veggie plots this summer so something like this might solve the problem.

 

[rich p]

What's the best way to build raised beds cheaply? I got fed up with grass and weeds encroaching onto my veggie plots this summer so something like this might solve the problem.

the cheapest way is to build mounds as the cost is nothing. Apparently some pro gardeneers reckon it is also the most effective. It doesn't dry out so quickly and need no further maintenance.

 

[purplemoon]

the cheapest way is to build mounds as the cost is nothing. Apparently some pro gardeneers reckon it is also the most effective. It doesn't dry out so quickly and need no further maintenance.

That's sort of how I've got it at the moment. Maybe I should just be more pro-active in keeping the edges trimmed and clear of grass/weeds

And on the subject of weeds, why do they never have any problem growing no matter what the weather conditions, yet veggies/flowers/shrubs suffer

 

[summerdays]

Sow in April in pots indoors. When there is no risk of frost, and you've got an adult leaf, plant out.

Dig a hole somewhere that gets full sun, put in a bucket load of well rotted manure, and more on top. Plant out into this. Feed sparingly as the plant grows, only really if there is any yellowing or discolouring of the leaves, there should be plenty of nutrition in the muck, and give it plenty of room.

It may the the manure or the full sun problem .. the plants were near a fence that probably shaded them from 3pm onwards maybe.

 

[Paulus]

I have had a mixed year. My runner and french beans did very well along with the summer cabbage, courgettes and rhubarb. The big failure again were the tomatoes. They ended up with blight, again just as they were starting to ripen off. A big crop that went totally to waste.

 

[Cab]

It may the the manure or the full sun problem .. the plants were near a fence that probably shaded them from 3pm onwards maybe.

Well, if it had the rest of the day that ain't TOO bad.

Good rich, free draining soil and as much sunlight as you can get. If you shade them at all you'll restrict the crop, from the sound of it I think you've got a bit of both problems.

You can't have too rich a soil for squashes.

 

[Chuffy]

What's the best way to build raised beds cheaply? I got fed up with grass and weeds encroaching onto my veggie plots this summer so something like this might solve the problem.

I was a bit lazy with mine. I had good intentions about digging out old planks etc but ended up buying some modular plastic ones from t'interweb. They cost me about £70 for three 2mx1m units. Wooden pre-builts are very expensive (about double the cost of the plastic ones) and suitable planking (not treated with creosote or tannalised etc) is not cheap either. Don't forget that you will have to fill the beds, and topsoil ain't cheap either. Mine look great and hopefully will be easier to manage. My beds usually look less tidy than Tracey Emin's...