New Poster(Virgin Grower)

[zorro]

Good evening everybody

Just wanted to post this evening and say hello!!
I'm new to the forum and will be constantly be seeking help on all matters regarding growing my own as this is my first go at it. I知 having some failures but the small victories are starting to come along and I知 really enjoying it.
I知 looking at this year to be an experimental one and hope to be a little more organised next year(starting by getting a greenhouse), but have found that trial and error can be just as rewarding( and fun) as reading lots of books on how to do things properly.

Any how I知 wondering can I grow anything once the cooler weather starts to arrive or do most things die off? If you know what I could grow later in the year (say from September onwards and with as little financial investment as possible) then I would be grateful.

Kind regards

Zorro

[Alice]

Welcome to the Vine Zorro. Glad you're enjoying your growing and learning from your successes and failures. It's been a difficult year for growing - weatherwise - so chalk your successes up twice. Do tell us a bit more about what you are growing. There's lots you could still be planting and I'm sure the list will be along. You could start with potatoes for Christmas - in a bucket. Happy gardening.

[zebedee]

Welcome to the worshipful company of accredited nutters and diggers.

[kirsty b]

Welcome

I'm currently in my first year of growing and have made lots of mistakes, but thats half the fun. I'm seeing what does well for me this year, and will be building on that next year and hopefully be a bit more organised! (famous last words...)
You'll find lots of friendly helpful people on here. I did!

Kirsty

[Nicos]

Hi there zorro- and welcome to the Vine!!
I think ,as things are going now, that every year is going to be experimental for all of us!!
Who would have predicted 2 such different summers, and both down to climate change!

My advice is to grow small amounts of different crops so that at least you'll have some good results!

I don't tend to grow over wintering crops other than kale and spinach beet and sorrel but that's already in.
Lambs lettuce is a good salad crop for autumn and spring and very rewarding as it germinates well.
Autumn is also a good time to get some fruit bushes and trees dug in.

I'm sure you'll get many more suggestions from other 'grapes', but I do have to agree that researching is part of the fun

[Flummery]

I'm going to sow Autumn King carrots and All the Year Round lettuce next week (when I get back from my weekend away!) I might also try a few more turnips and kohl rabi. You can't predict the weather and all you lose is a few seeds if the autumn kicks in early. Best of luck. You'll enjoy it here!

Flum

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome zorro.

I am sowing carrot, turnip, kale, kohl rabi and spring cabbage now. Also sowed some feltham first peas in the hope of getting a crop before winter. This is my first 'proper' year of growing veggies.

My advice would be to keep note of what you plant, when you plant, how it does etc then you can refer back to that in the future. Plant things that you would like to see grow and see how they do. As others have said, the seeds don't cost much so it is not a great financial loss if things don't work for you.

[SueA]

Hi Zorro & welcome. Hope you enjoy growing your own & never be afraid to ask anything on here. I'd have a go at salad leaves, radish (fast growing so still time) spuds in tubs for Christmas (if you've some way of protecting them from frost), Autumn King carrots, chard,leeks or spring greens,lots of other things to choose from too.

[pigletwillie]

Welcome Zorro, enjoy yourself.

[carlseawolf]

hi zorro and welcome
It's my first year as well and it's been a crazy one, we have had rain in summer and sun in winter and i think most people got effected one way or the other.
as shirl said keep a record an it will help and see what works.
I've just sown swede , spring greens , A K carrots and november will be garlic

[zorro]

Ta everybody!! I started growing when my father in law gave me a couple of pea plants and I caught the bug. Since he gave me the peas I started to grow herbs (prodemently basil on a window sill) from seed and then some lettuces. I then got three tomato plants and stuck them into a grow bag and have had a fairly decent crop off them (even without them being in a greenhouse).I couldn't wait to start going again so I took an old door and old gate and a few spare two by two flags and made a raised bed that’s about 11 feet long by 4 feet in width that I put a load of horse manure in the bottom (generously donated from a friend) and covered it with a fairly cheap top soil. I planted onion sets in them a few courgettes seeds rocket (as I love the taste of this in almost any dish) lettuce seeds, 1 sweet corn seed to experiment with and some spinach. The spinach looked like it may have done well but when the heavy rain came it just turned a horrid yellow/green colour and tasted minging. The rocket has been fine and my Utah large white onions are coming on a treat. The sweet corn has sprouted into what I assume will be the plant and me courgettes are doing ok as well.
One quick question, do I need to take the flower off the courgettes when they are growing into a decent size? Thanks for all your super replies and I shall speak to you all again soon I hope.

Ta
Zorro

[sewer rat]

Hi Zorro and welcome.
You can leave the flower on - it'll fall off itself eventually - or you could be real posh and cook the flower too - see other threads about cooking courgette flowers. Just keep an eye on it though, as if the flower gets too wet it may start to rot the end of the courgette - probably the commonest cause of rot in courgettes.

[nick the grief]

Welcome

I'm currently in my first year of growing and have made lots of mistakes, but thats half the fun. .....

Kirsty

I'm in my 40 something year of growing Kirsty and I still make mistakes !!

Good evening everybody

Just wanted to post this evening and say hello!!
I'm new to the forum and will be constantly be seeking help on all matters regarding growing my own as this is my first go at it. I知 having some failures but the small victories are starting to come along and I知 really enjoying it.
I知 looking at this year to be an experimental one and hope to be a little more organised next year(starting by getting a greenhouse), but have found that trial and error can be just as rewarding( and fun) as reading lots of books on how to do things properly.

Any how I知 wondering can I grow anything once the cooler weather starts to arrive or do most things die off? If you know what I could grow later in the year (say from September onwards and with as little financial investment as possible) then I would be grateful.

Kind regards

Zorro

Hi Zorro, welcome to the vine. This isn't so much a forum as a Virtual Gardening club so you'll get loads of answers to all of your questions. Do you grow at home or on a lotty I wonder? If you're on an allotment got and talk to the "old boys" they will be able to tell you what will do well on the site and if you give them a bit of the old bull they'll love it if you can make them think they are important

If your growing at home - Why haven't you got a lotty yet !! only joking it's not everyones cuppa but you do gain more than just the excersise & satisfaction it means you can have things like big greenhouses at home sorry don't know what came over me.

Anyways, what can you grow now.... well anything that is quick matureing is a good bet ( Amsterdam forcing Carrots, Paris Market Carrots that sort of thing) you can grow them in Tubs if you want. If you plant spuds now in tubs and can keep them frost free you'll have new tatties for Christmas day. I'm sure the other grapes will have other ideas

[MrsC]

HI Zorro and welome! Happy Chatting!

[zorro]

Ta for that all. Nick I noticed that when I didn't pick the flower off a couple of courgettes that they were going rotten at the end and now thanks to you I know why.

Cheers mate