LO from North East Herts

[ukmastiff]

LO all, I live in Hertf but very close to some Essex and Cambs folk here from what I can see as I'm near the A10/A120.

This is year two for me so I'm a beginner who tested the water and has decided growing is for me.

I do keep ducks and have 11 of them so those who are kind to me may be on for some lovely creamy duck eggs :P but on a serious note I'm hoping the forum will be friendly / sociable and informative.

Cheers Mas

[Two_Sheds]

Hi and welcome, but you can keep your duck eggs! (too creamy for my taste, they make me gag). Ducks are lovely though

[coomber]

hello and welcome

[lottie dolly]

welcome the vine uk mastiff,i for 1 will keep away from the fox proof fence

[Glutton4...]

Hi-ya, and welcome to the madhouse!

Got Chooks not Quackers, but still got the Leccy fence!

[TonyO]

Hello Mastif, & welcome to the vine,

What did you grow last year? Have you had any thoughts as to what you are going to grow this year?

Regards
Tony.

[ukmastiff]

My first year was year b4 last and I 'rested the ground'
( cough too lazy) last year :P

I grew this lot

Peas ( gorgeous fresh from the pod) but needed to have planted 20 times as many.

Potatoes , four varieties two of which came up trumps ( sadly didnt note which duhhh) creamy lovely fresh potatoes were amazing best I've ever eaten but a lot of work to plant of course.

Toms, in the mini plastic greenhouses , very nice but half the plants blighted due to sweaty plastic dripping and my ignorance ( lesson 1).

Corguettes , successfull but nobody liked or wanted them so why bother
( lesson 2).

Squash , total failure I think one fruit appeared and shrunk.

Carrotts and parsnips , didnt even come up
( still dont know why was it the heavy soil ?), onions rotted in ground and brocoli was stripped overnight by the rabbitts .

This year so far , Im preparig for Toms , squash ( I love it so wont give up)
potatoes , peas ( two types) , a bit of lettuce , maybe cabbage.
I have 5 raspberry canes too if they survive.

I have clay ground and its soggy early on so I need to be carefull and just grow what accepts the ground I suppose but I'll learn as I go ( I hope)

Regards Mas

[TonyO]

Hi UKMastif,

I have london clay soil, which is a pain for drainage & digging, & carrots dont like it as they can suffer with clayburn which is where minerals in the clay can burn the skin of the carrots, raised beds, (or a short stubby variety which dont grow so far down were the answer for me on that one.)

trying pariser markt variety of carrots this year, which are round ball shaped & about the size of tomatoes, (hopefully anyway)

Tony

[ukmastiff]

ooo I just googled them " suitable for clay soil where you never dreamed of growing carrotts ". thats a decent find
Ive now found them on google seems they are sold all over the place i just hadnt heard of them :P

Regards Mas

[Dane End Dolly]

Hi, we have quite a heavy clay soil, so we put on loads of compost, manure and grit, to loosen it.

Last year was our first year of growing things, we had a great success with runner beans, broad beans, mange tout, sweetcorn, courgettes, swiss chard, various lettuces, beetroot, radishes potatoes & herbs. the tomatoes outside got blight - BOO, but the tomatoes in the greenhouse were fine, also in the greenhouse were chillis and aubergines.

We have since got some allotment space in the village and are currently growing over there broad beans - yes they have survived the snow, cavello nero, cabbages, garlic and perpetual spinach.

As we are so close in area, you should do well on the above crops.

This year, i have already sown tomatoes, aubergines, chillies and sweet peppers for the greenhouse, leeks for the allotment and an assortment of flowers which i hope will attract the good bugs to my lottie.

Finally we have 6 chickens which are fondly known as the thugs, as they are the most thuggish birds i have ever met (but funny also).

Dane End Dolly