Hello from Coventry

[Baxter]

Hello everyone, i am fairly new to all this gardening stuff,i have a small garden and want to grow in pots. i tried to grow some carrots a couple of years ago and the caterpillars eat them before i could, and everything else i tried to grow didnt.

But for some strange reason i have really got the bug again this year and have started to grow things, most have been bought as kits but i have revived some strawberry plants that my daughter started to grow last year and everything seems to be going well at the mo!

So i know nothing about gardening but i am a willing pupil, i will need advice on when to plant and what, as i really want to be able to grow veg for my family to eat.

all the best

baxter

[mattyod]

hey baxter,

welcome to the site,

what stuff are you wanting to grow?

[scripted]

Get some soft fruit bushes like currents and blackberries etc. You may not get much this year but they are the kind of thing you don't have to worry about too much and the crops imrpove every year. That way if your life becomes a bit hectic and you dont have a so much time to dedicate to the garden, it don't matter too much.

Have a go mate and grow the stuff you like to eat, the packet will soon tell you when it needs to be planted. I'm a newbie myself and also from Coventry

Welcome by the way.

[Baxter]

Hi thanks for the welcome,

i want to grow vegetables potatoes,carrots, parsnips, my garden is small but it gets the sun all day long untill late evening, It also holds water as it has a lot of clay in the soil, i was thinking of a potatoe bag, and i have seen carrot bags too, are they any good? is it too late to plant now?,

i have some little propagators on the daughters bedroom window sill at the mo, which are strawberries, carrots and spring onions, all of which will be eaten in our house. i also have some basil on the go aswell, i have lots of pots of different sizes so i can plant a good few things.

regards

[Pumpkin Becki]

Hi and welcome to the Vine Baxter. We give our advice gladly and receive it gratefully here, so don't be afraid to ask.

Can I suggest you pop your location into your profile? You needn't be specific, but it can help us with certain questions, particularly where climate is an issue.

I'd start off by making a list of the things you and your family like to eat, there's no point growing twenty cabbages if your family won't touch them with a barge pole, LOL.

[Florence Fennel]

Hello Baxter and welcome to the Vine. You can find loads of info by dipping into all the threads, or using "the excellent search button" (as we fondly call it), or you can ask as many questions as you like and you'll always get answers from other friendly grapes.

[mattyod]

you can grow anything in those potato bags. you can use black bin liners, they just dont look very good.
the spring onions should be ok in a big planter, as for the carrots and parsnips, they can grow in big planters, but if you've got a few of them ya best putting them in a bigger area of soil like a raised bed.

i've had a look to see what you should be ok to plant.

onions -april-may
parsnips - feb-may
peas - march-june
pumpkin/squash - may-june
radish - march-sep
swede - may-june
sweetcorn-may
turnip - april-aug
french beans - may-jul
runner beans - may-june
beetroot - april-aug
broccoli/calabrese - march-july
cabbage and cauliflower are ok , different varietys have different times for sowing
celery - may-june
celeriac -may-june
courgette - may-june
cucumber - may-june
fennel - may-july

i'd start with a few veg just to get started, maybe get a packet of mixed lettuce and putting that in a big planter.

when planting the seeds only use what ya have to, don't sow the whole packet of seeds, you only need half the packet if your just growing a few bits. sellotape the packet of seeds and keep dry and away from cold and moisture, best to store them in a airing cupboard or sumthin like that.

hope this is of some help.

[binley100]

Yo Baxter from coventry . Welcome to the vine and ask away there's plenty on here who woll help you

[ginger ninger]

Hello baxter and welcome to the vine.

[Jeanied]

Welcome to the vine Baxter - I'm sure you will find the answers to all your questions and some new friends on the way!

[Helgalush]

Hello Baxter & welcome.

I am fairly new to this myself, and also in Coventry and also doing container gardening. Literally everything will be in containers for me.

I have spring onions, leeks, strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beetroot, potatoes, peas and beans all growing in containers at present (whether they continue to or not is another matter, but all doing well so far).

Some things you can buy small varieties of that are more suited to container growing and some things you can just use normally.

you can also be creative with the containers you use. We are using an old Ikea bag (the big blue ones) for some new potatoes.

good luck.

[dawny]

Welcome Baxter!! I joined yesterday, You'll fit in right in!! Be nice to hear what your growing!?

[Currysniffa]

Hey Baxter welcome to the vine

[Baxter]

Hi all, thanks for the warm welcome.

well i am at the moment growing Strawberries, basil, carrots and spring onions, and a couple of roses.

everything is going well with the onions growing to about an inch in a couple of days in the propagator and put in the airing cupboard.

going to have a trip up the road at the weekend as i have seen some tomatoe plants for sale at a very reasonable price.
oh and we have a nice sunflower on the go too.

regards

baxter

[smallfrog]

Hi Baxter,

Coventry must be the grow your own capital of the world. :O)

Everyones really helpful on here so ask away. I'm with Scripted with the fruit bush thing soft fruits are really expensive and if you can wait will the autumn someone will no doubt offer you some raspberry canes. Grow what you like to eat raddishes are a great fast crop they'll be up in a days and ready to eat in a couple of weeks.