being a truly novice grower, I started last weekend..

[novicegrower]

after reading some of the threads already posted to give me confidence, I sowed some rocket seeds in my mini plastic greenhouse thingy last weekend.
That is pretty much my growing equipment, the mini plastic greenhouse thing and some cheap plastic troughs, standing on the strip of concrete laughingly called a patio! Encourage by the rapid appearance of seedlings, I have planted more seeds this weekend - stubby carrots, spring onions, mizuna, lollo rosa, lolla biunda (?). They are all in little 3"pots or single cells as I'm hoping it will be easier for me to see whats happening as they progress.The greenhouse stands against the fence right up against the house and gets the early morning sun up to about 10am, then its in shade for the rest of the day.

Question:is it ok to leave the plastic cover on the greenhouse, or should I replace it with the white one that came with it for shading and frost protection?
Question: any ideas for other quick growing/cropping stuff I can try as a beginner? Am allergic to capsicum type peppers, but apart from that, could try anything.
Any other advice you would like to share will be gratefully received - hungry for knowledge!!!

[SMS6]

well to be truthful none of the seeds you have planted really need greenhouse protection at this time of year so you have a couple of choices really. Move that lot out side on to your patio and buy a Tomato plant or two for your greenhouse. (it's too late for seeds of toms really) or swap the covers if you think you'll need shade.

Also the carrots don't take too kindly to being transplanted, you're better off sowing them in to a large bucket or a deepish trough of some kind

[novicegrower]

thanks for the advice - I will follow it!

wow! guess i didn't take in as much info as I thought!
Thanks for the tip - I will get some tomato plants for the greenhouse space and take the seedlings out.
As for the carrots, I will sow some more in a trough and see how they go.
thanks again, appreciate the help.

[New_Bud]

I'm new to! Got everything into pots on Sunday just gone, but started some pepper seeds as an experiment a weekish ago. Hah! we should keep up with eachother and check how we're doing!

[novicegrower]

welcome!

Hi New Bud & welcome to you too!

Happy to keep up with how things are going, what did you sow/plant on Sunday? Do you know much about gardening, I mean are you totally new, or just new to the forum?
All the best in your endeavours anyway!

[New_Bud]

On Sunday I planted two chitted potatoes, Peas and carrots as well as started my Pumpkin seed germinating. Prior to that I just had some pepper seeds germinating indoors. I am really a novice! Not just to the forum!
Dug up the carrots i planted on sunday because I did them wrong, and planted loads correctly in rows in a huge cardboard box lined with plastic ect so they should be okay now! Yey!

[novicegrower]

well, I've been shopping at the garden centre today. Bought some tomato plants as suggested by SMS6 and also a growbag to put them in.I also bought, parsley,sage, thyme& rosemary, a lopper for my shrubs, a new set of hand tools, and a kneeler & some gloves. When I got to the till, my husband told me he would pay for the lot, for my birthday (due on Tues)how chuffed was I!
Rocket & other salad leaves are coming on a storm, but the carrots I sowed haven't put in an appearance yet ( how long do they take?)nor have the spring onions?
Is your cardboard box under cover, won't it disintegrate when it rains?

[New_Bud]

Yeah it's lined inside and out with bin liners, held off ground by bricks with drainage holes. Glad everythings going okay! My carrots havn't done anything yet so I don't know how long it takes hope they show their faces soon

[Alice]

Hello Novicegrower, as has been said your salad stuff doesn't need to be in a greenhouse. It will do much better ot of there.
You still have plenty of tome to grow some beans.
They will do well in a decent size container or bucket. Put in maybe 4 canes and tie them together at the top to make a wigwam.
Plant 8 beans in there - 2 to a cane.
Keep them well fed and watered and you'll get a great crop.
And they do very pretty flowers.
Good luck.

[SarzWix]

Hello to both of you, welcome to the 'Vine
Carrots take ages to germinate sometimes, don't panic

[novicegrower]

thanks to you both

thanks to you both for the info...
I'm assuming you mean runner beans. Am I sowing seeds or plants in the bucket? Sorry, but I am living up to my name!!
As for the carrots, I was beginning to think I should start again, but now I will wait and see what happens. Guess sowing salad leaves as a starting point, got me expecting everything to grow at that rate!!
Hope everyone has enjoyed their day, what stonking weather we've had here today (Herts).Have been outside all day, but comin in now to consider the OH dinner, I can here his empty stomach calling! He has been good today, making me little feet for all my pots from offcuts he's got in the shed, nice to have some help..
looks like we're in for some good weather this week, so enjoy all...

[Hungry Hannah]

runner beans or french/dwarf beans, depends what you like more! you could probably start them quick from seed in your growhouse to move out later, but you wont be eating them for a while, so if you're impatient the garden centre will probably have some plants. I've just started some more peas off in my greenhouse for a later crop, and I have others growing in a pot like the beans.
hope all grows well!

[ailsasyl]

Hi novicegrower I am new to this too myself and my daughter are developing our garden from scratch dont reckon anything been grown for years our carrots and cucumbers havent shown through yet either its been heavy showers here in ayrshire for past three days. Hopefully if we get some sun soon they'll show face although it does save with the watering!!!

[New_Bud]

I hear you, cause I'm doing it myself nobody shares the watering load but now my plants are in the Growhouse rain doesn't help

[novicegrower]

Hi there, how are you getting on?
My carrots finally starting to show, rocket is growing well, spring onions have little green stems showing now, lolla rosso a bit poor as is the lollo bionda and the tomato plants are just starting to flower, how is your stuff doing now?