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Hello all,
I have just found this great forum and I am hoping for a little advice as I am a complete novice but am keen to try growing my own and failing rather than not try at all.....I'll be happy with a little success to be honest.
Now, I am predicting a very long post here so I'm sure you will get bored reading the whole post and replying to it all would probably take as long as me writing it so I'd appreciate any advice even if you cannot answer all my questions. Get yourself a brew and read on....
OK, I live in North Wales on the coast and I got the growing bug last August when I bought some of the 'living plant' type of herbs from the supermarket. I managed to keep Parsley, thyme, basil and mint alive (sadly the coriander plant wasn't as fortunate) and then the wife bought me a strawberry plant and a red bell pepper plant. It was clearly too late in the year for strawberries but the pepper plant gave me a few wierd shaped peppers that didn't have time to turn red but they tasted ok as green peppers. The strawberry plant produced a few runners so I am looking forward to the summer and seeing the fruit from them.
Anyway, like I said, I got the 'grow your own' bug and went and bought a load of seeds to try for this year. Looking at them now I really don't know what possessed me to buy so many considering I am as green as the bell peppers.
Lack of a plot is also a problem I didn't consider! Anyway space wise I have two 3x3 foot beds which is the only outside ground space I have. I have now bought 3 of those plastic type potato growing bags (measuring about 35-40" high) and also 3 of the similar type material vegetable growing bags which measure about 20"(length)x10"(width)x14"(depth). I also have some oblong plastic planters like the window box type measuring approximately 20"x7"x7" and various sized stone planters. I have also bought a cheap plastic greenhouse which is about 6ft(height)x4ft(width)x6ft(length) but I fear I have more seeds needing the greenhouse than I have room for once they are growing but hopefully I am wrong! Oh I also have a window box but that is where the strawberry plants live.
I stupidly thought when I bought all the seeds that some of them would be suitable for growing through the winter, then some in spring and some in summer so I could harvest one thing then sow another in it's place. But when the seeds arrived I looked up a few sowing time articles on the internet I found that pretty much everything is best sown February, March or April time so that really puts pressure on my limited space I guess.
The things I have for growing this year are......
Aubergine black beauty,
Courgette italian striped,
Beetroot Detroit crimson globe,
Leek mussleburgh,
Onion ailsa craig,
Spring onion white Lisbon,
Butternut squash waltham,
Carrot autumn king,
Onion red baron,
and these different chilli varieties....Hungarian hot wax, Jalapeno, Fatalii, Satans kiss, Bird eye, Habanero red, Hot cherry, Cayenne golden.
On top of all that I want to get some seeds for a dwarf cherry tomato plant, I have planted some broad beans in one of the plastic type vegetable bags, I have planted some garlic in one of the beds, and I have some dried peas that someone gave me to try to grow. I also have some seed potatoes to try in the potato bags but can get more if recommended.
Oh and I also have 200 asparagus seeds but I believe it takes 3 full years to get the first crop so I won't bother with those. (anyone wants the seeds let me know and I'll send them along. I also have some spare seeds for the aubergine, hungarian hotwax,ailsa craig onions, courgette, and beetroot if anyone needs any let me know)
I am a keen reader so I have picked up a few handy tips during the last couple of months but you can't beat any advice from experienced growers who have "been there, done that and got all the clobber".
I suppose my main question is what can be planted outside and what needs to be in the plastic greenhouse and then the order of sowing and whether or not things need to be started off indoors or in the greenhouse before transplanting outside.
The way I was kind of seeing things panning out was that.....
the potatoes would grow outside in the bags mentioned earlier
the peas would grow outside in a plastic oblong planter (is 7" deep enough though?)
The garlic can be left in the bed (takes up half of one bed)
Broad beans left as they are in the plastic veg growing bag outside
Dwarf cherry tomato plant in the greenhouse
All the chillies in the greenhouse in those oblong shaped planters if 7" is deep enough? (if any can go outside that would help)
red onion outside in the garlic bed or veg bag
ailsa craig onions outside in the garlic bed or veg bag
carrots outside in a veg bag ( i know, I need more veg bags!)
butternut squash outside in pots
spring onion outside in veg bag
leeks outside in the other free bed
beetroot outside in veg bag
courgette outside in pots
aubergine in pots in greenhouse.....
How does that sound? I am just looking to get a little organised at the moment as it seems like I might get a bit flustered with everything starting at once and not having a real clue about what I'm doing. I'll stop here as that is all I have for now I think but just wait until I get some results then I'll be asking about how I store the produce, how do I get seeds from the produce to use next year, how do I dry the produce, any recipes for the produce.......one step at a time eh!
Many thanks for reading and let me know if anyone wants any of the seeds I mentioned
I have just found this great forum and I am hoping for a little advice as I am a complete novice but am keen to try growing my own and failing rather than not try at all.....I'll be happy with a little success to be honest.
Now, I am predicting a very long post here so I'm sure you will get bored reading the whole post and replying to it all would probably take as long as me writing it so I'd appreciate any advice even if you cannot answer all my questions. Get yourself a brew and read on....
OK, I live in North Wales on the coast and I got the growing bug last August when I bought some of the 'living plant' type of herbs from the supermarket. I managed to keep Parsley, thyme, basil and mint alive (sadly the coriander plant wasn't as fortunate) and then the wife bought me a strawberry plant and a red bell pepper plant. It was clearly too late in the year for strawberries but the pepper plant gave me a few wierd shaped peppers that didn't have time to turn red but they tasted ok as green peppers. The strawberry plant produced a few runners so I am looking forward to the summer and seeing the fruit from them.
Anyway, like I said, I got the 'grow your own' bug and went and bought a load of seeds to try for this year. Looking at them now I really don't know what possessed me to buy so many considering I am as green as the bell peppers.
Lack of a plot is also a problem I didn't consider! Anyway space wise I have two 3x3 foot beds which is the only outside ground space I have. I have now bought 3 of those plastic type potato growing bags (measuring about 35-40" high) and also 3 of the similar type material vegetable growing bags which measure about 20"(length)x10"(width)x14"(depth). I also have some oblong plastic planters like the window box type measuring approximately 20"x7"x7" and various sized stone planters. I have also bought a cheap plastic greenhouse which is about 6ft(height)x4ft(width)x6ft(length) but I fear I have more seeds needing the greenhouse than I have room for once they are growing but hopefully I am wrong! Oh I also have a window box but that is where the strawberry plants live.
I stupidly thought when I bought all the seeds that some of them would be suitable for growing through the winter, then some in spring and some in summer so I could harvest one thing then sow another in it's place. But when the seeds arrived I looked up a few sowing time articles on the internet I found that pretty much everything is best sown February, March or April time so that really puts pressure on my limited space I guess.
The things I have for growing this year are......
Aubergine black beauty,
Courgette italian striped,
Beetroot Detroit crimson globe,
Leek mussleburgh,
Onion ailsa craig,
Spring onion white Lisbon,
Butternut squash waltham,
Carrot autumn king,
Onion red baron,
and these different chilli varieties....Hungarian hot wax, Jalapeno, Fatalii, Satans kiss, Bird eye, Habanero red, Hot cherry, Cayenne golden.
On top of all that I want to get some seeds for a dwarf cherry tomato plant, I have planted some broad beans in one of the plastic type vegetable bags, I have planted some garlic in one of the beds, and I have some dried peas that someone gave me to try to grow. I also have some seed potatoes to try in the potato bags but can get more if recommended.
Oh and I also have 200 asparagus seeds but I believe it takes 3 full years to get the first crop so I won't bother with those. (anyone wants the seeds let me know and I'll send them along. I also have some spare seeds for the aubergine, hungarian hotwax,ailsa craig onions, courgette, and beetroot if anyone needs any let me know)
I am a keen reader so I have picked up a few handy tips during the last couple of months but you can't beat any advice from experienced growers who have "been there, done that and got all the clobber".
I suppose my main question is what can be planted outside and what needs to be in the plastic greenhouse and then the order of sowing and whether or not things need to be started off indoors or in the greenhouse before transplanting outside.
The way I was kind of seeing things panning out was that.....
the potatoes would grow outside in the bags mentioned earlier
the peas would grow outside in a plastic oblong planter (is 7" deep enough though?)
The garlic can be left in the bed (takes up half of one bed)
Broad beans left as they are in the plastic veg growing bag outside
Dwarf cherry tomato plant in the greenhouse
All the chillies in the greenhouse in those oblong shaped planters if 7" is deep enough? (if any can go outside that would help)
red onion outside in the garlic bed or veg bag
ailsa craig onions outside in the garlic bed or veg bag
carrots outside in a veg bag ( i know, I need more veg bags!)
butternut squash outside in pots
spring onion outside in veg bag
leeks outside in the other free bed
beetroot outside in veg bag
courgette outside in pots
aubergine in pots in greenhouse.....
How does that sound? I am just looking to get a little organised at the moment as it seems like I might get a bit flustered with everything starting at once and not having a real clue about what I'm doing. I'll stop here as that is all I have for now I think but just wait until I get some results then I'll be asking about how I store the produce, how do I get seeds from the produce to use next year, how do I dry the produce, any recipes for the produce.......one step at a time eh!
Many thanks for reading and let me know if anyone wants any of the seeds I mentioned
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