Novice gardener needs help!

[mick ward]

Started as me trying help my grandchildren with their 'where's fruit & veg come from and how its good for you' school project in January, decided to have a go at growing my own veg. Bought 'Grow Your Own' magazine, watched Carol Kliene's program & bought the book and became hooked!

Already had some compost bins for the flower beds (wifes dept). As my soil is very heavy clay, built some raised beds, dug in some compost & got some top soil. Garden is south facing but neighbour has some high conifers on the west side which puts one side of the garden in shade from around mid day.

Due to poor weather early on in the year, didn't get an early start. Attempted to grow some salad items, carrots etc in trays on south facing window sill, they initially started to shoot up, watered them really well e.g. top of compost kept wet, but then they kind of drooped and died. Put out some seeds in the raised beds, salad leaves & raddishes doing well, but the spring onions planted at same time are hardly growing. Bought some cabbage, broccoli & onion plants which seem to be doing well. But am struggling to grow seeds in trays to get a better start.

Can you overwater seeds in trays?
How do you know when they need watering?
Would like try tomatoes & cucumbers in grow bags, but don't I need a greenhouse for this?

any advice welcome, thanks

mick.

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi Mick, and a warm welcome to the vine! Hope you enjoy the 'madhouse' as much as the rest of us grapes do!

Congrats on taking the plunge into the wonderful world of GYOing!

To answer your questions, as best I am able (as I'd still say we were definitely novices ourselves!)

Yes, you can overwater seed trays, basically if the soil is kept too wet then the roots or stems can rot, usually referred to as 'dampening off'.

Seedlings need watering when the compost begins to dry out, but rather than watering from above, you are better off putting the seed tray onto a watering tray and leave it there until the soil changes colour, then remove them.

No, you dont definitely need a greenhouse for toms and cucumbers, there are quite a few varieties of tom and cuce that are suitable for growing outside, especially if the weather stays as it has been of late! I'm sure lots of more experienced grapes will be along to offer recommendations as to which varieties they would recommend for you to try, but if you decided you wanted a greenhouse, then there are a few low cost options that you could consider (assuming you have the space)

You could opt for one of the cheap(ish) walk in plastic greenhouses, a 6' by 4' can be had for under £30, and grow in grow bags, or you could keep an eye out on freecycle and fridayadz, where it is possible to get a proper aluminium greenhouse for free (we got a 10' by 8' for nowt off FridayAdz), or perhaps even try ebay!

Anyhows, I hope this is of help, happy growing and may all your crops be bumper ones!

[Flummery]

Welcome to the grapevine Mick! Outdoor or ridge cucumbers are, as the name implies, better off outdoors. You still have time to start some off from seed. Read the back of the packet carefully - Marketmore is a good one - old fashioned, tried and tested etc. Plant the seeds on edge so they won't collect water and rot. Lots of toms are suitable for outdoors too. You can grow them in a 10 - 12" pot or in growbags. Again, check packets. If you are able to buy a well grown tom or two from a garden centre, look at the variety, then go to the seed display and check what it says there. Free info!

Best of luck. You'll soon be hooked like the rest of us!

[JennieAtkinson]

Welcome to the Grapevine Mick! I'm sure you will soon be as hooked as the rest of us. It is such a great place to get answers to all your questions!

[Beltane]

Hi Mick! I'm a newbie like yourself. The responses you get are really useful so don't be afraid to ask. There is a lot of experience and knowledge on this site.

[LaurenGrows]

Hello Mick and welcome to the Vine.
You don't need a greenhouse to start off seeds. Use your sunny windows sills. Save any plastic trays/Chinese takeaway containers to use as improvised propagators. If you have room you could start them off in your airing cupboard and remove them as soon as their little heads appear This should give your seeds a warm start.
Many varieties of Tomatoes and Cukes can now be grown outside happily in pots or growbags.
Happy Gardening and good luck

[mick ward]

Thanks replies so far, certainly food for thought. Will certainly have a go at the toms & cues. Nice to be made so welcome.
Mick

[JennieAtkinson]

Keep posting Mick and let us know how you get on.

[nick the grief]

Hi Mick,

Welcome to the Vine. Easy answer is yes you can. Gardeners delight is a good easy tomato fruits about the size of a 2p peice. I don't eat Toms till they start to fruit on mine then I eat them by the hand full when I'm in my Greenhouse !! They are really sweet.

Market more Cukes, send me a Private message with your Address & I'll send you some seeds save buying them. just remember to take the make flowers off otherwise they can taste bitter (females have the imature fruit's behind the flower)
As to your other questions

1) yes you can over water. Air is also needed in the compost other wise the roots drown & rot.

2) As Eve said to Adam when they 1st met , gosh thats a hard one It sort of comes with experience. Most seedlings won't neet watering every day as they haven't got a large rootballl so don't use the water up. as they get bigger they will take up more water to support the top growth. The easy way to do it is have alook at them at night and any that are wilting mark with a differnet coloured label or bit of stick then leave them have a look the next moring & if they are still wilting water them, if they have recovered it's just the heat of the day making them wilt and they are OK.

Also don't have them in direct sunlight as they will burn up get some bin liners the really thin white plastic ones & lat this over the top of them. This will create a humid atmosphere for them, stops the sold drying out & more importantly gives them a bit of shade from the sun.

As to other advice,

If you don't know ask. you may appear foolish for a minute but if you don't ask you will stay foolish for life - ancient Warwickshire proverb

We never stop learning till the day they box you up & use you for a bean trench

[Flummery]

I hate to disagree with a Gardening Guru Nick but you don't nip off the male flowers with marketmore cukes. The outdoor ones need pollinating - it says so in large friendly letters on the back of my packet!

Flum