Wet Scottish Garden Abs Beginner

[4Shoes]

Welcome...

Just moved to Wigtownshire from Glasgow, so have experience of Glasgow and now the much wetter (if slightly warmer at times) West cost of D&G.
the Porch is full of young chilli plants, but nothing in the veg patch yet. That may change today.

Go to Garden Focus site and print off a Garden planner specific to Glasgow. I think you are still same zone as me, so last frost is 2nd week in May. Best Luck.

[Snoop Puss]

Hi to the new guys! Everyone starts as a beginner. And I think I was even lower on the sub-level scale than you, D&V. I began with a row of radishes that everyone laughed at, they were so pitiful. Took me nigh on an hour to hack up a metre's length of clay maybe 20 cm wide and 10 cm deep, so you can imagine what their growing conditions were like. But I was determined not to be defeated.

Anyway, here I am, a few years on, having learnt a lot from books and here. And if I can do it, anyone can.

Hope you have a great growing year.

[self-contained]

Enthusiasm will get you a long way.

I mean, it won't stop you from:

*having seeds that refuse to germinate
*choosing the wrong compost
*exposing your seedlings to extremes of temperature/wind/sun
*forgetting to water
*overwatering
*failing to consider the slug issue
*failing to consider the cat issue
*planting more than you can manage
*not sowing enough of the poorly germinating or slug-beloved things
*not thinking about how much of your growing space gets enough sun
*buying things you don't need
*not buying things you do need
*getting distracted temporarily and returning to a gardening catastrophe
*weeding the wrong thing
*spending more than you meant to
*watching endless YouTube videos made by people with much bigger gardens than you will ever have
*boring your friends, families, neighbours, and that poor old lady at the bus stop with your increasingly nerdy gardening observations

No, enthusiasm won't do any of those things. But, it does mean that when all of those things happen (as they almost certainly will), you will pick yourself up and have another go.

Ahem, not that I would know anything about such things as I enter my second ever growing season...

[Dogs and Veg]

I mean, it won't stop you from:


*choosing the wrong compost - probably!
*exposing your seedlings to extremes of temperature/wind - scotland - definitely!
*failing to consider the slug issue - deep hatred!
*failing to consider the cat issue - dogs hopefully chase them away
*planting more than you can manage - don't doubt this
*buying things you don't need
*spending more than you meant to

Ahem, not that I would know anything about such things as I enter my second ever growing season...

I wrote answers next to most of them above...however the last two - since I am just back from the gardening equivalent of a "big shop" (is that a glasgow phrase or everywhere?) and I have spent a fortune I most def am completely guilty of the last two!

[Bluenowhere]

Can I add planting/growing many slug beloved plants to account for losses, that they then completely ignore.
That then results in a freezer full of pumpkin purée

[rary]

Hi to the new guys! Everyone starts as a beginner. And I think I was even lower on the sub-level scale than you D&V

Nice to see you used the past tense, Snoop

[rary]

I have spent a fortune I most def am completely guilty of the last two!

We will put that down to inexperience, try not to let it happen again

[bikermike]

"*weeding the wrong thing"
*puts hand up to that one* luckily I remembered before I completely nailed my emerging potatoes...

[nickdub]

That's one of my absolute tests for a weed. If you pull it up and it survives its a weed, if it dies then it was a plant you wanted, and you made a mistake :-)

[mysteryduck]

Hey there! I'm near Glasgow, will be growing in containers, and know absolutely nothing about gardening. Since we're in the same boat, it would be brilliant to compare notes every now and then!

Yeah this would be great - however, honestly, there are beginners, rank beginners then there’s a whole new sub level that I am at

Hey there! Sorry -- I've not gotten the hang of how thread subscriptions work yet.. but how are things going? The sun is out and I get the feeling I should have done more than I have done On my side of the fence, I'm mostly growing things inside, though some are getting a little time outside now (all in pots, mostly 3-inch). What are you up to?
.

• Trailing tomatoes, peas, brussels sprouts, borage, and sunflowers: are going great guns. Brussels' are out but are bendy.. wondering if I should have staked them.
• Runner/french beans, and chilli/sweet peppers: only half germinated, but these are doing really well.
• Marigolds: germinate fast! First batch was great and is now outside. Most recent batch was very leggy.. maybe it was overcast that week?
• Garlic chives: didn't germinate.
• Mint, thyme, and basil: maybe half germinated. Those that did are very small, leggy, and will likely get the chop.
• Savory (the flowers looked pretty): outrageously leggy. Got the chop.
• Spring onions: struggled to germinate. Those that did flopped over. Will try again.
• Cos/salad/oriental/italian lettuce: struggled to germinate. Those that did are leggy and pale. Though I do have a few survivors that are getting bigger. Lettuce is hard!!
• Kale: I'm sure I sewed Kale, but I can't find it..
• Strawberry/raspberry: plants are outside and look well.
• Apple trees: have been potted and are starting to grow leaves!
• Potatoes: also outside. The variety `swift' is growing rather well!
• Root vegetables, chard, onion, garlic, etc: waiting to direct sow. Also, I've ran out of pots..

[Dogs and Veg]

Sorry -- I've not gotten the hang of how thread subscriptions work yet.. I didn’t even realise we could subscriptions! Awesome...il’l click that from now on

What are you up to? You sound below like you’ve been mega busy!


Trailing tomatoes, peas, brussels sprouts, borage, and sunflowers[/B]: are going great guns. Brussels' are out but are bendy.. wondering if I should have staked them.

Of that list I’ve only started toms and no idea if trailin or not
[*]Runner/french beans, and chilli/sweet peppers: only half germinated, but these are doing really well.

I’ve got chilli and sweet peppers in mini greenhouse but both look tiny!


Mint, thyme, and basil[/B]: maybe half germinated. Those that did are very small, leggy, and will likely get the chop.

My mint got drowned! Went in the bin basil not looking like shop basil...

Spring onions[/B]: struggled to germinate. Those that did flopped over. Will try again.

Just germinating these now

Cos/salad/oriental/italian lettuce[/B]: struggled to germinate. Those that did are leggy and pale. Though I do have a few survivors that are getting bigger. Lettuce is hard!!

Oh I’m just starting these too!

[*]Strawberry/raspberry: plants are outside and look well.

Jury def out on mine
[*]Potatoes: also outside. The variety `swift' is growing rather well!

Same here so fingers crossed
[*]Root vegetables, chard, onion, garlic, etc: waiting to direct sow. Also, I've ran out of pots..


My cauli’s i sowed wayyyyy too many and had give them away and broad beans seem to be doing well and also doing cucumbers!

Fingers crossed eh?

[Dogs and Veg]

I wrote the reply above on my iPad, lying in bed and half asleep...so many errors - apologies!

[Snoop Puss]

There are lots of previous threads on germinating lettuce. They like it cool, so don't use a heated propagator or anywhere warm. Some people go so far as to sow their seeds in modules and then put the modules in the fridge overnight. Oh, and don't sow too many all at once. A few and often is a good plan: if you have too many all at once, you'll find they'll bolt before you can get around to eating them.

Plus, home grown basil starts off looking weedy in comparison with shop basil, but that's because there are more than one plant in a pot of shop basil. The trick with home-grown is to pinch them off after a few leaves and then they start to bush out.

You won't be the first to have had difficulties with certain plants. Any questions, just use the search facility or start a new thread. And don't worry about asking a stupid question: I did it once (will the smell of marigolds deter pollinators?) and the only person who laughed at me was me.

[Dogs and Veg]

And don't worry about asking a stupid question: I did it once (will the smell of marigolds deter pollinators?) and the only person who laughed at me was me.

Aw I could not BELIEVE the smell of marigolds last week as i was planting them

[mysteryduck]

I just had a cucumber germinate and hoping to sew some beans outside this week. In the process of lifting the “grass” in the back so we have more space!