Hooked on growing

[bwfc07]

Hi all AGAIN

i dont know if its just me as this is my first allotment and nearly 3months into my hobbie i'am absolutly hooked on it i cant stop thinking about it what to do tomorrow what can i do ?
looking on the net for info on how to do this and that sat in the grapevine looking what everyone else is doing asking questions getting tips i love it i've not even got much in on the lottie after all the hard work. i'am even thinkin of makeing a website and following my footsteps throught the year
I think am going to try and get on everday and tell you all what ive done today just like ive seen JAXOM is doing great idea..
I'am only a young pup as my mates say at work why have u got an allotment they said all taking the mickey maybe 1day they will get the bug but there is a few gettin quite interested askin me questions what am growing and so on its like being a YOUNG PUP waitin for santa 2 come

al run you through quickly what i've been up to since december.
DEC.....lucky me was asked if i would like a allotment off my brill mother-in-law)...jumped at the chance i started clearing the site up real mess and hard work (pics in general chitchat) planted some garlic in the coldframe late dec (doing quite well now)looks healthy
JAN....still cleaning up (potatoes chilting in the shed)
FEB.....almost done now all the ivys gone i can see my path and the beds. sheds painted no weeds no colch grass great stuff....feb 21st sown carrots,parsnips,peas in a moduel tray happy days

What else could i possibly start off now i want to grow

potatoes,tomato,lettuce,cabbage,onions,beets,leeks,celery,
a grow chart would be helpfull if anyone knows where to get 1?


is there anyone else in bolton who has started growing yet?

Thanks

[veg4681]

a grow chart would be helpfull if anyone knows where to get 1?

Check out the link below for UK sowing and harvesting chart.

Vegetable Sowing and Harvesting Times Chart

[Hazel at the Hill]

You're doing pretty well there, I reckon, Lee!

Looking at your list, I think you could sow some leeks in a seed tray for transplanting in a couple of months, also onion sets outside (if it's not too soggy underfoot - Wilko doing red or white onion sets at the mo) and I'd risk sowing some lettuce in modules in the greehouse - you can plant them out in grow bags in the g/h or risk them outside with a fleece cover.

Did you want to grow peppers? if so, you could sow some in pots and germinate them at home (a bit warmer than the greenhouse), and of course you can get some cut price fruit bushes (woolies, aldi) and plant them on the plot.

See who has the last laugh at work when you have a great heam of fresh raspberries in your lunchbox!

[bwfc07]

Ye thanks hazel
i've actually got some peppers going here at home now cayenne,worldbeater and toro rosso only started them tuesday but i'am having ago
i went in asda weds night at work and picked up some cheap herbs 50p mint & basil should i repot them in bigger pots ?
thanks lee

[bluemoon]

Peppers, both sweet and hot, can go in now, and you could set off a few tomatoes for indoor growing - the outdoor ones will need to be sown later - celery also needs a long season so you could sow a tray of that if you are planning to grow it. Also it is not too late, if you hurry, for fruit bushes and canes. My top tip for a windy northern lottie (and from your pics I can't tell if yours is or not) is to grow fruit bushes as wind breaks, they look much nicer than the plastic netting type and you can eat the produce - much more useful. The only drawback is that the wind does tend to sculpt them into um..... interesting shapes, which can be a challenge to prune as they often end up a little lopsided, leaning away from the wind. Definitely worth the effort though.

My second favourite top tip, which I'm sure you don't want to hear, is to wait to sow most things until the weather and soil has warmed. It's okay to set things off in a greenhouse and give everything a good start, but that usually turns out to be pointless if they are then ready to plant out before conditions are right. Sometimes, like last year, we have a very warm spring and everything is fine, but to be on the safe side I'd keep half your seeds back and make a later sowing just in case.

[SarzWix]

I'm not quite in Bolton, but only a couple of miles from the Lancs border, will that do? Seriously though, for this area, whenever I'm looking at seed sowing guides I always go for at least halfway point if not later (if the guide says "sow March to May" then I sow mid-April), the earliest dates given usually apply to more southerly parts of the country! Although you can help things along a bit by sowing indoors or in a greenhouse & planting out under a cloche or a fleece cover.

[Hans Mum]

i'm 'up north' too and tend to take the middle ground when it comes to sowing times, it can be frustrating when youre rearing to go but its usually better to be safe than sorry, all though theres usually something i cant wait to get going

[HeyWayne]

I, like you am a novice gardener and started allotmenteering (?) last year having never really grown anything before. I would say that your idea of a website is a great one - a blog is an easy way of doing just that. Mine has been a great way of a) showing friends and family (especially those that live a decent trek away) what I've done, and b) helping me keep track of what I've been doing, and in turn what to do next time.

I'm considered a "young" gardener by a lot of people - I've had ribbing about getting myself a flat cap and a pipe, that kinda thing, but I guarantee if you go into work with some of the things you've grown your colleagues will be only too happy to take them off your hands. This happened to me last year when I had an abundance of spuds (one thing I've learned for this year) and I took some in to work for people to help themselves. They'd gone by lunch time, and some people even offered to pay me for more (but of course allotment rules and regulations forbid you from taking money for the produce, but the bags I gave them away in however were quite expensive! ).

You just wait till the weather improves, you're gonna love it!!

Good luck.