I've got way too excited.. and

[JamesA]

Have a look here at the seed mixes, should be just the job for you.

eBay.co.uk Shop - Seedaholic: Salad leaves: Red Lettuce - Continental Lollo Rossa - 500 seeds

Ive ordered from these guys recently and was very pleased. You get an information sheet with every pack of seeds telling you everything you need to know.

[SarzWix]

Your Purple Sprouting Broccoli will be fine in pots for now, no worries. They are a very slow growing plant, so they take up space in the veg plot for quite a long time. I usually keep mine in pots and plant them out when my early potatoes, or onions are finished. Just make sure they don't dry out too much, they'll be happy enough in the shade if it gets too hot (is that wishful thinking?).

Different veggies take different lengths of time to be ready - salad leaves are quite quick, but full lettuces (like icebergs) take quite a bit longer. You can get some clues from your seed packets - if it says "sow March to May, harvest June to August" then you know it takes about 3 months to grow because it's 3 months from March (first time to sow) to June (first time to harvest)
Hope that makes sense

[Creemteez]

Every garden centre in the land will stock cut n come again lettuce seed and I'm pretty sure that all the big supermarkets will have 'em too. They'll be in the "veg" section. (Not being funny - that's really usually where they have thier seed racks!)
Glad to know you've still got all your fingers. Sowing seed is a b*gger if you're missing a digit!

[Demeter]

It won't say "cut and come again" on the packet.
Just look at the back and it may say cut and come again in the description or otherwise just choose anything off this list
Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Cut & Come Again Vegetables

[feefeelalabelle]

It won't say "cut and come again" on the packet.
Just look at the back and it may say cut and come again in the description or otherwise just choose anything off this list
Royal Horticultural Society - Gardening Advice: Cut & Come Again Vegetables

thanks for that lettuice is on the list and it says just to cut the leaves about 1inch high, does this mean 1inch from the bottom of the stem? i went into b&q earlier to see if i could spot the seeds i bought as they were the only ones in the value range, in the picture what i showed you the seedlings were beetroot, which i can tell now as the are purple lol, carrots which are relitivley slow at developing and lettuices. So ive figured them ones out now!!! the only problem is, i have 70 odd lettuice plants OMG, i planted them all at the same time, what a nutter! I suppose everyones first year is fun like this ive decided anyway im giong to have to plant them out this week, but do i really have to separate every single seedling and plant it alone, the seem so tiny?


OH bought me some trees today, i think it was his way of saying sorry for the dog poop thing! anyway ive aquired, 2 olive bushes, 1 red apple miniutre, 1 green apple miniture, 1 kiwi, and 1 pear tree. im suprised with how small they are as hes paid a fortune for these giong to have a look tomorrow to see if they are the self fertile ones (if that counts with these trees i dont know) I dragged myself to morrisons for some of their black containers for potting (the ones they hold the flowers in) does anyone know if i cant plant a spud in one of them or will it be too small? Im actually glad i went in as i got a self fetile cherry tree for a fiver, which i think was a bargin

so ive potted all the trees up in pots as im not sure where im having them in the garden but im thinking maybe i should have added something with them eg rooting powder or fertilser?

[Demeter]

thanks for that lettuice is on the list and it says just to cut the leaves about 1inch high, does this mean 1inch from the bottom of the stem?

the only problem is, i have 70 odd lettuice plants OMG, i planted them all at the same time, what a nutter! I suppose everyones first year is fun like this ive decided anyway im giong to have to plant them out this week, but do i really have to separate every single seedling and plant it alone, the seem so tiny?

It means heavest the leaves by cutting them off leaving about an inch or so of stem growing in the compost/soil so that the plant can grow again. If you leave it so it's not just one stem, leave a bit of a side shoot on as well, it helps a bit with the regrowth.

The 70 odd lettuce plants, here's an idea. Plant some into a windowbox or tub or some other container in clumps (no need to to separate them all out that way!) and grow these as cut and come again. Plant some more into the ground and leave the others in the seed tray for a week or three, then plant the rest out. That way you will have CCA lettuce to keep you going until the other lettuces are ready, and you will get the planted out lettuce in two waves.

My mum is an experienced gardener and she sowed and planted out over 100 individual lettuces last year. At the same time.

[Sweepster]

What sort of compost did you use for the trees? I think they need something fairly 'beefy', like John Innes No3, rather than multipurpose compost. You can always topdress with a suitable granulated fertilizer (i.e. sprinkle it on top of the compost and let it work its way down as you water the tree). Rooting powder is for cuttings (things that don't have roots yet) so you definitely don't need that.

[pottie]

pottie

Hiya!!

you are doing so well and i admire your determination!! esp where the digging is concerned!! i managed to ruin my back when i had my son so when its comes to digging, im just about sitting on the soil (or pot) with the fork/trowel trying to get to the bottom of the pot!!!! I can only grow in pots where i live but have had some interesting plants grow!! through mistakes ive made!

Hope you having fun and enjoying the gardening lark!!

[feefeelalabelle]

It means heavest the leaves by cutting them off leaving about an inch or so of stem growing in the compost/soil so that the plant can grow again. If you leave it so it's not just one stem, leave a bit of a side shoot on as well, it helps a bit with the regrowth.

The 70 odd lettuce plants, here's an idea. Plant some into a windowbox or tub or some other container in clumps (no need to to separate them all out that way!) and grow these as cut and come again. Plant some more into the ground and leave the others in the seed tray for a week or three, then plant the rest out. That way you will have CCA lettuce to keep you going until the other lettuces are ready, and you will get the planted out lettuce in two waves.

My mum is an experienced gardener and she sowed and planted out over 100 individual lettuces last year. At the same time.

thats a cool idea, thanks for that shame i didnt log on earlier and see your post.....just been trying to re pot each seedling i gave up it was silly!!!

anyway you say your mums an experianced garder...you dont sound too bad yourself!

[feefeelalabelle]

Guess what ive got..... go on guess
A GREENHOUSE... wooowooo, om so happy!!! OH bought me one of them movable ones today, its cool, 3 shelves abount 5ft wide and about 7ft tall hehe!!!, its not glass though, its one of them plastic covers...is this ok, will it keep my plants warm?
im so impatiant with my seeds, their not growing quick enough!!!

my carrot seeds have been through for about a week now, when can i plant them out?

my rubharb has peeked through today to say hello.....im so pround of myself......me growing veg xxx

what would you say is the hard bit about growing veg as i feel im doing ok at the moment but woundered if their was a big hurdle to get over,eg
germinating
planting out
?????

ive been to the garden centre today and their plants are bigger than mine, im scared case mine die

POTTIE, im sorry about your back i hope its not serious, i didnt have a plain sailing pregnancy either, my DD was born 3 month prem
, hope you grow lots in your pots xxx

[Creemteez]

Guess what ive got..... go on guess
A GREENHOUSE... wooowooo, om so happy!!! OH bought me one of them movable ones today, its cool, 3 shelves abount 5ft wide and about 7ft tall hehe!!!, its not glass though, its one of them plastic covers...is this ok, will it keep my plants warm?
im so impatiant with my seeds, their not growing quick enough!!!

my carrot seeds have been through for about a week now, when can i plant them out?

my rubharb has peeked through today to say hello.....im so pround of myself......me growing veg xxx

what would you say is the hard bit about growing veg as i feel im doing ok at the moment but woundered if their was a big hurdle to get over,eg
germinating
planting out
?????

ive been to the garden centre today and their plants are bigger than mine, im scared case mine die

POTTIE, im sorry about your back i hope its not serious, i didnt have a plain sailing pregnancy either, my DD was born 3 month prem
, hope you grow lots in your pots xxx

Yay!! Way to go on getting your "greenhouse" It should be perfectly good enough for raising seeds or bringing things on now that the weather is warming up. As it is moveable you can put it in a nice sunny spot for now, but when we get into summer it may be better to move it to somewhere that gets a bit of shade in the afternoon as you could end up frying your babies.The main thing with these plastic houses is to ANCHOR THEM DOWN REALLY WELL!! Most people who've had one (including me) have had to chase them round the garden in windy weather Either tie it securely to a fence (bungey ropes are good for this) or give up the bottom shelf to several bricks or heavy rocks to weigh it down. Also, try and keep the heavier pots at the bottom so that the whole thing isn't top-heavy.
You're doing great, hon, - though I hate to be the one to tell you that carrots are best sown directly into the soil as they REALLY don't like being moved. Try 'em anyway, and you can sow some more when your beds are ready!

[Demeter]

thats a cool idea, thanks for that shame i didnt log on earlier and see your post.....just been trying to re pot each seedling i gave up it was silly!!!

anyway you say your mums an experianced garder...you dont sound too bad yourself!

No worries. Unlike my mum I've only been doing this since last year - I just talk as though I know it all... (see my sig lol)

[feefeelalabelle]

ahh dont say that about the carrots, pleeeease! ive got some more seeds anyway so will sow them straight in, thanks for letting me know xx me and OH have been digging the boarders out on the garden today, there were bricks burried there too! at least it ws soil underneath though this time.I think im just going to do a mini raised bed in my patch as i have alot in pots now and they are doing ok( i was too eager ), the rest will go in the boarders like the beans and the pumpkin ect ect
Am i ok to leave my newly sprouted seeds in the greenhouse over night or will it still be too cold for them in there? Also i forgot to fetch the plants in night, the apple trees, pear, olives, ect ect and when DD woke me up at "daft o clock " this morning it was froze over OH said i killed them.... i havnt have i ?

Hope you have all been making the most of today, its been gorgeous here, its amazing how a bit of sunshine make you feel better about life xxxx

[Demeter]

Guess what ive got..... go on guess
A GREENHOUSE... wooowooo, om so happy!!! OH bought me one of them movable ones today, its cool, 3 shelves abount 5ft wide and about 7ft tall hehe!!!, its not glass though, its one of them plastic covers...is this ok, will it keep my plants warm?
im so impatiant with my seeds, their not growing quick enough!!!

my carrot seeds have been through for about a week now, when can i plant them out?

my rubharb has peeked through today to say hello.....im so pround of myself......me growing veg xxx

what would you say is the hard bit about growing veg as i feel im doing ok at the moment but woundered if their was a big hurdle to get over,eg
germinating
planting out
?????

ive been to the garden centre today and their plants are bigger than mine, im scared case mine die

Woo-hoo - I love my baby greenhouses!
I have got two mini-plastic ones in my little garden (not as big as yours) and they are great for germinating seeds and bringing plants on. They will not be as warm as a proper greenhouse but still much better than nowt!

I would repeat what Creemteez said - anchor it well! Mine are tied firmly to the fence and have not yet (cross fingers) been bothered by bad weather - apart from the cover on one which has got a bit torn. But last year I bought myself a bigger plastic greenhouse, a walk-in type, and it suffered a bit over the winter. In fact by Feb I was so fed up of fixing it every time there was a bit of wind that I was glad when it finally collapsed in a big heap! And my garden is relatively sheltered...

Well done with the rhubarb.

Get the carrots out ASAP. They are best sown direct where they will grow. If you transplant them then they will probably grow wonky and you will end up with rude shapes - but they will still be carrots Last year I made this mistake and transplanted them in clumps of 2-3 seedlings. I got some hilarious specimens but although they were a bit harder to clean they were still just as nice to eat!

The "hard part" about gardening - doing it in winter!

Seriously, everyone makes mistakes, there are always challenges (dealing with slugs and blackfly and caterpillars, ugh, or a late frost, or - that sort of thing) and you learn something new every year, but as long as you get some good stuff the rest is just a learning exercise. And you will definitley get some good stuff, just keep up your enthusiasm and it will pay off for sure

xx

[Demeter]

Am i ok to leave my newly sprouted seeds in the greenhouse over night or will it still be too cold for them in there? Also i forgot to fetch the plants in night, the apple trees, pear, olives, ect ect and when DD woke me up at "daft o clock " this morning it was froze over OH said i killed them.... i havnt have i ?

What are they? Anything tender (runner beans, french beans, pumpkins, cucumbers, that sort of thing) will prefer a bit of protection so I wouldn't leave them out overnight. Anything hardy (carrots, peas, broad beans, brassicas, that sort of thing) will be fine.

Some of your plants might have died being left out overnight, especially if there was a frost, but I wouldn't write them all off yet. Unless it is obvious that something is dead then just wait and see.