Newbie here, saying Hi.

[Piglet6]

Just wanted to say Hi to you all. I will read a few more posts and get a feel for the place, but I'm sure it's very friendly here

My folks had an allotment when I was a child/teenager/gown-up. They gave the lottie up a few years ago & now have a lovely veg patch in their garden. My point is that I have grown up digging around in the soil.

For some reason it took me until the age of 40 to have a go at growing my own (that was this year).

My hubby was against me digging up the garden or putting veg in the flower beds. He put his foot down with having any seed trays etc in the house. That put paid to my tomato & chilli plans. However, we have muddled along happily & I found ways around it.

This year (my first growing year), I have grown loads of produce in our back garden - pretty much all in pots!

I grew first early potatoes - in a potato sack
carrots - in 2nd potato sack
runner beans - I snuck these into the flower bed & grew them up a frame that used to have a clematis growing up it.
shallots - snuck these in the flower bed too
spring onionsleeks - these have been transplanted into the flowerbed
spinach - had 2 pots of this on the patio along with some pots of pretty flowers
lettuce
tomatoes - bought as ready-to-plant plants
chillies - bought as ready-to-plant plants
beetroot - made into chutney

After my success this year, hubby has promised me a little veg patch in the garden, maybe next year. It won't be in time for next year's growing season, well maybe for late sowings. I'm not really keeping my hopes up, so I will be growing in pots once again.

I'm enjoying pondering over what to grow next year.

[Bren In Pots]

Hello and welcome to the vine Piglet
I started of growing in pots then slowly moved over to beds then I gained a greenhouse and that made a huge difference to what I can grow.

Hopefully you'll get your beds ready for this growing season.

[stella]

Hi and welcome, I manage to grow quite a few things in pots. Herbs do really well, good luck with growing next year

[Florence Fennel]

Hello Piglet and welcome to the Vine, it's a very friendly place to be and you'll find loads of information to help you. Whereabouts in the country are you? Pop your location into your profile as it helps when requesting advice for other grapes to know what the climate is like where you live. Happy Growing.

[ginger ninger]

Welcome aboard Piglet6, pull up a chair and grab a cuppa .
If you pop your location into your profile...peeps can give you advice suited to the area where you live.
I have a small raised bed, but still grow most of my veg etc in pots...best thing about it is you can drag them into the sunshine...that's when we get some . Hope you enjoy your stay with us. xx

[maytreefrannie]

Hi Piglet 6 and welcome.

I grow some in pots too and in three small raised beds. This year we got a polytunnel which made a good difference. You've done great in your first year, going by your list of produce.

Looking forward to reading more of your posts.

[Piglet6]

Hi All,
Thanks for the warm welcome

The thought of fighting with the bolt on the shed door twice a day in the spring isn't a pleasant one - 'cos hubby won't have things indoors, and won't even allow a coldframe let alone a greenhouse, I had to sow in little propogater pots and put them in the sun before I went to work, then put them back in the shed overnight (shed doesn't have any windows). It was a real labour of love, I can assure you!

Anyway, the results through the summer were well worth it

AND, I am very proud to say that I didn't buy ANY salad throughout summer. I enjoyed my own home-grown spinach, lettuce, radishes (forgot to mention those earlier), spring onions.

I'm still deciding what I will grow next year. I think I give potatoes a miss, but would like to include peas and strawberries.

[Patchninja]

Bienvenue, Piglet!!!

[Glutton4...]

Hello Piglet, and welcome to the madhouse! Sounds like you need a new Husband!

Or to slap that one into shape! LOL

[Bigmallly]

How would he feel if you applied for a lottie?....................

[Piglet6]

He's 'all for' me getting a Lottie. I got my name on the list last August . I was number 65

I'll just have to keep plodding away with pots in 2011.

He did come around a little last year after seeing that (a) I was really doing it, and (b) things were actually growing! He actually said that when we re-do the garden (which will involve a mini-digger and a lot of hard work) that I could have a veg patch (it's in a good spot too - where I had this year's veggies).

Trouble is he's been going to 're-do' the garden for about the last 4 or 5 years!!! So I'm not really holding my breath. I will do my utmost to persuade him next summer.

[Nicos]

Hi there- and welcome to the Vine!

[Jeanied]

Welcome to the vine Piglet - it sounds like you have a good strategy to grow more veg in the garden! You can use swiss chard bright lights as a good, colourful hanging basket plant.