Grow Your Own Magazine

I will not assume everyone is exaggerating about the flippin damage the cabbage white caterpillars can cause, and next year i will net them in April. Out of five lovely big cabbages i have managed to salvage enough for two meals. The rest have been trashed by caterpillars

Wren

i will not assume that nothing will grow and sow the whole packet ....... just in case.

i will also make sure i have somewhere to put said excesses of germinated seedlings.

i will not think oh never mind those seeds won't grow in the lawn anyway when i've dropped them.

i will check out what conditions each plant likes rather than just chucking them in with a bit of compost and hoping.

i will not sow loads of different veg in one bed then realise i'm supposed to rotate them next year (i know that now)

i will label everything, and not weed round the weeds thinking that's where i've sowed my parsnips, and that could be sweetcorn that's moved.

i will make sure overhanging trees are chopped down before planting loads of veg right underneath where it will fall when we actually get round to doing it.

i will make paths in flower beds so i can reach the veg that i decided to plant right at the back

i will also try not to go out every 10 minutes to check whether anything has grown since the last time i looked 10 mins ago.

I will also finally get round to putting the gate up at the side of the house rather than stacking loads of stuff up to stop the dog getting out, then realising too late that it's fallen over and the dog has been missing for an hour ...... and been to visit all the neighbours and put on half a stone from all the treats they have given her.

i will also stop chucking pulled up weeds on the patio, and leaving crap on the lawn so that it goes all yellow.

and lastly i WILL find someone to get rid of the massive spiders in the shed, so i can get in there and clear it out

hopefully after all that, and planting things at the right time, i might actually have something eatable

__________________
http://teachy.myminicity.com/env please visit my town and make it better

http://quiz.ravenblack.net/blood.pl?biter=teach_me please sign up to be a vampire, i get 10 pints of blood if you do, and it's fun as well ....... i have an interactive map if anyone wants it.

I loved reading these and it's so good to know that we all do the same things. Is there a way of putting a big red marker on this thread for all newbies (still count myself there, been growing for 6 years-lots to learn yet)
I did sit twiddling my thumbs for a few extra weeks this year after sowing everything much too early last year and watching leggy plants struggling without enough daylight and it's paid off, much stronger plants this year.

But next year I will get a new marker pen, all the labels are now blank, and apart from what's already grown, most of the brassicas look the same to me.

And next year I will remember about Bordeaux mixture and watch my potatoes like a hawk.

Next year I will operate a shoot on sight policy for pigeons and crows and rabbits, but especially pigeons
Next year I will not grow French Beans.
Next year I will not grow young veg plants for garden centres, just for myself.
Next year I will have approx 1000 strawberry plants
Next year I shall invest in a mechanical planter to plant my onion sets and brassicas.
Next year I shall invest in a mechanical scarifier to weed my crops.
And by this time next year Rodney, I'll be a millionaire

__________________
Rat

British by birth
Scottish by the Grace of God

Blog updated Wednesday November 13th

Good thread Wren Nice to know I'm not alone on this learning curve! As well as what's already been posted, next year I will pick, process and preserve my crop more efficiently. I get really cross with myself when I've grown stuff then compost it because of being disorganised and indecisive.

TGR

Next year i will not believe my brother when he said he would 'help' Im still waiting for my 2nd shed to be put up that was started in Feb!!! (then has the cheek to ask me to pick some veg for him!)

I will also try and learn the art of staggering sowing!

I will also stop trying to be clever and spacing out my seeds - ie now have massive gaps in between my carots n beetroot etc

Phew, why do we bother!!!

Next year I won't sprinkle a whole packet of Mizuna seeds in a pot and then read the back of the packet and realise there were over 500 seeds!

Next year I will not get carried away and get what my boyfriend calls 'vegelitis'. It's a terrible disease, which causes the indivdual to plant non stop, then have to dig up even more of the garden which 9 time out of 10 they are told they can't do, to make space for everything!!!

__________________
Best love

Steelsy
xxx

www.myspace.com/steelsy

Next year I will plant in succession and not plant 75 lettuce for 2 of us which all matures at the same time.
Next year I will plant more crop of less numbers and not end up with a potential 2,500 toms for 2 of us!!
Next year my raised beds will be completed and I will put weed supresser down to help.
Next year i'm gonna grow some really hot chillies

Next year I will have another (larger) bed for my spuds.
Next year I will have another (larger) freezer for my excesses.
Next year I will plant more varieties.
Next year I will not put out my onion sets too early so that they all bolt.
Next year I will have chickens.
Next year I will not plant my toms and courgettes too close so that I lacerate my calves everytime I walk between them.
Next year I will wait until my spuds are actually ready before digging them up.
Next year I will net my soft fruit so that the dog doesn't get to them first.
Next year I will do the loo roll thing with my parsnips rather than wait 4 months to find that only 5 have germinated.
Next year I will rule the world (ar at least my veg patch!)

__________________
Tx

Will nots...

Plant loads of seeds expecting only a few to grow ending up with 27 courgettes, 26 sweetcorns and over 50 tomato plants (half in a bed half in pots)

Plant my swedes, cabbages and caulis in neighbouring modules not expecting them all to look the same when leaves appear without labels.

Overcrowd my turnips so one half of the long planter is doing great and the other half seems to be producing slug food.

Try to overwinter my parsley and just get another pot from Tesco to plant.

Decide I'm going to try to grow my own in April and start earlier

Spend hours laying manure beds with tons of the stuff all at once, cause I've done it already and will take my time manuring the beds that haven't in accordance with my (dare I say it) 'rotation plan'

Will do's....

Be a regular on this forum as it's absolutely amazing

Plant broccoli and parsnips and try lots of the heritage type of tomatoes

Sow when I am mean't to and not try to 'wing it'

Carry on talking to my chilli plant, its first chilli eaten last night blew my husband's head off when I gave him a raw taster

Plant the same amount of beans but not overwater them when transplanted meaning I lost three to root rot

Sow more peas - I love raw peas and can see myself eating the entire crop from 24 plants before they even get to see a saucepan

Hope I like Khol Rabi cause they are doing brilliantly

Plant Lolla Rossa again in a growbag (constant supply) and the same for a mixed bag of lettuces - amazingly I've tried cutting lettuces leaving the roots in and they are growing again

Plant my carrots in a massive bucket again

Try this advanced growing concept of gradual sowing without forgetting when I sowed what and when to sow another batch

Buy more fish from the fish society - their polystyrene boxes are brilliant for putting my pots of herbs in to overwinter - except the parsley - and I think slugs may not like the polystyrene as my Khol Rabi has not suffered a single blow.

Panic cause my beans are flowering/ed and there's no beans yet

Find out more about toilet roll centres

Next year I will...

Build sturdier runner bean supports so that 8LGM doesn't spend an hour building new supports around the collapsed rows

Stake the tomato early so that I don't spend ages getting stained arms like yesterday to stop the plants drooping all over the floor

Plant lots more peas. Yuuuummm

Plant lots more broad beans. Yuk, but I'm not growing them for me anyway

Put up the pea supports at the time when I sow them. Ooops

Not bother with climbing french beans that hardly germinate, Pah!

__________________
Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Next year i will:

Not buy 4 different 2.5kg Bags of seed spuds & think that will be "just enough" for 2 people.
Not dig up an entire 22ft row of spuds all at the same time because the tops look sickly.
Not end up with 30 different Purple & White Sprouting broccolli plants from fear of not all the seeds germinating.
Pay attention to the sowing times on the seed packets.
Have had a greenhouse from the beginning of the year so will be able to get things started a bit earlier.
Try growing onions from sets.
Have persuaded hubby that i really do need 2 more veg beds

__________________
Newbie,
keen but clueless

"Next year I will make sure I have plenty of pots before I start, and not have to go to various garden centres trying (in vain) to get 2 1/2" or 3" pots."

Worth trying Kays. Check out how many are in a "case" because that is the most economical purchase quantity

Kays Discount Garden Supplies - N A Kays Horticulture - Sankey Traditional Pots 9cm/3 1/2" x case (1320)

What is it with french beans this year? Previous two years they were fine??

__________________
God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt

When my kids become wild and unruly, I use a nice, safe playpen. When they're finished, I climb out

You will always be your child's favorite toy

Next year I will:

Cover the soil all winter so that weeds don't get a chance.

Be a bit less generous with the seeds when initially planting (especially not sowing 15 brassica seeds into a 1" module, 12 times, and have to thin them all out later!).

Actually remember to do more successional sowing to leave less hiungry gaps.

Sow lots and lots more pea seeds, well netted and slug pelleted, and with appropriate climbing structures in place.

Grow more beans too.

Try to plan a bit better about making sure I have plenty and no hungry gaps (suffered a good few already this year).

Prepare the ground better in spring and get plenty of fertiliser of some sort into it - preferably FYM but anything would do - as well as moisture reservoirs for courgettes, beans, peas and squashes.

Plant everything at least a hoe width apart so that i can actually tackle weeds.


One thing that I did do right this year, was only sowing my mangetout into the back garden and not the plot - as I am able to wander out and gather a small handful evryday before they get too big and put them in fridge if necessary, so that they are lovely and tender when eaten rather than huge.

And having a few lettuces squashed together in the garden (mainly cos type) which I can harvest a few leaves at a time for my lunch evryday rather than having to wait for whole heads to be ready - ready earlier, each plant lasts WAY longer (pulled up ones last night that had been cropping since mid-April) and means I can have a variety in my lunchbox everyday.

Next year I really will make an effort to use the principle of crop rotation

Next year I will not bother growing radishes especially for my OH...if I don't pick them he never bothers eating them and they take up valuable space

Next year I really will try and plan in advance to fill that bleak patch around April - June when I never seem to have anything in the garden to eat

Next year I will try and curb my "must grow something 'different'" habit as it results in a fortune being spent on new seeds

Hopefully...

Next year I will remember that I have room for about 18 tomatoes in my greenhouse.
Next year I will not sow 6 seeds of 8 varieties 'just in case' - of what!

__________________
Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

I will not oversow my beetroot and then kill it after 4 weeks later
I will not plant said beetroot right under the lights
I will not kill chilli plants
I will not rot the stems of my peas by planting them out too deep

I will write in diary what to sow when
I will ask OH advice on where to plant things
I will sow more aubergine
I will grow more round yellow courgette
I will keep asking stupid questions
I will learn from my mistakes:

next year!!!

This year first :- lay slabs to make patio(recycled from front garden)
move gravel from front to back
make planting areas for front garden
put black plastic on area between new patio and veg beds

next year :- lay new lawn
make gravel paths
move washing poles
new fence(if cash available)
make third veg bed
grow flowers from seed for the new beds at front and back
make sure I add more compost to raised beds
plant less cabbages
start peas an carrots of in loo rolls
try growing sweetcorn, swiss chard and more herbs
organise the shed!?!(can't find anything)
make sure the fleece goes on the strawberries early so the birds don't get them.

I'm sure this list will get longer as the year progresses

Next year I will:

Protect corn seedlings with plastic bottles
Protect courgettes and pumpkins from slugs
squash the aphids as soon as they are sighted
Not eat all my early carrots and turnips as baby veg
sow more mangetout
grow more onions
and generally grow more stuff that I use regularly