what should i grow

[neil1280]

i bought some seed potatoes at the market, they have whitish shoots on them, i have been told that these are no good but i have already planted them.

should i pull them back out and leave them in the sun for the shotts to go purplish?

what should i add to the soil i was told it needed bonemeal? which i got today from b&m for 99p!

[Hazel at the Hill]

i bought some seed potatoes at the market, they have whitish shoots on them, i have been told that these are no good but i have already planted them.

should i pull them back out and leave them in the sun for the shotts to go purplish?

Leave them be - they will be fine.

All plants want to grow, it is their job. All we do is give them a better fighting chance.

It stuns me each year that I can plant (e.g.) a small bean seed and get a hundred fold or more back in just 3 or 4 months - and it does all this with my sole contribution being to put it into nice soil.

Anything else I do is faffing really - unless I am on weed choked soil, or there is a severe drought - I guess that I might affect the yield by maybe 10% each way by watering and feeding or not, but generally, I don't kid myself that I'm the clever one - it's good ol' mother nature all the way.

[neil1280]

thanks hazel, could you also help me by telling where is best to situate them? in full sunlight or partial shade on my patio? and how about watering them?

[Two_Sheds]

Full sun if you can (for nearly all fruit & veg, bar raspberries & lettuce)

Water only when it's dry (certainly not every day unless things are in pots in a greenhouse): they need about an inch of water a week, so if it hasn't rained for a week give everything a good soak.

[neil1280]

just ordered "lady finger" seeds from ebay, some type of oriental thing, do any of you know these and had experiences with them?

another thing, my plants seem to have paused, they havnt grew much or anything in the last 2 weeks would it be due to the lack of sun at the moment? my courgette and tomato plants seem to be still doing okay though

im concerned about how good my soil is, i have totally dee-weeded it and put it through a seive so there are no stones or bits of root or anything is there anything i should do with it to help it? i have some general purpose compost i got from homebase should i mix some of that in with it?

i dont know the difference between compost and soil.........

[cupcake]

You can eat all pea shoots, have done in India for years. You can cut and come again, They reckon that sugarsnap and mangetout are best for this so you can kill 2 birds with one stone (metaphorically speaking!) If you love fine beans then dwarf French beans are easy, I like Delinel.

[Flummery]

I'd bang on a bit of pelletted chicken manure to improve the fertility. I'd have said blood, fish and bone meal but that won't do for a veggie! Many plants have stalled abit due to the cold weather. They'll buck up when it warms up. I wouldn't waste compost on it. Use that for raising young plants.

[Two_Sheds]

just ordered "lady finger" seeds from ebay, some type of oriental thing

Ugh, horrible slimy things: but if you like them, grow them

I'd have said blood, fish and bone meal but that won't do for a veggie!

I'm a veggie and I have no problem using BFB... I don't eat it (I wear leather too)

[neil1280]

I'd bang on a bit of pelletted chicken manure to improve the fertility. I'd have said blood, fish and bone meal but that won't do for a veggie! Many plants have stalled abit due to the cold weather. They'll buck up when it warms up. I wouldn't waste compost on it. Use that for raising young plants.

well, she's only a veggie because she doesnt like the texture of meat not because of any opininons or views, so would it be okay to use bonemeal as i have bought a box of it already

[ohbeary]

Neil, use what you must to feed the soil, make a compost heap with all your veg peelings, coffee grounds, teabags and shredded paper(junk mail), use compost activator(urine!), read the packets of seed, it's all there, sun/shade/wet/dry/when/where, above all feed the soil not the plants, over watering makes soft growth that will be liable to infection from diseases and will suffer if you miss a day, water well but not too often, if you can get manure(poo) add it to the compost heap or sprinkle between the crops, it will help retain moisture and feed the soil, the worms will take it into the ground for you, likewise grass cuttings, scatter on the soil and they will act as a mulch (retaining moisture) until they rot or the worms take them down, take your Lady to a garden center and get her to select the things she want's to eat, then add turnips, swede, jerusalem artichokes and a few more things she didn't pick, all the best and welcome, H.