Grow Your Own Needs Your Tips

[armadillo]

I agree re. courgettes- they produce loads of tasty food, and are expensive to buy. Gooseberries are great too- a small bush produces lots, they freeze well and are so very delicious!
This year I've planted blue sweetcorn- not sure how it's going to taste but apparently it's good for popping. Might be the heritage variety 'black aztec'

[wellie]

Stick a short bamboo cane in at a 45 degree angle in front of your Courgette plant, and train the plant stem to it, tying it in at intervals. This makes picking your courgettes much easier, you avoid getting scratched by the foliage when you harvest the fruits, and it allows more air to circulate around the plant itself, where powdery mildew is an annual problem.

[Cloud]

My favourite is New Potatoes and the best variety is Epicure taste bloomin marvelous.

[SMS6]

I'm sure this will seem a very basic tip and raise a few eyebrows and perhaps if they're reading the GYO then that's a start.

It's just that I read some of the questions on here and I find myself wondering why when people decide to grow their own vegetable they don't seem to have considered learning the basics first. Surely the first thing to do is buy (or borrow) a basic Gardening Book.

I never start any new hobby or venture without a little research first.

Is it just me? Am I an oddity?

[crichmond]

Has it occured to you that asking questions on here could also be classed as doing research?

[Starchild]

When growing tomatoes, put a banana skin at the base just under the soil. tomatoes love it.

[SMS6]

Has it occured to you that asking questions on here could also be classed as doing research?

Yes and I do it myself but that doesn't mean it is a complete replacement for a good gardening book and many of us have already started gardening before we even googled our way here

I guess if you're an allotment gardener you'd also have your fellow growers to consult

[Herbgardener]

And still no promised voucher or response to enquiries :-(

Come on grow your own, live up to your promises !

[The Doctor]

I received a very nice PM from Sara Cork back in May and was asked to confirm by email that I was happy for my tip to be published, and to provide an address that the voucher could be sent to.

All of which I did, and I had a reply saying look out for my name in the July issue.

Needless to say, I bought the July issue, my tip didn't appear and neither has the promised voucher so I guess the editor had other ideas!!

[carlseawolf]

Mine has got to be garlic as this was the first crop i put into my allotment.

Tip wise ,it's easy to grow and requires no compost or manure to be added , the crop is labour free apart from weeding there is very little watering or crop care.

It grows at a time of year when little else is in the ground so does not take up valuable growing space in the summer.

When harvested it can be used straight away or dried and last along time if kept properly and produces cloves to plant the following year so there is no need to buy any more plants.

The garlic will learn to adapt to your growing conditions and produce a better crop each year , i'm on my second harvest of 80 bulbs from the original bulbs from tesco ( 10 for 1.50 ) from 2 years ago and the bulbs look better this year than last.

[The Doctor]

UPDATED TO EAT A LARGE DOSE OF HUMBLE PIE!!!

I knew it. I had the audacity to post what I did above, and guess what arrived on Saturday in the post?????

£10 T&M voucher with a catalogue. Many thanks and apologies to all involved for doubting you!

Now I just need to sort out what to use it on!

[TinyT]

Cassette tape

For scaring the pigeons. When it is tied up across crops, the tape twists away in the wind and the shiny side of the tape gives off a reflection (similar to CD's) with a rippled movement to confuse the birds. I find quite a few people still have a stack of D90's hiding away in a loft somewhere gathering dust and are happy for you take them off their hands.