What are you growing?

[Woody girl]

I've managed to get looffa seeds and they are now gently nesting in compost filled pots, and I'm awaiting the first shoots to appear.
I've wanted to grow them for years. Let's hope I get a good crop. They need a long growing time, so it's a long time to wait until I get my sponges, but I will hopefully have loads of seeds next year. They worked out a pound a seed! So are very precious!

 

[punkrockcaveman]

My first spuds are in, getting a fair watering today though!

 

[FerlasDave]

I’m a bit behind this year, and I tried a lot of things last year but our garden spends most of the day in the shade so it’s difficult to plant so I’m having a rethink this time. Carrots are off the agenda, never had any luck with them. I think onions, leeks, lettuce and beetroot seem ok in the shady bed. Going to get the runner beans again mostly because I like the look of the flowers! And then tomatoes and courgettes grow well up near the workshop, the tomatoes usually have marigold underneath them or radish if there’s room. The herb bed looks a bit empty at the moment but it will get there once the weather improves, fortunately we’ve had a few thick frosts for a change which is quite rare here as we live on an estuary, but that should help with the slug situation which was at an all time high last year!

 

[Broch]

I'm behind too. The raised beds I put in ten years ago now need rebuilding (the veg patch is on a south facing steep slope so is terraced). I've got all the sleepers etc. but the ground's too wet to use a digger on so It'll be another couple of weeks before I get the groundwork done. The tricky bit will be keeping the topsoil on top!

 

[Woody girl]

Well, my first packet of looffa seeds did absolutely nothing. A waste if £6 for 6 seeds.
But I got some from Suttons in the end , and they have germinated, cheaper, with 15 seeds in the packet more than the ones got off the Internet.
Do not buy seeds from an unknown supplier! Lesson learned.
Of course they need warm temperatures and just as they poke through in the nice sunny weather we had recently, it starts to snow!
So they are back indoors and sitting next to the radiator for warmth and safety.
Anyone else trying something completely different or exotic?
My idea is to grow my own sponges so I don't have to buy wasteful and ecologically damaging scourers and sponges . These can be composted at the end of their lives.
I bought some loofa washing up pads in a pop up market last summer, and am very impressed with the performance and long livity of it, even able to bleach it regularly .but at £5 each Ow!
Growing my own looks like I may even have the start of my own business!

 

[Kadushu]

I've got quite a lot queued up. So far only shallots, onions, swede, carrot and broad beans have gone in the ground but I'm still harvesting leeks and broccoli from last year.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Well I've been pretty neglectful of the garden, but I got my back side in gear to try and get something out of the rest of the growing year.

So I've but some beast work in turning and churning the compost bin, pulled out a good 25L of good sweet smelling compost and the rest has had a good turn and a wet (it was too dry- full of ants!) Plenty of small red worms though so that's a good sign. Used a little bit of molasses in the wetting as apparently its a good kick-start for the compost and I've got 2L of the stuff just hanging around.

I've planted some chard, radishes, carrots and french dwarf beans too, and I've atleast looked after the potatoes and strawberries. I've made a quick planter from pallet wood for the carrots, and filled it with compost.

I'm planning to move and double up one of the raised beds to get a better growing depth and so I can pile a load of horse muck in there to make the soil way better.

 

[Woody girl]

Luffa... total disaster. No plants survived, despite careful attention.
Too late now for another try. Have a few seeds left, am hoping they will still be viable next spring.
Such a disappointment. That's gardening tho for you.

 

[Kadushu]

I've got 3 types of cabbage, kohl rabi, purple sprouting and romanesco broccoli all growing well. Lots of strawberries and a bumper crop of gooseberries. First time growing swedes but they look healthy. 2 types of onion and 2 types of shallot are looking good. My leeks are still small but ok. The chard is romping away, as are the potatoes and parsnips. Zero germination from my carrots so I've sown another lot. Loads of big heads on my lettuce, they'll probably start bolting before I eat them all.





In tubs I have 4 types of tomato and 2 kinds of cucumber growing well but maybe a bit behind due to the cold weather. The carrots I sowed in tubs all germinated so they'll be a decent backup if the ones in the ground fail a second time. I have a lot of sweet and chilli peppers but they are very small thanks to the weather and I'm really not holding my breath for much from them. I've got about 30 squashes to plant out yet.... Feeling kinda burnt out with gardening.

 

[Paul_B]

We are mostly growing weeds. A new garden came with a new house. Previous owner passed away suddenly so it's been a long time without his exce gardening skills. We are still in the recovery stage of gardening. About 30 tip visits so far plus 3 months of green waste collections.

We do have a greenhouse with herbs, tomatoes and a courgette growing. I'm at the stage of nipping out the side shoots, watering heavily and watching the flowers come out as the plant grows higher. The tomatoes and courgette plants were a gift from a parents and their friends who know us too. One tomatoe plant could be a cherry that needs treating differently but nobody knows so we've been treating like a normal tomato plant.

We're also debating where would be a good veg plot. Half the garden is tree cover with a modest triangle that gets some reasonable growing sunlight. The other area is in the more ornamental garden. It's going to be a big compromise between good growing or good looking garden. BTW our garden is in two halves. Lower is ornamental the upper is wildlife. Split by a fence line.

Decent size but nowhere lends itself well to food growing that love the OPs front veg garden. We've got a lawn out front that could make a good veg patch. Just do we have the confidence to go against the flow of nice lawn and borders all neighbours have.

 

[Forest fella]

Carrots spring Onions and more down hearted .''lol''

 

[forrestdweller]

i don't have a place of my own but currently i'm dogsitting/ caretaking two friend's properties (adjoining, ca. 1000sqm each) which have:
lime trees (currently first harvest)
curcuma
sweet potato +malanga (a plant producing starchy tubers, i presume related to taro)
platano
climbing beans
we recently harvested a load of tomatoes (which are finished by now)
ginger
lemon grass + citronella grass
"spinach tree"(no idea what real name is)
coconut palm babies (sown last year)
painapples
pawpaws (papayas for non-Aussies)
aloe
my two ocra plants got knocked over by a freak storm yesterday :'(
various other attempts which were so far unsuccessful due to tropical climate not suitable for them...

 

[Forest fella]

What great compost you'd have ''lol''

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Tonight's job was to improve the raised bed in the front by raising it further and removing some of the clay soil ready for a load of horse muck hopefully tomorrow. I removed the old corner posts and sure the boards up with hazel stakes, it was nice to break out the axe and use a method that didn't require an electric driver!

I also planted some lettuce seeds

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Can anyone recommend a dwarf fruit tree supplier? Preferable if they sell decent veg seeds too

 

[Woody girl]

Planted some radishes and spring onions in the space left after harvesting several lettuce.
I'm trying to help a lady establish a veg garden, gave her my last unplanted courgette to plant, and she buried it leaves and all. I couldn't believe it! She thought it was a tuber and needed to be completely buried.!!!!!!
Face palm emoji.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Planted some radishes and spring onions in the space left after harvesting several lettuce.
I'm trying to help a lady establish a veg garden, gave her my last unplanted courgette to plant, and she buried it leaves and all. I couldn't believe it! She thought it was a tuber and needed to be completely buried.!!!!!!
Face palm emoji.

Amazing although I can't talk. I think I'm a bit backwards when it comes to gardening.... but I'm trying

 

[Duggie Bravo]

I’m trying to grow grass, seems the weeds are flourishing though


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[Fusty]

Tomatos, courgettes, broccoli, potatoes, peas, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, apples, spring onions, and leeks.

All in a plot smaller than a DD XL tarp.

This year we are running at least a month behind, they plants just sat there and did nothing.

 

[punkrockcaveman]

Purchased 3 trees online from John Bowers, all miniature dwarf, an apple (self fertile) a pear and a plum. Need some huge pots now!