Wednesday 1 May 2013

A wish for warm weather!

I don't want much do I :) This post is all about gardening or specifically veggie gardening. We (well me really as Matt doesn't garden) have decided that this is the year we start veggie gardening properly. We've had half hearted attempts with herbs, tomatoes and potatoes before and they mainly worked out but this year I decided to have a big push on veggies. Our gardens (front and back) aren't big but with the use of pots/hanging baskets/various found containers I think we could get a good yield if the weather co-operates!



We are mainly growing in pots this year as we may have to dig up our front garden to add a new overflow pipe from the cellar but that's only if the companies we have contacted to do the work actually get back to us *end rant* Garlic and onions are doing well so far.




We do have some things in the ground though including a brand new rhubarb plant, a gooseberry bush that looks more like a dead twig and a tayberry bush which is looking good so far. And it's only when I look at these pictures that I realise how stony my front garden really is!



Tara and I decided to plant some seeds straight outside and see what happened - these are beetroot and radish. Tara is especially excited about the radishes as she eats them for England!




I also potted a load of seeds that I hope will sprout inside and then they can be transferred to pots etc outside. Notice the recycled pots (I've been saving them for months!) We do have a greenhouse but because of the awful weather, we have managed to put the sides together but haven't yet put it up. We need it dry and warm enough for the concrete to set so I'm sure it will be up and ready for next year :) The things  we are growing here include runner beans, basil, celery, strawberries, leeks, courgette, carrots, spinach and pea!

Do you garden? What works well where you live? Any tips for a novice gardener?

3 comments:

joy said...

Home grown vegetables are just the very best thing.
My tips are 1) enjoy the process, 2) dont be upset if some things dont work, 3) enjoy the produce.
Some things will work and others wont, you'll find out as you go along, the main thing is that you've started, and I can guarantee that now you will be hooked for life.
Joy xx

WendyCarole said...

We have been allotmenting for 3 years now and every year has been different mainly due to the weather. Everything is late this year because it has been so cold. I have photos from the first week of May last year which include big fat radishes. This year they have hardly grown so far.

We have learnt to accept that sometimes things grow and some times they don't. Half our potatoes failed last year due to some little wormy thing. The year before we had loads.

The main thing is to enjoy doing it and then eating the results.

louisa said...

Joy & WendyCarole have already said what I was going to say: enjoy the process and don't feel defeated if things fail. It annoys me that I can't grow either chillis or peppers here but after trying a few different things, I've realised it's better to use my energy/precious growing space for things that will work. Root veg doesn't grow terribly well here either (also very stony!) but we usually do ok with courgettes, various beans, leafy things in containers and tomatoes in the greenhouse.

Are you growing any cut-and-come-again type salad leaves (in addition to the spinach)? They're one of my favourite things to grow (slugs permitting) because they grow quickly without much effort, keep on giving for weeks and taste so much nicer than the expensive bagged stuff at the supermarket.