any advice on planting/growing veg

Dues Bellator

hi does any 1 have any advic on growing there own veg,im starting to grow my own carrots,potetoes,tomatoes and cabbage im new to this ,but decided what the hell,cant get any fresher than grow your own veg,if this works i think i,ll move it to a larger scale thanks almanu

blackbox

Get hold of a good book.

The Vegetable Expert by D.G. Hessayon. These are a great for beginners - lots of diagrams, practical tips etc.

Ususally available in garden centres as well as bookshops.

Dizzyblonde

The one thing I can tell you about is tomatoes because I grow my own every year. Make sure you buy 'Tumbler' tomatoes, they grow in hanging baskets or containers and are the easiest to grow. There's no picking out of side shoots needed, which is tedius and difficult for a beginner. They yield lots of delicious cherry tomatoes.
If you plant them in a seed tray indoors now they'll be ready to be put out at the end of May/beginning of June.
I give most of my plants away to friends and family, 2 plants is plenty to keep. You must keep them watered every day and feed them as per instructions. Good luck.

Dues Bellator

thanks dizzy,ive got the hybrids variaty,have you any tip with this strain,will i start planting these inside now,i really apreciate the advice.

Dizzyblonde

Hi almanu, I'm not a fantastic gardener by any means but I find that if I follow the instructions on the packet it works well. Once the tomatoes are suitable for baskets and containers they're very easy to grow. I will be sowing mine this week. I'm also starting some chilli pepper seeds with a kit I got in B&Q. Chillis and bell peppers grow very well indoors and are very impressive-looking plants.

(sorry I don't know much about the different strains of tomatoes, but if they're not for baskets and containers they'll grow quite tall, have to be tied to something and will need removal of side shoots regularly - that's why I go for the easy ones! I only paid €4.95 for a pack of 22 seeds, Suttons)

kerrysgold

this is a great website to get advice on: www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine
and for seeds I've bought mind from www.brownenvelopeseeds.com but quite a lot of them never germinated.

I'm growing my own too, I've planted potatoes & turnips in the garden which are growing nicely and will be growing lettuce, tomatoes and beans in pots. might have another go at growing squash which seems to be incredibly difficult!

I'm also hoping to get some new strawberry plants and maybe some blueberries and raspberries plants as well.

oh btw, lidl is doing tomato plants this thursday: http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home_ni.nsf/pages/c.o.20080410.p.TomatoPlants

It's fun to grow your own but it's really annoying when things die or just stop growing/don't produce anything lol.

Dues Bellator

thanks dizzy, my carrots ,tomato seeds ,and i got some nice chinese cabbage seeds from lidils im going to plant tomorow,im going to try out an idea i got from jamie oliver with my potatoes he said just put some sprouting potatoes in a grow bag and they sould take,worth a try,lidils is great for plants, seeds and fruit trees,i got a cherry and an apple tree last year and they look like they will yeild this year,you really got me goind with your peppers,im definitly going to try that,have you heard any thing on the plastic green houses they have in argos,if there any good ,they have to be worth €35

pjq

Almanu,
Go for early carrots as the carrot fly can ruin later crops . Dwarf french beans ,leeks , onions from sets, mangetout peas ( no podding) and salad crops are easy and will give you heart when you have difficulties with more difficult plants . . If the garden has not grown cabbage family in the last few years you won't have root problems this year , but read up on it next year. Leeks are great for planting when the summer potatoes are out , sow seed now . Don't rush to sow everything as early as possible , when the soil warms up it will be easier on you and the seeds .
Lidl seeds are great to try out something new , as they are reasonably priced , I liked the swiss chard and salsify last year .
pjq

Dues Bellator

thanks pjq
im going up to lidils tomorrow,another user was saying peppers are a good indoor idea,im sowing chinese cabbage ,carrots, and tomatoes tomorrow,im really getting into this,what could be better for you than your own fruit and veg.

pjq

Almanu,
I had no luck with the chineese cabbage last year , I think that something ate the seedlings . But do give it a go maybe the early dry spell was last years problem.
Rocket leaves are easy and great with a salad.
pjq

Dues Bellator

i might give the rocket a go i could put them beside the cabbage,ive got a feeling im going to have a problem with slugs pj my garden is full of them.

NextSteps

Cut and come again seedlings are the most immediately satisfying, plus radishes which you can be eating in a few weeks.
As for slugss, I find nematodes (http://www.nemasysinfo.com/slugs.shtml) which you can get from Mr Middleton on Mary Street work - you just water it on. Plus nightly slug hunts with a torch, rubber gloves and a paper bag - fun in its own way. Stalking the stalkers.

NextSteps

Cut and come again seedlings are the most immediately satisfying, plus radishes which you can be eating in a few weeks.
As for slugss, I find nematodes (http://www.nemasysinfo.com/slugs.shtml) which you can get from Mr Middleton on Mary Street work - you just water it on. Plus nightly slug hunts with a torch, rubber gloves and a paper bag - fun in its own way. Stalking the stalkers.

TheHairyFairy

Great to see so many people growing their own food. Its something I have started into this year as well. Just got my new greenhouse finished, I have tomatoes, peppers, chilli's all to seedlings so far. I also have about 20 pots of basil doing well.

Just got some cabbage seeds in yesterday evening and have loads more to plant up. I've already asked for a separate forum to be set up for GYO discussion but so far it hasn't happened.

EDIT. Add your support to http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=55634082#post55634082. Otherwise if people are interested in a separate forum away from boards.ie I'll see about hosting one.

Dues Bellator

i just bought 2 slug traps in the 2 euro shop they work a treat.just pour some beer in and away you go.

Irish Gardener

almanu wrote: »

i just bought 2 slug traps in the 2 euro shop they work a treat.just pour some beer in and away you go.

Beer traps for free.
You can make them at home using old plastic drinks bottles as well.
A bit of discussion about it here...Irish garden pests, problems with slugs and snails.
Its bad enough to be wasting beer on the buggers.

Dues Bellator

lol i know, little buggers, there everywere in my back, the drinks bottles are a great idea, the mother in law uses them, 2 euro u cant go wrong, i,ll use the drinks bottles in the bushes, i must have got 50 or 60 of the little hearth breakers last night.

bauderline

A few questions for those in the know, I am building a new house at the moment on a large 2 acre site, so space isn't a problem. I want to draw up some sort of landscaping plan so that I can get the builder to do as much of this work along with the site work as its much cheaper than to bring someone else in later to do it.

What would be a reasonable size to allocate for a vegetable plot for a family of four ? I am think of growing the a good selection of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, beetroot, cauliflower and similar.

I would also like to setup a raised bricked in herb garden somwhere close to the kitchen, what sort of size should this be (2m x 2m I guess) ? Where can I get a good list of varieties of herbs to plant in it ?

What about mushrooms ? Is it easy to grow these fellas ? Where can you get starter kits for them ?

I know these questions are a little out of left field but I would value any of your opinions, just shoot !

Thanks in advance ! Baud.

Aeneas

bauderline wrote: »

A few questions for those in the know, I am building a new house at the moment on a large 2 acre site, so space isn't a problem. I want to draw up some sort of landscaping plan so that I can get the builder to do as much of this work along with the site work as its much cheaper than to bring someone else in later to do it.

What would be a reasonable size to allocate for a vegetable plot for a family of four ? I am think of growing the a good selection of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, beetroot, cauliflower and similar.

I would also like to setup a raised bricked in herb garden somwhere close to the kitchen, what sort of size should this be (2m x 2m I guess) ? Where can I get a good list of varieties of herbs to plant in it ?

What about mushrooms ? Is it easy to grow these fellas ? Where can you get starter kits for them ?

I know these questions are a little out of left field but I would value any of your opinions, just shoot !

Thanks in advance ! Baud.

It's always difficult to give advice on recommended size for vegetable areas. Depends on so many variables
- do you want to be as self-sufficient as possible with year round supply, or alternatively do you simply want fresh veg during the summer/autumn
- do you want to grow potatoes. These take up quite a lot of space and you need three plots for rotation (two of the plots can of course be used for something else when not growing potatoes)
- do you want to grow tree fruits - apples, plums, pears.
In my own case the answer to all the above is yes and I have allocated a site 60m by 20m which includes paths; raised beds for veg; potato area; apple trees (5), pear trees (2), plum (1); polytunnel (4m x 7m); herb patch; soft fruit beds (raspberry, gooseberry, black and red currants); compost bins, cold frames.
Joy Larkcom in Grow Your Own Vegetables recommends a site 5m by 9m for a vegetable only garden for a family. This is for an intensively grown programme in raised beds and includes early potatoes.

bauderline

Thanks, gives me some idea at least and I can do a bit of planning !


Anyone got an information on mushroom growing ?

b.

joseph brand

I grew some veg last year. Garden Peas and potatoes. First time and successful.
The peas were almost illuminous, and juicy.
I have scallions and garlic out now. The scallions are huge, and flowering soon, (bees love the flowers, and I love bees). Cant see the garlic, they're underground.

See here for my scallion pics:



One pic shows a pot behind the scallions containing garlic.

Strawberry plant not doin too well. Any tips? Itsin a pot.

hairymolly

bauderline wrote: »

What about mushrooms ? Is it easy to grow these fellas ? Where can you get starter kits for them ?

Recently lidl had starter mushroom kits, check out your local.

Minder

joseph brand wrote: »

Strawberry plant not doin too well. Any tips? Itsin a pot.

Not doing too well? What is wrong with it? Is the pot too small? Slide it out of the pot and see if it is root bound, if so, trade up a couple of pot sizes. What soil type is it planted in? Do you need to feed it with a fertiliser - a liquid feed. Is it constantly in shade?

I followed a tip from Jamie Oliver and planted a load of strawberries in hanging baskets. Keeps the slugs away. Not sure I have the appropriate size baskets, probably could do with bigger. The runners they send out have nowhere to go - a shallow basket with a big surface area is what is needed, I think.

bbam

Minder wrote: »

a shallow basket with a big surface area is what is needed, I think.

Be careful, if the bulk of the fill is not enough you will be a slave to the watering all summer...
You only need to worry about the runners if you want to propagate more plants for next season...