grow your own

sajid.ahmed

hi guys i am impress by this slogan that grow your own they say its healthy cheap and keep u busy.i want to start that i have no experience what so ever with guarding any idea where should i start what is best time for tomato latice chili paper or all other vegetables i can grow thanks

vicwatson

Please punctuate !!

https://www.quickcrop.ie/

Oldtree

sajid.ahmed wrote: »

hi guys i am impress by this slogan that grow your own they say its healthy cheap and keep u busy.i want to start that i have no experience what so ever with guarding any idea where should i start what is best time for tomato latice chili paper or all other vegetables i can grow thanks

start with seeds in spring, maby around feburary time with tomatoes and then look at the packet instructions for other things you would like to grow for their start time. Don't over do it and just start with what you think you can manage and would like to eat. tomatoes, peas, onions and potatoes are easy ones to start with. good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions here

sajid.ahmed

Oldtree wrote: »

start with seeds in spring, maby around feburary time with tomatoes and then look at the packet instructions for other things you would like to grow for their start time. Don't over do it and just start with what you think you can manage and would like to eat. tomatoes, peas, onions and potatoes are easy ones to start with. good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions here

thanks very much really appreciated i will be in touch nothing i can do now just wait till feb/march

yellowlabrador

This is the idela time to get he ground prepared. Dig it over and add manure and compost so it can break down over winter. Decide whether you want to plant in open ground or in raised beds. They too would need building and preparing. And do lots of reading over the winter.

redser7

Sajid, you can plant onion sets and garlic cloves soon. These will grow over winter and be harvested next summer. Look in garden centres, b&q, woodies for onion sets and garlic suitable to plant for over wintering.

Keeks

you can try growing some herbs or lettuce during the winter on window sill. There are plenty of varieties that can be grown this way. It will give you some practice in sowing seeds/propagation/potting on etc before the main growing season starts in feb/mar

sajid.ahmed

yellowlabrador wrote: »

This is the idela time to get he ground prepared. Dig it over and add manure and compost so it can break down over winter. Decide whether you want to plant in open ground or in raised beds. They too would need building and preparing. And do lots of reading over the winter.

i only have back garden for it i am not big farmer though what u recon open ground, raised beds

Supercell

You could still plant lettuce and pak choi in a sunny spot and get some fresh veg. Other than that I'd just dig over the soil, fertilise and buy too many seed packets
Don't worry too much about planting too much next year, its all a learning experience. Some things will grow great others won't. You'll learn about the damp and dry places in the garden as well which has the best soil.
Every year you'll get better and better, at least that's my experience the last few years.
Best of luck!

yellowlabrador

You can also grow things in pots and growbags. I've runner beans chillies and strawberries in pots. It all depends on the layout of your garden and your priorities. Raised beds can be a nice feature in a backgarden. I'd go to the library and look through lots of gardening books and see what style you like.

sajid.ahmed

Oldtree wrote: »

start with seeds in spring, maby around feburary time with tomatoes and then look at the packet instructions for other things you would like to grow for their start time. Don't over do it and just start with what you think you can manage and would like to eat. tomatoes, peas, onions and potatoes are easy ones to start with. good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions here

hi spring is here what should i do now i sow some seeds in shed but nothing happen yet probably sow wrong way any any advice where can get small plants for flower and veg cheap please

looksee

Your seed trays in the shed need to be covered, and depending on what you have sown they might need a bit of heat. Maybe you would be better to have them on a window ledge in the house. Certainly as soon as they start to germinate they will need to be in a light place. What have you sowed? When did you sow them?

It still a little bit early for putting in most plants, and some vegetables, especially root veg would be sown directly into the ground where they are to grow. Have you prepared any beds in the garden yet?

We need a clearer idea of what you want to grow in order to make any useful suggestions.

Oldtree

I started my tomatoes off in a propagator to give the seeds bottom heat to get off to an early start, the plants are now on a south facing window above a radiator.

I sowed sweep pea, beetroot, leeks, a few weeks back under a frost fleece tunnel in the poly tunnel and they have popped up. I am still waiting for parsnip.

You need to buy this book (or something like it) to give you an idea of the details for growing vegs as otherwise you will be disappointed: nothing wrong with second hand books and this was the cheapest one I could find quickly @ 1 euro plus postage. Your local library will have a copy too. Geoff gives very good advice and in a practical way. I still refer to this book, as an example when I first grew tomatoes I did not know where the flowers would come from an this book had a picture of tomato flowers.

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Gardeners-World-Practical-Gardening-Course-Gardeners-World-Geoff-Hamilton-/191053945140?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item2c7bb3d934

Gambas

sajid.ahmed wrote: »

hi guys i am impress by this slogan that grow your own they say its healthy cheap and keep u busy.i want to start that i have no experience what so ever with guarding any idea where should i start what is best time for tomato latice chili paper or all other vegetables i can grow thanks

You won't save money by growing your own, but all the other pluses more than make up for that.

redser7

Gambas wrote: »

You won't save money by growing your own, but all the other pluses more than make up for that.

I hear that all the time and wonder what people are doing to lose money growing their own. I save a bomb growing my own. And it's good quality organic produce to boot.

Oldtree

What I grow in onions pays for all my seeds, sets and seed spuds, the rest is top quality organic "cant got the same taste in the shops" stuff, and the cherry tomatoes never make it in from the tunnel as the kids eat them soon as they are ripe.

sajid.ahmed

looksee wrote: »

Your seed trays in the shed need to be covered, and depending on what you have sown they might need a bit of heat. Maybe you would be better to have them on a window ledge in the house. Certainly as soon as they start to germinate they will need to be in a light place. What have you sowed? When did you sow them?

It still a little bit early for putting in most plants, and some vegetables, especially root veg would be sown directly into the ground where they are to grow. Have you prepared any beds in the garden yet?

We need a clearer idea of what you want to grow in order to make any useful suggestions.

thanks for answer in detail i have sown seed of tomato radish cucumber corgets papers lettuce spring onion and many flowers but i think i lost all of them yes i kept them in shed how can cover them if sow them again and how can provide heat wife wont let put in house beside window i mix half soil half compose but i did some thing wrong anyway but i can start again if get some good advice thanks again

Gambas

redser7 wrote: »

I hear that all the time and wonder what people are doing to lose money growing their own. I save a bomb growing my own. And it's good quality organic produce to boot.

Seasonal veg is very cheap in the supermarkets. Unless your prepared to have a fairly large veg garden and be selective about what you grow it doesn't pay IMO.

Take butterhead lettuce grown in a growbag for example, sells at approx 60c a head.

Packet of seed = €3
Growbag = €4

You need to get over 12 heads in the growbag to break even. That's before you take into account the cost of the trowel/fork, watering can, feed (if you're using any), cloche, pest control etc... Every additional head saves you a mere 60 cents.

On a larger size, sure you can produce a heap of turnip (or swede if you prefer) for little cost if you have the space, but it's not really saving you anything because it is very unlikely you'd buy 30 turnips or 200 beetroot per year. What we'd eat (maybe two or three turnips per year) wouldn't cover the cost of the seed. Likewise cabbage.

I get a decent return on tomatoes and onions, spuds, parsnips etc. but they are cheap in the shops. A bag of seed potatoes is as expensive as a 25kg bag of spuds by the time you're lifting them. Carrots are totally uneconomical on a small scale IMO.

Off the top of my head french beans and raspberries are the only thing I've really saved a lot on.

If you're prepared to eat nothing other than what you grow yourself, you're not really replacing like with like, but it is the only way to make it cost effective. If you're still going to buy the likes of peppers and tomatoes 8 months of the year, and other veg out of season then your scope for cutting cost is very low. Add your overheads that are usually conveniently ignored by all of us and you are probably not going to get back into the black.

But.. as far as I am concerned, that is not important. It won't damage your bank balance to any great degree, and the positive return in terms of a sense of fulfillment and health is huge.

Oldtree

got packets of seeds for €1 this year. I only grow what I can mange easily as it is a hobby and I want to enjoy it and the fruits of my labour (exercise). Self-sufficiency is very hard work and requires at least 4 acres and 24/7 dedication, not really practical if the kids need college.

jpb14

My garlic is ready to go out,Grew it in seed trays,just transfered them into cold frames,and then soon to be planted into the soil once weather temps rise and weather stabalizes a bit more.Got a great crop lat year even with the shyte weather.
Spuds are chitting away nicely on the worktop in the shed.have them sat in egg cartyons by the shed window,again soon to go into the ground

My Potatoes

redser7 wrote: »

I hear that all the time and wonder what people are doing to lose money growing their own. I save a bomb growing my own. And it's good quality organic produce to boot.

It depends on what is being grown, the quantities, the diversity, the timing, where it is being grown, what equipment is required, et cetera.
An extreme example would be mushrooms. Which magazine did a test on this a few years ago. It cost roughly ten times to grow your own mushrooms using a kit than it does to buy them in the grocers.

Both statements need to be qualified.

Most inexperienced gardeners that are growing vegetables for the first time will find it expensive and is part of the reason the GIY/GYO movement is loosing traction.

My Potatoes

sajid.ahmed wrote: »

hi guys i am impress by this slogan that grow your own they say its healthy cheap and keep u busy.i want to start that i have no experience what so ever with guarding any idea where should i start what is best time for tomato latice chili paper or all other vegetables i can grow thanks

The best piece of advice I can give you is to grow what you eat regularly. Many people may recommend beetroot but if you never or rarely actually buy it and eat it yourself, then you're wasting your time, money, et cetera.

jpb14

Gambas wrote: »

Seasonal veg is very cheap in the supermarkets. Unless your prepared to have a fairly large veg garden and be selective about what you grow it doesn't pay IMO.

Take butterhead lettuce grown in a growbag for example, sells at approx 60c a head.

Packet of seed = €3
Growbag = €4

You need to get over 12 heads in the growbag to break even. That's before you take into account the cost of the trowel/fork, watering can, feed (if you're using any), cloche, pest control etc... Every additional head saves you a mere 60 cents.

On a larger size, sure you can produce a heap of turnip (or swede if you prefer) for little cost if you have the space, but it's not really saving you anything because it is very unlikely you'd buy 30 turnips or 200 beetroot per year. What we'd eat (maybe two or three turnips per year) wouldn't cover the cost of the seed. Likewise cabbage.

I get a decent return on tomatoes and onions, spuds, parsnips etc. but they are cheap in the shops. A bag of seed potatoes is as expensive as a 25kg bag of spuds by the time you're lifting them. Carrots are totally uneconomical on a small scale IMO.

Off the top of my head french beans and raspberries are the only thing I've really saved a lot on.

If you're prepared to eat nothing other than what you grow yourself, you're not really replacing like with like, but it is the only way to make it cost effective. If you're still going to buy the likes of peppers and tomatoes 8 months of the year, and other veg out of season then your scope for cutting cost is very low. Add your overheads that are usually conveniently ignored by all of us and you are probably not going to get back into the black.

But.. as far as I am concerned, that is not important. It won't damage your bank balance to any great degree, and the positive return in terms of a sense of fulfillment and health is huge.

People tend to get enjoyment too from growing their own and eating their home grown fruit and veg.You dont need a large space at all,you can grow fruit and veg on a balcony or in windowsill pots.Space doesnt matter if you really want to grow your own.I do it for the enjoyment of it.Enjoyment and health would be some of the main reasons for people growing their own,as at least they know where it came from and how it grew too.

Happyman42

Oldtree wrote: »

What I grow in onions pays for all my seeds, sets and seed spuds, the rest is top quality organic "cant got the same taste in the shops" stuff, and the cherry tomatoes never make it in from the tunnel as the kids eat them soon as they are ripe.

What kind of yield do you get from your onions (how far apart are they?). I must be doing it wrong...would love to grow huge quantities and not have to buy any.

Oldtree

sajid.ahmed wrote: »

thanks for answer in detail i have sown seed of tomato radish cucumber corgets papers lettuce spring onion and many flowers but i think i lost all of them yes i kept them in shed how can cover them if sow them again and how can provide heat wife wont let put in house beside window i mix half soil half compose but i did some thing wrong anyway but i can start again if get some good advice thanks again

If your wife wont let you do seeds in the house then it would be better to wait until later in the year as is too cold outside to to start seeds without protection like cold frame/polytunnel/frost fleece. You could spent the interm time reading the book I mentioned above. Do not expect to be an instant expert and have modest aims.

Oldtree

Happyman42 wrote: »

What kind of yield do you get from your onions (how far apart are they?). I must be doing it wrong...would love to grow huge quantities and not have to buy any.

Most of the sets come through and I grow about 3 packets about 10 cm apart in either direction (but I initially dug deep raised beds and they get compost and chicken manure every year) very close i know but the wind knocked the stalks last year so am going to use a windbreak this year and plant a little deeper. I don't pull out weeds just cut them so as not to disturb the onion roots. 1 packet is planted closer still to give me smaller onions for the cheese sandwiches. Have just run out this year but my yield was smaller than usual last year due to the stalks breaking early . I only harvest when the stalks go over a bit and the slugs start to take an interest in the stalks, drying them in the pollytunnel after stalk removal and have turnip bags for storage in the kitchen where I can keep and eye on them for mould or sprouters.

Happyman42

that figures...I was giving them much more space. Will try closer this year.

My dad would, at a certain point, actually knock the stalks over (I remember him doing it) and then leave them in the ground for another while, had something to do with letting the onion swell I think. Is this a good idea?

looksee

Sajid, you have a huge range of seeds there that require quite a wide range of care. Tomatoes, cucumber and peppers would be better grown under some sort of protection, depending on what sort of a summer we get. You will get very poor yields if we do not get some sun. Lettuce and radishes are best grown fast later in the year - lettuce may well grow, but if it grows cold or slowly the quality may not be great.

As Oldtree says, you really need to do a bit of reading on the subject. If you cannot start seeds in the house or another slightly warm place, you would be better to just grow things that are more suitable to this climate. I think from your list you are trying to grow plants that would be more suited to a warmer/ mediterranean climate.

Oldtree

Happyman42 wrote: »

that figures...I was giving them much more space. Will try closer this year.

My dad would, at a certain point, actually knock the stalks over (I remember him doing it) and then leave them in the ground for another while, had something to do with letting the onion swell I think. Is this a good idea?

I don't know, I'm not sure if damaging the plant would increase its growth potential as it would need to have its stalk functioning to get the root bulb to absorb more. I may be wrong. Once the stalks go over I pull them and cut the stalks off and put them in the pt as it is getting late in the season and moulds are a worry. Going to plant 2-3 cm down this year.

Sgt Pepper 64

sajid.ahmed wrote: »

hi guys i am impress by this slogan that grow your own they say its healthy cheap and keep u busy.i want to start that i have no experience what so ever with guarding any idea where should i start what is best time for tomato latice chili paper or all other vegetables i can grow thanks

Dealz have this for €1.49
great way to start


An easy way to experiment with growing your own vegetables. The pack contains seeds, propagator and compost. Choose from 7 varieties including lettuce, tomato, spring onion, cauliflower or herb. - See more at: http://www.dealz.ie/home-and-garden/gardening/bulbs-and-seeds/vegetable-seed-starter-kit-z#sthash.9MA4DV07.dpuf

and

Vegetable Seed Mats 3 Pack

This 3 pack of vegetable seed discs is a simple way to plant. The discs are pre seeded and easy to use. Choose from tomato and chilli or herb collection.
- See more at: http://www.dealz.ie/home-and-garden/gardening/bulbs-and-seeds/vegetable-seed-mats-3-packz#sthash.s61jbbtR.dpuf

My Potatoes

Happyman42 wrote: »

My dad would, at a certain point, actually knock the stalks over (I remember him doing it) and then leave them in the ground for another while, had something to do with letting the onion swell I think. Is this a good idea?

This was common practice 'til recent years. I can't recall why it was done. However, it's no longer done as it can cause neck rot.