Off Topic Thread 4.0

Synode

We were talking about growing a few bits in the garden we're renting in. Any recommendations on what to grow for complete beginners?

OldRio

Synode wrote: »

We were talking about growing a few bits in the garden we're renting in. Any recommendations on what to grow for complete beginners?

Quick green vegs would be Spinach, Chard Kale Rocket and Lettuce. Some varieties of Peas grow to maturity pretty fast.
Carrots are fairly easy.
Grow what you enjoy to eat.

Former Former

Apparently courgettes are easy to grow and give you a good yield from a small patch of ground or a pot

OldRio

Former Former wrote: »

Apparently courgettes are easy to grow and give you a good yield from a small patch of ground or a pot

Only grow a couple of plants. The yield is amazing and you can preserve them in various chutneys but don't grow more than two plants.

ionadnapokot

Onions
perfect for this time of year

awec

Former Former wrote: »

Apparently courgettes are easy to grow and give you a good yield from a small patch of ground or a pot

Pity they’re awful to eat.

molloyjh

OldRio wrote: »

Quick green vegs would be Spinach, Chard Kale Rocket and Lettuce. Some varieties of Peas grow to maturity pretty fast.
Carrots are fairly easy.
Grow what you enjoy to eat.

What's the yield like from carrots? Looking into doing some planting if I can. Got a Click And Grow for herbs at the start of the year so looking at veg in the garden. Dont have a huge amount of space, but could prob get a couple of those cold frames and maybe the grow bags. No idea how much use the latter are though.

molloyjh

On a positive note I got the pizza oven up and running! The best bit about it so far is how it crisps up prosciutto. Absolutely amazing bits of smoky bacon on each one. Delish.

OldRio

ionadnapokot wrote: »

Onions
perfect for this time of year

Garlic as well. Very easy to grow and for some reason they always do well. Buy some shop bought garlic. Divide the bulb into individual cloves and plant.

Just a caveat about all seedlings at this time of year. Only plant out when the risk of frost has passed

OldRio

molloyjh wrote: »

What's the yield like from carrots? Looking into doing some planting if I can. Got a Click And Grow for herbs at the start of the year so looking at veg in the garden. Dont have a huge amount of space, but could prob get a couple of those cold frames and maybe the grow bags. No idea how much use the latter are though.

Carrots take space and require planting the seeds straight into the ground. In other words they don't like being transplanted. They also require thinning.

Grow bags will work for tomatoes and cucumbers at a push. But only grow the outdoor variety. They will also require feed. Liquid seaweed is good.

molloyjh

OldRio wrote: »

Carrots take space and require planting the seeds straight into the ground. In other words they don't like being transplanted. They also require thinning.

Grow bags will work for tomatoes and cucumbers at a push. But only grow the outdoor variety. They will also require feed. Liquid seaweed is good.

Yeah, carrots are a big win in my house. Both my wife and daughter eat them raw as a snack. Would love to have them readily available but figured we'd need a decent amount of space to get a yield worth a damn. Might not be feasible in our garden if we want to grow other stuff too.

Might look at the growbags for tomatoes anyway. Cheers.

We grow all year around - have a few herb / veg beds in the garden and then from Feb / March to October we have all the indoor window sills full of trays.

The easiest herb to grow in my opinion is basil. Indoors or out it requires little care, doesn't need great light and is harvest-able from 3-4 weeks after seed (albeit you get vastly more if you leave it grow).

After that the herbs I'd recommend would be oregano, thyme and rosemary. These will continue to produce during the winter albeit their growth will slow. Bay leaf is another good one for year around growth and it can be left out doors. Sage and Tarragon are easy to grow and can be planted now. Spinach, rocket, chive will all grow well if planted now. Try and put more acidic herbs like thyme and rosemary around the leafier ones as they act as a natural barricade to slugs / snails. Corriander is a little harder to grow - it needs good quality direct light and it needs to get most of the days worth or it will bolt.

We have potatoes and carrots in grow sacks at the moment and have given them their final top off. Would expect to be pulling them early mid august. I also have a chilli pepper plant I grew last year and kept alive during the winter. It's really thriving again now so will have fresh chilli's for the summer.

We've most of the above well into their growing so all the meals I'm making are flavored primarily from the garden.

molloyjh

We did set up a small patch the year before last for herbs. Rosemary and thyme are both still going strong. Hardy feckers the pair of them. Put in some mint then last year and it took off. The little one loves it. Will leave that patch as-is because it's been a great success. Have a grape vine in too which is starting to come good.

I use the Click And Grow for basil and coriander mainly. Have a tomato plant in it at the moment as well which is going better than I expected, but it's still small. We have a couple of pots for strawberries then too.

I tried rocket but found it needed a lot of attention and we just dont get enough use out of it in our house. Oregano is easy, but again we just dont use enough of it. Which I was surprised at. I always thought we would get the use from that one.

molloyjh

Deleted User wrote: »

We grow all year around - have a few herb / veg beds in the garden and then from Feb / March to October we have all the indoor window sills full of trays.

The easiest herb to grow in my opinion is basil. Indoors or out it requires little care, doesn't need great light and is harvest-able from 3-4 weeks after seed (albeit you get vastly more if you leave it grow).

After that the herbs I'd recommend would be oregano, thyme and rosemary. These will continue to produce during the winter albeit their growth will slow. Bay leaf is another good one for year around growth and it can be left out doors. Sage and Tarragon are easy to grow and can be planted now. Spinach, rocket, chive will all grow well if planted now. Try and put more acidic herbs like thyme and rosemary around the leafier ones as they act as a natural barricade to slugs / snails. Corriander is a little harder to grow - it needs good quality direct light and it needs to get most of the days worth or it will bolt.

We have potatoes and carrots in grow sacks at the moment and have given them their final top off. Would expect to be pulling them early mid august. I also have a chilli pepper plant I grew last year and kept alive during the winter. It's really thriving again now so will have fresh chilli's for the summer.

We've most of the above well into their growing so all the meals I'm making are flavored primarily from the garden.

How many carrots are you looking at getting out of a grow bag?

OldRio

Yes a herb garden is a great asset for any cook or gardener.
I forget to mention the bean family. Runner and Broad beans are good (but I have problems with the small black fly on the broad beans, they eat the growing tip)
The star for me is the dwarf French bean. Absolutely gorgeous. Takes up little space and the yield is fantastic. You can get various coloured varieties.

As for the carrot, you can buy various heritage varieties which produce different coloured carrots. Certainly a talking point if you have dinner guests, you remember them right? Guests.

molloyjh

molloyjh wrote: »

How many carrots are you looking at getting out of a grow bag?

It depends on the type of carrots but 15 - 20 medium sized would be the norm. Much sweeter so ideal for eating raw also.

Food tastes 20% better when you grow it yourself. It's been mathematically proven.

sydthebeat

Deleted User wrote: »

Food tastes 20% better when you grow it yourself. It's been mathematically proven.

and 20% better again when you cook it yourself

vienne86

I've been growing stuff for a few years now - I share an allotment with a friend. The big successes have been beetroot (really easy to grow, and we use a lot), onions, lettuce/spinach/chard (I would grow some of these in a smaller patch at home). Carrots have been tricky, in that we got root fly if we didn't cover them. We have done the snap peas, runner beans etc., but they need space and climbing gear, but really easy and really nice are dwarf french beans....I've done those in a small area at home and got a great yield. I did courgettes and outdoor cucumbers for a few years - huge yields, so two plants is plenty - they need a lot of water and are greedy with nutrients, in that you need to seriously feed the soil after they're done.

Right now the allotment is out of bounds and right now too, I should be getting the garden at home made over, with new raised beds etc., but that is stalled, so I can't really get into sowing stuff, with a digger moving in in the future (hopefully). So I have just one little planter available, and chose to put in mixed salad leaves - they're coming up really fast. And yes, herbs, are really easy - sage/thyme/rosemay are all useful and will take over given the chance.

There is NOTHING as tasty as veggies you grow yourself. And this is a brilliant passtime and a very positive thing to be doing right now. Best of luck everyone!

irishbucsfan

This is great content lads!

Will have a look in the local shop here for some grow bags (not in Ireland and the only shop near me is a good bit away and choice is slim!)

clsmooth

So if I wanted to grow a few bits indoors on kitchen windowsill (well lit during the afternoon), basil would be an easy one? Just trying to work out how much I'd use it What else would be doable indoors on a windowill? Carrots? Tomatoes? Anything grow all year round?

Squidgy Black

clsmooth wrote: »

So if I wanted to grow a few bits indoors on kitchen windowsill (well lit during the afternoon), basil would be an easy one? Just trying to work out how much I'd use it What else would be doable indoors on a windowill? Carrots? Tomatoes? Anything grow all year round?

Fresh basil is great for anything tomato based, so pizzas and and pasta dishes etc, as well as using it in salads. You can make pesto with it too

molloyjh

clsmooth wrote: »

So if I wanted to grow a few bits indoors on kitchen windowsill (well lit during the afternoon), basil would be an easy one? Just trying to work out how much I'd use it What else would be doable indoors on a windowill? Carrots? Tomatoes? Anything grow all year round?

Basil and coriander would be our big 2. Basil for pizza and pasta as Squidgy said. Coriander for mexican and thai food.

We got this for our herbs and it has been great. You get herbs ready to eat in a matter of weeks and you don't really need to worry about watering them etc. Works all year round. The only issue we've had with them is the heat in the house at times in Feb/Mar was too much so the plants didn't always last as long or look as healthy. But that was on us. It's worth noting that you can get more than just herbs for this. They do some fruit and veg too. Tomatoes are the only ones I've tried and they have come up quick enough, but are slow to ripen.

https://eu.clickandgrow.com/products/the-smart-garden-9

Squidgy Black

Anyone ever had any issues with GLS couriers? Ordered something I needed for work, it last tracked as arrived in the country on Thursday and there's been no update on it since. Their phone lines seem to be closed and I've sent an email, just hoping it's because of the long weekend....

The Lost Sheep

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Anyone ever had any issues with GLS couriers? Ordered something I needed for work, it last tracked as arrived in the country on Thursday and there's been no update on it since. Their phone lines seem to be closed and I've sent an email, just hoping it's because of the long weekend....

have used them a few times. Never an issue
They're under huge pressure these days. Most likely because of long weekend but the couriers been dealing with huge amount more deliveries for obvious reasons.

mfceiling

So is it easy to grow your own your own herbs and vegetables?

Currently I just buy them in tesco and then throw them in the bin at the end of each week.

Stheno

mfceiling wrote: »

So is it easy to grow your own your own herbs and vegetables?

Currently I just buy them in tesco and then throw them in the bin at the end of each week.

Last year I grew basil, rosemary, chives, parsley, tomatoes, sweetcorn, courgettes, lettuce, peas, beans strawberries, cabbage and broccoli oh and peppers radishes and on IP ons

1. Plant seeds
2. Wait for them to be big enough to plant out.
3. Plant out
4. Feed and water
5. Eat
I used a technique called combination planting to optimise space

It was lovely to be able to go out to the garden and grab a lettuce or herbs or tomatoes for dinner

I'm still eating chutney I made from green tomatoes

Synode

Can you not just plant seeds straight into ground?

Stheno

Synode wrote: »

Can you not just plant seeds straight into ground?

Depends on the seeds and time of year and bastard slugs

E.g. sunflowers and lettuce seedling plants would be devoured by slugs if planted straight into ground

I've just found a pile of seeds left over from last year so am now planning what I'll grow

I dont have a massive garden btw I've two beds that are about 20 x 3 feet

awec

I had plans to build raised beds and all these few weeks but with everything closed I can’t get materials.

swiwi_

I know I shouldn't laugh, but this had me chuckling away all the same

Man accidentally ejects himself from fighter jet during surprise flight

Sixty-four-year-old lands in field after grabbing ejection handle to steady himself, French air investigators find

A surprise outing in a fighter jet unnerved one defence company executive so much he accidentally ejected himself while flying at over 500km/h (320mph), an investigation into the debacle in France has found.

The 64-year-old civilian got the most unwelcome ride of his life after the force of the take-off made him “float” off his seat, causing him to stand up and involuntarily grab the ejection handle to steady himself.

Air accident investigators found a series of errors in the lead-up to the incident, including ignored medical warnings that the passenger should not undergo to the 3.7g of force generated by the take-off, and loose seat straps that allowed him to float up. He also lost his helmet while being ejected.

The man had never expressed any desire to fly in a fighter jet and had no previous military aviation experience, investigators said. His heart was racing at between 120 and 145 beats per minute beforehand. The flight had been a gift from colleagues and the man felt he couldn’t refuse.

The air accident report, published on 6 April, found the man ejected himself when the two-seater Dassault Rafale B jet reached about 1,300ft (400 metres), seconds after setting out from Saint-Dizier air base in north-eastern France in March 2019.

His parachute deployed and he had a relatively soft landing in a nearby field, avoiding serious injury, before being taken to hospital.

A malfunction prevented the pilot from being automatically ejected too and he was able to land the plane on the runway despite the involuntary departure of his passenger and the loss of the cockpit canopy.

Judicial and defence investigations into the demonstration flight were continuing.

swiwi_

swiwi_

What I've gleaned from this thread is that Venjur grows herb

FACECUTTR

swiwi_ wrote: »

What I've gleaned from this thread is that Venjur grows herb

He is definitely a sativa guy.

pickarooney

We planted a few things on the balcony - a few strains of basil, coriander, radishes, chili. The cat dug it all up. Just for a laugh like, cats don't eat basil. Planted it again and the hoor sneaked in and did it a second time.

Currently weighing up just how worthwhile a venture it is growing stuff in 2m² for 6 people. The stuff everyone likes will be gone in.no time and the rest will probably rot. Bizarrely, the hardest things to keep alive are the rosemary, rhyme and mint, even though it grows absolutely everywhere else.

It's a nice pastime and it looks lovely when it flowers, all that said.

Zzippy

This has been a bit of an eye opener - all the lads I thought would be D4 avocado-loving can't-get-my-hands-dirty types are growing their own veg!
I've been doing a bit for a couple years now. When we moved house it came with a huge garden and the first thing I bought was a polytunnel. Seriously if ye have room for one at all I'd highly recommend it. There is no comparison between home-grown tomatoes fresh off the vine and the ones you but in shops. We are eating fresh cherry toms from early July through to November in a good year, and I make enough passata for homemade pizza to last at least 6 months. Fresh-dug potatoes are amazing too.

Aside from the delicious food it's brilliant for kids to get involved in planting and see their plants grow, and where food comes from. My little lad planted 2 drills of peas about 10 days ago and they're already 2 inches high and he has to check "his" peas every day... great craic for him and us.

stephen_n

swiwi_ wrote: »

What I've gleaned from this thread is that Venjur grows herb

What I’ve gleaned is there are far more hipsters on here than I thought.

Panda Killa

I spent my summers working in either one cousins farm...or another's orchard....so... when I got my own house....looked at the large back garden, and knew exactly what I was going to do ....
Concrete the whole fckin thing over...8 years later and it's the best move I ever made

Buer

Zzippy wrote: »

This has been a bit of an eye opener - all the lads I thought would be D4 avocado-loving can't-get-my-hands-dirty types are growing their own veg!

Avocado?! In this climate?!

I'm not bothering to do any growing at this point. Using the time at home to get some projects done. Dug the garden out over the Easter break so the wife might have a shot at planting something now but I'll move onto something else for now. Hoping to redo the paving slabs on paths in the back. Just need to get a place that will deliver a few tonnes of hardcore and the slabs....

I'm more excited about my homebrewing equipment which is on order though. Off the gargle for 2.5 months now and decided I'll go back on it when my first batch of beer is ready which will probably be another 6 weeks or so from now. Relatively cheap to start out with a beer kit which is essentially brewing for idiots and will give me about 40 pints.

Zzippy

Panda Killa wrote: »

I spent my summers working in either one cousins farm...or another's orchard....so... when I got my own house....looked at the large back garden, and knew exactly what I was going to do ....
Concrete the whole fckin thing over...8 years later and it's the best move I ever made

Stockpile bog roll to barter for food after the apocalypse, be grand...

Panda Killa

Zzippy wrote: »

Stockpile bog roll to barter for food after the apocalypse, be grand...

Stockpile koka noodles...2 birds one stone!

FACECUTTR

FACECUTTR wrote: »

He is definitely a sativa guy.

mfceiling

Buer wrote: »

I'm more excited about my homebrewing equipment which is on order though. Off the gargle for 2.5 months now and decided I'll go back on it when my first batch of beer is ready which will probably be another 6 weeks or so from now. Relatively cheap to start out with a beer kit which is essentially brewing for idiots and will give me about 40 pints.

We should all strive to be more like Buer.

molloyjh

Buer wrote: »

Avocado?! In this climate?!

I'm not bothering to do any growing at this point. Using the time at home to get some projects done. Dug the garden out over the Easter break so the wife might have a shot at planting something now but I'll move onto something else for now. Hoping to redo the paving slabs on paths in the back. Just need to get a place that will deliver a few tonnes of hardcore and the slabs....

I'm more excited about my homebrewing equipment which is on order though. Off the gargle for 2.5 months now and decided I'll go back on it when my first batch of beer is ready which will probably be another 6 weeks or so from now. Relatively cheap to start out with a beer kit which is essentially brewing for idiots and will give me about 40 pints.

I would love nothing more than this right now but just dont have any space for it. Have been storing up loads of links to recipes and how tos so that as soon as I can fit it in somewhere I'm good to go. Enjoy it and let us know how you get on.

EDIT: To join together 2 conversations, I've even been looking at how to grow hops for my eventual brewing days. It can be done but takes a year or two of growing. And they need shelter from strong winds etc. Anyone any experience of this?

b.gud

The last tweet in this thread is beautiful

https://twitter.com/DublinAirport/status/1249990114274574336?s=19

Buer

Good response but it's scary to read some of the responses below (vast minority, in fairness). There's a mix of conspiracy theorists and, well, heartless monsters who want family members/citizens thrown to the wolves in another country without any support rather than have them land back in Ireland.

When mental health professionals say that you shouldn't follow the news too much, it's this sort of rubbish that I think people need to avoid. Toxic BS where people are looking to scaremonger or foster division on the whole situation. Give me 24 hour coverage on RTE/BBC/Sky rather than one hour or reading Twitter/FB.

awec

Buer wrote: »

Avocado?! In this climate?!

I'm not bothering to do any growing at this point. Using the time at home to get some projects done. Dug the garden out over the Easter break so the wife might have a shot at planting something now but I'll move onto something else for now. Hoping to redo the paving slabs on paths in the back. Just need to get a place that will deliver a few tonnes of hardcore and the slabs....

I'm more excited about my homebrewing equipment which is on order though. Off the gargle for 2.5 months now and decided I'll go back on it when my first batch of beer is ready which will probably be another 6 weeks or so from now. Relatively cheap to start out with a beer kit which is essentially brewing for idiots and will give me about 40 pints.

Where’d you order your home brew from?

Synode

FB and Twitter are cesspits of misinformation. It's amazing how quickly a lot of people will believe any oul ****e on them

sydthebeat

It's gas, those gemmaroids are so quick to come out and shout "hoax" and see conspiracy theories in everything. Yet we'll jump both feet first into any old sh!te she said despite it being easily verified.

I think it's just a consequence of a certain minority of humans having a predisposition towards conspiracies, and the net giving them a platform.

While GoD is most probably suffering some kind of mental illness, she is at the same time vile, dangerous and reprehensible in what she posts and should be called out on it every single time.

Synode

Anyone else use wall plugs to hard wire internet connections to a computer? My wired (via wall plugs) Virgin internet drops occasionally on my desktop. Switch to Wifi, no issues. Then wired comes back within a minute or so. Happens a lot lately and I'm wondering is the issue the wall plugs or the router. It use to do it on my previous computer a lot too but that didn't have WiFi so wasn't able to switch and continue.