Veg plans for 2021

Living Off The Splash

We planted out some more tomato plants yesterday. Running out of space to plant stuff. Just a few more lettuce to plant out and that's it for the year.

French beans and runner beans still not showing their heads above ground.

Our Sunflower seeds are all showing. Again nowhere to plant these. Need to make more space.

madhgtaloney

I bought some Big Tom tomato planters in the garden shop the other day for planting my seedlings into in a few weeks. Has anyone used them before ? Are they worth it? And what do you do when the roots become too large? Any advice welcome.

As well, is there any truth to crushing a dry eggshell into the bottom of your hole when transplanting tomatoes? I've seen other people using rock phosphate as well. Anyone have any experience with these? Thanks!

2011abc

madhgtaloney wrote: »

I bought some Big Tom tomato planters in the garden shop the other day for planting my seedlings into in a few weeks. Has anyone used them before ? Are they worth it? And what do you do when the roots become too large? Any advice welcome.

As well, is there any truth to crushing a dry eggshell into the bottom of your hole when transplanting tomatoes? I've seen other people using rock phosphate as well. Anyone have any experience with these? Thanks!

The eggshell thing can't do any harm .I think they need the calcium in them .Epsom salts supposed to lead to nicer tasting tomatoes and strawberries .Theres one of the health food shops in Liffey Valley ( the one near Dunnes) does a tub for under a fiver .Many health food shops now looking for extortionate prices for their wares ( trying to find Glucosamine and chondroitin joint supplements that don't require a remortgage is fruitless as far as I can see)

2011abc

Freezing overnight on 6/7 May this year ?! Ouch !

Fann Linn

2011abc wrote: »

Freezing overnight on 6/7 May this year ?! Ouch !

Just on this. I've just planted seed potatoes last Saturday and enquiring what precautions I should take it any?
First time planting spuds.

CelticRambler

Fann Linn wrote: »

I've just planted seed potatoes last Saturday and enquiring what precautions I should take it any?

None, they'll be grand. Frost is only a problem for potatoes when they've already put leaves above ground level and suffer hard frosts for days (or weeks) on end. Once they're established, even if the foliage looks destroyed by a frost such as the one forecast, they'll recover soon enough.

Living Off The Splash

madhgtaloney wrote: »

As well, is there any truth to crushing a dry eggshell into the bottom of your hole when transplanting tomatoes?

I try to be as comfortable as possible with all the bending over so I am not sure?

As an experiment this year we filled a number of "litter bins" that we found dumped in a skip with soil. We have put two tomato plants in each bin. We then cut the bottom off those 5 litre water bottles that you get in the supermarket to create a mini glass house. So far so good. They seem to be growing well.

Still no sign of my French beans or Runner Beans planted out from seed growing yet.

CelticRambler

The joys of climate change!



Photo taken two days ago, one of two perfectly ripe Gariguette strawberries, outdoor grown with no protection of any kind. Even when making an effort to get an early crop, I've never had fully ripe strawberries in the first week of May before.

These are the product of our early spring heat wave and got going before the subsequent frost; the main crop for this variety is still a couple of weeks behind ... but also at least a couple of weeks ahead of schedule.

Igotadose

Celtic can you send some of that heat wave to West Kerry? It's still too cold for me to put anything out! Maybe this weekend but the predictions are for cold temps overnight, too. Very frustrating, colder than last April/May imo.

CelticRambler

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

I try to be as comfortable as possible with all the bending over so I am not sure?

Glad it's not just me who thought that gardening is tough enough on the auld body without putting broken eggshells in your hole!

Igotadose wrote: »

Celtic can you send some of that heat wave to West Kerry?

Sorry, IGAD, it's been and gone. We're now back to typical March November April September weather. At least until tea-time. :mad:

SouthWesterly

Igotadose wrote: »

Celtic can you send some of that heat wave to West Kerry? It's still too cold for me to put anything out! Maybe this weekend but the predictions are for cold temps overnight, too. Very frustrating, colder than last April/May imo.

We needed the rain badly. Had as much this weekend as we did all of April. The cold is another thing.
I built a 12x4 greenhouse in March which helped. It's packed.

Hardening off kohl rabi, cabbage, cauliflower and comfrey.
Sowed celeriac, spinach, marigold, beetroot mixed leaves into cells. Spent the morning power washing part to the driveway. A huge improvement.

Graces7

With some rain and more sun this week things are starting to come to life. I sowed a deep container with carrot seed and now there re tiny green shoots after weeks of "silence"

But last year's kale keeps on cropping, and the peas and broad beans that got away early are doing well.

Igotadose

So, today i spooked a rat inside our old "Dalek-style" composter, bought from Lidl 5 years ago and has been repaired many times. Don't want rats in the yard, and I like the design of this 'roto' style composter from Carbery, who supply all the oil tanks around here. Anyone got experience with it or similar? Looks like it sits on some gears that let you rotate it around which is an easy way to turn over the compost. Something that doesn't happen too often in the one we have, it's a major pain.

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Composts-Bark--Plant-Food/Compost-Bins/Carbery-Roto-200l-Composter-1665180

SouthWesterly

Busy day today.
Transplanted cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, celery and comfrey.

Made a lot of space in the greenhouse which will be quickly filled.

SouthWesterly

Igotadose wrote: »

So, today i spooked a rat inside our old "Dalek-style" composter, bought from Lidl 5 years ago and has been repaired many times. Don't want rats in the yard, and I like the design of this 'roto' style composter from Carbery, who supply all the oil tanks around here. Anyone got experience with it or similar? Looks like it sits on some gears that let you rotate it around which is an easy way to turn over the compost. Something that doesn't happen too often in the one we have, it's a major pain.

https://www.coopsuperstores.ie/Garden/Composts-Bark--Plant-Food/Compost-Bins/Carbery-Roto-200l-Composter-1665180

Get a cat. I've 3 open pallet bins and not seen any vermin. I'm sure there are but with the cat and the buzzards circling I'm not too concerned

Igotadose

SouthWesterly wrote: »

Get a cat. I've 3 open pallet bins and not seen any vermin. I'm sure there are but with the cat and the buzzards circling I'm not too concerned

Cats galore in the yard, this is farm country. They even hang out on the wall over the Dalek composter. Several are regular visitors.

I don't think Cats will tangle with a rat. Mice, yes and we see them with mice from time to time. Rats are bigger and much nastier.

mattcullen

Temperatures looking a lot better over the next week. I'm hoping to plant out French beans, sweetcorn etc next weekend. Sowed a bit early.

SouthWesterly

Having lost nearly 40 strawberry plants over winter. I was given 2 big bags of them by someone today. Planted out 100.
Sowed parsnip and beetroot as well.

2011abc

I found several stray /wild strawberry plants growing in my flower bed and reckon the seeds they grew from mist have been pooped out of birds eating last years crop !

SouthWesterly

Planted sprouts, kale, spinach, lettuce and corn I bought in the garden centre today. Also put down some broad beans I had started in the greenhouse.

Bought a polytunnel frame as well 20x15ft.

Harry Palmr

2011abc wrote: »

I found several stray /wild strawberry plants growing in my flower bed and reckon the seeds they grew from mist have been pooped out of birds eating last years crop !

That's how I acquired my own plants! Finding them under hedges and rhubarb leaves.

I've done tall the sowing and planting for the summer season dunno if I'll bother with over wintering maybe some onions and orientals right now though those current salad leaves are growing like topsy - there are leaves bigger than my hand and it's going to be a case of spicy greens with everything for months to come I suspect!

PMBC

BH doing well with her lettuces, radishes and cucumbers all in plastic troughs. I decided to join the affray and planted some potatoes, dont know what variety, just found them sprouting in the kitchen press. Nothing happened for a few weeks so Id given up. But this morning I see green shoots. If this works Id be astonished.

beggars_bush

rocket, spinach, lettuces, runner beans all gone out over last few days
Waiting till early next week to plant out broad beans, peas, courgettes, pumpkins and cucumbers.
don't have enough room in polytunnel until then to plant courgette, tomatoes and cucumbers inside.

Harry Palmr

The onions are looking very sad. Not sure why, will have to pull one but they are not thriving and the shoots are floppy. Maybe they are waterlogged at this stage

See attachment. What do you think after more than two months in ground?

SouthWesterly

Just got delivery of 2 tractor trailer loads of manure for the garden with the offer of more if I want it.

Living Off The Splash

Waited all month for our giant red poppies to flower......then destroyed in today's hail stone downpour.

Harry Palmr

I'm expecting the same fate for the Rhoads in a few weeks!

PeadarOBriain

Anyone else loose their garlic this year? Mine turned yellow and wilted for some reason

2011abc

No dig Charles Dowding just reporting growth far far slower due to treble the frost and heavy rain levels .

CelticRambler

PeadarOBriain wrote: »

Anyone else loose their garlic this year? Mine turned yellow and wilted for some reason

Am a long way from you, and further away from mine than I would like, but the last time I saw it - two weeks ago - it was showing signs of trying to be "best ever" ...

Still having no end of trouble getting my Solanaceae to stay alive. I'm getting reasonable germination, but the second-last lot of seedlings, which escaped frost, drought and incineration, and which I carefully packed up and took with me to keep an eye on, and which are living in a climate controlled space, that they share with some thriving tomatoes, haven't produced any new foliage in two weeks, and several seedlings have just given up and withered away to a miserable stem.