The veg thread

Conmaicne Mara

Where have all the veg related threads gone to I haven't planted anything this year, been too busy so am a fine one to talk, but I used to enjoy reading and seeing photos of other peoples veg plot and progress.

Grindley

I'm mad into my vegetable garden. My potatoes, tomatoes, chilli's, broad beans, courgettes and spring onions are all progressing (as is my ornamental thistle). The jury is still out on some of my other growing endeavours e.g. cauliflower, broccili, tormatillos, various other beans. Something (from above) is eating the latter - I have to suspect birds etc. Though I am growing my broad beans (+ ornamental thistle) at ground level, everything else is in containers and grow bags. What happens next year though with water charges. I have purchased water butts (but have yet to connect them up to down pipe). Crops like potatoes are water intensive. I may have to seriously curtail my (otherwise very healthy gardening) hobby. G

Gerobrien25

Grindley wrote: »

What happens next year though with water charges. I have purchased water butts (but have yet to connect them up to down pipe). Crops like potatoes are water intensive. I may have to seriously curtail my (otherwise very healthy gardening) hobby. G

I am currently looking at getting either a large above ground tank for rainwater instead of butts or if feasible maybe putting one underground

yellowlabrador

You could also recycle some of your grey water, ie from the bath or shower. I always did this when I had a well.

EAFC_rdfl

and water used to boil or cook food, just let it cool :-)

I am having mixed feelings this week on the veg. Potatoes are going great, sprayed for blight this time last week as a precaution but dont think it was needed in the end up. So they are going good. The other stuff I have sowed is all struggling - 90% due to slugs. I have beer traps at the end of each drill, and they are working but I am overrun by the disgusting feckers. Had a beetroot coming on nicely and the other morning it was completely cleaned. Same for a parsnip that was well up. Likewise brussel sprouts coming up in a pot got hit. Starting to lose the will to fit them, the field next to me has not been grazed in a year, its well ready for mowing now but no signs so far. I have a feeling it is the source. Slugs all up round the house as well.

yellowlabrador

my slugs and snails hide on the roof of the house and trek down every night. If only I could fit them with a paintbrush. I'm waiting for the delivery of the plastic of my polytunnel, so I'm behind on normal years. I surround my vegetable patch with a band of broken seashells and sand and it seems to do the trick.

Grindley

I have come up with my own imperfect answers to slugs and snails. My garden is full of both. Neither slugs nor snails seemingly like that copper tape that you can buy but it is expensive and hard to apply in relation to many vegetable positions. What I do is that I take a used 2 litre mineral bottle and cut off both ends. Then I slice the bottle (at a ninety degree angle) so that I can then wrap it around my plants - pressing the end into the soil. The plant is then encased in a spiral of plastic. I then wrap the bottle in a circle of copper tape. Seems to work reasonably well and is handy when it comes to watering/feeding same. You can cut the plastic bottle whatever height you want which comes in handy if (as in my garden) the pigeons are also attacking your plants. Has anyone else any tips out there? G

pwurple

I'm trying a new thing in the veg patch this year... I was reading about square foot gardening, where you maximise the planting in each sq ft with interplanting. So I have spuds under my tomatos, and lettuce seeds sprinked in with my onions and beetroot. Only problem with the lettuce is I threw down a mixed pack of salad seed, and I can't work out how to weed them! What's a lettuce seedling and what's a weed! Grr.

dharma200

we are doing away with spuds and growing oca.. we got a few tubers and have now started them in large basins, so hopefully enough to have a full blown crop next year.
apart from that, tomatoes, peppers, range of herbs.. not doing any courgettes this year dunno why. Just got a new garden which is huge, but will not be ready for anything till next spring... exciting times

Gautama

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Where have all the veg related threads gone to

GIY isn't as popular as it was five years ago. The fad is dying off.

Outkast_IRE

I purchased a quadgrow veg planter earlier this year i have potatoes, carrots and onions in it.

I picked the some baby potatoes yesterday and they were savage, the carrots are autumn ones so they wont be ready for a while, the onions look like they may be ready in the next week or two, they are getting thick on the stem near the base and a few look like they may flower soon.

Would highly reccomend the quadgrow planters

dharma200

Gautama wrote: »

GIY isn't as popular as it was five years ago. The fad is dying off.

I don't think so, i don't think it was a fad, perhaps people are being less vocal... shocked again last week buying veg in a popular store... everything from holand (grown under lights) spain, south africa, isreal.. I mean ffs.....
It is hard work i suppose and a lot of people who do grow their own probably aren't the type to spend hours on the inter web.......
looking forward to planning and working on our new garden next spring.. doing the plans now... hopefully be more than sufficient in size etc...
Most people i know at least have a few herbs etc on the grow, and a few are big growers.
Veg from most shops these days is rank.

Souness

I have snap peas, dwarf beans, spinach, beetroot, cabbages, broccoli, courgettes, scallions, salad leaves on the go. After a dismal Apr/May they are now taking off well. The slug problem this year has been bad, lot of extras crossing from my neighbours garden to supplement my own. Using combo of bran traps and night picks its now manageable and the peas,beans and cabbages are big enough now to cope with a few holes.

genuine leather

This seasons veg for me are potatos,carrots,garlic, summer turnip, swede, broad french and runner beans, purple broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,peas,beetroot, scallions, red and white onions,leeks, courgettes,pak choi, spinach, mixed lettuce,tomatoes.

Same battle with the slugs and snails, started alot off in four foot lengths of marley gutter in the greenhouse, when a few inches high,harden off and plant out in the garden by drawing out a row in the soil and sliding it into it. Nothing more disheartening than having a row of seedlings one day and gone the next.
I ll also surround seeds sown in the ground with offcuts of copper pipe/sheeting. Damn slugs but they are important gardens composters.

Gerobrien25

Dug and eat the first new spuds out of the garden yesterday evening. Nothing beats them

evolving_doors

genuine leather wrote: »

This seasons veg for me are potatos,carrots,garlic, summer turnip, swede, broad french and runner beans, purple broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,peas,beetroot, scallions, red and white onions,leeks, courgettes,pak choi, spinach, mixed lettuce,tomatoes.

Same battle with the slugs and snails, started alot off in four foot lengths of marley gutter in the greenhouse, when a few inches high,harden off and plant out in the garden by drawing out a row in the soil and sliding it into it. Nothing more disheartening than having a row of seedlings one day and gone the next.
I ll also surround seeds sown in the ground with offcuts of copper pipe/sheeting. Damn slugs but they are important gardens composters.

If you examine the older slugs you can see tiny little critters (nematodes) on them. Keep a good few of these slugs in a ventilated jar and a good few leaves. When they die the nematode population will explode. Swirl the jar and add to rain water (chlorine/floride from fresh cold tap water will kill em). Apply the water around the sides of the garden at night when they start to come out. Repeat a few times and slug population should fall . (the other slugs just chop up or feck into neighbours garden).

Beer traps just tell other neighbours slugs that the party is on in your place..i think anyhow!

genuine leather

Armelodie thanks for that,penciled in on the to do jobs this week.


@ ger, Same as that. Its like uncovering gold nuggets. What earlies have you sown?
Sharps express for me,wonderful flavour and strong cropper. More kerrygold on the shopping list,tick

Gerobrien25

genuine leather, I sowed Duke of york this year, great flavour and a reallt floury spud. My daughter was amazed at seen them coming out of the ground and even asked for more.

She also likes her other job looking out for slugs, snails (now they will have critters on them) and the good old ladybird for the greenfly. Thanks for the tip Armelodie.