Veg plans for 2021

Hi

I collected some (dead) seaweed from the beach at the weekend and I'm planning to dig it into my veg patch, cover it until Spring; then dig again and plant. Is that okay or do I need to do anything different?

Thanks

Neil

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

Can anyone recommend a variety of outdoor tomatoes? Does anyone collect tomato seeds from their own harvest?

This year, yes! While travelling, I was given a few coeur de boeuf tomatoes that I couldn't eat straight away and didn't survive the journey home too well, so I've saved the seed for next year.

Most years, even though I sow seed from packets, I'd have at least a dozen "wild" plants come up from seed that self-sowed the previous autumn. They're generally the sturdiest specimens ... but I never really know what they're going to be until their fruit ripens.

Emmmm ... how did it get to be the middle of December so fast? :eek:

All of my "best laid plans" in respect of next year's planting seem to have come to a juddering halt. I know what I want to grow and (for the most part) have all the seed in stock ... but have found it impossible to make progress with reorganising my beds, not least because there's too much stuff growing where I want to dig up ...

Really need to get my head back in this particular game within the next ten days.

Calvin001 wrote: »

Only have a small long bed for planting, so usually plant some peas at the back, with cauliflower and broccoli (6-8 plants) and then maybe some beetroot. Will have strawberries, hopefully the rasberrys and bluberries come back also.

This year, thinking of putting in some herbs, and less brassica (suffer from snails/slugs)

Need to get the garden more "table friendly", maybe even need to get good fertilizer into it (and pest killer!!)

Here's a natural remedy for slugs. It's a nematode that preys on the slugs.
https://www.nematodesdirect.co.uk/6-nemaslug#:~:text=Nemaslug%20is%20a%20unique%20product,%2C%20pets%2C%20birds%20and%20wildlife

One of the great benefits of DIY gardening is, the option of minimising the use of pesticides and chemical fertiliser.

Living Off The Splash wrote: »

think I need to get to the other side of Christmas for the energy to start flowing again.

My problem is that a fortnight of ungardenable weather diverted my energy into other things that weren't on the To Do list! And now that they're started, they have to be finished before Christmas, even if the weather's improved. :pac:

Getting there though. Have been looking into the use of underbed storage boxes as portable propagatory type things. Jan-Feb-Mar are the months that best suit me for working ("proper" work, as my mother calls it - the type you get paid for ) which involves being away from home at the very time I need to be sowing and supervising my solanaceous crops. I think I can get six of them into the "boot" of my camper where they'll be lovely and warm for germination, and then easy to shift around once they need light for growth.

Have heard rumors that seeds are becoming hard to get. Usually I wait until after the new year to order but will be ordering soon, and then wait....

teroknor83 wrote: »

I have never grown veg before but I'm keen to set some into next year. I live in a town so would probably be restricted to small raised beds or containers. Any recommendations for a first time grower? I have already been recommended to try growing garlic.

Garlic you put out in fall and harvest the next year in most cases. I'd start with simpler faster things like lettuce and peas, if you like them. If you have a bit of room, squash and beetroot. If you have use for them, most common cooking herbs are very easy, in fact the hard part is keeping them from taking over.

Tomatoes want sun and warm and moisture, so if that's appropriate to your area they grow fine in containers.

Bought some Money Maker tomato seeds today in Woodies. Can I start putting them in pots on the window sill soon?

A packet cost €2.99, can you get them cheaper elsewhere?

Seedaholics are brilliant. In Ireland, super fast service and a great selection.

Igotadose wrote: »

Seedaholics are brilliant. In Ireland, super fast service and a great selection.

Another vote for Seedaholics!

I have been trying to use all Irish grown seed for my vegetables so have bought mainly from Irish Seed Savers and Brown Envelope Seeds in Cork this year. Anything I can't get from them I get from Seedaholics or Fruit Hill Farm.

Brown envelope are very good too and are usually my go to supplier. FD as so little was available last year I did plant seeds from Lidl. It was hit or miss, courgettes were fine, peas and beans were fails. Brown envelopes "Irish Green" peas were a big success.

Sadly, my experience of Seedaholic has not been so good. Almost total failure of germination of lettuce and onion (Red Baron). I had successful sowings of other varieties at the same time to compare, so I suspect old seed - no dates of any sort on the packets!

I ordered seeds of a few basic veg like carrots parsnips and salads the other day. I need to get onion sets and possibly seed potatoes. I don't want to get too much as I currently don't have any veg beds

We moved house earlier this year, the previous owners had a small greenhouse which they left but no veg beds, so my early 2021 job is to get that built.

The Master. wrote: »

how many kilos should I get for 1 square metre?

kilos per square metre, or potatoes per square metre? Depending on the variety, four seed potatoes with 3-5 eyes per spud would be about right. For 12m² that'd work out at around 2kg.

Onion sets and seed potatoes, any recommendations of where to get them online?

scarepanda wrote: »

Onion sets and seed potatoes, any recommendations of where to get them online?

Fruithill Farm has quite a few on their site. Have been happy with their garlic in the past.

The quickcrop videos on youtube are very good, filmed just under Benbulben in Sligo. They are worth it alone for Klaus's amazing accent.