I only have a garden for a second year, and I love growing stuff. Not that I grow too many. It is not mainly a garden for growing veggies and fruits, but most of the stuff I have there apart from grass actually grows something. I have three tiny trees of peaches, nectarines and apples. I bought them last yeat and the first two did bear some fruit, but none has ripened. I will see what this years brings. I also planted a self-pollinating kiwi, but it hasn't flowered, yet. I have a few flowerbeds for growing small fruits like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and one blackberry. Two rhubarb plants that hopefully will grow enough this year to actually eat. I planted a couple dozen garlics by the fence and they are already growing fast! What can't be missing are some herbs. For some reason my parsley remained green and growing throughout the winter and now the wild garlic sprouts and others are going to soon as well. I have a few tomato and chilli pepper plants growing at home for now until it is warm enough to plant them outside. Now that you mentioned beetroot, I'd like to find a place for a few as well. I am enjoying working in the garden and growing stuff quite a bit! Last year we did some work in the garden that was only grass and now there is plenty of stuff to watch grow. Unfortunately the last three nights it was freezing and the camellia got its leaves frozen and brown even though they were green the whole winter. I hope it will heal itself and not die. I really like that plant. Anyone elso growing things?
Sometimes fruit trees can take a couple of seasons to get going, fingers crossed for this year ! I have a wild plum that suddenly fruited last season out of the blue after years without anything. Been preparing a new bed for potatoes today, expecting delivery tomorrow of a couple of bags of two different types as well as some broad beans to plant this week while weather is fine. Also planted a type of sprouting broccoli called Raab which is supposed to be very quick and can be planted early. I'll try and get some lettuce sown as well in some sort of container. Its going to be cold again next week so hoping to get some carrots ( early nantes ) and spring onions in while I can, other stuff like courgette and tomato will go in pots in my neighbours greenhouse for now. I bought a load of seeds a month or so ago but now everyone is in iscolation the online stores are selling out so order now if anyone's thinking of growing some veg. At least being busy in the garden has taken my mind of all the grim news at the moment - stay safe all.
I hope they will do better! You seem to have a big garden to be able to have gardenbeds for potatoes, good for you! Sounds like you are keeping yourself busy. We've had a few freezing nights now, but the weekend should be better, so I am planning to weed and prepare the gardebeds, too. That was clever, indeed Working in the garden can be strangely relaxing. Good luck with growing everything. If you'll have some pictures of your garden, I'll be curious to see
This is an old thread, but I am very enthusiastic as, finally, after four years of waiting, my parents and I were able to get an allotment very close to where we live. I have been growing my veggies in my yard, but the space there isn't ideal. I thought it would be awesome to have a plot which I could dedicate to growing veggies and have fruit trees as well. It took four years of getting this idea rooted in my parents' mind (I wouldn't be able to take care of it alone, especially when on vacation in summer, when the garden needs frequent watering) and of inquiries before finally, one allotment was let go by its previous owner! I can't wait. As soon as we get the keys, I am off to digging a nice big garden bed The veggies and fruits are getting ridiculously expensive and I am planning to grow more of my own this year. I hope successfully Also the allotment has two old apple trees, two pear trees, two younger cheery trees, a nectarine, a peach and a fig tree, gooseberies, raspberries, strawberries, a blueberry and a currant. Which is very awesome. I am planning to add more of the berries, though. And grow my favourite variety of pumpkin, various veggies I usually grow and for the first time I am going to try two types of melons and two types of ... Physalis (no idea about its English name). I have not been successful with everything thus far, but I will give it another try I can't wait! I will also try sweet cucumbers (pepino) for the first time. I read it was pretty delicious, so I have three plants ordered since January. It would be awesome to grow lots and find a way to preserve at least something for the winter. I've been looking for ways to preserve fruits. I've tried jams and syrups, which are great, but I am not using them all that much. As a result I still have plenty of jams from 2020 that will easily last me for 3 more years. Although they make for a nice gift, so I might make some, after all I am not much into compotes, but I have only recently tried making fruit leathers from fruit on sale now in winter. What a great way to preserve stuff. Easy to do, easy to store and tasty to eat. I like it better than simply dehydrating cut pieces of fruit. I definitely recommend trying. They take less space (obviously) than fresh fruit and I imagine freezing them would make them very easily last for a long time, always ready to be put into an oatmeal or a milkshake (I am yet to try, but...), or to just eat as is. I have some experimenting to do, but so far I found that especially pineapple or mango leathers are delicious.
I can barely keep my houseplant alive, but always thought about growing some things. My grandmother had an amazing garden. My grandfather was into growing cactuses (which was a really fun learning experience when I was young, I made the mistake of touching a couple, esp the cute furry ones, without a clue what was about to happen). What's an easy thing to learn to grow? How hard are cucumbers (my fav veggie)? My biggest worry with an outdoor garden would be bugs and pests. But growing a few cukes seems like it would be fun and not that difficult.
Haha, cactuses can be deceptive Hm, I wouldn't call myself a pro gardener, but I've always had success with zucchini. Also pumpkin, tomatoes, chillies, leek, spring onion and herbs. I find those the easiest. Cucumbers aren't hard, either. It is just that last year mine got eaten by slimes before I planted them in the final spot and a few seedlings I got from my mom died... But they were not ideal and I grew them in shade... But if you get a good seedling, plant it in a sunny place and make sure it has water and fertilize it a bit, the cucumber should grow nicely. Unfortunately it tends to be the first plant (at least in my garden) to get moldy later in the season. So beware of that. Otherwise they shouldn't be hard to grow. I had plenty the year before. But it is good to have some support so they aren't flat on the ground. They are more prone to molds then. And for the same reason it is best to water them to the roots, and not let water splash on the leaves unnecessarily. Growing stuff is fun So it you have where, I recommend trying. Also a home-grown cucumber is so much better and juicier then from a store
I would love to grow my own fruit and veg. However, I don't have a fence at the moment and the local deer population is notorious for getting into gardens where I live.
Great news @Nachi As an allotment owner for 9+years now I can help with any advice. We have a house full of veg growing which we start at home from seed. Our reoccurring favourites are baby tomatoes, beetroot, corn, baby corn, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, strawberries, raspberry, blueberry apples and pears! We have some others also but not as successful. The start can be hard as you take over someone else's plot who may have left it in a state, but each year it's easier to maintain. Great variety of exercise from the allotment also, I'm sure a lot of it has added to my conditioning over the years.
Then I may seek some help in the future ^^ Hmm, I have yet to try potatoes. But I suppose not this year. I've always wanted to try. I am trying to grow sweet potatoes. I read you can cut a sweet potatoe in half and dip it in water and it will grow new plants from there. I tried in January, but the potatoe only has a few roots so far :/ It is probably not going to work... Yes, indeed. The allotment isn't messy or anything, but the previous owner obviously didn't spend too much time caring for it lately, so there is indeed going to be work. Also to transform it to our taste, bit by bit. The only problem is, although I talked my parents into getting an allotment for growing veggies and they generally opposed it, especially my dad, now, although we don't even officially have it yet, the three of us each have their own plans, so we only just argue.... It is going to be hard in a way Yep, a good workout it is going ot be indeed. But a pleasant one, at least I hope
Not had much time for the garden of late but did my first plantings of the year this weekend. Broad beans, American spinach ( first time, not heard of it before ) spring onions and little gem lettuces. Put some Zucchini and French beans in pots to go under glass. Will be sowing my usual greens such as Chard and Kale in the next few weeks. Got my seeds from Wilco, brilliant value - e.g a quid for a large bag of beans, peas etc. I've never grown sweet potatoes but I always cut the bigger seed potatoes in half. You need to make sure there's a chit ( little growth ) on each half though. Looking forward to seeing those first green tips of the broad beans poking through the soil in a few weeks - never fails to amaze !
A week ago we were able to sign the papers and we offiially got our allotment! Yaaay! We had 4 days of Easter holiday now, so me and my parent spent it, morning to evening, gardening there (and I did in my home garden, too). In the allotment we were cutting some wildly growing trees in the fence, made them into firewood. We cut many overgrown plants, tossed a pile of old wood form a previous cottage there, and I generally ddi all the wheelbarrowing stuff to the car in the mud and with an empty-wheeled wheelbarrow. I understand why "farmer's walk" with kettlebells is called farmer's walk now Among that, my priority was to dig my veggie bed. The soil looked pretty good, no stones, very few roots, so I was pleasantly surprised. I had to compromise with what size my parents would tolerate, but ended up wiht a plot of slightly over 3 x 5 m ^^ But I will have a separate small bed for squash/pumpkin (I nevre know the difference, we call it the same) and I'll plant my achokchas near the fence. I planted my first root and leafy greens at home and some leeks in the allotment, too. I can't wait to plant more and to get some garden furniture there Too bad I won't have that much time int he next couple of week(end)s. I find gardening to be such a pleasant work Although a big part of what we have done now was throwing out junk and cut twigs of thorny roses and others - around maybe 8 cars of it in total. So a nice work-out, too.
In our allotment you cannot use a hose, so in the summer I get plenty of farmers walks in, 2 10l watering cans, and takes about 30 minutes you water the plot. I'll do this morning and evening, great grip workout. This time of the year is a lot of prep work, even more so if you have a new plot! This weekend we spent about 2 hours turning soil with a mattock. By the end my hamstrings and glutes felt the benefits of it 2 weekends ago we rebuilt our strawberry bed, always a great crop from those.
Oh, wow, that sounds like an intense summer workout! :O I'm laughing now, but... well no, we do have a hose there Aaaaah, so it is called a mattock! Apparently my czech as well as google translator do not know the word... :/ I could only discover through google pictures what it was. Yep, did plenty of that for my new plots in the previous weekend, too Good luck with strawberries this year, too, then! I only have a small bed, planted new strawberries last year, but... not sure why exaclty, but some died and the rest didn't fruit. Hopeully this year will be better
