Garden activity

[Moorland Prepper]

Today we planted troughs with lettuce, spinach and rocket seeds and left these in a heated greenhouse.

Potatoes to follow around Easter when we'll also take the troughs out of the greenhouse and replace them with cucumbers and tomatoes.

This is our second year of growing veg. Last year we went a bit overboard with too much variety and plants that were not too suitable for where we live. We just planted anything that took our fancy and were surprised when half of it did not grow.

We both feel much more prepared and hopeful this year, but you never know

[British Red]

This is our second year of growing veg. Last year we went a bit overboard with too much variety and plants that were not too suitable for where we live. We just planted anything that took our fancy and were surprised when half of it did not grow.

We both feel much more prepared and hopeful this year, but you never know

If you ever figure it out, let me know, I'm an old man, been growing veg for decades and I've yet to have a year where I didn't learn things and have other things go wrong that had previously gone well.

[British Red]

Farmer friend delivered the stuff to grow our veggies in today - nice wet, rotted horse manure. It always amazes me how the combination of rotted organic matter and thick organic mulch improves soil vastly more than any artificial fertiliser. The combination provides nutrition, water retention, weed suppression and soil structure.

Horse manure by English Countrylife, on Flickr

[British Red]

It may be small but the "first early" potatoes are up

First early potatoes by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Cucumbers are up - had a poor show last year so hoping for better this year. Returned to "Telegraph" variety that do well here

Cucumber by English Countrylife, on Flickr

The first beans are up. Two varieties here of climbing French beans - one green and one purple. Planted 30 of each - 100 % germination. I'll be giving some away,!

French beans by English Countrylife, on Flickr

Potted on the early red cabbage. Left it too long in the John Innes tbh - should have potted on a week ago, hopefully they will perk up

Red cabbage by English Countrylife, on Flickr

[rik_uk3]

I'd guess my cucumbers are about ten days behind yours Red ( La Diva), the Gherkins are only just popping up for some reason, variety I guess. Cos lettuce are coming up in an unheated polytunnel, robust seeds they are as are the bowls of mixed lettuce seeds I've sown or rather my nine year old granddaughter sowed (set up 5 grow bags for her 'secret garden' but too early to plant yet).

[British Red]

Lettuce is doing well here too. Just a little cool for pumpkin in the greenhouse so I'm germinating indoors then putting out

[jansman]

My lettuce is looking well. I’ll sow some Scotch kale this week ,seeing as how the seed I sent up to diamond lil in Scotland has germinated! Its the only brassica I grow ,and sits nicely in a bed with spinach beet,beetroot and rainbow chard.Looks lovely. When the cabbage whites start fluttering about,I have a frame to pull over a sheet of scaffold netting to protect from caterpillars.

[British Red]

24 hours in the propagator and the pumpkins are up!

Pumpkins by English Countrylife, on Flickr

[Moorland Prepper]

Today we potted tomato plants (donated by kind neigbour) and also the cucumber plants that arrived this morning. We'll bake the neigbour a wholemeal loaf tomorrow as a thank you.

The greenhouse is looking a bit crowded as we are still getting frosts and don't want to put out the lettuce, rocket and spinach until things warm up a bit.

Also did a three potato tubers in a small container. No great success with these last year, so this year we are using a potato fertilizer. Over the next month we shall do another two similar tubs of potatoes.

Leaned a lot from last year (first year growing veg.), mainly that some plants won't grow well when it is wet and cold

We have one largish trough still empty. In a couple of months we shall sow more lettuce, spinach and rocket.

That's our plans for this year. Not quite so ambitious as last year but hopefully more successful!

[jennyjj01]

Today we potted tomato plants (donated by kind neigbour) and also the cucumber plants that arrived this morning. We'll bake the neigbour a wholemeal loaf tomorrow as a thank you.

The greenhouse is looking a bit crowded as we are still getting frosts and don't want to put out the lettuce, rocket and spinach until things warm up a bit.

Also did a three potato tubers in a small container. No great success with these last year, so this year we are using a potato fertilizer. Over the next month we shall do another two similar tubs of potatoes.

Leaned a lot from last year (first year growing veg.), mainly that some plants won't grow well when it is wet and cold
....
That's our plans for this year. Not quite so ambitious as last year but hopefully more successful!

Hi MP,
I read about your successes and failures from last year. Good luck for this time around.
I envy you your heated greenhouse, where you had most success. Are you planning on keeping your tomatoes in the Greenhouse throughout? You say your greenhouse is crowded. Do you have a multitude of the same type of veg, or a wide variety? Have you considered peas and beans and some sorts of squash for this year? Apparently they are easier to grow and more hardy outside.

Join our race to the plate

Here's hoping for a great growing season.