My starter vegetable (container) garden.

[Traceyash]

Originally Posted by Lesley Jay

Hi Tracey,

You must keep harvesting the cucumbers and as Ace said don't worry about the size. If you stop harvesting or leave the cucumbers on the plant too long then the plant will stop producing fruits. If it is an outdoor cucumber variety then peel it before eating as the peel can be bitter tasting.

Hiya Lesley. Yes,it is an outdoor cucumber plant so im glad you told me to peel them first. My son keeps looking at it every morning saying 'Is it ready yet?'. He'll be chuffed when he gets in later from playing to know he can try some tomorrow. xx

[Traceyash]

At last,i managed to find my camera so thought id show you my efforts so far. Im chuffed but obviously only learning and your guidance is invaluable.

My veg container section:
100_1866.jpg

My birthday gift,my little starter greenhouse? What can i plant in here and when do i start please?
100_1865.jpg

My lettuces look very healthy and happy and soon ready to eat?
100_1861.jpg

My Carrots and peppers doing great.
100_1845.jpg

My potato containers which look lovely until up close and there are some yellowing leaves starting (posted job lot of not so good looking/maybe poorly sick veg in pest and disease section.)
100_1844.jpg

[Ace]

It's all looking pretty good

Tatties look fine to me. All those frondy green stems will fall over eventually and look a bit of a mess and they're supposed to go yellow. That's your sign that the spuds are ready.

You seem to love pots. I would recommend a few troughs too as being rectangular and thin they fit neatly into spaces and you'll get more in that way

Lettuce / salad leaves in particular are great to grow in troughs.

[Traceyash]

Well Ace,my poor spuds got Blight a month ago but luckily for me,the actual potatoes were absoloutely fine and i got 10 1/2lbs out of my 3 big tubs,so i was really chuffed to bits with that! My Brussle sprout plant is now in the bin,smothered in caterpillars even inside the sprouts themselves. I now know for next year to net them over. My runner beans have been supplying us for a good few weeks now and taste delicious. My tomatoes are gorgeous tasting and turning red daily although i think the plant has now exhausted stock.
Just generally tidying up now and ive already made four 4 foot by 2 foot raised beds,just over 13" tall and ive also made a 4 ft by 4 ft raised bed with a diamond in the middle for growing herbs next year. I shall post some piccies when this rain decides to give us a break,lol.
Im going to give Garlic a try this year in another month as we all love the stuff,so im researching that now.

[Shetty]

Yes, blight and caterpillars seem to be a big problem this year. They are still hanging on and it is blowing a force 9. Amazingly the sprouts are still standing.
This was a good year for garlic up here, enough to scare off all the vampires and have some spare
I set mine in October or early November depending on the weather. (For me to work in the garden not the garlic . I find it rather growing like a weed)
I am never sure if I should grow a hardneck or a softneck, so I usually grow both and both do well.
I am not to fond of elephant garlic, it seems to start reprouting before the bulb has fully developed, but maybe I just leave it in the ground to long

Originally Posted by Traceyash

Well Ace,my poor spuds got Blight a month ago but luckily for me,the actual potatoes were absoloutely fine and i got 10 1/2lbs out of my 3 big tubs,so i was really chuffed to bits with that! My Brussle sprout plant is now in the bin,smothered in caterpillars even inside the sprouts themselves. I now know for next year to net them over. My runner beans have been supplying us for a good few weeks now and taste delicious. My tomatoes are gorgeous tasting and turning red daily although i think the plant has now exhausted stock.
Just generally tidying up now and ive already made four 4 foot by 2 foot raised beds,just over 13" tall and ive also made a 4 ft by 4 ft raised bed with a diamond in the middle for growing herbs next year. I shall post some piccies when this rain decides to give us a break,lol.
Im going to give Garlic a try this year in another month as we all love the stuff,so im researching that now.

[Traceyash]

Hi Shetty,sounds like you've been having fun up there. Alot of people have told me to grow garlic and that it is quite easy to grow,thus me trying it. Where do you get your bulbs from to start off?

[Shetty]

Any mail order company will do. I never found any difference in quality. I just vary the varieties, next year will be T+M, last year was the Suttons. I havn't found my all time favourite yet

[Traceyash]

Must admit that the majority of my seeds last year were Suttons. Got alot of mine from sales at the garden centres here ready for next year but im investigating potatoes before buying them for next year for the blight resistant ones/disease resistant ones although i feel like a cheat doing it that way. Any thoughts anyone?