Joy of joys

[itsgrowinglook]

Its me again with pics and update. My peas are flowering!!!!!!
About 3 weeks ago I saw some onions for planting for 19p so I bought them, then realised that it was past the planting date but I thought for 19p give 'em ago and I have just noticed two little tiny shoots.
Also changed my avatar to show what I was like as a little shoot
Andii

[Traceyash]

Awww,you were a cuteee shoot werent ya!
This thread has made me laugh as its exactly how i am when i get something new sprout up.........'Look love,come here and see' to which the other half thinks 'oh here we go again'! But it is sooo rewarding isnt it to think that you've grown something from a tiny seed with your own hands and nurturing and watering it etc. You look after them and they will look after you with all the fruit and veg they will give,thats how i look at it.
Only yesterday,i found my first root along one of my strawberry stems so i gently pushed it down into the soil a little and now i shall watch with eager eyes.
Tis great fun isnt it!!!!

[Nicola_D]

Oh I might try growing peas next year, what kind of container are you growing them in? I tried some onions from seed, they sprouted well, but then I was in the middle of sorting out my patio and had nowhere to plant them into, so they didn't do too well, but now have a big deep container that I think I'll plant some into next month to grow over winter.

[itsgrowinglook]

Hi Nicola
All my veggies are grown in plastic pots about 10" high and 10" wide, which I think is about 25 cm. As its my first year I have just planted and hoped for the best. Its a learning year. I didn't even know cucumbers needed supporting (how embarrassing) so mine are trailing all over the floor but are doing well with loads of cucumbers! And my potatoes are in potato sacks as you can see they are not doing much at the moment as I only planted them last week. And the last photo is of Steve who was helping (?) me measure the pots!

Ooops forgot the photo of the potatoes. Its my age

[itsgrowinglook]

Guess what? After I took the photo of my potatoes this morning I have had another look and found 2 shoots. Yippeeee

[Nicola_D]

cool! I think I'm going to try potatoes next year. We like new potatoes so I'll need to do some research into what varieties and when to plant them. I was reading another thread yesterday about keeping the shoots covered in soil by adding extra soil as they appear so that sounds like a challenge and I love challenges!

Also going to try and "overwinter" my chili plants (was reading about this yesterday too) as mine haven't even flowered so i doubt we'll get any fruit before sept/oct

[mags16]

Originally Posted by Nicola_D

cool! I think I'm going to try potatoes next year. We like new potatoes so I'll need to do some research into what varieties and when to plant them. I was reading another thread yesterday about keeping the shoots covered in soil by adding extra soil as they appear so that sounds like a challenge and I love challenges!

I have just grown potatoes for the first time. I grew maris piper first earlies in 5 sacks. I harvested the first sack a few weeks ago and the next one is nearly ready. They are absolutely lovely and very rewarding to grow. To make it more interesting next year, each sack will have a different variety. That way you have a lovely surprise each time you harvest. And if you don't really like one variety, it's not a big loss. I've only seen seed potatoes in 1kg bags so I might enlist some friends - we can buy the different varieties between us and divvy them out.

[itsgrowinglook]

Excited again!! I have spotted my first two pea pods!!! The sun is shining so maybe my toms will begin to ripen.
Andii

[Nicola_D]

oh I was hoping my tomatoes might start ripening too, but no, still very very green :-(

Love your little pea pods, they are so cute.

I shall have to get my camera out and share some of my babies too. I've got some aubergine I'm very impressed with.

Nicola

[Nicola_D]

got some pics, will probably have to do 2 posts as there's more than 5

Aubergines, an ickle baby butternut (there's 2 so far, really hope the flower gets pollinated when it opens), a bushy basil plant, and carrots in this one.

[Nicola_D]

and in this one.... my latest courgette, there's another one aswell which had it's flower open today and there was a hornet or something in the flower - so fingers crossed, just hoping the hornet visited one of the male flowers first

my latest cucumber, already had 2 and there's another 5 or 6 growing too

lettuces which have kept us in salad for the last two weeks

and my tomato jungle - I'll have to try and grow them neater next year and remember to prune the side shoots - though that said there are plenty of tomatoes hidden in there, getting impatient now waiting for them to ripen

[itsgrowinglook]

Hi Nicola
Nice photos. When I looked at the basil I read it as Basil Brush Time for new glasses
Andii
PS My toms are still green

[itsgrowinglook]

I have spotted some teeny tiny green beans!!!!!

[Nicola_D]

oh green beans! never thought of growing those, my partner loves them, might add them to my (ever growing) list for next year.

Everything seems to be doing really well in garden at the minute, after what seemed like a slow start. Still no ripe tomatoes though :-(

[itsgrowinglook]

I think it might be due to a couple of days of sunshine. The potatoes have gone crazy. But alas my toms are still green. I am getting very impatient now. I want to eat one.

[itsgrowinglook]

Reasons to be cheerful are 3 (Apologies to Ian Dury)
1. My toms are beginning to turn red
2. My pumpkin plant has a teeny pumpkin
3. My corn, which I thought wasn't doing anything .... has!

Andii

[Nicola_D]

Oh how exciting! your toms are giving me hope mine still don't have a hint of orangeyness

The pumpkin is so cute! Is pumkin like butternut squash and courgette? with male and female flowers? My 2nd female squash flower is open but none of the male flowers are. Will you let nature take it's course or force it to pollinate?

I'll be interested to see how your sweetcorn goes, I'm hoping to grow 1 or 2 sweetcorn plants next year. How many do you have?

Nicola (researching green tomato chutney recipes)

[itsgrowinglook]

Hi Nicola

Dont worry your toms will ripen! I think it is a waiting game.

As for the pumpkin question, I don't know. I will let nature take its course as it has worked pretty well for the courgettes! My squash haven't even got any flowers yet.

I have 6 sweetcorn plants. I didn't want to plant too many because I didn't know if they could grow in the Manchester climate!!! But its looking good.

Andii

[mags16]

Congratulations on your ripening toms. Every morning, I rush out to examine mine in the hope that there is a hint of blush but every morning I am disappointed!

[Nicola_D]

Oh my gosh, I've got an orange tomato! yippppeeeee