veggie patch?

[Rosie's Mummy]

Another good gardening weather day today, gonna put in some very late seeds, better late than never tho!

RM - how do you get a homegrown Salmon?

Bless - I was laughing at myself talking about growing all my herbs, I like dill with smoked salmon

 

[Rosie's Mummy]

BB we had three goats, Nan, Fred and Tinkerbell. Nan and Fred were Toggenburgs and Tink was a Nubien - we used to milk Nan too Piggies would be lovely! I would love a Gloucester Old Spot!

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

our carrots didnt make it

We have replaced them with a lettuce row, going to try carrots and parsnips again in tubs

 

[wirenth]

i haven't got round to starting the veggie patch in my garden yet, i meant to start this year but found out i am preggers so the plans have gone on hold till next year, I would also love to have chickens and a pygmy goat but DH refuses to let me by saying that we have enough pets already, 2 dogs, 1 bearded dragon, a dumbo rat and soon to be a royal python ( for my birthday in august because i can't have a horse) oh and possibly if this baby turns out to be a girl we might be getting a pony for this one and my 6 year old son to share but that will probably be a few years yet.

 

[JJ Mum]

Another good gardening weather day today, gonna put in some very late seeds, better late than never tho!

RM - how do you get a homegrown Salmon?

Bless - I was laughing at myself talking about growing all my herbs, I like dill with smoked salmon

Dough!!! I read it twice to make sure before repying too! pregnant brain strikes again!

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

Our pumpkin flower fell off Liam is terrified it wont grow anymore and will just shrivel up and die
it was looking so good too, all plump and pumpkin like

does anyone here know anything about the growth cycle of pumpkins lol x

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

UPDATE

a worm has eaten Liams pumpkin

he is devistated and has taken to wandering around the veggie patch late at night with a torch to discover any critters

in other news we have a healthy crop of strawberries coming on the step (wild ones) and a number of baby courgettes

 

[naniwahine]

How did I miss this thread! Last year we made some raised beds and we have discovered our priorities are root veg and salad veg. With one whole bed devoted to parsnips, as they don't eat them here and are therefore silly expensive (we live in Norway) and I like a good roast on a Sunday.

So this year we are growing:-
Roots - parsnips, carrots, potatoes and beetroot (love roast beetroot )
Salad - spinach, 2 x lettuce, rocket, sugar snaps, radishes
Squash - summer squash (can't remember type of top of my head lol), pumpkin
Asparagus (from seed, so no crop for 3 years )
Fruit - rhubarb, raspberries, strawberries (in hanging baskets), cherry tomatoes (in pots against the house)

Tomatoes didn't do too well last year in the veggie patch as it is quite exposed, so this year plan is to put them on our deck against the house - south facing and sheltered. Strawberries are on the same wall.

I have herb pots on my kitchen windowsill - basil (can't live without the smell, it is just 'how my kitchen smells'!), thyme, oregano, dill, parsley, sage, peppermint (for homemade tea, yum!). Baby tomato plants are also currently hanging out here until they're ready to go outside.

I also grow a limited number of salad plants (lettuce / spinach / rocket - 1 or 2 of each type) as with the veggie patch being just outside my door, I pick what I need and it keeps the size down (so they don't bolt), so no need to grow a lot of plants, as never pick the whole plant like is often recommended, I guess if you have an allotment (if that makes sense?).

This year we started a little late due to the crap winter, so everything went in around the same time - last year a freak, early frost on the 1st Oct killed our pumpkin plant (ripened the fruit on our heated bathroom floor ) so trying to grow ahead of schedule just in case this year.

We have parsnips stored in the basement and plan to store more roots this year. Also want to buy up cheap tomatoes in August and try some canning / preserving - really keen after reading this book Animal, vegetable, miracle - highly recommend this to anyone interested in small holding / living off local produce.

We also have a fridge full of lush pumpkin soup, which SO made with last year's harvest - he's from NZ where they have pumpkins available in the supermarket all year, so he's obsessed with growing them and having them around. I leave him to deal with them, especially as he insists we have more than one plant (I put my foot down at 2) and we end up with loads of pumpkins all at once!

When we come back to the UK would love to have a small holding, as love the set up we have but would love to grow more and want an orchard (and also a bigger garden for children to run around in!). Not sure about animals but have a number of friends who have chickens - one couple has rescued battery farm chickens, whom I'm very proud of - so may be brave enough to try one day.

 

[naniwahine]

Wow, super long post! Can you tell I'm keen?!

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

yay for keen veggie growers

 

[LouiseB]

I moved into my family house end of last year and this was my first year of attempting to grow veg and i'm sorry to say that it has been a bit of a disaster

Everything that i put into the ground (where there was an existing veg patch from the last owner) has either been dug up, muched to oblivion or just has failed to establish itself and withered and died.

Except my french beans which i have decided are very much like peas with a thicker skin and pretty yummy, even if i only got a handful!

My fruit has done a bit better but they have the advantage of being in pots and it looks like i'm going to get a bumper crop of blackberries but my harvest of blueberries amounts to three berries total.

My strawberried have all disappeared and i had one solitary cherry on the tree and that disappeared too - they weren't even ripe!

I discovered where my raspberries were going - my dog was very carefully plucking them as they ripened...

I am very excited about my tomatoes because although they are just seedlings still, i have grown them from Tesco's finest haha

I have chickens too.