Discuss all aspects of country living, from farming and animal welfare, to sustainable living, organic farming, and fishing.
Growing your own.
This topic is for advice on growing your own food for us and the animals ,wheres the best place to buy seed and methods hopefully it won't be needed but this war looks like it will continue.
paddycrawford
Tuesday, March 15th, 2022 There are some seeds you can save from store bought Fruit and vegetables paddy. I do this myself.I am growing butternut squash in pots on my kitchen window right now which I saved seeds from a store bought one.I am also trying out sweet pepper seed I saved from a store bought one for the first time.Store vine tomatoes are good too for saving seed from.Chittering potatoes in your shelf can be put into large pots or cut down barrels or washed coal bags or anything you can put enough soil and compost into to grow from one potato in a few weeks or now in a poly tunnel or greenhouse and cover at night if there is a frost.A few spare sweet potatoes can be can sacrificed to grow some slips indoors on a kitchen window sill in pots now to get a head start.Each slip will be a new sweet potato.
I have grown watermelons in the past form a store bought melon.There is so much you can grow from what you buy every week.
One thing when saving seed from anything give them a week in the fridge before planting. Germination is better this way.
roostercroweburn
Friday, March 18th, 2022 Tilling your soil properly is very important. You want your soil nice and light. Almost to a sandy texture. Root vegetables do well in good soil. Cabbage and kale has the added hardship of caterpillars eating your crop. Onions, peas, scallions, are easy grow.
When it comes to lettuce, make sure you only sow a small batch at a time. Space out several weeks between batches.
Another great crop to grow are micro greens. Packed with goodness and flavour. Just get a couple a large plastic trays. Grow them inside, close to sunlight. Two weeks from sowing, to eating.
nedzer
Saturday, March 19th, 2022 Seedaholics have a fab range, beautifully packaged and there is the option of organic versions of many varieties.
Pam
Sunday, March 20th, 2022 Yes, seedaholic are great, good selection of fruit veg herbs and delivered fast to door
Cork Wyandotte
Monday, March 21st, 2022 Keep it simple and grow what you eat lots of. Spuds, carrots,onions, beetroot,peas,swedes etc are all easy grown and do well in spite of our lack of expertise. Sow onions beside the carrots to deter the carrot fly. We have been doing it for the last few years and find it very rewarding.
Joseph lawler
Monday, March 21st, 2022 Tomatoes grown next to carrots produce a chemical called solanine that repels carrot flies also :)
Garlic grown near apple tree bases prevents scab.
Celery repels cabbage white butterfly.
Thyme deters weevil and cabbage worm.
Hyssop repels slugs.
If people Google companion planting for fruit veg and herbs, they can print off charts for shed / utility / kitchen for future reference.
Cork Wyandotte
Monday, March 21st, 2022 Great website example here:
https://www.howtogarden.ie/using-companion-plants-control-pe...
Carrots:
Plant Chives, Marigolds, Parsley, Radish, Onions, Leeks or Garlic to repel the Carrot Fly
Cabbage:
Plant Dill, Onions or Potatoes as companion plants for beneficial insects. Plant Clover as a companion plant to repel Aphids & the Cabbageworm. Plant Celery to repel the Cabbage White Butterfly. Plant Thyme and Nasturtiums to control Weevil, Cabbage Worm & Cabbage Looper. Plant Borage to repel Cabbage Worms. Plant Hyssop to Deter Cabbage White Moth. Plant Marigold to deter Cabbage Maggots
Lettuce:
Plant mint, Hyssop, Sage to repel Slugs. Lettuce doesn’t have a rotation group but grows happily alongside Beans, Carrots, Broccoli, Onions, Radish & Beets. Plant Linaria to attract the Hover Fly (larvae kills Slugs)
Parsnip:
If let go to seed the parsnip can deter pests including Spider Mites, Aphids and fruit flies. Plant other companioon plants such as Onion, Radish, Pea, Potato & Garlic
Broccoli:
Plant with Nasturtiums to free up calcium. Plant with Dill, Rosemary, Hyssop, Sage and Garlic to repel pests.
Asparagus:
A Perennial plant so requires a permanent location. Plant Dill, Coriander, Parsley, Marigolds & Comfrey as companions. Plant Petunias to deter Asparagus Beetle
Beans:
Rotate Beans & Peas through your vegetable plot over a 4 year cycle as they add Nitrogen to the soil. Follow Beans with Cabbage. Interplant peas with onions as you harvest. Plant Marigold to repel the Bean Beetle
Celery:
Companion plants include Leek, Cabbage & Cauliflower
Chard:
Plant with other root crops & Lettuce
Cauliflower:
Plant Thyme and Nasturtiums to control Weevil, Cabbage Worm & Cabbage Looper
Garlic
Plant with all vegetable to repel aphids, Carrot Fly and add Sulphur
Tomatoes:
Plant basil to boost growth. Plant Borage to repel Hornworms. Avoid Chilli Peppers near Tomatoes as it can lead to Whitefly
Potatoes:
Plant Garlic as it acts as a light fungicide to Late Blight. Plant Horseradish to repel the Potato Bug, Armadillidium vulgare
Spinach:
Plant Taller crops such as peas & beans to offer shade and cover from the sun. Happy with Cabbage, Celery, Onion & Peas
Turnips:
Plant after peas as Turnips require a lot of Nitrogen
Cork Wyandotte
Monday, March 21st, 2022 Does any one here dip there own grown seed potatoes in lime to kill potential blight spores or other disease.
paddycrawford
Friday, March 25th, 2022 Never dipped seed potatoes in lime.
Does it work?
Google just told me:
Organic fungicides such as Copper Sulphate sprays can be effective on early and late blight.
Cork Wyandotte
Friday, March 25th, 2022 Yes it works has always being done around here.
paddycrawford
Friday, March 25th, 2022 Oh and you would be better of using proper blight spray people used blue stone mixed with washing up liquid when they had little other choice but the modern sprays have to be more effective.
paddycrawford
Friday, March 25th, 2022 Methinks Paddy that you know a lot more about this than you're letting on!
Joseph lawler
Sunday, March 27th, 2022 Oh I no a bit but theres a lot that don't and you'd be surprised where you can pick up useful tips.
paddycrawford
Monday, March 28th, 2022 How are the gardens coming on? What's doing well and what isn't?
Joseph lawler
Sunday, May 29th, 2022 Everything seems to be very slow for me this year. Peas are doing well, but lettuce, scallions etc are very slow to come on.
nedzer
Sunday, May 29th, 2022 We didn't sow until quite late as it was so cold. The potatoes are doing well (British queen's) with a few signs of flowers. The first batch of peas were all taken by the birds but second lot netted and doing grand. Beetroot and carrots up.
We don't bother with the lettuce as it always got ahead of us. Bought the cabbage plants and onion sets and they are doing well too. Potato blight always our main concern. We use copper sulphate because we are trying to do it as naturally as possible but it seems to turn the leaves brown. Had anyone got any tips for this?
.
Joseph lawler
Sunday, May 29th, 2022 I've queens doing well and some roosters well up I planted golden wonders and more roosters two weeks ago that's all I planted haven't the time for anything else.
paddycrawford
Sunday, May 29th, 2022
You must be registered with an email address to comment.
Growing your own.
This topic is for advice on growing your own food for us and the animals ,wheres the best place to buy seed and methods hopefully it won't be needed but this war looks like it will continue.
Tuesday, March 15th, 2022
There are some seeds you can save from store bought Fruit and vegetables paddy. I do this myself.I am growing butternut squash in pots on my kitchen window right now which I saved seeds from a store bought one.I am also trying out sweet pepper seed I saved from a store bought one for the first time.Store vine tomatoes are good too for saving seed from.Chittering potatoes in your shelf can be put into large pots or cut down barrels or washed coal bags or anything you can put enough soil and compost into to grow from one potato in a few weeks or now in a poly tunnel or greenhouse and cover at night if there is a frost.A few spare sweet potatoes can be can sacrificed to grow some slips indoors on a kitchen window sill in pots now to get a head start.Each slip will be a new sweet potato.
I have grown watermelons in the past form a store bought melon.There is so much you can grow from what you buy every week.
One thing when saving seed from anything give them a week in the fridge before planting. Germination is better this way.
Friday, March 18th, 2022
Tilling your soil properly is very important. You want your soil nice and light. Almost to a sandy texture. Root vegetables do well in good soil. Cabbage and kale has the added hardship of caterpillars eating your crop. Onions, peas, scallions, are easy grow.
When it comes to lettuce, make sure you only sow a small batch at a time. Space out several weeks between batches.
Another great crop to grow are micro greens. Packed with goodness and flavour. Just get a couple a large plastic trays. Grow them inside, close to sunlight. Two weeks from sowing, to eating.
Saturday, March 19th, 2022
Seedaholics have a fab range, beautifully packaged and there is the option of organic versions of many varieties.
Sunday, March 20th, 2022
Yes, seedaholic are great, good selection of fruit veg herbs and delivered fast to door
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Keep it simple and grow what you eat lots of. Spuds, carrots,onions, beetroot,peas,swedes etc are all easy grown and do well in spite of our lack of expertise. Sow onions beside the carrots to deter the carrot fly. We have been doing it for the last few years and find it very rewarding.
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Tomatoes grown next to carrots produce a chemical called solanine that repels carrot flies also :)
Garlic grown near apple tree bases prevents scab.
Celery repels cabbage white butterfly.
Thyme deters weevil and cabbage worm.
Hyssop repels slugs.
If people Google companion planting for fruit veg and herbs, they can print off charts for shed / utility / kitchen for future reference.
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Great website example here:
https://www.howtogarden.ie/using-companion-plants-control-pe...
Carrots:
Plant Chives, Marigolds, Parsley, Radish, Onions, Leeks or Garlic to repel the Carrot Fly
Cabbage:
Plant Dill, Onions or Potatoes as companion plants for beneficial insects. Plant Clover as a companion plant to repel Aphids & the Cabbageworm. Plant Celery to repel the Cabbage White Butterfly. Plant Thyme and Nasturtiums to control Weevil, Cabbage Worm & Cabbage Looper. Plant Borage to repel Cabbage Worms. Plant Hyssop to Deter Cabbage White Moth. Plant Marigold to deter Cabbage Maggots
Lettuce:
Plant mint, Hyssop, Sage to repel Slugs. Lettuce doesn’t have a rotation group but grows happily alongside Beans, Carrots, Broccoli, Onions, Radish & Beets. Plant Linaria to attract the Hover Fly (larvae kills Slugs)
Parsnip:
If let go to seed the parsnip can deter pests including Spider Mites, Aphids and fruit flies. Plant other companioon plants such as Onion, Radish, Pea, Potato & Garlic
Broccoli:
Plant with Nasturtiums to free up calcium. Plant with Dill, Rosemary, Hyssop, Sage and Garlic to repel pests.
Asparagus:
A Perennial plant so requires a permanent location. Plant Dill, Coriander, Parsley, Marigolds & Comfrey as companions. Plant Petunias to deter Asparagus Beetle
Beans:
Rotate Beans & Peas through your vegetable plot over a 4 year cycle as they add Nitrogen to the soil. Follow Beans with Cabbage. Interplant peas with onions as you harvest. Plant Marigold to repel the Bean Beetle
Celery:
Companion plants include Leek, Cabbage & Cauliflower
Chard:
Plant with other root crops & Lettuce
Cauliflower:
Plant Thyme and Nasturtiums to control Weevil, Cabbage Worm & Cabbage Looper
Garlic
Plant with all vegetable to repel aphids, Carrot Fly and add Sulphur
Tomatoes:
Plant basil to boost growth. Plant Borage to repel Hornworms. Avoid Chilli Peppers near Tomatoes as it can lead to Whitefly
Potatoes:
Plant Garlic as it acts as a light fungicide to Late Blight. Plant Horseradish to repel the Potato Bug, Armadillidium vulgare
Spinach:
Plant Taller crops such as peas & beans to offer shade and cover from the sun. Happy with Cabbage, Celery, Onion & Peas
Turnips:
Plant after peas as Turnips require a lot of Nitrogen
Monday, March 21st, 2022
Does any one here dip there own grown seed potatoes in lime to kill potential blight spores or other disease.
Friday, March 25th, 2022
Never dipped seed potatoes in lime.
Does it work?
Google just told me:
Organic fungicides such as Copper Sulphate sprays can be effective on early and late blight.
Friday, March 25th, 2022
Yes it works has always being done around here.
Friday, March 25th, 2022
Oh and you would be better of using proper blight spray people used blue stone mixed with washing up liquid when they had little other choice but the modern sprays have to be more effective.
Friday, March 25th, 2022
Methinks Paddy that you know a lot more about this than you're letting on!
Sunday, March 27th, 2022
Oh I no a bit but theres a lot that don't and you'd be surprised where you can pick up useful tips.
Monday, March 28th, 2022
How are the gardens coming on? What's doing well and what isn't?
Sunday, May 29th, 2022
Everything seems to be very slow for me this year. Peas are doing well, but lettuce, scallions etc are very slow to come on.
Sunday, May 29th, 2022
We didn't sow until quite late as it was so cold. The potatoes are doing well (British queen's) with a few signs of flowers. The first batch of peas were all taken by the birds but second lot netted and doing grand. Beetroot and carrots up.
We don't bother with the lettuce as it always got ahead of us. Bought the cabbage plants and onion sets and they are doing well too. Potato blight always our main concern. We use copper sulphate because we are trying to do it as naturally as possible but it seems to turn the leaves brown. Had anyone got any tips for this?
.
Sunday, May 29th, 2022
I've queens doing well and some roosters well up I planted golden wonders and more roosters two weeks ago that's all I planted haven't the time for anything else.
Sunday, May 29th, 2022