THE VEGETABLE GROWING THREAD 2018

Are these courgettes ready to plant out? I don't want to do it too soon but they're taking up space in the greenhouse.

 

Next weeks snow would kill em Snork

 

Snow?? For real? (I wouldn't be suprised!!) but it's forecast sunny and 15C all week here.

 

According to the Mirror, said naughty gardeners should beware ground frost late next week too

 

Blackthorn is 2 weeks late flowering

Blackthorn Winter - Wikipedia

 

It's a good job I'm not naughty!!

Been mega busy up on the lotty. Sown some carrots, spring onions, radishes. Did some more tatties in tubs as run out of ground space. Cleared a bed with just a few strawb plants and put them in a stacking strawberry grower thingy. Planted out my leeks, shallots and garlic chives. Mr snorks has done the strimmer around the raised beds of my neighbours lotty that I've adopted.

Pleased to see some potatoes coming through and my gladioli have started to burst through!

On my third picking of rhubarb....planning on making some rhubarb gin

 

For size they would be perfect, they're lovely healthy plants, but there's some chilly nights forecast next week that could finish them off.

Are they outside in that pic? (looks like it). Squashes need to acclimatise to aggressive outdoor conditions like hot, bright sunshine, especially if there's a breeze, or the leaves will get scorched.

I'm sowing some mini varieties this weekend to plant in polytunnels, then sowing my outdoor ones 1st May.

When planting out watch out for windy conditions if on an exposed site because it'll trash those perfect leaves.

 

Thanks @Scrungee I've had them inside and outside the greenhouse on and off. I bring them in at night as I dont want the slugs to get them. I think i'll start putting them in the cold frame at night so I can try protect them from slugs.

Pleased you think they're looking healthy!

 

BBC Weather now showing 4 deg C for nearest town Thursday morning, so 2 deg C in my village garden and around freezing at my plot outside the edge of the village. I'll be bringing some more tender stuff back home and topping up my potato containers.

 

Indeed, I will be doing.

 

My cucumber and courgette plants have bolted on the window sill and are long and straggly to the first set of leaves. Can they be salvaged?

 

I've finished planting the parsnip seedlings, I always put them under the milk containers to get them used to being outside.

 

Nice crop of milk bottles, Logan.


Most of my crops are still on the window sill.




There are a few super sweet tasting Snackbite pepper plants that I am trying for the first time this year.

In the centre are the courgettes, and in the brown pot are mao gua (Cantonese hairy gourd) which are tricky to grow outdoors in the UK climate as they are less hardy than standard varieties of courgettes and cucumbers.

 

For years of not being able to grow rhubarb we had some chance luck we hope, I bought one last year and forgot about it left in polytunnel unwatered till April.
Only discovered it when some one gave a chunky wooded one from Wales, getting the spade uncovered the potted version.
Duly planted and now thriving well.

Unfortunately no veg work this year as we have too many projects that will take a long time for me to complete, patio started last August still in progress, kitchen started March hole in wall units stacked up water and gas mains to move still in progress, porch is on stilts as we are doing the drive in June and the big step had to go and we uncovered a botched attempted at footings so work in progress again. We do now have a bridge in the porch over the trench running through it.

 

Thanks. Yours look very good.