General Chat

yes you can hun i think only if they are sprouting
years ago my son then aged about 5
planted some peelings
and he grow three whopper potatoes from them

If a 5 year old can do it.....so can I...

Thanks Joy :)

Whats a whopper potato look like ?

anything bigger than a large grapefruit is a whopper potato
round or oval brown skin white or cream flesh

you know keith sort of tattie looking!!!

I KNOW LOL

PMSL

I grow lots of veg, but cheat in a way, I do it all in containers on my top patio so no digging and weeding, I save that for the flowers in my garden.

I am quite succesful in tubs and have been doing it a few years, this year I have 5 tubs of strawberrys, it started as two tubs a few years ago, but they grow runners which I cut a few back and sometimes place another pot beside them and they spread.

I also do Radish, Spring Onions and Salad Leaves (very easy in tubs and great fun for kids). Leeks a bit more difficult and Carrots, this year is my first good crop - trial and error on Carrots, Red Onions, Tumbling Toms in baskets which look great in hanging baskets off the trunk of my Laburnham tree, Beef Toms in Pots and Peppers, all growing well and I am due to harvest my spuds this week :)

I lost my cucumber and my Courgettes this year to White Rot, but will try agin next year - I think I should have watered the base and not the leaves and Broccoli which I was suprised how simple it is to grow, but ive had real problems with slugs on that one and had to move into a mini greenhouse.

I also grow fruit in pots and have succesfully grown a Fig and Olive Tree in Pots in my Rockery on the lower patio and Hawthorns I have almost Ten dotted around the Garden so grow Sloes to make Sloe Gin :)

Oh and I dont know if it counts, but I do my own beansprouts and freeze them if I have too many, takes ten days to grow them long and thick enough for a chinese and I do them in a Jar in the kitchen cupboard. Works out about 10p to Grow as many as you get in a fresh bag in the shops for about 75p.

Hi Maddie, does the olive tree produce olives that you can eat?

Hi Secret Squirrell, yes they do bare fruit in the winter months, they grow grow green olives and I pick them then and bottle them in Brine, they turn black after green if I havent picked them all and then fall off, I am not sure if you can eat them when they are black (I dont know if black is a different tree) so havent tried them then.

Reading about the spuds below, I tried old pototoes in my compost bin last year, but it dosent work out. I read that normal spuds that sprout are more prone to disease. You can buy a bag of proper sprouting potatoes for as little as 99p I put only two in an 18 inch pot and last year had about 20 spuds, I havent dug up this year yet to see how many I have, but you just pull out the big ones and leave the smaller ones there and they will continue to grow.

I love black olives (more than green) aren't green olives just olives that haven't fully ripened yet?

I want an olive tree now! Do you need a big container for it?

I had the Olive tree as a birthday present from my inlaws three years ago, it was about 10 inches tall and I think cost about £20.00.

I havent repotted it yet so its still quite small, about a foot and a half tall, but bares enough fruit for two jars.

Its only in a ten inch pot, I do need to repot it this year, but its small enough for me to bring into the conservatory in the winter in a small pot, although it was out in the snow last winter and has survived and looks healthy.

I want an olive tree too! I just LOVE olives! Am off to the Garden Centre as most of flowers were bashed by the hailstones and I want to replace them.

this thread is sounding more like farm world (or whatever it's called) lol

Hayley's got donkeys and I'd love a real one but my garden isn't that big unfortunately. **wonders if there is a donkey sanctuary nearby**

I wasn't allowed to play in the muck when most people ere starting their veggies... but I do have a magnificent looking potato plant growing in the flower patch... should be ready to harvest any day now.... I have now got a veg patch proper... I have carrots in tubs, and my cauli and swede are doing nicely... they will be ready to plant out any day now.. runner beans in a tub, and I have the first flowers appearing... sweetcorn and onions are doing well, as are the peas and sugar snap... I have planted beetroot, in pots, and await germination.

As I said, later than most folk, but I wasn't able to play... so most of my harvesting will be late. I am emptying the freezers bit by bit so that I can freeze some of it when it is ready.

Next year, I shall have loads.. I have a small coldframe, but lots of spots I can build makeshift ones... plus every window ledge in the conservatory, and my old marble coffee table, will be fully utilised as germination spots, lol

Can't wait!!

Love

Daff xxxx

Apparently Lesley if you leave your courgettes too long they grow into marrows!!! x

A said to say we make our own compost here and that adds to the taste ~ everyone should try having a go x

Daff did you make or buy your cold frame? I am interested in one as I think it would have protected my Broccoli better, but dont have much room left on the top patio and like my lawn for God kids and neices and nephews to play on so only have flowers in boarders down there.

Prob is I have tried to encourage bees and butterflies down the bottom of the garden and they took a fancy to my Broccoli at the top. I am thinking of building one but am not sure where to start.

Yes, we do. Just having a break to read this thread. Have been making vanilla panacottas with stewed grapes and raspberries in apple juice, for tomorrow and to use up the soft fruits which are in abundence at the moment. We are not 'pudding' people as such, but something light like this will fit the bill. Have already made some Strawberry Conserve, and some Raspberry Vinegar, for winter sore throats. You have to be very inventive when you have loads of crops coming up.
My OH has an allotment, and he grows every veg and soft fruit we eat, including Turnips and Parsnips for the winter, and also Brussels, which we love. Up at the house I grow, aswell as all the flowers, shrubs, hanging baskets, borders, window boxes and tropical border, three tomato plants in a little plastic mini 'greenhouse'. They are this year, Tumblers, Roma, a plum, cooking tomato, and a Golden Sunrise, a yellow salad tomato. As I stand watering these, I can turn round and pick some Alpine Strawberries from the hanging basket. I have pots of herbs in this little area also. In the greenhouse, I have a pepper and a chilli plant, which has about 6 chillis on at the moment. For anyone wanting to grow Garlic, just get an ordinary bulb from the supermaket, and split into sections and space around a large container.
Well, OH has just walked in with the 'Sunday Dinner'. I can see potatoes, peas, carrots and a cauli. There is also some broad beans, which I will use for tomorrow, along with some of the potatoes, boiled today, then sauted tomorrow, and with the panacottas, that is tomorrows dinner taken care of. We are having rhese with roast chicken, and home made sage and onion stuffing. But I will, joint the chicken as it is too big for two. Then on Saturday, after I have defrosted two of the saved portions, I will turn them into sticky chicken with rice and a salad. Tuesday, will be new potatoes, fresh mint sauce, lamb chops,cabbage, peas and carrots. And so we progress through the week, having what depends on availability on the allotment.
Lovely grub

Julia in Derbyshire

PS. After I have cleaned todays bag of 'goodies' I am off to build a rockery in a long trough. Bought the plants yesterday, and the stones I have bought back from holidays in Scotland.

Happy gardening all

Sounds fab Julia! A tip for your Rockery (all my herbs grow in mine). I built mine a few years ago and found the large rocks expensive in the garden centre and also too 'knew' looking.

I went onto freecycle and asked if anyone had old rocks - loads of people are getting rid of rockerys to extend these days and I had an abundance of offers and got some fab stones and plants - all for free just as long as I picked, collected and carried to the car myself.

Also what looks pretty and deters slugs in the rockery is everytime we have shell food, I boil up the shells after to clean them and then throw them in the rockery.

Hello Maddiecow, have already got my rocks and plants. But, was going to top dress it with pea gravel anyway, but that is a good idea about the shells, and will use this tip. Many,many thanks

Julia in Derbyshire