General Chat

I've planted a slice of tomatoe for a few years always works well. I'm going to try planting root ginger now as it seems its easy to grow...so they say....watch this space :-D

Ann, our runners peaked too soon but now seem to be having a second flush!
7lbs of green cherry tomatoes are now chutney and jam. I like cherry toms best but may grow larger varieties next year as the tiddly ones are a devil to pick over and chop!

I was told 'don't buy cheap seeds' :-S Have to say, I have more success with 'cheap seeds' than expensive ones. 30 odd seeds in a zip lock packet for 99p v 8 in a branded pictorial packet with instructions for upwards of 2.99 - no contest!
Free seeds are the way to go :-D

The compost bit is not new, though, as our vegie etc scraps go into OH's compost bin.

I am afraid I am not a gardener at all. I help with weeding and watering but that is as far as it goes. :-D

Island..... ;-)

Certainly did, Island - to GCE level (compulsory in the 50s) but other choices at A level.
[Edit: compulsory at my school. ]

It was never one of my favourite subjects, unlike my daughter and younger brother, both at A level and one far beyond. :-D

We were given four runner bean plants and thought they had done fairly well, until yesterday when OH managed to get down there to look at thehe plants to see if he could pull them up (he is incapacitated at the moment with w very bad back). He noticed another runner and then another and because he was looking closely he ended up with a very large handful so these we will have tonight. We don't grow a lot of veg except tomatoes and cucumbers. tomatoes were planted in March in the greenhouse and we have been picking them since July and have had a real glut. I have a large collander in the kitchen full of them and still loads on the plants. I just have to summon up the energy to make some chutney now. We have actually never tried growing from sliced fruit though.

Did you not do biology at school Joy? :-S
Not to worry. Some people think milk comes from bottles and wedding dresses just appear on hangers

Bob, you are correct and I am also puzzled by the 'surprise but I think growing tomatoes from a slice is a novelty at the moment because a) lockdown created a shortage of (expensive!) seeds and b) we were all discovering ne things to do while in isolation. I'd never grown bell peppers before so I sowed the seeds of a fresh one just as an interest. I have to say, we won't have a glut!
I've only bought runner bean seeds once as I save the seeds for next time - I think this is standard though? :-0

Not among us novice gardeners, Bob.

I remember more than thirty years ago when our daughter (then a keen gardener, now too busy) tried to grow a pineapple plant after she read about it. Alas, it came to nought.

This year, however, she bought a mini greenhouse and Gndson 2 made a few perfectly jointed bedding boxes. Together they have grown a variety of plants. We still have a few of their cucumber, tomato and pepper plants in our greenhouse that are just about ready to pick.

She and one of my brothers are the keenest and better gardeners in our family. I am not - my part, until now, has been eating what is produced, which I do enthusiastically.

I would've thought that it would be well known,

a fruit with seeds as it falls from the plant.....when the fruit rots....it forms the perfect nutrient for the seeds.....

I had left my last year tomato pots with the soil in and had lots of seedlings this year, presumably from the odd tomato that fell into them last year. I left the compost and saved just 3 plants and we are still picking every day now. I've made some tomato sauce for pasta and frozen it as there were so many. I grew 3 mini cucumber plants and they have had plenty too, with enough to pickle, but the best has been 3 round courgette plants grown from seed planted outside on the side of a heap of waste soil after dismantling raised beds that we hadn't got round to clearing. They are still going strong and have produced faster than we can eat.

Thanks Ginnie.

We live a bit further north so late May may be the right time for us. We now have a greenhouse too so OH and I are looking forward to seeing what comes up once we get going with the seeds.

JoyLouise- I started my toms off in early May I think, in a plastic greenhouse same time as the cucumbers. When the seedlings had grown to a strong plant we planted out into a container . We had a good start with some great weather and they were doing well but then the weather changed and it was colder than normal but they flowered well and when it warmed up again we suddenly had lots of tiny tomatoes and now they are going red so am hoping this warm week forecast will turn them all. Tomatoes do need feeding well . We live in the Midlands so not the coldest area .

CornishSue I used baby plum tomatoes from Asda .

Thank Susie.

JoyLouise - I think I planted mine in April, but have no idea when you should actually plant them. I should add that down here in the far West of Cornwall it is much milder and I did put them in a very sunny porch so not sure if that made any difference.
The seeds I planted were very ordinary Tesco plum tomatoes so will be interested to see if that's what I get!

My tomatoes are doing well in a plastic frame, and ridge cucumber outside. I am planning to buy a greenhouse very soon, and may buy an electric dryer next year to make my own sundried toms.

Very informative.

OH and I are going to give it a go - tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and strawbs.

First, may I ask, Susie, what time of year is the best time to begin the process?

I'm still experimenting with the idea of turning water into wine.

The opposite comes natural to many.

Island i planted seeds from a green bell pepper 5 months ago.They produced some very lovely green plants which are about a foot tall. But still have not produced any peppers!! What did i do wrong?

They are still growing new shoots

Florence in the hebrides

I thought I’d made a mistake by drying seeds from a fresh tomato on kitchen paper.
Planted the bit of paper and now have some nice green tomatoes

Oooh - I must try the tomato thing! :-D