Fruit and veg growers of 2023

[Sticks.]

Evoluzione said:

I'll be doing nematodes this year.

Have you tried them before? We had a year off slugs last year with it being so dry but I've seen some already this year.

[Nimby]

wombleh said:

Always found spuds in containers got demolished by slugs here. Despite going out hunting after dark with a torch and bottle of salt water!

Same for my spuds in open ground last year, so I'm trying "Kestrel" this year which are supposed to be slug-resistant.

[Evoluzione]

Sticks. said:

Evoluzione said:

What was the problem with the carrots, forking? Carrot root fly is another big problem for many.

I've not had a problem with carrot fly, probably because of the (number of) onions, but they just don't grow any longer than my thumb, at best. As shame, as I like them and they store well enough.

Re onions, there are varieties you can plant in Autumn but by now they'd have grown a bit. The disadvantage of putting them in now is I think the birds will have them, as any little shoots look worm-like, get pulled out and dropped.

I know no dig is popular but one advantage of digging is potatoes will grow more easily and for me, wanting to get first earlies in as soon as I can, I can let some warmth into the soil. Some people cover with black plastic for this. Something which could be debated ad inf

It would be a shame to give up on carrots when you're so close, because they're well worth persisting with. They're so much tastier and crisp than the SM and it's so handy to be able to pull one out in Feb with a smug smile and a nod muttering 'fk i'm good I am'
Particular short variant aside, I would say they haven't had enough nutrient and/or sun. The fact they're raised falls in their favour as CRF is a low flying insect.
They need a sunny spot, sandy, stone free soil and the correct nutrients. The nutrients needed for any plant are basically N, P and K.
Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.
Chemical fertilisers are labelled with the content of each so you know what you're buying, it'll be something like a 2:2:2. Some other organic, but shop bought fertilisers are quoted as being strong in some elements and weak in others (seaweed, blood, bonemeal etc)
What you DO NOT want in carrot compost/soil is an abundance of N, this will absolutely play havoc with them because it's good for leaf growth. If the tap root starts taking up N it'll get greedy and send loads more roots out everywhere to find it all and hoover it up to feed the top growth.
What does a plant want to do? What is it's sole purpose in life? Well it's not to be prematurely eaten that's for sure. It wants to make seed to reproduce, our job is to stop a carrot from doing this and make it search for food via the tap root (singular).

You need to feed appropriately. No fresh homemade compost unless you put it in 6 months to a year before (because it's high in N). Some new bagged composts are also high in it too so I would advise re-using the stuff you already have if it's stone free, but add more P & K than they've previously had.

So they need a dedicated planter really, unless you can split a planter in half or whatever. I would encourage having another go with that in mind and see how it goes.
Successful carrots, nay, huge award winning carrots need the above, a bit more method and nothing more than an old water tank to grow them in.

The only potential issue is in storing them in the ground in Winter. They need to be protected from predators and extreme freeze. You might get to the latter in a container if it goes down far enough (beyond -7 perhaps), but as said earlier mine have been down to -7 in the ground and are fine. In fact, because the soil was frozen so hard and has now defrosted it's come loose and they're really easy to pull as the soil has released it's grip.






They're not perfect, but are ok for a first attempt in unknown territory.

Edited by Evoluzione on Wednesday 25th January 13:58

[Gone a bit AMG]

Will be hoping to improve on good tomato harvest, one decent corncob and reviisting the chillis on the balcony which were a great success

[Evoluzione]

Sticks. said:

Evoluzione said:

I'll be doing nematodes this year.

Have you tried them before? We had a year off slugs last year with it being so dry but I've seen some already this year.

No, it'll be the first time, i've heard nothing but good things about them and can see no other way around the problem, apparently:

The effect can be long lasting which will suit my 'veg-left-in-ground-in-Winter' plan.
Once you've put them in (apart from renewing) they're maintenance free.
I believe you can get different ones for different pests
You can produce your own, but don't think i'll go that far.

I can't give, trade or sell substandard veg, you have to give people something which is better than Supermarket stuff in one or more ways, not worse.
The slugs are maybe worse here because of the rural location, we're surrounded by fields and not houses.

Last year we had an early crop of Brussels and harvested them whilst it was still warm or mild, fk me the whole World and his wife of the insect/slug community had gone into them to shelter and eat. My poor O/H spent hours stripping everyone out to get to a decent core before eating or freezing them. I went in the kitchen and couldn't see her, she was hidden behind this vast pile of sprout leaves and corpses of minute wildlife.
The interesting thing is that in Dec and Jan that has stopped and they're all tight and pest free. I believe there is more than one thing at work there, more than one cause perhaps like timing and loose sprouts.

A similar tale with lettuce, every single leaf had to be plucked and cleaned of pests and soil.

Then in Summer all Brassicas came under attack from cabbage white caterpillars. I was out every day searching and squishing for maybe a month or two. They wrecked a lot of produce and were very time consuming, i've never known them be so bad until I came here, although it could have been the weather too.
The cure for that is either a spray, nets or just give up growing them.
A lot to do and learn yet.

Edited by Evoluzione on Wednesday 25th January 21:10

[droopsnoot]

The biggest trouble I have in the vegetable patch (apart from my own laziness) is that the local cats use it as a toilet, along with the front lawn, the latter discovered during autumn as I scooped up some fallen leaves with my (fortunately gloved) hands while tidying up. Couldn't even be bothered buying it in a border.

[Evoluzione]

droopsnoot said:

The biggest trouble I have in the vegetable patch (apart from my own laziness) is that the local cats use it as a toilet, along with the front lawn, the latter discovered during autumn as I scooped up some fallen leaves with my (fortunately gloved) hands while tidying up. Couldn't even be bothered buying it in a border.

There is a known nasty disease/condition/whatever to be caught from that so be very careful.

A low loose plastic fence can be put around veg patches to stop them (and the rabbits we have). Because it's loose and a bit floppy they can't climb it to get in, it just folds over backwards and they fall off. They're not clever enough to use a pole vault, make a ramp or take a running jump

[Evoluzione]

Gone a bit AMG said:

Will be hoping to improve on good tomato harvest, one decent corncob and reviisting the chillis on the balcony which were a great success

First year for chillis here, I don't even like them, but she got a seed advent calendar with some in so will have a go.

Part of the reason for starting this thread so early is to discuss last years problems and get prepared early to avoid any failures this year.
So there you go, how come you only managed a single sweetcorn? Was this from a group of plants?
With the weather we had it should have been a bumper crop.

[droopsnoot]

Evoluzione said:

There is a known nasty disease/condition/whatever to be caught from that so be very careful.

A low loose plastic fence can be put around veg patches to stop them (and the rabbits we have). Because it's loose and a bit floppy they can't climb it to get in, it just folds over backwards and they fall off. They're not clever enough to use a pole vault, make a ramp or take a running jump

Yes, I try to check every couple of days and remove what I find on the veg patch. I've allocated a section of a border where I chuck it, as it can't go on the compost heap either.

I've considered some kind of fencing, just keeping an eye open for some cheap posts. As you say, I don't want any kind of construction that they can climb over, I was thinking wire netting on thin poles. I don't want to hurt them or trap them inside the patch, I just want them to go away. My Dad put a load of those ultrasonic cat-scarer things in there, but I don't think they had much effect. Some elsewhere recommended one that I might have a go at, but it's as easy to just check every few days while I haven't sorted a fence.

[48k]

I've got some garlic to go in, apart from that haven't even planned what I'm growing this year.
Had a hippo bag of compost delivered so this weekend will be digging that in to the beds then planning what to grow.
Probably end up doing the usual toms, cucumber and peppers in the greenhouse, and potatoes courgette, carrots beans, beetroot lettuce and garlic in the beds.

[wombleh]

Evoluzione said:

Then in Summer all Brassicas came under attack from cabbage white caterpillars. I was out every day searching and squishing for maybe a month or two. They wrecked a lot of produce and were very time consuming, i've never known them be so bad until I came here, although it could have been the weather too.
The cure for that is either a spray, nets or just give up growing them.
A lot to do and learn yet.

Someone mentioned to me that there was a particular issue with them here too (near Oxford). Maybe last year was particularly bad for them everywhere. Our stuff was all in nets and was demolished anyway. The year before we didn't have any issues, although it was a different net setup so possibly I'd left some holes somewhere. I'm going with the give up option and use the space for something else !

[Sticks.]

Thanks for the info on carrots and nematodes, those carrots look good. You probably know but most nutrients are just under the skin of carrots, but so are residual pesticides. So if you've grown your own you can benefit by not peeling them.

Citrus/citronella best for cats isn't it? Not here (Kent) because it just won't stop raining

[Evoluzione]

You could try one of those PIR triggered water jets. They work, but it's a bugger when you forget and get a soaking yourself.
I got my garlic in in November, it's growing and seems to be hanging in ok. A good cold spell does many types some good and triggers it to grow. It's useful to learn about triggers, a lot of seeds, bulbs and plants are caused to do things by what they sense - cold, drought etc. Some veggies are triggered to bolt (go to seed prematurely) by some conditions. I'm going to have a go at growing Giant sequoias and they need a spell in the fridge & freezer to get them going.
I'm an avid home composter, more on that later.
I never knew about vitamins and skin, it just seems wrong to eat the skin! They seem to taste a bit earthy to me with it on and always peel them. Similar or same rules apply to growing Parsnips as carrots btw, they're another you can leave in over Winter. They reckon those and Sprouts get a touch sweeter after a frost.



It looks very desolate in there compared to Summer and you can see what the wind has done to them, but what's left are tight with only the outer leaves a bit frost damaged, they're fine inside.

Unless I get time for nets I think i'll stand by with some spray for the cabbage whites, see how it goes. A neighbour said they don't give up easy and he's right. I was chasing them off with a hose pipe, they're very resilient and determined. He said he chased one off, it went round his house and came back the other way!
I didn't have the heart to tell him it might have been a different one....

[NMNeil]

Evoluzione said:

You'll see a blowlamp lurking, that's used to burn/melt the holes through the membrane:



Use a plank so you don't overly compact the soil. It's all planted out now with some space at the back for cucumbers to climb. The shade from them shouldn't be too much of an issue as they're on the North side.

Other banter, ponderances, tips and tricks later....

Do you use drip irrigation under the plastic?

[Evoluzione]

NMNeil said:

Evoluzione said:

You'll see a blowlamp lurking, that's used to burn/melt the holes through the membrane:



Use a plank so you don't overly compact the soil. It's all planted out now with some space at the back for cucumbers to climb. The shade from them shouldn't be too much of an issue as they're on the North side.

Other banter, ponderances, tips and tricks later....

Do you use drip irrigation under the plastic?

The woven plastic lets water through, gives the strawberries something to rest on and prevents weeds and moisture leaving from below, but to answer your question; not yet, but yes eventually!
Last year any spare time was used getting the initial supply and storage ready, as i'm going to be using a natural spring to irrigate.

[NMNeil]

Evoluzione said:

The woven plastic lets water through, gives the strawberries something to rest on and prevents weeds and moisture leaving from below, but to answer your question; not yet, but yes eventually!
Last year any spare time was used getting the initial supply and storage ready, as i'm going to be using a natural spring to irrigate.

I asked because I'm contemplating using plastic mulch, either straight black or black one side and white the other. Not just for the weeds but due to our 20 year drought and 43C summer temps the best way to irrigate is with drip tape under the plastic.
Maybe this year I can beat the weeds and gophers

[Gone a bit AMG]

Evoluzione said:

First year for chillis here, I don't even like them, but she got a seed advent calendar with some in so will have a go.

Part of the reason for starting this thread so early is to discuss last years problems and get prepared early to avoid any failures this year.
So there you go, how come you only managed a single sweetcorn? Was this from a group of plants?
With the weather we had it should have been a bumper crop.

Bought a few established plants as an experiment and the planters I used were two small and the plants incorrectly spaced for decent pollination. I’ve a great little sunny corner as well so I’ll be hoping for better results. I looked at that dwarf variety you posted above and will ry that this year.

[Sticks.]

I use the water permeable membrane on a raised bed to grow onions and it makes for a lot less work. Fit it fairly tightly and push holes and insert onion sets. Check for missing or dislodged ones.

[Peanut Gallery]

Watching, but in NE Scotland we are still expecting more snow, and frost into May.

I would add I am really hoping to get a trailer load of compost to really layer onto the allotment this year. Might help the weeds grow knowing my luck!

[Evoluzione]

At least you know what you did wrong AMG, it's something I read about too - putting all the plants into a group so the pollinate each other.
Lots of shade in your garden there Sticks, that won't be helping.

Link to the cheapest growing buckets i've found so far: https://www.oaklandgardens.co.uk/plant-pot-contain...

For reference a 30L will do for a few potato plants, note how they've designed the bottom so it drains well.

Thoughts on mulching

I really don't like putting so much plastic into gardens and like to be as Eco friendly as possible, but I can certainly see the attraction of it, things i've thought about:

Mine in the strawberry patch will be there for 3yrs before the plants will be replaced and I can re-use the plastic. That is if the UV hasn't destroyed it, it's a roll end from some cheap LidlAldi stuff I had many years ago and IIRC it isn't UV resistant! To counteract that i'll put some woodchip mulch over to protect it.

I would much prefer to use a natural mulch and will test it, but it won't be as efficient as plastic and will need renewing every year. This isn't so bad as it'll go into the ground, rot down and provide nutrients.
If you set your garden out effectively enough (lets say all your beds are the same dimensions) then you could lift out your plastic sheets and re-use them, even if you rotate your crops. The same sheet has to stay with that crop as it'll be hole spaced accordingly.
You can buy pre-holed membrane, but make sure the spacings suit whatever you're growing.

Weeds are of course a bloody nuisance, without a membrane it's just a case of weeding maybe once a week per patch. Little and often is the rule, this way it'll only take a few minutes to keep them down. Never let them get a greater hold.

By practicing 'No dig' you end up with healthier soil, resulting in a better crop yield. If starting from scratch it means putting one or two layers of cardboard down on the grass/weeds then dumping a layer of compost on top to put the plants into. After that you just put a new thin layer of compost over every year and replant. This new layer is supposed to suppress weeds, but it either has seeds already in it, they poke through from below or get blown in from elsewhere, so it's not completely effective in practice.


Oh and i've just added Goji berries to the list of things I want to grow, if you look into them they seem very easy and are also very hardy plants.