Gardening/Vegetable growing tips

Slainte

Quizmeister
Hi all, seeing in this whole credit crunch time, I thought I would get more interested in vegetable growing this year after having a dabble last summer and growing some nice spuds and green beans..
Any tips anyone?
 

cookie_monster

Well-Known Forumite
this may seem a bit naughty....but there is a really helpful gardening and allotments section on the sheffield forum.

heres a link to the sub-section which is totally dedicated to those with green fingers.

ive used it quite a few times for help with my plants and questions about water butts. and yes, youre right, my life cant get more exciting! ;)


x


EDIT: the most helpful tip i can offer, from experience, plants need water. if you dont water pots all year, they will die. i learnt this the hard way when i though mother nature would take care of it all for me. d'oh!
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Slainte said:
Any tips anyone?
Could I suggest asparagus.....

I'm sure my mate Len on Sandon Road would be happy to advise and you seem to be fairly local. He's 92, so he should have got the hang of it by now. Seriously though, he does know his onions - and all the other stuff. You won't get any bullshit either, he prefers horse.

Let me know and I'll put you in touch.
 

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
If your going self-sufficient as they call it, have you thought about keeping chickens for your own fresh eggs??
Ive got 14 hens, piece of p to keep, they provide me with plenty of eggs for our own use, plus the neighbours who buy them from us pays for all their feed!

I keep and sell hens so let me know if u'd be interested, whether it be for supply or just advice
 

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
Id reccomend trying cut and come again lettuce, Spring onions and raddishes if you like that type of thing. All very easy and if you sow successively you can keep yourself with more than enough while needing very little space. Runner beans are good too just pick them early before they go tough, you can part boil any glut you get and freeze them too (same applies to all beans really). Ive still got loads lurking in our freezer. I also had a fair bit of success with beetroot and broad beans last year at the first time of trying. also if you like Rhubarb might be worth buying a plant or two, i got one last year and it more than paid for itself.
 

Slainte

Quizmeister
Last year I had good crops of potatos, runner beans and some carrots and a little bit of lettuce. My main thing is knowing when to plant stuff, and knowing when things are ready if they are root vegetables etc.
Anyone know where to find an easy to understand planting calendar I can print off somewhere?
 

cookie_monster

Well-Known Forumite
wmrcomputers said:
Ive got 14 hens, piece of p to keep, they provide me with plenty of eggs for our own use, plus the neighbours who buy them from us pays for all their feed!
do you re-home battery hens at all?

theres a quite a few knitting groups in sheffield and if youd like some chux tuxs to keep the balder ones warm in winter im sure i can pass on some details.


x
 

db

#chaplife
cookie_monster said:
theres a quite a few knitting groups in sheffield and if youd like some chux tuxs to keep the balder ones warm in winter im sure i can pass on some details.
what in the name of almighty god is this all about? is there really a service in sheffield that provides bespoke cardigans for chickens?? lol
 

cookie_monster

Well-Known Forumite
dirtybobby said:
what in the name of almighty god is this all about? is there really a service in sheffield that provides bespoke cardigans for chickens?? lol
not a service, just nice people who are happy to contribute to a good cause.

the glorified hen cosies are pretty quick to knit and are a good way of using up left over wool.

i only learnt to knit recently, so when i saw the adverts before, i actually made mine out of fleece on a sewing machine instead, but they work just as well.


x
 

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
Slainte said:
Last year I had good crops of potatos, runner beans and some carrots and a little bit of lettuce. My main thing is knowing when to plant stuff, and knowing when things are ready if they are root vegetables etc.
Anyone know where to find an easy to understand planting calendar I can print off somewhere?
Most seed packets will tell you when to sow/harvest. I did try to find something like what your after myself but didnt manage it online. However there was one last year in a "grow your own" suppliment from the Guardian. Ill see if i can get a decent photo of it for you.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
There's always gardening books in Oxfam, etc. The Garden Expert series by Dr D G Hessayon really are quite clear, accurate and succinct.
 

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
i'm still lolling about cardigans for chickens lol!!!!

I only deal with young stock though as I sell the eggs to pay for feed, so therefore they're at peak production in their first 12 months of laying.

I thought about getting the ex battery hens, but TBH you tend to have to travel a long way to get them, and allthough they're charities, they tend to charge as much for an old bird as i pay for young birds.

I take it back. Just read what i wrote and it sounds bloody crude! lol
 

Rikki

Well-Known Forumite
I would like Chickens myself but my girlfriend's not too keen on the idea. Infact iv i been informed if i got some she would "set them free". My Dad does keep a few thought althought there not a good laying variety (seems a bit pointley to me). Are you being serious about these chicken cardigans? if so any pics or links? ive a feeling it would go down well with the old man.
 

cookie_monster

Well-Known Forumite
as promised, links to the chux tux pics

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/7228859.stm

modelled by a rather unwilling cat- http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r65/Wheezy_photos/DSCF3021a.jpg

before being put on: http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r65/Wheezy_photos/DSCF3025.jpg


x
 

cookie_monster

Well-Known Forumite
wmrcomputers said:
I take it back. Just read what i wrote and it sounds bloody crude! lol
not crude- youre running your hobby as a self-sufficient business, why get hens that are at the end of their laying life, its not business sense?

this may seem rude, but do you eat them after they stop laying or have you gotten too attached to them by then?


x
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
wmrcomputers said:
and allthough they're charities, they tend to charge as much for an old bird as i pay for young birds.
Bloody charities - muscling in on every aspect of commercial life. Make sure you get one that gives a good lay - get your money's worth.
 

wmrcomputers

Stafford PC & laptop repair specialist
@ cookie monster... the way i rotate my stock I don't really have to reach the point where i need to decide "eat or not eat", but i'd be happy to eat as i know what they've been fed on and would probably be tasty birds.

When i only kept 3 or 4 i was more attached then, and the only "despatch" I had to do was with my first batch of hens from a different source. I realised one had EDS 76 virus (Egg Drop Syndrome) and therefore quickly separated it from the rest and "did the deed".

I only have stock from one supplier now, he's very reputable and has customers from all over the UK and i've never had a problem since (thankfully)

(Just incase anyone's wondering, EDS still means they live healthily, however they can't shell eggs at peak production and drop yolk and white everywhere and get in a mess. If the other birds eat this they then have EDS76 also. By keeping the days "short" in light terms, they can lay 2 or3 eggs per week which are still edible, but most people want hens for an "egg-a-day" which requires "long" days where they receive 17 hours of light a day (much provided by artificial lighting) which keeps them at peak laying and prevents them from moulting too)
 
Top