The Poultry Keeper

IrishLass · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 21 Location: Ireland

what is everyone growing in their gardens at the moment?
right now I've got some strawberries blooming and potatoes have been planted, got a load more potatoes to plant though. have a couple of onions planted as well. also planting some courgette and radish seeds later today. also growing some herbs (chives, coriander, basil, mint & parsley) rocket, and of course got a load of seedling flowers and bulbs that are growing great (Pansy's, gladiolis, cosmos, lupins, hollyhocks, sunflowers and marigolds)
anyone got any tips for growing courgettes? this is my first attempt and not sure whether to plant them in a deep pot with a smallish surface area or a shallow box with a large surface area. Confused

mcleod-girls · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 12:30 pm Post subject:

courgettes like sun, and rich soil. Its always a good idea to keep the courgettes themselves off the ground, mine spill over into the gravel path. I believe they do well in grow bags, but keep well watered. Not much doing here as its been quite cold, only got spinach showing signs of growth. veg seed in cold frame still and tomatoes inside. strawbs growing but slowly. I am trying butternut squash for the first time but it has taken some getting going, has been sat on radiator for two weeks now and only just sprouted! I also have great success with sugar snap peas, planted direct as they don't like movement, with twiggy supports.

good luck

anna Very Happy

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2127 Location: North Cornwall

For courgettes, I dig a biggish hole, fill with well rotted muck, pile the soil back and plant the courgette on top of the mound.
Keep them moist and pick them small. Very Happy

Ive got early, second early and a few main crop pots, lettuce, carrots, beetroot, rocket, courgette, runner and french beans, swiss chard, onions, radish, parsnips, shallots, sweetcorn, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries and autumn rasps, blackcurrants, gooseberries, blackberries. Also flowers for picking, cosmos, gyp, sweetpeas, asters, cornflowers, pot marigolds and a couple of rows of rose bushes, a row of daffodils all finished flowering now and a big patch of selfsown cerinthe.
Toms and cucumber in the greenhouse.
Top fruit, eating and cooking apples, plums, pears, cherries, damson, greengage and peach.
PHEW Shocked

That was almost as exhausting as looking after it all Laughing

mcleod-girls · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 1:37 pm Post subject:

full time job by the sound of it! well done you! Very Happy

IrishLass · Joined: 12 Feb 2007 Posts: 21 Location: Ireland

wow you have a lot growing there lol. would kill for some proper fruit trees, only have a very young gooseberry tree right now lol.
thanks for the tips on growing courgettes Very Happy

is growing squash very difficult? was going to have a go at it and also pumpkins but not sure if you need a greenhouse/tunnel for them.

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7145 Location: isle of lewis

i have courgette,taxi ,eight ball ,climbing french beans ,dwalf french beans ,rainbow chard ,8 different tomatos ,chilly peppers different types ,seweet pepper ,sweet corn ,peas
rasberries ,rurbarb ,gooseberries ,butternut swash ,spaggetti marrow ,
lots of different salad stuff ,runner beans ,and my auther turner apple tree is flowering ,i wanted one for years as it was my grandfathers name and the strawberries ,mint ,rosemary ,lavender ,basil and chives
unless the goats get in Wink

Gilly C · Joined: 22 Jun 2006 Posts: 2474 Location: South Cumbria

in the garden I have carrotts,swiss chard,beetroot,pak choi, green & white cauliflowers, peas,french bean,broad beans,onions,strawberries,courgette, herbs, apples,pears & figs in the greenhouse have lettuce and rocket ready to eat and growing on I have chillies,cucumber,peppers,pakchoi, begonias & osteospernum & basil Smile

mcleod-girls · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 4:30 pm Post subject:

irish lass, from what I read squash should be the same as courgette to grow, but they have needed warmer temps to sprout so will keep them in sheltered spot and cross fingers for good summer!

Clucky · Joined: 22 Jul 2006 Posts: 2182 Location: Shropshire

WEEDS!!!!!

Oh..... and WEEDS!!!!

Oh .... and potatoes and runner beans, the latter not doing so well Oh and did I say WEEDS

And chillies in pots with oregan, thyme and mint Smile

NannyP · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 11:37 pm Post subject:

Oh yes, WEEDS most definitely potatoes (ate some yesterday), runner beans, mange tout, carrots, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, pumpkins, rhubarb, radishes, sweet potatoes,quince, cherry, peach, apple, gooseberry, blackberry's, raspberry's, pear, walnut, chestnut
Those in red were already here when I arrived Very Happy

Oh and loads of WEEDS Shocked

milkmaid · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 7145 Location: isle of lewis

clucky ,nanny they are not weeds they are goat food
you just haven't got the goat yet Wink

Spana · Joined: 30 Apr 2005 Posts: 2127 Location: North Cornwall

mcleod-girls · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 10:01 am Post subject:

we have such a problem with weeds that it has taken nearly 10 years for the trees to be taller than the weeds! LOL! and the trees that have made it all grow sideways! (cant think why???)
ps nannyp I am jealous of all the fruit, lucky you having such good weather. is this your first summer proper? how do you find the heat?

Brittany Chick · Joined: 26 Sep 2006 Posts: 231 Location: Brittany

We have lots of pig food (aka weeds Wink

) and I also have potatoes, peas, brussels (yuk), purple sprouting broccolli, broad beans, haricot beans, tomatoes, red and white onions, leeks, shallots, lettuce, squash, strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb!

Some of the seeds haven't done anything constructive yet so I'm waiting to see if they grow. There should be parsnips, carrots, aubergine, rocket, courgette, more squash, melons, and chillies.

Why is it that the weeds grow much better than the veg Rolling Eyes

NannyP · Posted: Tue May 15, 2007 11:30 am Post subject:

We've had some very hot weather which has been lovely...but it's not summer yet..and at the moment it's cool and breezy, and sometimes wet.
The birds and ants are getting the cherries befroe we do!

Ah Suz, of course, the goat...and it will only eat weeds, and not runner beans and mange tout etc??? Laughing