Do you Grow Your Own?

[Buleste]

Just wondering if anyone else here has started growing their own fruit and veg in this time of economic crisis and what are you growing?

I'm growing the following:-

Peas
Runner Beans
Cabbages
Shallots
Tomatoes
Peppers
Chilli's
Lettuce

[Harrison]

Yes! We have an allotment and grew quite a few things successfully last 2 years.

This year we have so far just planted:

Potatoes (3 varieties)
Peas
Broad Beans
Shallots
Onions
Carrots
Parsnips
Tomatoes
Rhubarb
Asparagus
...

I think I've missed something out there.

And currently utilising my father's greenhouse to bring on a load of other stuff including Runner Beans, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Sweetcorn...

We also have some Raspberries to plant.

Is hard work digging and weeding the allotment, but the food tastes so much better at the end of it.

[Buleste]

Thanks for reminding me. I forgot some of the stuff I'm growing. I need to add:-

Strawberries
Raspberries
Potatoes (4 varieties)
Rhubarb
Gooseberries

Last year I tried Sprouts, Gooseberries, Cauliflower, Runner Beans, Cabbage, Shallots, Rhubarb Strawberries, Lettuce, Raspberries and tomatoes. The sprouts, Cauliflower and cabbage were pathetic. The shallots were tiny. I managed to get about a dozen Raspberries and 1 gooseberry. The tomatoes were tasteless. The lettuce was eaten by slugs. The Rhubarb (which is an old variety and one we've been growing for years) first started flowering (so there were less stalks) and then was naff because of manure infected by a weedkiller. There was a bumper crop of strawberries and we still have about half a ton of Runner beans in the freezer.

This year the Raspberries are rampant and spreading everywhere. One lot of cabbage seedlings just decided to die. Only 1 runner bean plant is growing. My peas have finally started to grow. The Gooseberry bush is in full flower. The rhubarb has just started to come through. My tomatoes are thriving at the moment and just starting to produce flowers. 1 variety of chilli is looking a bit ropey but my Bhut Jolokias are looking great. Since my Pop up cloche/greenhouse arrived for one of my raised beds the shallots have started really growing. If you're ever after any gardening stuff try selections. some of the stuff they have is half the price of most major suppliers.


Have you ever tried companion planting? I.E. growing plants that help others. E.g Hyssop helps Brassicas by keeping away some of the pests. Borage attracts beneficial insects that pollinate flowers and feed on pests. That sort of thing?

[Stephen Coates]

We have always grown our own fruit and veg, regardless of the fact that there are (were?) problems with the economy.

When we used to have a greenhouse, we did cucumber and courgettes, but we don't do those any more.

This year we will be doing beans, lettuce, carrots and potatoes.

Hopefully we will have lots more carrots this year than we did last year. We had too much lettuce last year and not enough carrots. A few of the lettuce ended up 2 or more feet high.

[Buleste]

Thanks for reminding me about another of last years disasters. My carrots were so pathetic it would've been an insult to call them baby carrots. I then decided to get a frost resistant variety so I could enjoy early carrots. And then came the big freeze. Frost resistant does not mean frost proof. They did more splits than the follies begere.

[Harrison]

We haven't tried companion planting, but that is definitely something to consider in future. We did have a lot of snails last year, which ate a lot of the cabbages, but they didn't touch much else. We had a great crop of purple sprouting broccoli, and that reminds me, because we are growing that and normal broccoli also again this year. Our cauliflowers were quite good too last year.

We were sharing the allotment with some friends last year though and that didn't work out too well. They stole most of the ground (after we had dug it) and planted all their own stuff and would not willing to share. After some comments they got the hint and have now found their own allotment and moved on (although not without first taking whatever they could from this one!). I'm sure an Apple tree they took was already established when we took the allotment on originally, and one really good hoe has gone too which I'm sure I remember us buying. But that is a small price to pay to get the whole allotment back (last year we ended up if just one smallish plot and one bit in another. This year we can plant a lot more.

[Buleste]

I'll let you know how I get on. I've got Borage all over the place, Hyssop ready for my cabbages and French Marigolds for me Tomatoes. Hopefully it'll be better than last year.

[Stephen Coates]

Several of my family have alotments. We don't though. It would be ideal since we only have a small garden.

[1980-20..]

You lot sound so ooooooold!!. But on a serious note weve not got much room here but we are planning to grow some stuff in tubs. This will be the second summer weve had our own garden and last year it was like a jungle, at the moment im mostly concetrating on keeping the lawn alive.

[Demon Cleaner]

Last week I planted 3 fruit trees, not traditional ones, but espalier trees, which are:

- Apples
- Pears
- Black Cherries

And I'm also growing Habañero Chillies.