SilliamWhale
Member
I tried it and it didn't work well. Not sure why
Growing your own veg
- Thread starter No Worries
- Start date
I tried it and it didn't work well. Not sure why
SoilMan
Member
- Location
- Kings Lynn
what did you try growing in the bale?
SilliamWhale
Member
Runner beans and pumpkins. I think they need a heck of a lot of water to get the decomposition going.
- Location
- Cambridgeshire UK
Onto it for this years potatoes.
Still eating last year's no-till ones, they have kept well and taste fantastic.
Still eating last year's no-till ones, they have kept well and taste fantastic.
Straw or hay?
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
We are going to have a go at the straw potato planting as we've run out of space on the beds now. Watched a few Youtubes on it and should work well hopefully. Time is getting on now for spuds but I am struggling for free time too.
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Because my 'garden' floods, and the soil seals itself, no matter how much sand I mix into it, I've gone to all containers, very Been looking for a section like this for a while.
Very much a learner but am experimenting and refining things. My background is in sucklers and hill sheep but I did do crop production at college. I'm very much veg and herb orientated though I may start growing fruit in a year or so.
I've had to mooch as much free stuff as I can - tatties are 20kg round mineral tubs, carrots are in the rectangular ones and leeks and parsnips are in tubes made from cut down sections of silage wrap cores placed in the rectangular tubs to keep them upright. All tubs have 10mm drainage holes drilled about an inch off the ground. I'm using old silage wrap under 'cowtrack' to keep weeds under control. lettuce and brassicas are grown in pots then transplanted outside into the bottom of 5ltr water bottles (the tops make good cloches).
Rapidly expanding my collection of herbs and growing a lot of stuff for the first time this year. The area of ground covered by containers has quadrupled this year. Son is experimenting with planting in hay bales which if nothing else will provide more compost for his lazy beds next year.
I started off using slug pellets but have switched to using beer traps.
Just started to have problems with caterpillars on my brassicas this week so suggestions welcome.
Have got an idea for a pretty massive homemade fruit cage for next year using some galvanised tubing from an old shed, rather than the little ones I'm using just now. Eventual size will depend on how much tubing I can mooch. Sides and roof a bird proof mesh with fine mesh to 1m to keep root-fly &etc. out hopefully pollinators will still be able to get in
This year I've had the use of dad's small greenhouse for the first time so I've been able to get things started a bit earlier. It is in serious need of some re-glazing as there are a few panes missing and looking to get some heating into it so I can hopefully start some plants off in January next year. Gutting it is one of next winter's projects as basically everything inside is knackered and I reckon I can improve the layout to give me more useful space.
Very much a learner but am experimenting and refining things. My background is in sucklers and hill sheep but I did do crop production at college. I'm very much veg and herb orientated though I may start growing fruit in a year or so.
I've had to mooch as much free stuff as I can - tatties are 20kg round mineral tubs, carrots are in the rectangular ones and leeks and parsnips are in tubes made from cut down sections of silage wrap cores placed in the rectangular tubs to keep them upright. All tubs have 10mm drainage holes drilled about an inch off the ground. I'm using old silage wrap under 'cowtrack' to keep weeds under control. lettuce and brassicas are grown in pots then transplanted outside into the bottom of 5ltr water bottles (the tops make good cloches).
Rapidly expanding my collection of herbs and growing a lot of stuff for the first time this year. The area of ground covered by containers has quadrupled this year. Son is experimenting with planting in hay bales which if nothing else will provide more compost for his lazy beds next year.
I started off using slug pellets but have switched to using beer traps.
Just started to have problems with caterpillars on my brassicas this week so suggestions welcome.
Have got an idea for a pretty massive homemade fruit cage for next year using some galvanised tubing from an old shed, rather than the little ones I'm using just now. Eventual size will depend on how much tubing I can mooch. Sides and roof a bird proof mesh with fine mesh to 1m to keep root-fly &etc. out hopefully pollinators will still be able to get in
This year I've had the use of dad's small greenhouse for the first time so I've been able to get things started a bit earlier. It is in serious need of some re-glazing as there are a few panes missing and looking to get some heating into it so I can hopefully start some plants off in January next year. Gutting it is one of next winter's projects as basically everything inside is knackered and I reckon I can improve the layout to give me more useful space.
Netherfield
Member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Looking good and depressingly organised/tidy, Netherfield.
Disaster for us. Efforts to keep the cats out of the raised beds have failed so they are full of cat sh!t and in 1, everything is being eaten by slugs. Polytunnel for next year. We might get a bit from the grow bags this year but a lot to learn and very demoralising when everything seems to be trying to destroy your crop.
- Location
- British Isles
Cats are easy to deal with it just depends on how ruthless you are
Our own cats. Thinking of trying electric but half given up on this year (again) already. Looking at a polytunnel and also larger scale outdoor planting further from the house in rabbit fencing. Probably do more salads and herbs in higher, narrower planters in the house garden and maybe get a greenhouse for toms, peppers etc.
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
Slugs have caused carnage here but there is far too much long grass around the area. Have been doing late night slugging and yeast traps. I planted seeds at the end of April a week before the weather temp plummeted and wind and rain. So there are areas of blank beds. Have resowed by need more seed now! Mistake also had tomato plugs too early and it was too cold in the polytunnel so once again had to reorder later - much better.
Peas and beans look marvellous, onions good, carrots patchy (not enough) good kale, no buttersquash, a handful of courgettes, 6 lettuce, 3 beetroot, slug eaten broccoli & caulis.
Will upload photos later.
Peas and beans look marvellous, onions good, carrots patchy (not enough) good kale, no buttersquash, a handful of courgettes, 6 lettuce, 3 beetroot, slug eaten broccoli & caulis.
Will upload photos later.
- Location
- Somerset UK
I read in the paper someone put copper tape around a hula hoop the put the hoop on the ground around some runner beans - no slugs, thought I might try it with some scrap 15mm pipe I have lying around
Netherfield
Member
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Yes it does work, as long as they are already outside the circle.
Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
agree but those tiny little buggers are hiding under the earth or around the base of the plant. I think the bigger fellas do travel over the copper.
Old Boar
Member
- Location
- West Wales
@Pasty - to keep cats off, buy a bundle of plastic picnic forks, black is preferable as they dont jar the eye, and bung them in at random with the handle in the soil so the prongs are sticking up. They are then at cat bum height and the cats cannot sit to crap. For further protection, you can string fishing line at random between the forks, and the cats will not even walk on the bed, and it also keeps the birds from pulling up the seedlings.
Every year I add another bed or two to my attempt at keeping plants alive. End goal is good companion planting. One day....
This year I was dragging the bedding plants along on the kitchen table until I finally got the balls to plant a few. A late frost proceeded to annihilate them as well as all blossoms on the apple trees.
I then waited a while longer and jumped in to plant a few more. A passing thunderstorm beat them up with hail. I now have one lone cucumber plant struggling to live where there should be 8+. A couple zucchini are doing alright considering my dismal standards Lol
Potatoes are coming up well. For the second year I'm growing them in tires. Worked well last year. This year I'm experimenting with peas and beans as companions. So far some of those have sprouted
I attempted to plant rhubarb for mom as she loves the stuff. (I can't stand it) But for such a hardy plant that's tough to kill, I managed to kill three rather easily. The fourth has lasted a week in the ground which has shattered records so fingers crossed. If it dies then I give up for the year and may hire myself out as a rhubarb removal specialist.
And if I ever get my senile old dog to stop sleeping in the one bed I'll have some yummy fresh lettuce.
By time I get anything growing well it'll be fall and the frost will be back
This year I was dragging the bedding plants along on the kitchen table until I finally got the balls to plant a few. A late frost proceeded to annihilate them as well as all blossoms on the apple trees.
I then waited a while longer and jumped in to plant a few more. A passing thunderstorm beat them up with hail. I now have one lone cucumber plant struggling to live where there should be 8+. A couple zucchini are doing alright considering my dismal standards Lol
Potatoes are coming up well. For the second year I'm growing them in tires. Worked well last year. This year I'm experimenting with peas and beans as companions. So far some of those have sprouted
I attempted to plant rhubarb for mom as she loves the stuff. (I can't stand it) But for such a hardy plant that's tough to kill, I managed to kill three rather easily. The fourth has lasted a week in the ground which has shattered records so fingers crossed. If it dies then I give up for the year and may hire myself out as a rhubarb removal specialist.
And if I ever get my senile old dog to stop sleeping in the one bed I'll have some yummy fresh lettuce.
By time I get anything growing well it'll be fall and the frost will be back
Dan Powell
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
I find helpful toddlers are almost as effective as cats and slugs for removing hapless vegetable plants. But no use at all at weeding.