europbaron

I gather from earlier posts that you are growing the sweetcorn outdoors - is this correct? I may try planting a few myself this week. Is 3 to a standard growbag a reasonable prospect? I've never tried growing it before, but am pretty sure it will have to be under glass here in bonny Scotland. While you guys were baking in 30 deg C, we had a week of solid rain and about 15 - 20 deg C. That's a good summer for us As to the expansion of growing areas it's working slowly but surely. Even after losing the potato bed to the greenhouse, we still have more space than last year. I've also built some boxes (coffins for small people as they are worryingly referred to at home) and we use pots and containers extensively to utilise what would otherwise be wasted space.

Yes, that is my cunning plan. Perhaps not so cunning really, as I have told her why I don't bother with carrots - really cheap to buy even if they can't match home grown for taste. Now I have a greenhouse I'll attempt sweetcorn next year. Really expensive to buy for most of the year and we both love corn on the cob. I don't think that growing veg on a small scale is ever really "worth it" financially. Even on my pittance of an income, if you allocate an hourly labour cost, those veggies would be very expensive. However, it can be a hobby, a useful skill and home grown really can't be beaten for taste.

Good stuff. Just had to dig up most of my potatoes prematurely as we were given a greenhouse and the potatoes occupied its site. Surprisingly decent crop. We've had our first picking of strawberries and tomatoes too, and the beans and peas are coming on. We'll be getting our first courgettes this week - victory over the slugs. Give it two months and I'll be sick of courgette soup and courgette burgers! I too would like to utilise more of the garden for veggies, but it's my girlfriend's. However, she is showing more enthusiasm this year and is getting involved. Hopefully I'll be allowed to extend the raised bed out so that it's level with the greenhouse and this will replace the bed lost to our new aquisition.

I started growing my own veg last year. Although we live in a flat we are lucky enough to have a small private garden. I only have 2 growing beds - about 9 foot by 3 ft each and a few containers. This year we are growing Main crops Lettuce (many varieties) - successful - need to keep replanting though as they tend to bolt in the glorious weather we've had Potatoes - early and main. No crops taken yet though earlies nearly ready. Peas and runner beans - doing well but no crops yet. Raddish - disappointing this year. They bolted while I was on holiday and were very tough. Beetroot - first sowing look about ready to eat Spinach - very successful, but starting to bolt. Need to re-sow some. Have a lot of spinach frozen to make spinach pies with. Courgettes - disaster this year as the slugs ate all the plants down to stumps, but now recovering. First courgettes finally starting to appear. Swiss chard - grew well but not enamoured by it. The leaves seem to mottle (sp?) in the hot weather. Will be ripping it out soon and replacing with fresh spinach. Strawberries - only nine plants. I think they are too shaded though as although there are planty of fruits, they are slow to ripen. Garlic - not picked any yet, but they must be nearly ready. Leeks - too early to tell. Broccolli - as above. Spring onions - plants seem too spindly - doubt we'll get much from these. Various herbs - too many but they look and smell nice. Experimenting with Tomatoes - only a few plants (roma and one other that I can't recall). First tomatoes ripening. Chilli - growing ok, but no chillis Aubergine (black beauty) - no veg yet. Apple tree (bought dead-looking for £2) - a few apples appearing Rhubarb - donated by parents. Taking well but can't eat it this year to aloow the plant to establish itself. Cucumber - almost dead plant donated by parents. First cucumber growing nicely. With the exception of the strawberry, rhubarb and apple these were all grown from seed. The long winter really caught me out - I propogated lots of seeds too early and was unable to plant them out due to the cold. We're in Scotland so got it pretty cold. Starting early actually resulted in later crops as I had to restart many of my plants. Last year I had tremenous success with courgettes simply by putting the seedlings in grow bags. As mentioned previously the slugs feasted on them this year. Beer traps and broken eggshells spread around them did not help (I won't use slug pellets). Eventually moved them into truggs and surrounded with sharp sand. They've not been touched by slugs since.