[Flutterbyes]

sounds corny but i have been quite inspired by 'jamie at home' plus my 18 week old baby will be starting to ween soon and i wanna give her the best start in life i can.

i have a limited garden space and not that much time but would love to grow some fruit and veg. I am getting a wormery for my birthday (recomendations please) but have no clue where to start. my gil (grandfather in law) gave us tray of lettuce plants which were nice (i kinda forgot to tell my parents to water it while we were away and it died) and i have bought some seeds but i dont know where to start. the problem is im scared of creepy crawlies, all kinds of creepies. the people who i have been in contact with about the wormery have assured me i wont have to touch the worms lol.
and the lettuce attracted lots of slugs, my gil subscribes to grow your own mag and lets me have it and it says copper tape around the pots will stop the slugs. i wanna grow carrots but then ive read about carrot fly... and i wanna go dont wanna use any kind 0f pesticides as wanting to feed the baby

[Don_Kiddick]

Follow the instructions on the seed packet & you shouldn't go far wrong.

Try some of the cheap copper scourers you can get from the cheap shops like poundland. They look like this>> click for pic of copper scourer.

If you unravel one you can re-wrap it around the base of plants to deter slugs & snails at ground level. I did this with brocolli, and, touchwood, not had an attack since.

Carrot fly won't fly higher than 20cms from the ground, so as long as your tubs have sides taller than 20cms your carrots will be safe.

Carrots prefer sandy soil too, with the stones sieved out if poss.

Too much composty humus will cause carrot 'fanging' like this >>> rude carrot

Last year I successfully grew parsnips for the first time in a garden (or builders) trug. They look like this>> a purple trug and you can get them in all colours & sizes.

Remember to poke holes in the bottom for drainage though.

I got mine from Wickes, I think they were £2.99 each & will last for many years!

Hope this helps?

[Flutterbyes]

thats great, multi coloured pots! i like it!!!

i have a large terrocotta pot already that i can use. and i wanted to grow strawberries in hanging baskets, what pest do they suffer from and how do i get rid of them

where is the best place to get seeds? i would normally just use ebay but i am thinking there is better places to source things

[Don_Kiddick]

Birds like strawberries, you'd have to drape a net over them. (the strawberries not the birds)

Try Wilko's or Wilkinsons for bargain seeds & things like seed potatoes n stuff. And bird netting.

Most supermarkets now also do their own brand of 'value' seeds that are just as good as the more expensive brands.

You could be brave & collect seeds from actual tomatoes & peppers & the like. Dry them off on tissue paper & plant them as recommended on the seed packets (that you can read for free in the shop).

There's a book that I've found worth every penny called "The Vegetable Expert" by DG Hessayon. I've seen it in WHSmiths & Homebase & even supermarkets that sell books.

It is so simply laid out with tips, good photo's, piccies of plants, seeds and fruits/veg.
There's simple sections on pests diseases & treatment too.

10/10 I'd say it looks like this>>> The Vegetable Expert

you might even get a copy on Ebay

[Flutterbyes]

ahhh collecting tomato seeds from tomatoes, why didnt i think of that!!

do tomatoes need greenhouses or will they be happy in a grow bag?

[zweena]

Originally Posted by joi5ey

ahhh collecting tomato seeds from tomatoes, why didnt i think of that!!

do tomatoes need greenhouses or will they be happy in a grow bag?

Happy in a grow bag in a sunny sheltered spot. We put in 3 plants per growbag and often some lettuce in the space between.

[Flutterbyes]

seeds to plants

i bought a tray thing with mini pots so im thinking put the seeds in the mini pots with soil, wait for them to turn into mini plants then pot the mini plants in the grow bag with some mini lettuce plants with some copper scourers around to stave of slugs and im halfway to achieving cheap summer eatings!!