How does your garden grow? (Fruit & Veg)

I was a bit disappointed with Dermot O'Neills gardening show. Clondeglass. I was looking forward to seeing his vegetable garden produce. Unfortunately all we saw was his sidekick raking over the ground, presumably where the vegetables had been growing and talking about Calendulas.
 
TrundleAlong said:
Has anyone planted out potatoes this year yet? The soil is very wet so I am thinking of leaving it until after Easter?
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I measured the soil temperature last week and it was a fraction below zero. Needs to be about 6`C for potatoes to grow. Also, there's frost forecast for next week so best to wait 'til after that anyhow.
 
Watch out for leatherjackets if you're planting out seedlings!

Just had ALL my capisicum pepper and courgette seedlings decimated last week, after painstakingly growing them on the kitchen windowsill in pots, when I transferred them to the greenhouse. It took a few days to figure out what was going on, by then all the seedlings were dead.

Suspect that the leatherjackets came in with bags of manure I dug in in the greenhouse in March. They're hard to spot as they're a similar colour to the soil and are hard to kill when they are fully grown.

On a happier note, have solved the slug problem in my raised beds with copper tape - not one single slug in my beds so far and hopefully it'll stay that way!
 
This week I have planted all my seeds direct in to my raised beds instead of growing them in pots on the windowsill. Here's to a great crop of veggies this year.
 
Same as that IsleOfMan but given the cold nights I've covered them with plastic sheeting for now to give them a chance. Hopefully this year will yield a better return than last!
 
RonanC said:
For the Leatherjackets you need 'SuperNemo'

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Thanks for that RonanC - I read online that it's too late to use the nematodes when the leatherjackets are fully grown as they have a very thick skin.

At the moment, I'm sieving the soil and feeding them to the blackbirds - they love them and are rewarding us with their singing!

Hopefully, any that I miss will take flight as crane flies and then I can plant my seedlings.
 
on the garlic,
In case you are tempted , do not use shop garlic.
Buy garlic from a garden centre , they will do much better.
 
I posted my French Beans and Broad Beans direct in to the soil. Only yesterday have they started sticking their head out of the ground. My potatoes are growing well. My Brassicas a bit disappointing. Maybe because I planted them in a raised bed rather than the harder ground. Turnips O.K. Herbs very very slow.
 
Carrots and parsnips sown six weeks ago saw nothing assume the seeds were killed due to frost. I sowed them again one week ago seen nothing yet. Cabbages broccoli cauliflower all doing well Grown from seed in small pots in the greenhouse. Some of them have been planted outside in raised beds with netting over them to protect from birds. Spinach started from seeds in small pots im the greenhouse doing well planted outside now Courgettes grown from seed in greenhouse doing well planted out in raised bed yesterday. Strawberries in greenhouse are growing well and almost starting to redden. Peas and mangetout are approximately 1 foot high growing up the netting in raised bed. Lettuce doing very well outside. Tayberries blackberrys blueberries raspberries all doing well. I built a fruit cage to protect the blueberries from the birds. Raspberries are incredible they grow so easily and are never affected by any pests. Three of my rhubarb plants bolted I have never seen that before? Last year my spinach and pak choi bolted? But last year was a disaster with almost everything !! Plum apple pear cherry trees all flowering nicely. I made sure all the grass and weeds were removed from the foot of the trees and added some blood fish and bone and compost a couple of months ago. Last years rosemary thyme Sage and Oregeno has come up very nicely outside. This year I am trying to grow some basil and coriander in the house. They are very very slow to grow. I have been told you should never ever water basil and coriander from the top but instead into the saucer underneath the pot. Anybody any idea how many coriander seeds you should put in say a 10 cm diameter pot?
Some tips I was given this year was one I bought cabbage collars on eBay about 60 for 5 euro to protect against the cabbage root fly and two. I bought copper tape on eBay and put it all around the raised beds no slug problem at all so far. !!...except for one of the raised beds I didn't use the copper tape on as a test.
 
Great tip I got from the net - if you have tall variety (cordon, single stemmed) tomato plants (not bush), let the side suckers (shoots which grow between the main stem and leaf, not the ones with flowers on them) grow to about 5 or 6 inches, then pinch them out, stick them in the ground and they will form a new tomato plant.

Tried it this year for the first time and have so far got 6 extra tomato plants growing really well.
 
My potato plants must be nearly 3' high at the moment. I hope that they are growing just as well underground.
When I cut down the potato greenery, can I put this in the compost heap? I heard that potato plants are poisonous?

My Pak Choi, Spinach have bolted again this year.
 
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The Potato Plants will grow to circa 1 foot. They will have small flowers on some stalks . Put Earth up around the 3 in stalks, called earthing up , this allows spuds to grow. Spray for Blight.About middle/end Aug dig a top and I hope you get the dinner.
At that stage the stalks will look a bit bedraggled , that is a sign that the goodness of stalks is going into the spuds.
The Plants arn,t atall poisonous. Sometimes the small flowers give small bulbs, I hear they are not great but never heard of poisoning.

Bolting , normally comes from too-dry to too-wet and given this odd year , I think I will stay with the carrots and onions !!
 
I planted my potatoes on April 21st. Would it be safe enough to start harvesting about now. Maris Piper and Pentland Dells?
 
I was in M & S grocery and Superquinn today in Blackrock. I was amazed to see so many people paying €2+ for small bags of salad leaves. It really is so easy to grow these. At the moment I would say that I have a glut of leaves and all from a 70c packet of mixed seeds purchased in Aldi a couple of months back. Give it a go.
 
I planted three types of potatoes this year all in 4 x 4 raised beds. Maris Pipers produced a mixed crop of small medium and large potatoes. Decent enough yield I will plant more next year.
My bed of Kerr Pinks produced a better yield. Tastier potatoes but knobbly in shape and more difficult to peel. I will plant more next year.
Just harvested my Pentland Dells. Not a great yield and more smaller potatoes. I haven't tasted these yet. Probably won't grow for next year.
 
Complete amateur here, only starting on a vegetable patch! Is there anything I can plant now or do I need to wait til spring?
 
Lost my entire crop of cauliflowers to an invasion of cabbage white butterflies!

Had netting over them to deter the birds, but the mesh size wasn't sufficient to stop the butterflies getting through and laying their eggs on the underside of the leaves. Didn't notice the hundreds of tiny eggs they laid until it was too late.

There are still loads of butterflies around, have never seen as many as this year.
 
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