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I've been busy busy busy in the garden the last few weeks. We did do a bit of growing in the garden a couple of years ago, but it wasn't followed through and most of the stuff went to waste.

Seeds went into windowsill pots and the like about 5 or 6 weeks ago, and some stuff has already been planted out.

But I was wondering, what stuff people are growing and how much of it?

I've got (roughly) 50 sweetcorn plants, already planted out in a raised bed.

100, onions, but they only went in as sets about 3 days ago. A bit late I think.

Hundreds of basil plants, and we harvested some of it for adding to the cooking tonight

Tomato plants, not many, only about 30. But all the seeds were free. About 15 from a magazine give-away. And the rest from a cherry tomato i had in my sandwich, where I saved the seeds and grew them on

About 50 cucumbers and the same again of gherkins, all coming up nice in the greenhouse.

15 french beans. Just coming up now.

50 broad beans, some still in pots, some planted out. About 2 to 6 inches high.

10 or so of Squash. First time I've tried these, but they're going great guns, so far.

Oh, and about 30 beetroots. Still in the seed-tray.. but about to be potted on.

As you can tell, it's all been a bit ad-hoc... but it's a learning curve.

Just put up 34 poles for runner beans. All home-grown poles

Tomatoes, radishes and lettuce. I don't have a big garden...

biffvernon wrote:Just put up 34 poles for runner beans. All home-grown poles

I've grown plenty of them, and have a new crop just starting, but nothing else yet this year!

biffvernon wrote:Just put up 34 poles for runner beans. All home-grown poles

You grow bamboo?

How long does it take to grow to a usable length?

I'm thinking of popping into the local hedgerows to get some hazel shoots of about 6ft, for stakes and such. (we're blessed with hedgerows that are overgrown with hazel.. )

postie wrote:

biffvernon wrote:Just put up 34 poles for runner beans. All home-grown poles

You grow bamboo?

How long does it take to grow to a usable length?

I'm thinking of popping into the local hedgerows to get some hazel shoots of about 6ft, for stakes and such. (we're blessed with hedgerows that are overgrown with hazel.. )

I grow hazel. I've got all sorts of wonky shapes! Hazel is normally coppiced on about a 7 year cycle. I've got a bamboo plant, but haven't investigated it yet to see if it's any good for anything.

There is a house near me with a veritable jungle of bamboo - seems to be growing very well in our wet and cool climate up here in the NW.

RGR wrote:

postie wrote: But I was wondering, what stuff people are growing and how much of it?

Absolutely nothing. And therefore none.

Yep! There's still plenty of oil to eat in the US so why bother. Anyway, it might get washed away in the flood of meltwater from the snowpack.

postie wrote:Hundreds of basil plants

What are you, some large Italian family?!

I've put in potatoes from the supermarket - 8 King Edwards up (the 'earlies'), and 18 Maris Piper yet to break ground.

About 20 each of shallot and garlic sets from last year's crop are doing well.

39 tomato plants growing nicely - about 20 to sell or give away or swap.

8 broad beans are growing nicely, need to sow some more.

Parsnip patches are doing well - always difficult to tell because they start so slowly and germinate over such a long period.

Carrots are hopefully doing OK.

The first lot of peas didn't come up. The second lot, sown directly adjacent, are just breaking ground.

The dry weather has held a lot of them back. Now that we've had some rain, I'll be sowing more peas and beans, getting the maize, courgettes, beetroot and lettuce started, and potting up the tomato plants.

Onions from sets
Potatoes
Peas
French beans
Runner beans
Broad beans
garlic
tomatoes
courgettes
various squash
melon
cucumber
sweetcorn
leeks

and the perennials.....

Unfortunately brassicas and I don't seem to get on. Cabbage whites are already patrolling my garden in hope.. dunno where they come from, but my sister only 10 miles away rarely sees them and grows her brassicas uncovered!

postie wrote: You grow bamboo?

How long does it take to grow to a usable length?

I'm thinking of popping into the local hedgerows to get some hazel shoots of about 6ft, for stakes and such. (we're blessed with hedgerows that are overgrown with hazel.. )

Yes, we have bamboo. It took several years to get established but now produces several worthwhile 8ft canes each year. They're not as strong as the ones that come from garden centres (China, I suppose?). We also have a lot of willow and some hazel.

Garlic and onion sets sown last November
Eating spring cabbage and last of purple sprouting broccoli
Wide variety of potatoes including earlies in greenhouse ready in about a week
Variety of brassicas hardening off in modules ready for planting out shortly
Runner beans (own bean sticks ash,hazel sycamore, bamboo)
French beans in greenhouse
Early peas now being harvested in greenhouse
Tomatoes, aubergine, cucumbers, peppers and chilies in greenhouse
Broad beans at various stages
Leeks, sweetcorn, courgette, squash and pumpkin in modules
Fruit set in the orchard as well as on espaliers and stepovers
Oodles of soft fruit in fruit cages
Also variety of perennial veg too

Mostly Redcurrants, lots and lots of redcurrants.....

biffvernon wrote:

postie wrote: You grow bamboo?

How long does it take to grow to a usable length?

I'm thinking of popping into the local hedgerows to get some hazel shoots of about 6ft, for stakes and such. (we're blessed with hedgerows that are overgrown with hazel.. )

Yes, we have bamboo. It took several years to get established...

God help you if you ever want to get rid of the damned stuff...

I dug mine out from a raised wall bed last year after one year when I saw it shooting up halfway down the bed. Caused an awful mess but I did find all the bits as nothing has appeared since.

Raspberry canes in another raised bed have also been a problem. Even tiny bits of remaining root are sending up shoots. It has disuaded me from allowing the raspberries into any other part of the garden and I've now abandoned the far end to them, where they will be restrained by a low wall, its footings, and a path beyond.