Growing your own - is it worth it?

[Ferretfancy]

Like many others with sufficient garden space, I have a compost heap for plant waste. Every year I dismantle it, extract the rotted stuff for adding to the veg plot and start again with the remains. I also have a plastic bin for compostable waste, including cardboard. The local council empties it once a fortnight if I wheel it out to the front gate. Into it goes all the kitchen waste, including veg stuff that could go onto the garden heap, simply because the bin is closer to the kitchen than the heap. Since the bin also gets meat waste (not that there is much, I'm economical with food) it must smell pretty bad in summer, but that doesnt bother me because I have almost no sense of smell. The neighbours are far enough away not to be bothered.

" I am glad to say I have never seen a spade " ( O Wilde )

A certain Dominic Lawson was a neighbour of mine. As he rose in public estimation *( but not in mine ) he was interviewed by the Evening Standard. There is a large public park behind the houses, and the interview began - " Speaking today at his North London arboretum "

[amateur51]

" I am glad to say I have never seen a spade " ( O Wilde )

A certain Dominic Lawson was a neighbour of mine. As he rose in public estimation *( but not in mine ) he was interviewed by the Evening Standard. There is a large public park behind the houses, and the interview began - " Speaking today at his North London arboretum "

You not a fan of chess then, Ferret

[umslopogaas]

Tee hee! I suppose that as a ratepayer (presumably) Mr L. could lay as much claim to "his" arboretum as any other ratepayer. Though I'm surprised he bothered with arboreta, last photo I saw of him he would have had difficulty squeezing his chins between the trees.

And as for Mr Wilde, I bet he had seen plenty of spades, he just didnt know what they were.

[jean]

Though I'm surprised he bothered with arboreta, last photo I saw of him he would have had difficulty squeezing his chins between the trees.

That was a very old photo!

Michael Heseltine really does have his own arboretum, replenished with specimen trees he took away from from the Liverpool Garden Festival he'd set up.

[umslopogaas]

Good. Trees do not tell of their financing. There would be much good in a wood, even if it had been paid for by Westland Helicopters. Trees are good. Plant trees. I have, and will plant more.

[Dave2002]

Dave, thank you for the link to the perlite article. Peat moss is also a resource that needs watching. The US nursery industry realies heavily on both to make up industrial strength potting mix. When I worked for a rather small-scale local nursery, we would make up 100 yards of potting soil at a time using large quantities of Canadian peat (compressed into bales) and bagged perlite+ clean sand. This was all mixed together using a large tractor/backhoe. At the time, no one was thinking about the long-term consequences of using peat and perlite in quantity.

Here in the UK we can buy compost both with, and without, peat. I am prepared to acknowledge that the type with peat is better, but unless I have a particular requirement I usually buy the non peat variety. Peat bogs are a shrinking resource, and we should do what we can to minimise the impact of digging them up. Garden centres are supposed to be aware of this, but I suspect they are driven by "market forces" and simply supply whatever people want, whether strictly necessary or not. Not all gardeners will worry about such issues. I suspect that peat may run out before perlite.

[jean]

Trees are good. Plant trees.

Yes, but the ones Heseltine caused to be planted should have been left here.

[umslopogaas]

I was once involved in the "peat debate". Those against the use of peat point out, correctly, that the exploitation of those resources that supply peat is unsustainable. Those in favour point out that the total area of land covered in peat is vast and only a tiny bit has so been exploited. Also true, but there is a catch. Most of the area covered by peat is only covered by a very shallow layer which is not economically exploitable. So, the area of peat that can be ECONOMICALLY exploited is small and not sustainable.

There was a time when gardeners got on perfectly OK without peat. Then it arrived and they loved it, because it is so convenient. No doubt as it becomes more and more expensive and less available, they will find ways of doing without it. When I worked for the RHS they had given up using peat for all but a very small number of purposes and were always trying to find ways to reduce use still further. Probably by now they have completely abandoned it.

[Flosshilde]

Michael Heseltine really does have his own arboretum,

But he had to buy his own furniture.

[MrGongGong]

Yes, but the ones Heseltine caused to be planted should have been left here.

(I know it's all been restored )

http://liverpoolfestivalgardens.com/about.html

[amateur51]

But he had to buy his own furniture.

[Anna]

Many thanks for all your advice & suggestions - much appreciated.:biigrin:

Coming late to this thead - I would say to Ams - go for it! Growing tomatoes isn't rocket science, I have never used companion planting, have used both growbags and tubs, results some years are better than others, I site them against a south-facing brick wall for maximum heat. Even if you only get enough for a dozen meals it's so much fun growing them and the smell when you pick - and the taste when plucked still warm from the sun! And do have a go with runners which are idiot-proof (you can now get dwarf runners, I might try them next year) The only caveat is that if you are due to go on holiday for any length of time you need a friendly neighbour to water both toms and beans.

[umslopogaas]

Yes, tomatoes are easy enough, but they are very susceptible to blight (caused by the same pathogen that causes potato blight). Indoors they are not affected, but if you grow them outside you must spray or they will almost inevitably succumb. As an amateur, you can still buy copper fungicide ( eg Bayer Garden Fruit and Vegetable Disease Control) and although only a protectant, rather than the systemics available to the professionals, it is effective. If you dont spray, the only thing that will save your tomatoes is a growing season so dry that it is never wet enough for the disease to take hold - but that is very unlikely.

You will also need some canes and string, to rig up supports for them. You cant get canes to stay upright in growbags without additional support, they arent deep enough.

[Anna]

Yes, tomatoes are easy enough, but they are very susceptible to blight (caused by the same pathogen that causes potato blight). Indoors they are not affected, but if you grow them outside you must spray or they will almost inevitably succumb. You will also need some canes and string, to rig up supports for them. You cant get canes to stay upright in growbags without additional support, they arent deep enough.

Well, I've never ever had blight and never sprayed!! Growbags, using the wall outside the kitchen I have secured the canes to the outlet pipes from the kitchen sink and a few metal U-hooks hammered into the brickwork in a Heath Robinson fashion. Don't put Ams off!!

[umslopogaas]

Well, all I can say is you are very lucky, most people have to deal with it, including me! I now live in Devon and no longer grow tomatoes (I decided I dont actually like them all that much), but when I used to live in Berkshire (Sunningdale) my 'Gardeners Delight' got it every year until I started spraying. I suppose its worth trying to grow them without spraying, but if you then get blight you've lost the crop, because the fungicides available to amateurs are only protective, they arent much use at curing it once it arrives.