I was going to resurrect my chilli/pepper plant thread from last year (It's here if anyone wants a read and some good tips) but then decided to make a new more broader thread to cover other fruit and veg where we can share tips, experiences and get help if needed. On a side note, I made the most incredible chilli and garlic infused olive oil with some of last years crop, will be making some of that again this year.

It is quickly getting to that time of year again where we will be thinking of what to grow this year. I have lots of Pepper and chilli seeds left so will be doing some of them again, I have also bought some strawberry plant seeds, sowed then last week and can't believe my eyes that they have started to shoot already. I think it was only Friday that I sowed them so they have shot up quickly.

We have just bought a house and will hopefully be moving in around Easter if not before so anything I plant now needs to go into pots so it can be easily transported to the new home.

We will be getting a greenhouse though which I have never had before and I have bagsied an area of the garden for that and a bit of outside plot for other veggies.

This will be my first year of proper veg growing though. last year I just did chillies and peppers. I want to do expand this year but not sure what is best for a relative beginner. I have decided on strawberries, just because I remember my gran used to grow them and I loved scrumping them when they ripened up and will no doubt do some tomatoes as they seem quite easy from what I have heard.

So, what are you lot planning on growing this year?

Wahooo, i was going to start a thread like this but you beat me too it

Im just about to build some raised beds myself though, and wondered what people were going to be sowing outside if they *dont* have a green house. I know carrots dont like being moved you see if they are sowed in pots so they are a no go.

On another note, i cant believe my parsley,rosemary and mint seems to be surviving the harsh winter and is still alive! Actually so are these other plants off my inlaw, i forget what they are called, they aren't foxgloves, dauphinians or something maybe..?

And our goldfish have survived the our first winter in the pond!!!!!!

Ooooh I like this thread already! I started growing veg a couple of years ago, first year went really well but last year was terrible!

I'm going for similar stuff to the first year I grew so:
Carrots (rainbow)
Beetroot
Lettuce
Potatoes (grow them in grow bags so you can move them and so they don't take up half of your veg patch!)
Peas
Tomatoes
Spring onions
Chilli peppers

And also some stuff which didn't work last year:
Butternut squash
Strawberries
Sweetcorn
Salad Peppers

Have been holding off getting started because it's so cold and it looks as though we may have to move this year but I really want to get going!

Alongside the strawberries I have already got shooting (I still can't believe how quick they have shot up, they have more or less doubled in size in the last 2 days) and the chillies and peppers I think I am going to try some tomatoes, probably cherry/baby plums as they are my fave. Also some spring onions, cucumbers, courgettes and runner beans to start with.

Don't want to take on too much in my first year of proper growing but I am already looking forward to eating it all.

wow, you've really got off to a good start. have you got a greenhouse or is this all window sill?

Also watch out for them getting leggy at this time of year. that means they aren't getting the light and are reaching for the skies. Sown too early unfortunately .

I haven't started any of the other things yet, the only ones I have started are the strawberry's, which on the pack said sow February. They are alpine strawberry's, not regular English strawberry's so that might account for the early sowing. Won't be able to get the green house till Easter.

Last year and the year before we took up too much room on things like peas and spring onions, rather than things we use in bulk.

This year we are going to concentrate on spuds, carrots, onions and tomatoes as I would cook with those daily. It's been bad for tomatoes here in the last few years though. Decided to also go for the things that are becoming more and more expensive in the shops i.e sweetcorn and asparagus. I've never had much luck with garlic and our leeks last year looked like spring onions!

Going to do blueberries, strawberries and raspberries and would like to get a couple of apple trees in.

I tried growing my own veg last year. I wasn't too successful, but I'm not going to let it deter me. I'm going to give it another go this year.

The only thing I did have success with was Tumbling Tom tomatoes in a hanging basket. They were wonderful. I'll do that again this year and I'd also like to try some strawberries in a hanging basket as well.

Well, it looks as if my chives, mint and sage survived the winter. A bit too early to tell about the sorrell, but I am hopeful.

I am contemplating trying tomatoes again, after a reasonably successful crop last year, but am a bit chary of taking on anything too ambitious. The combined challenge of a new baby and needing to find a new house to live in in the next six months is probably more than enough! Also, we still have masses of green tomato chutney from last year...

Whoever, hey, are the plants from your in-laws delphiniums? If so, lucky you. They are gorgeous.

I don't think many people did well last year, the weather just wasn't up to it!

I've bought some tumbling tom seeds this year so good to hear someone has has some good success with these. I have a hanging basket ready to go when the time is right!

I grow all my own veg - and only buy potatoes and onions a few months of the year when my own have run out.
The trick is not to plant only for the summer/autumn, but for all year round eg even in the bitterest winter weather we have been having, I had collards (sort of cabbage that has not quite grown), purple kale, brussels, leeks and parsnips straight out of the ground and into the pot! I have also just finished the butternut squash and pumpkins from the autumn.

To grow on this scale, you do not need a huge garden - well, not unless you have a family of 6 and above to feed. You can cram stuff together (which saves weeding) so long as you feed well. If space is tight, I would recommend growing things that cost relatively lots in the supermarket, like mangetout. You can also grow a lot of things vertically (like French beans, runner beans, cucumbers, mangetout etc) which also saves space.

What I have found is that growing salad crops like lettuce and spring onions is, for us, a waste of space. I would rather buy a small lettuce and a small bunch of spring onions once a week than give up a whole row to them. But I do grow beetroot, cucumbers (the climbing variety) and tomatoes.

I grow lots of things - and actually, I found last year OK for most varieties - other than my leeks sulking and not growing very fat. Oh, and I did grow chillies, peppers and aubergines outside. The chillies and peppers were OK, but the aubergines were tiny.

I bought my raw materials today to make my raised beds, so they aren't flooded. Going to build them tomorrow .

what happened to your chilli plants? i still got mine although there are no leaves on them

After they finished fruiting I put them in the compost bin. Couldn't be bothered having them hanging around for the winter when they were so easy to grow and I have tons of seeds to replace them with. Will just start again this year.

Also, my cousin said she could never get hers to fruit as well in the 2nd year, always got a better yield if grown from seed that year.

ah, fair enough, they are too easy to grow!

I am going to grow potatoes in a potato barrel again, and try my hand at soya beans and runner beans this year. Maybe also some radishes.

I grow most stuff like potatoes, onions, shallots, runner beans, broad beans, peas, squash, beetroot, carrots, courgettes, tomatoes, etc.

Tomatoes went in today, salads, cherries and beef.

Here's hoping for a decent summer.

I just bought my tomato plants today. I got 2 of them planted in their pots today (I don't have a garden) but have to go back and buy another pot for the 3rd. I got one cherry tomato and 2 salad tomato plants.

I'm hoping we have better luck this year. Because we can only grow them in pots, they don't normally yield many tomatoes. But the ones we do manage to grow are really delicious.

Last year I attempted several crops but because some of them were cheap nasty seeds from Lidl they didn't grow at all . The ones from decent seeds did wonderfully though and I ended up with....

- Salad leaves (one trough lasted us weeks and weeks, definitely better than growing lettuce in my opinion.)

- Courgettes (4 plants gave us heaps of courgettes)

- Runner beans (2 plants, grown in pots, gave us more than enough beans. We even froze some and ate them for Christmas Dinner)

Chives (again in a pot.... I noticed the other day they are starting to grow again.)

Sadly the attempts of pumpkins, tomatoes and cabbage didn't even grow.

We are also fortunate enough that in our garden we have several apple trees, and I was delighted to find a blackberry bramble growing in the hedgerow of the field next to our house. Only managed to get about half a pound of blackberries, but it's better than nothing.

This year I'll be attempting the same crops as last year but also trying potatoes, radishes and possibly garlic.

It depends on how big your pots are. I grow mine in 30cm diameter pots. If they are fed regularly and well supported you should get a good crop.

I usually have enough green tomatoes left over from 3 pots to make half a dozen or so jars of chutney.

We have just bought a greenhouse & hubby is going to dig over the last remaining part of the garden to make a veg plot. we used to grow veg years ago but when we moved here we didn't want to take the garden from the kids, they are all grown up.
We have a full section of garden which we have filled up with fruit trees as its not a part of the garden we really used. They did well last year so hoping we get the same again this year.

My first seedlings are up - a tray of cabbages and a tray of cauliflowers.

We put one of those cheapo zip-up greenhouses inside of the main greenhouse and it seems to work ok.

Anyone got an allotment? I've just acquired a plot and am focussing on clearing and building raised beds right now - collecting materials this week to start that - although have planted some garlic out which has done well this first week. Hard as nails, garlic Have onion sets to put in next and have planted various seeds which have mostly been disappointing - going to try again though - think I was too early, not enough/too much light, planted them too deep etc etc...

I can't say I ever had problems with sseds from Lidl's, but I mainly get mine from the organic seed catalogue.

For garlic it is best to plant them before winter. A cold spell does them the world of good. Usually gives fatter cloves.

I've planted them in 38cm diameter pots with cages for support, so hopefully they'll do ok. The ones last year didn't do too bad, but nowhere near what my mother and grandmother get from the ones planted in their gardens. It gets quite hot here (in Texas) so there's a constant balancing act with watering and making sure they get enough sun but not too much.