Newbie says 'hi'

Fantastic to see such a thriving community here on this forum!
I'm a complete newbie to SFG (and to all gardening for that matter!) - looking forward to learning the SFG method and attending the first session of the online course starting tomorrow!
Stumbled upon Mel's new book completely by chance mere weeks ago, but I'm ready for the adventures ahead and all the joys (and challenges!) this method of gardening will bring!
Hope to see you guys more often in the days/weeks to come

Welcome. Have you checked out the European Subforum. Others from the UK show off their gardens and discuss particular problems across the pond. We love pictures when you get some ready. Just be prepared, SFG is addictive.

Kay

Welcome to the forum! I am always happy to see a new member!! I am glad you chose the SFG way there are many more joys than challenges compared to row gardening, you're gonna LOVE it!

walshevak wrote:Welcome. Have you checked out the European Subforum. Others from the UK show off their gardens and discuss particular problems across the pond. We love pictures when you get some ready. Just be prepared, SFG is addictive.

Kay

Will sure check that out - thanks Kay!

cheyannarach wrote:Welcome to the forum! I am always happy to see a new member!! I am glad you chose the SFG way there are many more joys than challenges compared to row gardening, you're gonna LOVE it!

I sure hope so! Thanks for the warm welcome

Welcome mrsgrnwd!

We look forward to seeing your progress with your soon-to-be garden!

GG

Goosegirl wrote: Welcome mrsgrnwd!

We look forward to seeing your progress with your soon-to-be garden!

GG

Thank you!

I'm from Indiana and have taught SFG to members of our Master Gardeners Association here in Shelby County. One of the things I find fascinating about the gardening, besides being able to grow so much in so little space, it is that you can grow so many wonderful things from all over the world! Because an item isn't found at the local Walmart doesn't mean that a similar climate somewhere else in the world doesn't have something wonderful to share with you! I've grown tropical corms in my SFG beds alongside carrots, tomatoes, spinach and compact melons. This year I'm growing new varieties of Papaya and Banana (Dwarf) by-seed indoors with hopes of planting outdoors in the Spring and picking fruit by the end of Summer. Some of the Papaya plants I'm growing start to produce at only 2 1/2 feet! Since the root systems of these fruits aren't that extensive, they will work well with the SFG grid!

Gardenfrog wrote:I'm from Indiana and have taught SFG to members of our Master Gardeners Association here in Shelby County. One of the things I find fascinating about the gardening, besides being able to grow so much in so little space, it is that you can grow so many wonderful things from all over the world! Because an item isn't found at the local Walmart doesn't mean that a similar climate somewhere else in the world doesn't have something wonderful to share with you! I've grown tropical corms in my SFG beds alongside carrots, tomatoes, spinach and compact melons. This year I'm growing new varieties of Papaya and Banana (Dwarf) by-seed indoors with hopes of planting outdoors in the Spring and picking fruit by the end of Summer. Some of the Papaya plants I'm growing start to produce at only 2 1/2 feet! Since the root systems of these fruits aren't that extensive, they will work well with the SFG grid!

Thank you for such an encouraging post! Variety and space/resource saving were among the many advantages that first attracted me to the SFG gardening method. Limitless possibilities! I can't wait to get my garden set up - and all the best wishes to you for your upcoming fruit crops

to both mrsgrnwd and Gardenfrog.
I think you arre going to like it here; we have such a huge range of topics to discuss. Ask questions and you will get answers.
I myself have learned a lot about compost and worms this year that I am looking forward to implementing next season

I love papaya! Wonder if they would grow from the seeds of one I buy at the grocery store? Worth a try. Thanks for that info.

Welcome to both of you!

CC

Kelejan wrote: to both mrsgrnwd and Gardenfrog.
I think you arre going to like it here; we have such a huge range of topics to discuss. Ask questions and you will get answers.
I myself have learned a lot about compost and worms this year that I am looking forward to implementing next season

Good luck with your new projects! Composting is also on my to-do list.

Hi mrsgrnwd.

Better late than never to welcome you to the site .
I'm in the UK @ South Wales at the west end of the M4 for my sins and am a Yorkshireman & not a member of the local Taffia

I usually put things in the Europe section ( find the forum area on the home page.

Things are a wee bit upside down for me at present .. two bereavments in 3 months .... one funeral still outstanding.

When things settle down after the forthcoming funeral I'll be happy to spend time with you and let you see what I've managed to grow in a 10 month experiment of using Mel's mix ( had mother earth and manure in them before ) in 36 inch hight raised brick built beds .

Mel's mix ( MM ) is a massive leap of faith but well worth it if you get it right. some off my evidence is :-
21 inch long runner beans that were not stringy , 1 pound tomatoes full of juice , five inch or more dia kohl rabi that were as sweet crisp and tender as you could ever wish to have , carrots weighting pound & over far better texture and taste than any you'll ever see in shops inc M&S .
We had an ever lasting cut and come again salad bowl lettuce that grew to 19 inches in diameter despite many regular hair trims and salads taken off it.

We have a vermiculite source section on the site. Currently the composted coir from B&Q in 120 litre bales is very very good value for money, far better than the 60 litre bags as the 160 litres is hightly compressed and the 60 litres is only partly compressed .

Vermiculite if from builders merchants like T&P or Keyline at around £15 + VAT for a 100 litre poly bags it is extremely expensive from garden centers .

Baggd manure varieties from any of the national garden centre chain seem to be reasonable but watch out for a high sawdust..shaving/wood chip/ shreadded wood /pulp content as it will not be fully composted and therr for rob your MM of nitrogen for a year or more till itself breaks down fully .

Avoid local ammenity produced composted garden waste it is full of weeds , rubbish and as like as not weedkillers and other harmful chemicals .

2 bales of composted coir and two bags of vermiculite are needed for two beds plus the composted manures etc . You'll have some left over which will be used for topping up the bed once things have settled down .

Put up lots of pictures especially if you run into problems .

TTFN
Plantoid

plantoid wrote:Hi mrsgrnwd.

Better late than never to welcome you to the site .
I'm in the UK @ South Wales at the west end of the M4 for my sins and am a Yorkshireman & not a member of the local Taffia

I usually put things in the Europe section ( find the forum area on the home page.

Things are a wee bit upside down for me at present .. two bereavments in 3 months .... one funeral still outstanding.

When things settle down after the forthcoming funeral I'll be happy to spend time with you and let you see what I've managed to grow in a 10 month experiment of using Mel's mix ( had mother earth and manure in them before ) in 36 inch hight raised brick built beds .

Mel's mix ( MM ) is a massive leap of faith but well worth it if you get it right. some off my evidence is :-
21 inch long runner beans that were not stringy , 1 pound tomatoes full of juice , five inch or more dia kohl rabi that were as sweet crisp and tender as you could ever wish to have , carrots weighting pound & over far better texture and taste than any you'll ever see in shops inc M&S .
We had an ever lasting cut and come again salad bowl lettuce that grew to 19 inches in diameter despite many regular hair trims and salads taken off it.

We have a vermiculite source section on the site. Currently the composted coir from B&Q in 120 litre bales is very very good value for money, far better than the 60 litre bags as the 160 litres is hightly compressed and the 60 litres is only partly compressed .

Vermiculite if from builders merchants like T&P or Keyline at around £15 + VAT for a 100 litre poly bags it is extremely expensive from garden centers .

Baggd manure varieties from any of the national garden centre chain seem to be reasonable but watch out for a high sawdust..shaving/wood chip/ shreadded wood /pulp content as it will not be fully composted and therr for rob your MM of nitrogen for a year or more till itself breaks down fully .

Avoid local ammenity produced composted garden waste it is full of weeds , rubbish and as like as not weedkillers and other harmful chemicals .

2 bales of composted coir and two bags of vermiculite are needed for two beds plus the composted manures etc . You'll have some left over which will be used for topping up the bed once things have settled down .

Put up lots of pictures especially if you run into problems .

TTFN
Plantoid

Hi Plantoid! Thank you for your warm welcome. So nice to see another fellow UK SFG gardener! We now live in Trowbridge, near Bath. I'm sad to hear the situations you recently found yourself in - my condolences and thoughts are with you.

We do have a B&Q quite nearby, in fact. I'll check out your recommended buys for sure! Thanks for the great tips!!

Whilst on the subject, where or what brand would you recommend for quality seeds?

Looking forward to seeing pics of your garden

Ah Bath, one of my favorite cities. Bought the fabric for the skirt of my daughter's wedding gown there. The bodice fabric came from Warwick.

Kay

walshevak wrote:Ah Bath, one of my favorite cities. Bought the fabric for the skirt of my daughter's wedding gown there. The bodice fabric came from Warwick.

Kay

Hey, yes Bath is a beautiful city full of quirks and character Wow that's a long way to go for fabrics?! Kudos to you for taking on such a momentous task as sewing your daughter's couture wedding gown. I know it's a bit off topic, but I'd love to see a pic if you don't mind, could maybe pm me? I'm also a (beginner) sewer, did an online couture dress course with Susan Khalje recently, such a lovely lady!!

mrsgrnwd

DT brown do a decent varied catalogue and it's not as pricy as the likes of Fothergill , Unwins Marshalls or Suttons
try " dtbrownseeds.co.uk ".

national garden centers have taken all seeds off the displays because they have put up all the crimbo crap around 10 Sept. Yuk!


Good news is that here they have shoved all the seeds in crates at 50p to 20 p a throw.
We took our time to go through several crates of seed and purchased a shed load of veg for next year , there might be one near you try ....
" yourgardning club.co.uk "

see my garden pics in the gallery on this site and also in the showcase threads

Re :-
Your composting remark
local authorities might have 300 litre looking dalek type plastic composter bins for around a tenner each & they deliver FOC in most cases ( part of the green scene /gas reduction targets)

They are an easy way of keeping things in one place and after experimenting for the last year with seven such bins . They are great for a mixed content if you include some fresh animal based manures with a bit of the bedding.
Don't compost anything that has soil on the roots if you are going to use the compost in beds full of MM for if possible you want to keep your MM beds as exactly that.

mrsgrnwd wrote:

walshevak wrote:Ah Bath, one of my favorite cities. Bought the fabric for the skirt of my daughter's wedding gown there. The bodice fabric came from Warwick.

Kay

Hey, yes Bath is a beautiful city full of quirks and character Wow that's a long way to go for fabrics?! Kudos to you for taking on such a momentous task as sewing your daughter's couture wedding gown. I know it's a bit off topic, but I'd love to see a pic if you don't mind, could maybe pm me? I'm also a (beginner) sewer, did an online couture dress course with Susan Khalje recently, such a lovely lady!!

I love to show off the gown, but my scanner is broken. The distance wasn't so much. I was living in RAF Croughton at the time. Daughter was visiting and doing the tourist thing, Bath and Warwick castle. The really tricky part was mailing the cotton prototype back and forth to the US for fittings BEFORE cutting into the silk. And then stressing over the travel ban following 9/11 and wondering if I could even get to the wedding on Nov 10. Things did work out.

Back to gardening. I didn't do any veggie gardening while in Croughton, but I had a yard full of pots and towers. Unfortunately all the pictures were on old floppy disks and they somehow didn't make all the moves. I think someone thought the discs were old technilogy and not of use anymore and they got pitched. But here is a picture of two of the planters I bought in England - still in use. I have 2 of the towers and the strawberry pot and wish I had more. The strawberry pot especially. It is large and made of plastic. I bought it in the local DIY store one year and then could never find it again. I have them full of MM.



Kay

plantoid wrote:mrsgrnwd

DT brown do a decent varied catalogue and it's not as pricy as the likes of Fothergill , Unwins Marshalls or Suttons
try " dtbrownseeds.co.uk ".

national garden centers have taken all seeds off the displays because they have put up all the crimbo crap around 10 Sept. Yuk!


Good news is that here they have shoved all the seeds in crates at 50p to 20 p a throw.
We took our time to go through several crates of seed and purchased a shed load of veg for next year , there might be one near you try ....
" yourgardning club.co.uk "

see my garden pics in the gallery on this site and also in the showcase threads

Re :-
Your composting remark
local authorities might have 300 litre looking dalek type plastic composter bins for around a tenner each & they deliver FOC in most cases ( part of the green scene /gas reduction targets)

They are an easy way of keeping things in one place and after experimenting for the last year with seven such bins . They are great for a mixed content if you include some fresh animal based manures with a bit of the bedding.
Don't compost anything that has soil on the roots if you are going to use the compost in beds full of MM for if possible you want to keep your MM beds as exactly that.

Thanks Plantoid! Sorry for the rather late response. Thanks for the headsup about DT Brown's - looks like a good site. Before your post all I knew was Suttons! So you've given me quite a few sites to look at. Yes I'll check out our garden centre for cheap seeds as well.

I believe our Council does offer compost bins - although not as cheap as a tenner, more like 20. Still a good deal though!

I love to show off the gown, but my scanner is broken. The distance wasn't so much. I was living in RAF Croughton at the time. Daughter was visiting and doing the tourist thing, Bath and Warwick castle. The really tricky part was mailing the cotton prototype back and forth to the US for fittings BEFORE cutting into the silk. And then stressing over the travel ban following 9/11 and wondering if I could even get to the wedding on Nov 10. Things did work out.

Back to gardening. I didn't do any veggie gardening while in Croughton, but I had a yard full of pots and towers. Unfortunately all the pictures were on old floppy disks and they somehow didn't make all the moves. I think someone thought the discs were old technilogy and not of use anymore and they got pitched. But here is a picture of two of the planters I bought in England - still in use. I have 2 of the towers and the strawberry pot and wish I had more. The strawberry pot especially. It is large and made of plastic. I bought it in the local DIY store one year and then could never find it again. I have them full of MM.
Kay

I hear ya - ah technology, what a shame. Following your recommendation, look what I have found at Argos!!

I have always wanted to grow strawberries so whilst browsing on the net, came across this at less than half price- GBP8.99! Bought 3 pots and 2 breeds of strawberry plants - Mara des Bois & Gariguette

Wish I could send you a pot or two - definitely possible, but the postage would be dear (at 11kg per pot, terracotta)

What a great mom you are! I find it troublesome just fitting myself with a toile - I could only imagine doing it back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean Glad to hear all had gone well with the wedding