I've taken the plunge

[Phoenix82]

into growing my own food. I have Cucumber,Cabbage,Butternut Squash and French Beans all germinating on the Kitchen Window. The Potatoes are in outside too. As soon as I have relocated the Chickens to another part of the Garden the area where they were is being turned into raised beds by reusing my old Pergola. It's all quite exciting-I just hope I have some success!

[Mo]

What fun. I'm sure you'll have some success - and probably some random failures too if your garden is like mine.
It makes you realise that for hundreds of year (thousands even) people were at the mercy of nature rather than expecting full supermarket shelves.

There's nothing like the satisfaction and flavour of home grown food.

[lancashire lass]

excellent - nothing like eating your own grown food, and save on "air miles" too LOL.

You might be a tad too eager with the cucumber, french beans and butternut squash - they are all very frost sensitive and can't be put outside until the risk is gone ... usually the latter half of May give or take a couple of weeks depending on your location. By then, you'll have monster plants that are easily damaged when trying to plant out.

I usually start sowing cucumber, courgette and winter squashes by about the third week in April up to mid-May - and they like warm temperatures to germinate. When they start getting a bit bigger (into their 2nd / 3rd leaves), harden off outside during the day (but protect from wind and heavy rain/hail) before planting out in their final place.

French beans - I get much better results by sowing them direct in the bed where they'll be growing - from about early/mid-May depending on the weather, weather forecasts and some voodoo good luck to keep Jack Frost away - fleece and slug pellets (or whatever method you choose - slugs and snails really love to eat germinating beans) at the ready.

As for cabbage, they can go outside right now (leave them in pots if your beds aren't ready) otherwise they'll grow leggy very quickly - they are called "cool weather" plants. Watch out for slugs, snails and pigeons at seedling stage, and when planted out, highly recommend you use a fine mesh net to keep out the dreaded cabbage white butterfly.

I hope this post doesn't put you off - once you get into it, you'll find growing your own a lot of fun. Good luck with it!

[Maggie1]

I agree with LL. I don't sow my veg seeds till at least April unless they are for my Polytunnel. Are your girls free ranging, if so beware of slug pellets. Chickens will eat anything especially new plants.

[Mo]

. Are your girls free ranging, if so beware of slug pellets. Chickens will eat anything especially new plants.

Sounds like you need hen pellets!

But yes, they will - ours are not being let out now I'm starting to get things in (very slowly, as I've found that things germinate quicker when the soil is warmer). And I wouldn't use slug pellets - you don't know what they will poison.

[Phoenix82]

I have a small greenhouse to put them in. I've got a few other things to sow straight outside too. It's all a learning curve

[bmpsands]

Last year was our first year of growing veggies and the results were amazing. Cabbage white butterfly was our only disaster. They ravaged all the kale and sprout plants.

This year is our first year with a polytunnel and we're just beginning to plant some early stuff. The first green shoots (only lettuce) sent me hysterical and we're growing them on in the polytunnel's raised beds. Should be eating lollo rosso in a couple of weeks.

The last of our leeks are still in the ground. I'll probably pull the last ones this week. They've been amazing and I'll grow more this year.

Good luck. You'll have a load of fun, lovely food and the setbacks make you stronger and you learn for the next year.

[KarenE]

You'll definitely have success, as long as we don't have a soaking summer. Ive grown my own for years now - I get it off my dad, he loves his little veg plot. French beans are easy and very prolific croppers, just make sure you have enough plants to give you a decent helping of beans (I grow about 12 for the 2 of us). Tomatoes are also dead easy and if you grow cherry types you can grow them in hanging baskets which is handy if space is an issue. And you can't beat the taste of home grown tomatoes. I've had success in my little greenhouse with cucumbers and aubergines as well. I always grow lettuce cos my husband eats it, and I also grow sweetcorn which is surprisingly easy and the girls love the cobs

I agree with everyone else though - the biggest pests to look out for are the chickens! I lost my whole crop of caulis, cabbage and god knows what else last year to 2 newly liberated ex batts who scoffed my seedlings on their first weekend out