A question about : Help MBE grow his dinner 2012
Well, here we are again then. 
Looking forward to a new season of grub fresh from the garden. I've just harvested the last potatoes, parsnips, beetroot and carrots, so once they're gone I might actually have to buy something. 
Last season was good. A few things didn't work too well, but mostly I had good results. I went shopping today for seed potatoes - Pentland Javelin for the earlies, and Picasso for the maincrop as they were so good last year.
I think I need to get the chillies started next weekend, and have a rummage through my seed collection to see what's what.
Things I learned last year:
1. I don't need that many swede.
2. Things grown in tubs, with the possible exception of radishes, are nowhere near as good as those grown in the ground.
3. White beetroot is interesting but nowhere near as tasty as red.
4. I could probably do without the greenhouse as far as tomatoes are concerned, as the outdoors ones were excellent. Mind you, the grafted ones in the greenhouse were pretty impressive in terms of yield.
5. I like French beans.
This year's competition is not yet confirmed but seems likely to be onions. Which probably means I need to sow them three weeks ago. 
By the end of the year I'd like to have a pond.
Oh, and I've got a couple of Romanesco cauliflower having a good go at forming a head. 
Feel free to join in as and when.
MBE
Best answers:
- MBE! Welcome back. Can I join your merry adventure and hijack occasionally?? I figure if I follow and copy exactly what you're doing I will avoid any suicidal tomato plants and squash-that-turned-into-potatoes incidents. Pretty please?
- My chilis say to sow in Feburary and I live in the North East so I'm gunna wait till the end of Feb to start mine.
- yes!! My chilli plant and pepper plant from last year are still alive on my window sill though.....
What are you planning on growing this year? - Welcome back MrBE and little Vics
Like you MrBE, I have always got better crops in the ground, except for lettuce.........the slugs and snails always get it in the ground.
Quote: - this will be the third year for the pepper plant - randomly managed to overwinter it last year too. It's now very very tall and I almost don't want it to survive because it takes up so much room on the windowsill!
- Hi PiP experts. I grew these last year but "forgot" to pot them on out of 5"/12cm pots. They are on my kitchen windowsill now and have chillies on them - they've been on there for months. I'm going to take the chillies off and when the greenhouse is warmer pot the plants on to big pots. My question - at last - is how big do the chillies, not the plants, get? Obviously the ones I have now are tiny because of the restrictions on the plants. I won't need loads of chillies as there's only me, but if a-bit-smaller-than-an-olive is the PiP size I might grow some others as well.
- Yay, glad to see this years thread up and running MBE. I got started today by cleaning out my potting shed, sorting pots out and I got my chillis going. I am following the chillis galore way again with John Innes seed compost and vermiculite. This year I've gone for early jalapenos (which did brilliantly last year) and Albertos locoto, both from the real seed company. I also have three PiP's in the greenhouse but they are looking worse for wear so not sure they have come through.
I've got over wintered onions and garlic in the veg patch but I'm not sure how well they're doing and I have maris bard potatoes chitting.
This year I've mainly gone for seeds from the real seed company as theirs were brilliant last year so I figured it might be worth trying my tomatoes and carrots from there too. This years new one will be broad beans.
I'm really excited about my second year of growing!
One pic to get the thread really going: - My PiP's get their final place as 3 to an 8 - 10 inch pot, that's about 7 inches deep.
Yep, small olive size sounds plumptious and useable. Just remember, hot at purple, fiery at red. - I'll be watching this thread with interest as I have done previously, though I think I've only lurked before. All we've done so far is buy seed potatoes this morning - Rocket, which we had last year and were excellent, and Marfona - not had these before.
No greenhouse here, although I'd love one, so a bit early to be planting anything just yet I think. - Glad to see this up and running again this year Mr BE Enjoyed reading all about your exploits last year and it gives me a kick up the behind when need be to get planting!
Best of luck with this years growing. - Ooh great, I'm glad you're doing another thread MrBE, it helps to remind me what I should be sowing when. I've got some Swift early pots chitting, but really I need to get a new garden fence organised out the back. I left it too late last year, I'd got stuff growing in the ground and couldn't bear to see it walked on/damaged by fencers, so this year I need to get it done. (I'm a terrible procrastinator though... )
- Glad to see you're continuing with this GYO malarchy MrBE.
Are you trying anything new this year?
I'm giving globe artichokes a whirl - can't remember if I like 'em as it's years since I had them. Also I think they are perennial, so I'll have to find a pemanent space for them.
Can't believe 2011 was a year of no courgettes - well one miniscule one; all the others got mildew and died. Mind you it was a blummin' funny summer for weather.
Also want to do more butternut squashes this year too. - gonna try and keep up with you guys if thats ok with you
im in south yorkshire, would love to know if any of you guys are (so i can copy when you plant lol )
ive never really had much sucess but im still eager
i have just started my own thread, feel free to take a peek and advise lol
ive bought my main crop today, maris piper, they were only 99p im a happy bunny..........well thats if the plant stays alive xx
happy growing all xxx
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