Cheers !
I am visiting my son in Loughborough next week, where he is studying for his PhD. He expressed the wish to start some gardening, and suggested peas and rosemary, and he is interested mainly in vegetables and herbs.
As this is his first attempt, I would very much value your advice for something easy and straightforward. I am totally inexperienced in vegetable gardening in the British environment, particularly in March.
With thanks
Dimitri
UK gardeners, advice please ....
Rosemary is easy, peas are a bit trickier, often with a high failure rate due to slugs, pigeons, etc.
Courgettes (marrows) are fairly easy, once the seedlings are established. They need plenty of space though.
Resin
Thank you, Resin, I will go for gourgettes and also put some peas to see what happens - rosemary is a must, as we both (me and my son, that is) love it in many dishes.
Dimitri
Hello Dimitri,
First: (French) Beans, climbing or bush, are always sooo rewarding and very easy. Second: As for the, also very rewarding, peas I prefer to grow sugar snaps or mangetout. Third: Don't forget the lettuces..there are so many varieties that are worth to grow and can also be grown so easy. Broccoli is another easy one that can be cut (harvested) over a period. Onions (he can plant out the bulblets ...they are easy) or grow garlics, carrots, radish are easy too or annual herbs like Parsley, chervil.. The annual oregano (the good strong tasty Greek one) and basils I prefer these to grow in pots because it likes, next to sun, a free-draining soil and it can be kept a little cheltered by that.. Rosemary, thymes, sage, mints, chives are perennials and will mostly grow well Don't forget to grow Tropaeolum major or minor..cheerfull with spicy edible flowers, foliage, seeds... It's a pity..tomatoes..some can be grown outside but it depends if our summer is dry and warm enough..(bell)peppers, aubergine is nearly not possible to grow outside because of our lac of sun and warmth :-(
If your son has room enough he can try to grow pumpkuns..I prefer the small orange 'Uchi-Ki-Kuri'
Maybe you can look on the site of Thompson & Morgan http://www.thompson-morgan.com/ to see what is possible to grow and for the different varieties.
I hope this helps,
Saya.
While I now live in Finland, I spent the first seventy years of my life in England. Whilst french beans are easy, they don't taste as good as runner beans. A modern stringless variety like Enorma is easy and delicious. A six foot row should produce more than enough to keep one person full of beans. I agree about lettuce; but they're very prone to slug damage, so he'll need to take action against the slimy beasts. Also agree about onions grown from sets rather than seed. Leeks are easy and generally trouble free, although leek moth are becoming an increasing problem. Don't forget the most trouble free and productive of all crops - good old rhubarb.
Saya, I can't thank you enough. All your suggestions are interesting - one thing that worries me is the English weather right now, and another is my son's ignorance and lack of time to devote in gardening. All I want is to give him a quick start with a veg and a herb as simple as possible, and hope that a yield will help him to focus on the matter later on.
I will try the gourgettes, some dwarf beans, rosemary and sage and see what comes out. I don't want to put too many things at once.
Best wishes. I am sure in Holland you achieve miracles with gardening, your people have established a reputation over many years.
Dimitri
Many thanks, patgeorge.
I will put some runner beans as well, but us Greeks are not used to rhubarb, do not like it and do not eat it. As I said to saya while you were writing your comment, I will try a few things only and hope for the best. A failure will act as a negative stimulus for later.
Thanks for your advice
Dimitri
Yassou Dmitri, Don't forget to get the grapes growing, the fruit might not be much - but the leaves are good, better than the prepacks. We get California vine leaves in jars over here! I used to speak greek fairly well some years ago, but haven't needed it for the last 30 plus years!
Seemama, I must tell you a little secret: my son now lives in England, but his parents live in Crete, and last year we had several gardening rewards, the most important of them being our grapes. I will remember when I go back to send a little photo from last April when the grapes were just showing...
After that, why start a vine for him here in England, when the results will require a lot more effort and will never be as rewarding as in Crete.. I am trying to get him into gardening somehow, and I am afraid any bad results will deter him.
Best wishes - efharisto poly
Dimitri
Vegie for beginners in England right now. Perennial shrubby herbs like rosemary sage and thyme are always easy as long they're sunny and free drained. Seeds are always a bit awkward if you're busy and not quite sure, so seed potatoes and onion setts are the best bet now. Maincrop spuds and Red Baron onions would be good. Good luck. Hope my boys, early twenties, get into gardening soon too. I think if they do it will be through their tummies as well.
In Crete you would probably make Dolmades but for me it's Koupepkia - now you will know from where I had my lessons!
Thank you Johnnie
I asked my son a few days ago and he said the pea seeds had come up, the 4 pots we planted were not very enthusiastic about it (1 rosemary static, 1 parsley gone, 1 mint with new shoots ahowing and one marjoram, static as well, awaiting higher temperatures I presume).
Mama, I am not aware of koupepkia, where are they found? the sound reminds of north mainland, but could also be Cyprus - yes, we are having dolmades and stuffed tomatoes as well, as it is the Holy Week here and no meat, no eggs, no dairy and of course the lovely spring time asks for vegan recipes, full of tastes from the winter and aromas from the Spring - take a look at the old recipe threads, me and Pebble from Turkey have written our fair share there, to represent the East mediterranean tastes from the Greek and Turkish point of view..
Best wishes to you all
Dimitri
Dimitri: Koupepkia are what dolmades are in Greek Cyprus, when I used to buy my leaves in UK, thay asked what I was making, then they knew where I had learned to make them - both my sons also make them for their wives (1 Italian and 1 American) and a great favourite of my younger son is Avga lemoni soup, I always make a big potful when he is ill, which has been a lot lately! I get bottled leaves now from California!
Mama, the grapes have just shown this week, still flower buds only, but full of the hopes The Spring brings. I will take a few pics and show them here. As for the recipes, I will look them up in old DG threads and direct you there.
Best wishes
Dimitri
thanks Dimitri that will be interesting
Seemama, See this :
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/164427/
>> "pebble" is a good friend in DG, from Turkey originally, used to live in USA, then moved back to Turkey again. Have a look at her comments and recipes - I add my own here and there, you can trace all my threads by searching in DG
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/27796/
this is actually my first thread in DG, you can enjoy reading all of it, look at the dates, and note how much more personal and warm-hearted DG was at that time, as there were less than 2000 members, and each "corner" usually sheltered the same people, so he discussions started here and continued here for a vey long time. Now, the number of members has become astronomical, it is quite unusual to find the same person twice, and most late-comers find older members sometimes reluctant to analyse on their questions, because these things have been discussed over and over in the past. This means, that the "search" utility can be truly valuable to you, is you spend the time to dig up old discussions.
Best of luck - This week it is our orthodox Easter, and I am colouring eggs red right now
Dimitri
Dimitri, I used to be married to a greek cypriot a very long time ago, so I did learn quite a lot of recipes, but since then I remarried and now the dishes are curries. But he gets food from all around the world, one of my favourite restaurants in London is Efe's in Great Titchfield street, a turkish restaurant - We are looking forward to a good meal there when we go over the pond next week. That is something I really miss in Central Florida - good restaurants with decent service. I read the cabbage soup recipe -my friend tried that - but I do not diet nor have any need to, I am skinny enough. besides cabbage soup has side effects!!!