[flowergirl]

ok ive been thinking today about what to plant next year,ive spent this year digging and have planted a few things,so i sat down with my OH &daughter to list the things we like to eat("no meg a chocolate tree isnt possible!")and have realised most everything needs planting in march/april :shock: ok will i have to have 2 months of work/life!what do you guys do?is it just a mad couple of months?do i start stuff from seed indoors then plant out or stick the seeds straight in the ground?(after breathing into a paper bag to ease panic attack im ok!!)i think i need a book of gardening jargon for idiots

[mushroom]

("no meg a chocolate tree isnt possible!")

It is possible  

http://www.cocoatree.org/thecocoatree/growingcocoa.asp

Think you'd need a rather large greenhouse though  :shock:  

[flowergirl]

hey the 80+ inches of rain would have been ok for this year that would cause a stir on the allotment they just about accepted my chillies

[richyrich7]

ok will i have to have 2 months of work/life!what do you guys do?is it just a mad couple of months?

in short yes its a mad time of the year but I love it, I start in late Jan in the greenhouse, sweetpeas if I remember :roll:  then onion seeds, toms, peppers and go from there, I forget everything like decorating, etc

[flowergirl]

oh no more panic NO GREENHOUSE!!break out the paper bag again!!

[crowndale]

oh no more panic NO GREENHOUSE!!break out the paper bag again!!

I am lucky to have a conservatory so grew everything in pots in there for the last few years.  Downside we have to eat dinner off our laps as there is no table space!!  Before we moved there was also no greenhouse for aged so I put them all on various window sills!  This year I have finally cleaned and fixed the greenhouse I inherited with the house I am in now so next year I finally get to potter in it and actuallt grow stuff in it!

[WG.]

also no greenhouse for aged so I put them all on various window sills!

 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  

[muntjac]

i go filling the meat freezers   a different kind of harvest  

[WG.]

i go filling the meat freezers   a different kind of harvest  

 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  I hope you aren't replying to the precedng post !!!    

[brucesgirl]

I haven't a greenhouse either so I use all my kitchen worktops and windowsills. It is a panicky time of year but really exciting - looking forward to it already!

[Sadgit]

I start my seedling off in the house around January and then move them to the greenhouse in March (ish).

[splodger]

i don't have a greenhouse ...yet ... hoping to get 1 soon though (been offered two that need tlc)

in the past i have placed open shelved bookcases on my windowsills - at one point i had 80 plant pots on 1 sill - looked mad from outside  

you don't have to panic though - just pace yourself - not everything has to go in at the same time - some things can be started earlier - some later - and not everything has to be started indoors.

i used odd double glazed panels to form a sort of coldframe outdoors - that worked really well.

cloches are a great help too - as is fleece - and you can help to heat up the soil by putting down plastic - that helps with germination and stops the frost from getting in.

so with a bit of good planning - it's not that difficult or time consuming - apart from watering all those pots

[fletch]

Also (I'll probably get shot for saying this..... :shock: ) there is the option of buying small plants if space/time/experience are an issue.

As this was my first year and I didn't get my plot/greenhouse until early April, I sowed what I could manage, both inside and out. For the rest I bought small plants from a garden centre. This included 1 courgette plant, which has kept me in courgettes since mid August, a cucumber plant (same) a pepper, couple of Toms etc etc etc......
3 Artichoke plants filled one massive bed and they are great to look at and were 75p each.

Next year I would like to try and grow them myself from seed, but for me it worked buying a few in this year and took lots of pressure off AND cost less than a fiver.

And as for panicking, tell me about it, but over the summer I learned to chill, covered loads of beds with cardboard and just enjoyed what I could.

Fletch

Next year I would like to try and grow them myself from seed