Guinea Gardeners: Growing for Piggies

Status
Not open for further replies.
Just caught up with this thread, been meaning to read it all since it was started rolleyes.
Anyway, i planted some Basil seeds about 4 days ago, nothing yet though!
I've got some mini tomato seeds and have sent off for some others free from the bbc. The milkman should be bringing me some compost tomorrow! :(|)
Here's the seed link if you haven't already seen it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/digin/apply_for_seeds/

The veg top idea looks great, i've never heard of that before, i'm going to have a go :)
 
Hey guys can I join in? :) I cant wait to get started this will be my first attempt! :)) I've just recieved my grow your own wheat grass from the hay experts so that should start to shoot in around 5 days I've also ordered the free seeds and will be taking a trip to the range tomorrow for more seeds planters and compost, the £1 shop seems to be doing good gardening stuff so will probably drag OH there too :(|) i'm a novice so will be reading all the tips xx>>>
 
I have crops :))

I need to thin out my lettuce, corriander, chives and basil. I have enough of each for my weest critters - my remaining rat, the hamsters and the dormice. Not quite enough yet for the guinea pigs - but getting there :))
 
I've decided I want to have a go at growing grass for my boys and I've asked my parents to bring me some British grass seeds when they come out next month. Can you give me any tips for growing grass in a hot climate? Do I still need to cover the seeds to start with? Do you think I would be better growing them inside, outside on the balcony in the sun, or on the shaded part of the balcony? Also what sort of soil should I look for or avoid so that it is safe for piggies? I want to grow it in a litter tray like in the pictures so my boys can play on it, as they have never seen a garden.
 
Hi,

I think depending where you want your grass litter tray depends on the type of grass and the location of the tray. If it's outside in the sun, your better off buying grass seeds specifically for hot climates such as Bahia or Bermuda grass (there are many more to choose from), these naturally are for outdoor in full sun but will require watering. The key thing is also fertiliser, initially when the grass is growing it will need the extra nutrients, once established you can keep off the stuff, give it a while and it should be ready for your piggies.

There are some great websites advising the best way to growing grass for hot climates. I'm no expert in grass but I loved having nice lawns..that changed when I adopted my 3 girls, a complete novice but learning every day.

P.S. you don't need to be a "percy thrower" to grow your grass, as the advert says in the UK "simples".
 
my coriander wilted after weeks of growing fine. 8... think maybe it was overcrowded in the small pot. have planted some more and it has started to grow so when it is a big bigger i think i should move it to bigger pots! :))

the best thing to grow was the orchard grass.
 
not sure if any one has already mentioned this, but I grow weeds! Dandelion, sow thistle, chickweed, cow parsley. they are very easy to grow and as long as you dont let them seed everywhere, the rest of the garden survives!
I do grow salad leaves, fennel (they love this and it's perennial), coriander, thyme, rocket (easy peasy to grow). just sow in the soil outside in a sunny spot.
maybe we should ask gardeners world to do a feature!
 
I have just started planting today. I bought one of those cheapy green house thingys for £10 and I am doing an experiment. I have planted two trays of grass seeds, one in kitchen and one in greenhouse and also i have planted two lots of coriander and done the same thing to see if one way is better. will let you know which works best. I have also planted some wild bird seed so that will be interesting to see what happens!

I still have about 10 packets of different seeds but ran out of energy and compost :))
 
ooh, good luck with your experiment, i saw a electric propagator the other day while i was out, it was £25 quid, is it worth investing in something like that? my dad owes me a birthday pressie :)

My basil seeds still haven't grown :( i was thinking they might not be getting enough light, so i'll try moving them to the bedroom windowsill.

I bought some little trays and planted some parsley seeds last night. It says on the packet to cover with glass or a propagator lid,which i don't have. would cling film work instead?
 
I should think that clingfilm should work Aalur. It said for me to do that too on my herbs but i didnt and they still grew after a week or two. :)
 
I read on one of my packets to cover with cling film then after the shoots start appearing prick holes in it and leave for a week or so then remove the clingfilm all together. It didn't say to do it on the stuff i've grown so trying it without!
 
thanks, i'll try cling film. I wasn't sure if it would make it 'sweat' too much, if you know what i mean.

Checked my basil this morning, i have shoots!!
I think it was moving it to the bedroom that did it, its southerly facing!

06042010256.jpg
 
060420102463.jpg

heres my mini veg garden :)

on the top there parsely ( the seeds are soaking in the cup so i can plant them tomrow :))
then lettuce
then spinach

i planted it all today so fingers crossed i can grow something :))
 
Wow, looking fabulous aalur and shauna. I have to admit to cheating a bit as my dad has been growing my parsley plants from seed and I'm going to pick them up in a couple of weeks. I'm well known for killing plants so he thought it would be best to get them established first. I am going to have a go at growing some grass myself though.
Good luck everyone. :)
 
thanks i cant take all the credit though.. my nan helped me plant it but now ive just got to keep it alive :))
 
Since we're heading into sowing territory, I thought I'd share my gardening discovery for 2010. :) I am sowing a few seeds this year, and didn't really fancy buying 50+ plastic seedling pots. So, I had a hunt around on-line for environmentally friendly alternatives and found these seedling pots that you can make yourself out of newspaper. There are many good features...once your seedlings have grown they can just be placed paper and all into a bigger pot, or planted into the garden. The newspaper decomposes and provides mulch and worm food. The pots can made big or small and you can double the newspaper to make them thicker. Best of all they costs nothing and are an excellent way to recycle newspaper.

First rip newspaper, 30cm long, 10cm high (with a folded edge of 2cm). My 'pot maker' is a deodorant bottle and has a diameter of appr. 4cm. (measurement of the line that goes through the middle of the circle) I think a pot maker with a slightly sunken bottom works best for pushing the paper tightly into it.
P1000518.jpg


Wrap the newspaper around your 'container maker' leaving enough paper at the bottom to fold in and create the base of the container. I think leaving half the diameter of your pot maker is a good amount.
P1000514.jpg


Fold the paper into the centre of the pot maker very tightly, making sure it is pushed firmly into the base.
P1000516.jpg


Remove the pot gently from the maker, and presto; you just made a seedling container!
P1000517.jpg


Place the seedling pots into a plastic tray. Fill them with compost and water well. Sow your seeds as per instructions, cover with cling film and watch the fruits of your labour grow.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
ooh! good idea! thanks :(|)

So now my basil is well under way, i thought i would take the plunge and sow some more!
So, i've gone a bit mad and planted chives, more basil, coriander, salad mix oregano and 2 types of tomato! not sure how well the tomato will do, but we'll see :{:(|) I've put them all on my bedroom window sill this time so they should get lots of sunlight :(|)
 
Well my planting is going relatively well.

I planted my grass last saturday (just used ordinary lawn seed from morrisons so was dead cheap) and it is looking so lushous and long and green and almost ready for the pigs to dessmiate:

DSCF0054.jpg


My vegetable tops are also coming on well:

DSCF0055.jpg


This is my seed bag tray which on the floor protecting my carpet by my double sliding door in the kitchen, it's south facing so gets a lot of sun i will be planting more things to go on the tray soon I have already started a new grass tray as I have two sets of pigs and they can have a tray each on alternate weeks then:

DSCF0056.jpg
 
A note to anyone planting grass in trays, i have realised my are far too thin and unsafe to give to pigs, not tried it yet but I can tell, I was having a blonde moment when buying them! You need to buy the ones which are stated to be "extra strong" or words to that effect.

I have bought some new ones and will transfer my grass across before giving it to the pigs, want to let it bed in first and get proper roots so I don't wreck it
 
gutted ... all mine died! 8...

i had coriander, parsley, plantain, orchard grass and basil. they grew well for about 3-4 weeks and then all suddenly wilted and died. 8...

what did i do wrong? they were in small plastic pots on the bedroom windowsill. i misted them a few times a day. should i have transferred them to bigger pots sooner do you think?

:)
 
Gosh I'm sorry, it is disappointing when that happens. It's happened to me a few times, keep trying though you do get the hang of it, I find there is a lot of trial and error with gardening! There are many things that can go wrong...but the most common for plant deaths is over or under watering. If they all died, this may be the problem. Always stick a finger into the soil, if it is soaking wet, then the plant does not need to be watered. If it feels dry then sit your plants in a container of water, leave them in there so that they can suck up the water. Remove them when the soil looks wet at the surface, this should avoid over watering. You want to avoid the roots rotting, and watering too much will do this. Also it is a good idea to check how much sun a plant needs, some prefer some sun, but not all day, and sometimes not direct. Most of the ones you had do prefer a sunny spot. Grass especially should grow very well with a lot of sun. Be careful with spraying, always do this in the early morning or in the evening, and never when the sun is on them as the leaves will burn.
 
biscandmatt said:
gutted ... all mine died! 8...

i had coriander, parsley, plantain, orchard grass and basil. they grew well for about 3-4 weeks and then all suddenly wilted and died. 8...

what did i do wrong? they were in small plastic pots on the bedroom windowsill. i misted them a few times a day. should i have transferred them to bigger pots sooner do you think?

:)
Click to expand...

A crowded plant won't grow well, so this could also have been the problem too. You can usually leave seedlings in the pot until they develop their first set of true leaves. At this point they should be transplanted into a bigger pot. Coriander doesn't transplant well, so I would plant these seeds in a bigger pot. Make it a tall one (25cm), because they have a deep root system. Have a look online too, I always investigate what a plant needs before I sow the seeds to try and give it the best chance of survival. It's still not always successful but it helps a little! :)
 
I have run out of windowsill space!

My bedroom
DSC01237.jpg

My lounge
DSC01236.jpg


DSC01235.jpg

my porch
DSC01238.jpg

carrots, pepper, grass and chamomile
DSC01239.jpg

peas, perpetual spinach and carrots
DSC01240.jpg


Rocket - started well but then seems to have stopped?
DSC01241.jpg
 
lots of it is courgette and aubergine but there are lots of piggy foods too.... now need to get down the allotment and get the potatoes in the ground.
 
WOW, that's amazing, you have LOADS! You'll be eating so healthy this summer. I've never grown rocket before, but from what I can tell from your picture, it might work to space the seedlings out now, ie. plant them into bigger pots. I wouldn't go too big, an 8cm pot should be fine. I would do at least 3-5 per pot. That way if a couple die from the transplant, it's no biggie. I'm not sure if this is the solution, it may not work, esp. if rocket plants don't like being moved. May be try with a few to see if they do a bit better. :)
 
ive had 4 lettuces sprout and one spinach plant so far :D I'm so excited nothign ever grows for me

my parsely isnt showing any signs yet though
 
ok so my grass is a force unto it's self :)) it reached about 8 cm today I swear it is growing and a scarey rate :)) I have given it to the pigs, I cut half with sissors to give to one of my pig pairs and the other pair go the joy of eating from the tray for about 30 mins,

Next week I think both trays will be ready and at the current growing rate each tray should be ready twice a week! I'm so chuffed!

I have barley grass on order too to go with my regular grass so I can alternate the trays!

My coriander which is inside has finally shooted just not sure how big it needs to be before I seperate? any ideas anyone
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top