成人快手

Allotment expert Peter Horrocks answers your questions on salad leaves and compost

Post categories: question,听salad leaves,听soil and compost,听tomato

Peter Horrocks | 11:40 UK time, Wednesday, 9 June 2010

Peter Horrocks, an allotment expert with the answers your questions about sowing Dig In salad leaves and more. If you have a similar story to share, you can add your comments at the bottom of this entry. You need to register first, which only takes two minutes.

Oksana from Surrey asks: I've sown my salad leaves three weeks ago, but without a clue of how many I should sow. I was quite generous and now have about 50 to 60 seedlings in a 30cm container. The instructions mention that salad doesn't require thinning out, but I'm worried with such a high population.

Answer: Hi Oksana, I would try thinning at least half if not more out now, water well and leave for an hour before you do this. Otherwise they'll crowd each other to allow very little growth at all.

Margaret from Swansea asks: I planted the Dig In Money Maker tomato plants from 2009 after finding them in the back of the cupboard. They are now about 7 inches high. They look slightly leggy. I can't see anywhere to pinch out the growing tips. I'm not quite sure if they are indoor greenhouse tomatoes, or outdoor bush tomatoes. Please help.

Answer: Use the wisdom of Solomon and assume they're half and half. Pinch out the growing tops on half and plant outdoors, leave the tops and pinch off the interleaf axils on the rest and plant indoors.

Fred Isaac from Newry, County Down asks: When growing the Dig In vegetables, in containers especially, multi-purpose compost is mentioned a lot. Can seeds be started and grown in home-made compost rather than multi-purpose compost?

Answer: No reason why not Fred, just add some fish blood and bone to the mixture at the rate of about 3 ounces per litre and you'll be OK. Compost made at home (or anywhere else for that matter) has very little nutritional value, it's main use is as a soil conditioner.

If anyone else has had similar with growing the Dig In veg, add your comments below.

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About this blog

The Dig In campaign has finished now. Thanks to everyone who took part in the campaign throughout 2009 and 2010. We hope you enjoyed growing the Dig In seeds, especially those of you who are new to growing vegetables. This site is no longer being updated, but it is still packed full of useful information about growing veg.

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Expert authors

Our video expert is Blue Peter gardener Chris Collins. He's a qualified horticulturalist and award-winning gardener, who's presented shows on everything from allotments to Chelsea - . He loves sharing his experience with growers old and new!

Gareth Austin is resident gardening expert with 成人快手 Radio Foyle and lectures in horticulture in Northern Ireland. Gareth has made it a prority to encourage gardeners throughout Northern Ireland to 'reclaim the space' and start growing vegetables in any area they can find.

Maria del Carmen Casarrubios is a tutor and practical instructor at , Regent's Park. She trained at Capel Manor and Writtle College in Amenity Horticulture and has 20 years' experience of working with plants. Sally Smith

Sally Smith is a freelance gardening researcher and lecturer. She headed the advisory team at Garden Organic for many years. Pest and disease control by organic means is her speciality, Sally says: "Managing your soil is key to solving nearly all gardening problems, look after your compost heap, it's your most important asset." Sally Smith

Brendan Little trained at and . Brendan runs organic gardening courses, works as a garden designer and is in the 成人快手 Radio Ulster Gardeners' Corner team." Sally Smith

Karen Kenny is the Eastern Region Rep for the National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners as well as on the management team of Suffolk and Ipswich allotments where she runs a site. Karen is also an accomplished lecturer on most gardening subjects, including allotments.

Peter Horrocks has an allotment in Newcastle. He's the regional rep for the in the North of England & Scotland, the secretary of the Newcastle Allotments Working Group. Plus, Peter is secretary of a ten-acre allotments site in Newcastle, considered by many to be one of the best in the city.

Ben Raskin is an advisor with the , as well as helping to run 22 acres of organic vegetables. With over 16 years of horticultural experience, including running market gardens and working at the Welsh College of Horticulture, he's an expert on organic matters.

Beechgrove Potting Shed is Radio Scotland's top gardening show, giving tips and advice to Scottish gardeners - and the odd Dig In grower - every Sunday.

Zoe tends the Dig In website. When she's not in the office you'll find her gardening on Hampstead Heath and in Regents Park.

Ann "Dig In" Kelly looked after the blog from day to day until May 2010. Bitten by the gardening bug a few years ago, she has progressed from a few growbags to a great big polytunnel. She hates slugs.