Re: What have you done in the garden today?

by polgara 26th May 2013, 9:07 pm

Almost finished planting for now, also managed to transplant some of the tomatoes. Things are begining to grow at last.

by Chilli-head 4th June 2013, 3:37 pm

Desperate rush to catch up at the allotment at the moment. Planted out squashes last night, hopefully I'll get my brassica out soon. Beans, sweetcorn an leeks yet to do.

I've also got some "Nemaslug" to try this year, in the hope of potatoes with fewer holes. I am a tad sceptical, but it is worth a try. Anyone else tried it ?

by Dandelion 4th June 2013, 8:44 pm

I haven't tried Nemaslug because I garden on a relatively small scale, and it seemed a large outlay financially for more nematodes that i would actually need. It'll be interesting to see how you find it. Incidentally - I put two pots of Morning Glory into the cold frame at the weekend, just to harden off after carefully nurturing them through the cold weather. It only took a couple of days for some slugs to discover the plants and almost destroy them. Payback time was when I found the slugs under the pots and fed them to the hens...

by freebird 5th June 2013, 11:24 am

Planted out runner beans. Cleared last year's brassicas (at last). Wept over the loss of my gooseberry crop to the birds. Still playing catch-up as the weeds threaten to overtake on a grand scale.

by Chilli-head 5th June 2013, 12:23 pm

I know what you mean about weeds ... I am plagued by horsetails (equisetum arvense) at the allotment. It was a great year for them last year, as they like nothing better than growing in waterlogged clay - which makes up my plot (and much of Bedfordshire !). These must be the worst weed possible. They are too deep rooted to ever dig out without a JCB. Hoeing them off ought to eventually use up their energy, but the plants spread so far that they are up in neighboring plots too, and my neighbors are the sort of plot holders that do the minimum with regard weed control. It is even substantially immune to glyphosate. I'm currently digging them out to a spade deep, and planning to try to stop them getting their heads above ground for long by vigilant weeding. I will not be beaten Evil or Very Mad

by polgara 5th June 2013, 4:05 pm

Had a look at the pots today. All begining to look promising. Raspberries & tayberries look OK & may get a couple of cherries from the potted cherry. Well happy.

by Chilli-head 11th June 2013, 1:09 pm

Almost finished off planting out at the allotment last night - Outdoor cucumbers, sweetcorn, beand for drying, and some spare marigolds to brighten things up. Just room for one more row of maincrop peas, and the leeks which aren't ready to go out yet, then I'm done - bar pest control, weeding ....

by Dandelion 11th June 2013, 8:07 pm

That's brilliant CH. I've still got things in pots and modules, waiting to be planted because the broad beans and spring cabbage haven't finished yet. What a year, eh??

by polgara 11th June 2013, 8:14 pm

Too wet & chilly for me, though did see that the toms are looking good.

by polgara 12th June 2013, 3:39 pm

Same again today!!

by freebird 12th June 2013, 8:07 pm

Dandelion wrote:... because the broad beans and spring cabbage haven't finished yet.

Broad beans haven't finished!! Mine haven't even started. CH is harvesting Cucino cucumbers, and I'm waiting for the third pair of leaves to develop (because the first seedling fell over - no idea why - didn't look like damping off, or snail damage). I'm so far behind, I can see me own rrrs!

by Dandelion 12th June 2013, 10:00 pm

TBH my broad beans haven't actually started yet either, or at least we haven't picked any yet. I started them off in the autumn and nursed them through the winter. Wondered why I've bothered as the number of beans on them is very small. A bag of frozen broadies from the shops would have been cheaper and less bother!!

by freebird 12th June 2013, 11:16 pm

Dandelion wrote: A bag of frozen broadies from the shops would have been cheaper and less bother!!

Ah but they would never taste as good - would they? Actually, in your part of the country, you probably stand a chance of buying something half decent. But I would never attempt to buy broad beans here; likewise runner beans. I always find they are way too old.

On the plus side, I have been harvesting some salad leaves and some lovely crisp radishes. Rhubarb has been poor - it needs splitting. Little green developing plums are the first ever on our three-year-old plum tree. And if I can keep the birds off, it looks as if we are going to have P O U N D S of raspberries.

by polgara 27th June 2013, 3:33 pm

Managed to pot on toms, peppers & chillies today. Did some weeding & tied up the broad beans as well, so well pleased.

by polgara 6th July 2013, 8:48 pm

More toms planted into the pots. Weeding, which is never ending of course.

DS1, DS3 & GS have re roofed our shed today. So that will be waterproof.

by Dandelion 6th July 2013, 10:36 pm

That all sounds good Pol! Please say hello to Spar from us.

by polgara 7th July 2013, 7:44 pm

Will do. He is very busy sorting out what he intends to do & of course the garden is keeping him occupied. Has to do some tests too, so that he can get another job. experiance seems to mean very little it has to be written down now. Rolling Eyes

by polgara 9th July 2013, 3:35 pm

Planted another 2 pots of toms. Think I will be selling from the gate this year!

Lots of weeding & pruning, well I just slash off the bits that annoy me.

Noticed pinky berries on the Tayberry & raspberry so that to look forward to

by Chilli-head 9th July 2013, 4:11 pm

polgara wrote:Planted another 2 pots of toms

Planting tomatoes now ? Is it not a bit late, or are you planting out already quite large plants ? I go by the rule of thumb that flowers need to have set fruit by mid summer to have a chance of ripening before autumn.

But I am forgetting that you are on the IOW ...

by polgara 9th July 2013, 8:29 pm

Well they were late starting, & they are just about established. Some will go outside, others in the greenhouse. I really did not expect so many to come through. If they are good enough, I shall sell some from the gate. Also fingers crossed for a very late Autumn. I have been known to still be picking in November. Want lots in the freezer for pizza & soup etc.

by freebird 9th July 2013, 10:07 pm

Chilli-head wrote: I go by the rule of thumb that flowers need to have set fruit by mid summer to have a chance of ripening before autumn.

Hmm, that doesn't bode well for my outdoor tomatoes, then. They're not even flowering yet. Everything has been so impossibly late this year. Having said that, the rate things are growing is quite incredible - I swear my greenhouse melons put on 2" of growth overnight.

by Jaded Green 9th July 2013, 10:49 pm

We've got the hose sorted out. It has taken me some time to convince Mr JG that I am more likely to do the watering if all I need to do is turn on the tap and move the hose around a bit.

by freebird 10th July 2013, 9:31 pm

Only just planted out my brassicas yesterday, and knew that I couldn't leave them unprotected even just overnight. Did that last year and found that the pigeons had stripped several of the plants. So made a rather wibbly wobbly looking construction out of canes and netting, but it is pigeon-proof. Spent this evening finishing it off to make it cabbage white proof as well.

by Dandelion 10th July 2013, 10:28 pm

Jaded Green wrote:We've got the hose sorted out. It has taken me some time to convince Mr JG that I am more likely to do the watering if all I need to do is turn on the tap and move the hose around a bit.

What was wrong with the hose?

by Dandelion 15th July 2013, 10:38 pm

I was chatting to some friends at school today, and mentioned that early this morning I had gone into the garden to fertilize the courgettes. They both looked mystified, and I had to explain that I pull out the centre of the male flower and fertilize the female flower/s with it. They both said that they never do this, and still manage to produce courgettes. Am I just wierd or do other people do this? I've been doing it for years...

by freebird 16th July 2013, 7:13 am

If the plants are outside (which mine are) I wouldn't bother - just let the insects do it. If they were in the greenhouse, and it wasn't warm enough to have the vents open to allow insects in, then I would hand pollinate

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