2014 Gardening

Julie1979

Julie1979

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What does everyone have planned for the year ahead?

I'm having another year of maintenance unfortunately. By summer my daughter will be crawling and potentially walking so it'll be a struggle to do much in the garden when she's around.

I have a new (free) wooden compost bin coming from the council as we don't have food or garden waste bins. I also have my wormery composter up and running so will hopefully have a decent amount of compost for home grown herbs and strawberries, that's assuming the worms in the bottom layer decide to move further up the high-rise.

I'm also going to use a patch of garden to plant lots of sunflowers in memory of my cousin who died in January and also because I love sunflowers.
 
need to tame this beast..

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currently missing most of the fences. shed #2 has gone up at the bottom of the garden, need a greenhouse for my chillies and some other fruit/veg, need to move the raised beds, maybe an aquaponics bed..
 
Going to do a bit more food growing this year (hopefully!) Going to get the runner beans started at the weekend in bog-roll tubes and probably start some Nasturtiums off indoors too. Got a Chilli Pepper started but needs potting on. Will probably buy in a couple of Courgette plants for growbags. Only slight problem is that we're off on holiday for a fortnight in mid June but we have an automatic watering system to take care of that part of it. We have a small corner of the garden for herbs and have a couple of pots on the kitchen windowsill for soft herbs (Basil and Parsley). Much as we'd like them to provide a harvest, our 3 Olive trees are only really ornamental!

We're betwixt and between as far as composting goes - we don't really create enough garden waste to keep a heap going well but do create a bit too much for a wormery. We have a 1/2 full council supplied plastic bin but that seems to be more full of ants than useable compost! We do a little gardening for a neighbour who has a council brown bin so they collect the garden waste and create compost (nice little con they have going - charge people to supply them [the council] with raw materials then charge people for the product!)
 
Just trying to keep on top of it!
 
Finished building a nice new deck (8m x 6m) on a sloping site so it's high at one end. All railed and gated to keep the dogs out. I've made a load of planters from left over decking and they're all planted up now.

Greenhouse will be on the go again mainly with tomatoes and various chillies.

Apart from a new border which I need to finish it will be mainly lots and lots of grass cutting.
 
Have a really low maintenance garden here. Scalped the Wysteria, gave the lawn it's first haircut, Minor Bamboo and Acer trimming and replaced the table and chairs on the bottom patio which gave up the ghost under the weight of a tub of bird seed :lol:
Job done.
 
I'd love to do some veggies this year but i've lots of weeding to do after neglecting the garden last year. My 4 veggie beds are covered over with weed control fabric but I may uncover one of them.

I forgot about chilli plants. I'll definitely have a few of them in the greenhouse.
 
Relaid the patio last week after taking up the slabs last year (we removed a "dwarf" cherry tree which turned out not to be a dwarf, and whose roots lifted and cracked some slabs), and also made some raised beds, one of which now contains ericacious compost and three rhododendrons, the others have roses. I spent yesterday potting up some bulbs (dahlia, lily, double begonias, glads, fresias) and put them in the two mini plastic covered greenhouses.
I should have been doing some more today, but when I went to the garden centre this morning to get some more pots, I had to go past Brands Hatch, and quite by chance, I found that I had put my camera in my rucksack - as you do:)
I may have to go out into the garden and make sure that I am hard at work when the missus gets back:oops: :$
 
I've ordered some plants from Victoriana Nursery Garden because for some reason, my seeds don't want to sprout this year! Plants should be here in April, mostly tomatoes, peppers, aubergine etc. I will, however, be sowing my own peas and sweetcorn as I seem to do quite well with them.
 
Any recommendations for strawberry plants? I normally just buy from Dobbies and they tend to be decent. I neglected mine last year and they all died.
 
Julie1979 said:
Any recommendations for strawberry plants? I normally just buy from Dobbies and they tend to be decent. I neglected mine last year and they all died.
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I planted my half a dozen plants last year in a long box around six inches deep, using a mix of compost, pea shingle and sand, with a covering of pea shingle on top to deter the slugs and snails (it didn't stop the aerial attacks by birds though). They do need a bit of watering though, but don't drown them - they are a Summer plant after all. I removed the long runner shoots, and left them in a South facing, full sun location. I was quite surprised how much fruit we had from them, and how intense the flavour was.
You have reminded me that I must do the same again this year, along with some tomato plants.
 
andy700 said:
I planted my half a dozen plants last year in a long box around six inches deep, using a mix of compost, pea shingle and sand, with a covering of pea shingle on top to deter the slugs and snails (it didn't stop the aerial attacks by birds though). They do need a bit of watering though, but don't drown them - they are a Summer plant after all. I removed the long runner shoots, and left them in a South facing, full sun location. I was quite surprised how much fruit we had from them, and how intense the flavour was.
You have reminded me that I must do the same again this year, along with some tomato plants.
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I had the same ones for years and had taken runners off them but I literally neglected them through child no 2 arriving. Some of the ones that were outside are showing signs of coming back but the ones in the greenhouse got added to a compost heap. Home grown strawberries are amazing. I never liked strawberries until I grew some at home :)
 
Going to try and de-weed the greenhouse...........




..........the aroma is quite overpowering :confused:
 
im looking at planting a hedgerow between me and my next door nieghbours garden its only around 20 feet long but havent a clue what plants to use.idealy id like some thing that produces berries for the birds to feed on.im having to do this as my nieghbour says she has no money to replace the panels that where damaged in the storms and it looks terrible.

any advice appreciated
 
bledyn125 said:
im looking at planting a hedgerow between me and my next door nieghbours garden its only around 20 feet long but havent a clue what plants to use.idealy id like some thing that produces berries for the birds to feed on.im having to do this as my nieghbour says she has no money to replace the panels that where damaged in the storms and it looks terrible.

any advice appreciated
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I got given some of these, you could probably get them cheaper elsewhere but to give you an idea http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/native-plants/native-hedging.html
 
Lots of weeding done today. Strawberry seeds planted for 10 plants. I may be too late but i've put them in the heated propagator so we'll see what happens. 10 isn't enough though so i'll be buying plants too.
 
Can I quickly interject and ask if anything ought to be done to daffodils once the blooms start to droop and die off? Should they be cut back or anything? Thanks
 
DorsetDude said:
Can I quickly interject and ask if anything ought to be done to daffodils once the blooms start to droop and die off? Should they be cut back or anything? Thanks
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All depends what you want long term. If you want them to spread naturally just leave them to form seed pods. The seeds will then disperse and grow into new bulbs - eventually. If you are happy with the display then cut the dead flower heads off and leave the leaves so that their energy goes back into the bulbs for next year. After a month or so just cut the leaves off. Resist the temptation to tidy up the leaves with elastic bands or tying them in pretty knots.
 
Pruning back Apple and plum trees today.....they have been left to their own devices for the last 7 years......9 done since yesterday......9 more to go......then will probably tackle the raised beds
 
archangel said:
Pruning back Apple and plum trees today.....
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Isnt this supposed to be done when they are dormant? i.e after leaves dropped, back end of autumn? Ive got an apple tree needs doing but assuming Id left it too late now until october ish[/quote]
 
According to the guy in the garden centre Apple trees can be pruned twice....first a trim and then a short back and side in spring before the buds develop.I hope he didn't get it wrong.... :confused:
 
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Argh, trying to get our agent to hurry up and replace our fence panels that got flattened in the strong winds. Getting fed up of next doors dog using our garden as a toilet. Sounds like there is a very short supply of fencing around at the moment :arghh:

Got my Wilko walk in greenhouse last week, might put that up this weekend.

The Chillis and Peppers are continuing to do well on their dining room window..



 
Ended up planting 15 Nasturtium seeds on 21st, and being a cheapskate, they were home collected at the end of last summer. Always a bit of a gamble since there's no guarantee of their viability and even now they seem to have sprouted, there's no real telling what they're going to behave like! Hopefully they'll be similar to their mothers - trailing, with delicious flowers and leaves but even if they fail to do anything they won't have cost us anything! (OK, the compost was bought in but any failures will get dug into the soil as an improver so not a dead loss.)

Again being a cheapskate and not a lover of the varieties usually sold over here, I collected a couple of fruits' worth of seeds from Cretan tomatoes last September and have planted a couple of dozen to see how they do over here. They'll probably live in the conservatory rather than going out on the patio but if they all come up, it'll be a bit crowded in here! We did actually ask where the best place to buy tomato seeds is over there and were met with looks that suggested we were mad to buy them! Again, nothing ventured, nothing gained so we'll see what happens with them.

Filled the empty bog rolls with seed compost and left them to go dry for a week and have now planted up the runner beans but haven't watered them so hopefully they'll stay dormant for a while until the last frosts have passed. 28 fit snugly in the tray so we'll have plenty!

Sweet pea seedlings have been bought in rather than grown from seed, hopefully they'll provide plenty of colour and scent throughout the summer.
 
I've given my garden the once over and it is now looking like Princess Margaret's flower box once again

As we think about making the garden nice for the summer . . .

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It's nice to see everything start to green up. Hopefully we get a little run on good weather soon so that I can have the 8 month old outside in her ball pit while I garden.

I popped some sunflower seeds in the propagator less than a week ago and they've popped up already so I might consider putting some things out in the greenhouse. Our last frost was 5th April last year so by the 10th I might start venturing outside with plants.

Oh, and we have a begonia that causes me a lot of stress. It's from a crop that came from my OH's family. The crop of them goes back around 100 years, they get divided each year if needed and have multiplied throughout aunts and uncles gardens. We got one last year which I managed to keep alive and now it's been divided so I now have 2. Gorgeous colourful plants but the family history freaks me out as i'm not very good at keeping plants alive.
 
Julie, if you have any fairly green fingered friends, they should be able to take cuttings from the heirloom Begonia. I would go the cutting route rather than the division one since cuttings are less fraught with the danger of killing the donor!
 
My husband cut it. His uncle has given us full instructions about dividing it and treating it. There are shoots coming from both sides of it now so the dividing has worked this time. Maybe I should let it die because i've been told we'll be getting sent more if we get on ok with this one.

I just water it :)
 
:LOL:! Best let your husband take on its care and nutrition. For many years, Mum nurtured a plant which was always called "the Paignton Zoo" since that's where she nicked the donor cutting from. I was only a Tradescantia of some sort but its origin was far more interesting to her! Unfortunately it dried out after a move when it got shoved to the back of a shelf in a conservatory and didn't survive - but that was about 40 years after its "liberation".
 
Sadly i'm in charge of watering, hence why all the strawberry plants died last year. It went on the doorstep last year so they will probably both go there. At least walking past it means I "should" remember.
 
At least it sounds like there are other offspring from the original centenarian plant so in the great scheme of things it doesn't matter too much if your 2 don't make it. Would be a nice thing to hand down to the little one in the future, with all the family history behind it!
 
DorsetDude said:
Can I quickly interject and ask if anything ought to be done to daffodils once the blooms start to droop and die off? Should they be cut back or anything? Thanks
Click to expand...

Just an aside....daffs will spread without needing seed heads. They have the the ability to spread by splitting thier bulbs underground.

If they look untidy...nothing wrong with tying back the leaves until they
Die back either ;)
 
My Wysteria never flowers :(
 
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