2014 Gardening

Mine, 2 year since fence panels went in so need reterating

gard1.jpg
 
Still got to finish digging the veg patch, and then rotorvate. Started a load of stuff off in the propergator including carrots, French beans, kale, beetroot and a load of flowers the Mrs is doing. Waiting for peas, parnips, sweet corn, to come up.

Also got to cut down some laylandi stups and fence off the front. Loads of other bits to do but our garden looks loads better than we we moved in 4 years ago.

Oh and I better cut the grass too.
 
Sorry, Ruth - ours has started in the last couple of days and looks a treat! It's quite small but doing well. Going to stick some rhubarb near it so it'll benefit from the manure the rhubarb needs.

Been busy getting things ready for planting. Got a 1m square fabric planter for the runner beans which are com9ng up from seed and a similar sized one that will have some sweet peas in after a few days hardening off. Brought a tomatofull of seeds home in September and planted them up to see if they'd sprout and every seed I planted seems to have done so! Bought in 4 courgettes and 2 butternut squashes to go in growbags which will all be watered automatically while we're away. Got loads of nasturtiums which have come from last year's collected seeds - again, almost all have germinated and are doing well.

Careful planning even means there's space for a big brolly to shade me and space for Mrs Nod to lie in the Sun on the patio!

Day off gardening tomorrow - hope to be arranging an MoT for the bike. :D
 
Nod, I believe I know why, and I believe I have been given the solution.
When we moved to the houe 8 years ago, the Wysteria was immense....and I immediately lopped it back to the soil (didn't want it, you see).
I did this for 4 years....cutting it back as it appeared each spring.
Then I though OK, I'll let it go and see what happens.
In the last 4 years it's grown like crazy, and I've trained it shapewise just how I like it.
Now the old boy around the corner has been to have a good look, and he says at the end of this summer I have to cut it right back so that only 3-4 leaf shoot remain on each bit.
Worth a shot.
Basically he wanted to give me a thick ear for hacking down a perfectly beautiful 20 year old wysteria in the first place :lol:
 
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great thread, i enjoyed it last time also! the photo above, is that artificial grass? im thinking of putting it down.... not that im lazy just whoever did it before didnt do it level, theres loads of moss and weeds too

if anyone has any suggestions, im looking for some climbers which will cover a 6ft high fence but its in shade also and the only sunshine will be through the gaps in the fence. would like reasonably fast growing too so im not waiting an age for results...

apart from that, mines looking pretty good so far
 
mark4183 said:
great thread, i enjoyed it last time also! the photo above, is that artificial grass? im thinking of putting it down.... not that im lazy just whoever did it before didnt do it level, theres loads of moss and weeds too

if anyone has any suggestions, im looking for some climbers which will cover a 6ft high fence but its in shade also and the only sunshine will be through the gaps in the fence. would like reasonably fast growing too so im not waiting an age for results...

apart from that, mines looking pretty good so far
Click to expand...
Yes its artificial, best money ive ever spent, been down 2 years this Easter.
 
Firstly, :lol: @Ruth!!! Yup, over zealous pruning could be the problem - ours was in a pot for a few years but is now in the ground against a South facing fence. Still small enough not to need pruning but old enough to flower well.

Now got the patio almost finished and ready for planting up. Got a couple of fabric planters - one for runner beans (worked well last year) and one for sweet peas (some will also go in the beds). The smaller one has a couple of changeable covers so is currently in use as a cold frame to harden off some tomatoes and sweet peas. Going to get a 3rd grow bag waterer so we'll have 2 with a pair of courgettes and a butternut squash in each and one with 3 tomatoes in it. Last year we had one of the waterers and it worked very well and as a bonus, they're as cheap at our local garden centre as they are from Amazon. We've got to be out in the big car tomorrow so will pick one up en route while the car's warmed up.

On our last visit to the GC, we asked about growing rhubarb in a container and bought one (plant - already have the big pot for it!) but decided to plant it in the ground instead - we can use the pot as a forcer. Dug in loads of manure to feed it and will have it on the auto watering loop this year - hopefully it'll be established enough not to need it next year. Got plenty of manure left for top dressing it too.

Might sow some radishes in the planters - I reckon they'll be grown and eaten before the beans and sweet peas overgrow them! Had snapdragons there last year which kept the planter a bit interesting until the beans grew enough. Tomorrow will probably be planting day - will take a couple of snaps from above when all done. Conservatory is currently doubling as a seedling greenhouse overnight with the seedlings and young plants being hardened off during the day. Pretty sure we'll be frost free now (famous last words!) If needs be, we can always buy some more cucurbits in and there will be plenty of toms (got homes for any left overs but the recipient is moving soon so is more than happy to wait and if there are a few fewer that's their tough luck!) since every seed seems to have grown! Hoping they come true to the parent - I don't really like toms here but eat loads in Crete - they look odd but taste delicious!
 
A couple of snaps of the conservatory window sill and the patio.View attachment 9755
View attachment 9756
On the window sill, L > R... Sweet peas, nasturtiums, sprouting toms, potted up toms, runner beans and just behind the shelf is a chilli.

On the patio, anti-clockwise from the left... 2 courgettes and a butternut squash in a growbag on a reservoir base, same again, in the pots, assorted plants not food related! The currently empty grow bag will have 3 toms in it when they're big enough to go out, behind that, the planter with the canes in has 10 runner beans and the greenish cover will have sweet peas in the planter and no cover in a few days. Currently hardening off some toms and sweet peas under the cover (unzipped during the day.) The pots at the back contain more general decorative plants, although 2 of them are olive trees but we don't expect any harvestable crop from them!

Hoping that the weather over here will be warm enough for the toms - they're Cretan seeds and quite possibly the mother was grown under plastic even over there. We're going to keep a couple of plants in the conservatory while we're away but might have to think of a creative way to water them - any suggestions?
 
Nod there are a few things I've tried in the past, some have worked well, others not so ... One that works is to place a bucket or other storage container at a level higher than any plant pot. Run a string from the water bucket to each plant - sounds daft but it works! I use pegs to hold the string in place. Works indoors and out. There are drip systems/auto irrigation systems available too, but not sure of the cost, the bucket and string method is cheap! :)
 
We've got an auto watering system for all the outdoor plants but the cucumbers (and possibly a couple of tomatoes) will be in the conservatory on laminate flooring. Quite tempted to bring one of the growbag reservoir waterers in but they're bloody heavy when they're full of water (and they're all full!) We've got a few weeks to come up with a solution but I'm trying to avoid spending too much more cash!
 
The bucket and string method is about as cheap as it gets and can safely be used indoors. It does work too.
 
Slight photo bomb time..

Put the tomatoes in this morning.

Tomatos - 26/04/14 by neilgates, on Flickr

Still a little cold for the chillis to go outside permanently but they're continuing to do well on the dining room window. The Aji's are going mad with new growth.

Chillis - 26/04/14 by neilgates, on Flickr

Aji Limon - 26/04/14 by neilgates, on Flickr

Put a load more seeds in too, Hungarian Hot Wax/Ring of Fire/Bulgarian Carrot. With a load more seeds still in the airing cupboard germinating.

Chilli Seedlings - 26/04/14 by neilgates, on Flickr

The two Romano sweet peppers still going well and budding.

Romanos - 26/04/14 by neilgates, on Flickr

And got some supplies from Ikea to make some DIY self watering pots.

DIY Self Watering Pots - 26/04/14 by neilgates, on Flickr
 
Another inch or so of growth on our single chili (not sure what variety!) and I'll be pinching out the tip. It's going to live in a 12" pot alongside the cucumbers and we'll be sitting them on the (well lit) draining board on a towel with the other end in a sink full of tomato feed/water which should keep 'em wet enough for the fortnight.

The runner beans we've got left after planting some out in a container are going nuts in the conservatory! We're visiting ChrisWilson on Monday so will deliver some down to him along with some of the excess tomatoes. Apparently he has some spare cabbages of some sort for us in return - never tried growing brassicas before!

Courgettes and butternut squashes doing OK in their grow bags - not going mad but growing gently. Not sure they're enjoying today's cloud and rain!

Can't wait to start reaping what we've sown...
 
Well I finished digging the veg patch and my cousin brought over a massive trailer of horse dung. I've spread it all over, except where the root veg is going, and went to rotivate it in but it won't run. To be fair I was given it and think the main jet needs a clean. Veg is growing well in the propagator.
 
everything has gone mental in the sunshine this week.. the tomato plants have sprung up and the chilli i had with a tape measure next to on my last post has grown 2" since the weekend.
 
@Nod Is that an Acer I spy on your patio?

And Gary........One of the first thing I noticed in your after pic was that one of your neighbours has done away with their Leylandii :lol:
 
No Acer I'm afraid, Ruth. I think what you think might be one is something Mrs Nod's ex-work got her as part of her leaving present and the label's been sun bleached! Tiny white flowers in Spring and it's evergreen so can stay!

The outdoor beans have slowed down and not really put on much top growth but the reserves we've still got in the conservatory are about 2' tall and trying to climb each other. The toms and sweet peas that went out at the same time as the beans to harden off a bit aren't that far behind the spares. Like Neil's, the chilli is sprinting ahead in here - might have to pot it on at the weekend.
 
viv1969 said:
@Nod Is that an Acer I spy on your patio?

And Gary........One of the first thing I noticed in your after pic was that one of your neighbours has done away with their Leylandii :LOL:
Click to expand...
You cant see it from the second pic as i shot it at a low lever but they replaced the Leylandii with a horrible 12ft high bamboo screen running the whole length of their property, first high winds will have it away though.
 
Gary Coyle said:
You cant see it from the second pic as i shot it at a low lever but they replaced the Leylandii with a horrible 12ft high bamboo screen running the whole length of their property, first high winds will have it away though.
Click to expand...

12 foot high? Bamboo screening is classed as fencing. They're breaking I suspect a whole bunch of bylaws :LOL:
 
viv1969 said:
12 foot high? Bamboo screening is classed as fencing. They're breaking I suspect a whole bunch of bylaws :LOL:
Click to expand...
Got to be better than 30ft Laylandii

It doesnt bother anyone, i can only see the top few feet from my bedroom window but theyre about 50-60 mts away from me, the access to that property is on a road where you can just see the chimney and roof tops above my pegs on the washing line, their only access is down a 100 year old narrow 20ft stone staircase, the house in question is the one to the left of the photo just peeking out from behind the house with the white gable wall

All those properties have a crazy sale history, originally a farmhouse and out buildings converted about 30 years ago into seperate properties illegally and sold to various family members with no deeds or anything, they all bought on the cheap and wondered why they couldnt then re sell them, the house directly behind me is an amazing barn conversion, they only have foot access up my neighbours driveway, they do have a large garage, my neighbour also has a garage and sometimes parks outside his own garage blocking vehicle access to the house at the rear, thay moan about it but cant do a thing so have to park on the street outside my house or as near as they can get, sometimes over 100mts away.

Type WF17 0ND into google maps for a look see, mine is the left semi on Church Road to the right of the bungalows (you can tell with the rear garden which is mine)
 
I took a bit of a punt and left my larger 5 and 2 Romanos out in the greenhouse the last 2 nights.. Seem okay, a little bit droopy maybe. But then I have transplanted them at the same time into some coir and perlite diy self watering pots..
The ajis and choc bhut
Greenhouse 04/05/14 by -neilgates-
Greenhouse 04/05/14 by -neilgates-
Greenhouse is looking a bit more purposeful now
Greenhouse 04/05/14 by -neilgates-
And still got tonnes more to put in it
Chilli seedlings 04/05/14 by -neilgates-
 
Decided to definitely go the capillary matting/wicks on the draining board route for the cucumbers and chilli while we're away - £4 for a metre of matting (reusable) seems reasonable. Might even pot them up this afternoon, although we've got a week or 5 to get it done!

Slowly managing to give the toms away - only got about 20 left and have homes for a dozen or so. Must remember to keep a few back for the conservatory just in case the outdoors ones don't crop well (they're from Greek seeds so used to warmer climes!) I'm not really much of a tomato eater (or any salad really!) in the UK but do enjoy the stuff when we're on holiday so hopefully we'll get enough for a few "horiatikisalatta"s. Not sure the 4 olives will be enough to dress the salad though.

Just spotted the first flower buds on the chilli so probably time for potting on.

The courgettes and butternut squashes that got growbagged a few weeks back seem to be doing OK. Not going rampant yet but it is still cool at night - a few sunny days and cloudy nights should get enough warmth into them to gee them up!

Is it too early for lunch? All this thought of food (even salad!) has given me a hunger!!!
 
Just resurrecting this thread for some advise from you chilli experts. Mine have reached a height of around 9" and seemed to have stagnated, should I be feeding them yet or pinching the tip out or what? There is no sign of any flowers yet. I have them in 8" pots in the conservatory.
 
neil_g said:
What are they?

How often are you watering and/or feeding?

What size pots are you on?
Click to expand...

Sweet Pepper 'Tasty Grill Red' F1 Hybrid. They are grown from Thompson and Morgan seeds. The only info I can find is what's on the packet .....

Sow seeds March to early April. Germinate at 20-30C (68-86F) on the surface of a good free draining, damp seed compost. Apply a fine sprinkling of vermiculite, just covering the seeds. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a polythene bag until after germination which usually takes 7-14 days.
Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into 7.5cm (3in) pots.
FOR INDOOR CROPS Plant out into growbags or 20cm (8in) pots in the greenhouse. Ensure compost is evenly moist as flowers form. Give a weak general fertiliser as blossoms open and water well.

I have potted them on to 8" pots, they look really healthy but have not done much for the last 2 weeks. I've been watering them every 2/3 days but not fed them yet as per above instructions.

 
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Just scratted up a few Sharpes Express so it's the first of this year's homegrown organic new potatoes for tea tonight :)
 
beyond the blue said:
Sweet Pepper 'Tasty Grill Red' F1 Hybrid. They are grown from Thompson and Morgan seeds. The only info I can find is what's on the packet .....

Sow seeds March to early April. Germinate at 20-30C (68-86F) on the surface of a good free draining, damp seed compost. Apply a fine sprinkling of vermiculite, just covering the seeds. Place in a propagator or seal container inside a polythene bag until after germination which usually takes 7-14 days.
Transplant seedlings when large enough to handle into 7.5cm (3in) pots.
FOR INDOOR CROPS Plant out into growbags or 20cm (8in) pots in the greenhouse. Ensure compost is evenly moist as flowers form. Give a weak general fertiliser as blossoms open and water well.

I have potted them on to 8" pots, they look really healthy but have not done much for the last 2 weeks. I've been watering them every 2/3 days but not fed them yet as per above instructions.

Click to expand...

might be overwatering? i tend not to water mine (before they were in the self watering pots) for at least a week. let them dry out before re-watering.
 
we haven't done much planting this year as we are having a good move around of the garden, we have put spuds in old dustbin and have strawbs and cherry toms in hanging baskets so its all easily movable but that is about it..

very bottom of the garden amongst the trees is going to be the kids playhouse/chillout/playzone, then(heading up to the house) is the chickens, then huge grass area for playing, then I am decking a 3m x 5m area up to the conservatory for dining/relaxing. then on the other side of the path which runs the length of the garden will be 8 x 4 ft cooking area and the rest (approx 8 x 50ft) for in the ground veggies.

my trouble is the place is huge, I love it don't get me wrong but we moved from a mid terraced with a yard to a semi with a blooming huge garden and 3 years on it still takes so much work so I am hoping this planned work will hopefully make it more manageable in the future.
 
Saw some very convincing fake lawn at the Devon County Show today. Very tempted to have the back done so we can have the patio for relaxation etc and chuck all the containers for the veggies on the "grass". It's a pretty small area so shouldn't be expensive to do and is a fiddly PITA to cut anyway.
 
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