Gardening tips.

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Returning from the bike ride earlier, I looked at the plots and thought that they looked rather compacted by the prolonged wet winter.

So, I thought "Fork it!"

Well, I think that's what I thought, I wasn't really listening.

I've done one, it should dry it up a bit and make running the tiller through it a little more successful when it's dried up a bit.

DSC_0945.JPG


Anyway, the real point of this is that I would heartily recommend the Fiskars fork seen there, to anybody who is not of the "Victorian stature" that so much of modern garden tool production still assumes is prevalent.

The triangular tines are flat-fronted, half-way to being a potato fork.

That fork was well worth the three quid that Katharine House got from me for it, but they are not exorbitantly priced from 'real' outlets.

There is a matching spade that is also worth having for the same reasons.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
My taking stuff to the tip in the trailer the other day revealed a significant stickiness in the braking system. So my gardening effort tomorrow will be to strip down said system in order to facilitate more tip runs in the future.
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
I’m quickly running out of time to plant, lost my first brassicas when I put them out for some sun and forgot to bring them back in that evening.

Really want to get the successions right this year, managed to grow a lot last year but it was novelty amounts rather than food that could sustain so on a mission this week to get first lots of everything going!

Potting shed is filling fast. I’ve got an amazing greenhouse that I cant use until I can get the path and under the tables slabbed. Hopefully this weekend!!!!
 

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Things will catch up though won't they? I have tomatoes seedlings, my chillis aren't doing anything and only did the cucumber and peppers this week. I think it'll be a few week til we get the brassicas done.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
@Bob, you have enough people available to make the growing of 'bulk' items, potatoes, cabbage, etc., worthwhile, but it is the 'nice' stuff that really gets noticed, tomatoes, lettuce, radish, spring onions, etc. - succession planting for them is a good idea, rather than glut and famine.

This is Year Zero, it doesn't all have to happen this time.

Automatic windows on the greenhouse are a very good idea, if they aren't already fitted.
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Things will catch up though won't they? I have tomatoes seedlings, my chillis aren't doing anything and only did the cucumber and peppers this week. I think it'll be a few week til we get the brassicas done.

To a degree I think they will even out but I’m trying to force some things under cover though and put them out when it warms up, the thinking is that if I’m planting out full plants at the same time as resowing seeds I’ll get crops for much longer, it’s still a learning curve though.

I was reading this which looks like it could be useful.
https://www.growveg.co.uk/guides/succession-planting-get-more-from-your-plot/
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
One, or 2 people asked about a climbing plant to cover something.... Well at the time it wasn't flowering, but here's my Russian Vine (also known as 'mile a minute plant') .... Top of the picture under the looming clouds.

IMG_20210710_181935.jpg


Now, this Russian Vine was SUPPOSED to cover the roof of the unsightly shed, but as you can see it's taken off into the overgrown privit.

There's another version of it which has pink flowers, although I can't find it locally and am wary of ordering by post.

Another thing, this plant just dies off over winter, so is no good for cover when it just looks like lots of dead sticks.
 
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Glam

Mad Cat Woman
One, or 2 people asked about a climbing plant to cover something.... Well at the time it wasn't flowering, but here's my Russian Vine (also known as 'mile a minute plant') .... Top of the picture under the looming clouds.

View attachment 10933

Now, this Russian Vine was SUPPOSED to cover the roof of the unsightly shed, but as you can see it's taken off into the overgrown privit.

There's another version of it which has pink flowers, although I can't find it locally and am wary of ordering by post.

Another thing, this plant just dies off over winter, so is no good for cover when it just looks like lots of dead sticks.
Does it muffle the noise of shouty meat man on a car boot day?
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Monty says it’s time to cut back poppies, delphinium, aqualegia, lupins and hardy geraniums that have finished flowering.

Get sowing bi-annuals ready for spring flowering.

Net winter brassicas.

Feed pots and container plants.

Remove lower leaves on tomato plants to aid ventilation and expose fruit to sunlight.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Candid apparently has loads of these things looking for a good home - useful for many things.

240737014_4837599422935610_7136169320793331793_n.jpg


CALLING ALL GARDENERS AND ALLOTMENT OWNERS
We’ve got LOADS of empty plastic kegs that make great garden cloches and growing pots (eg potatoes ).
We’d love to see them go to good homes and to be upcycled in this way.
So if you’d like any, just come down to Woodings Yard and grab what you’d like.


https://www.facebook.com/candidbeer/posts/4837599489602270
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
Candid apparently has loads of these things looking for a good home - useful for many things.

240737014_4837599422935610_7136169320793331793_n.jpg


CALLING ALL GARDENERS AND ALLOTMENT OWNERS
We’ve got LOADS of empty plastic kegs that make great garden cloches and growing pots (eg potatoes ).
We’d love to see them go to good homes and to be upcycled in this way.
So if you’d like any, just come down to Woodings Yard and grab what you’d like.


https://www.facebook.com/candidbeer/posts/4837599489602270
Oooooohhhhhh!
 

littleme

250,000th poster!
Oooooohhhhhh!
Sooo I watched a clip with how to use bottles like this the day before I saw the post..... Can I find the clip now, can I feck.....


Anyhow, big bottle - cut off the top and drill holes all around the bottle at 1cm spaces, place some soil inside, get a smaller plastic bottle, drill holes in this too, cut the top off another same sized bottle and glue to the top of the inside bottle to make a funnel, place inside big bottle and fill the void with soil, make a wire or string loop to hand as in a 'hanging basket' , poke cuttings through all holes in big bottle, water into funnel.... Voilà! Economic cuttings!

*if I find the clip I will post it!
 

rudie111

Well-Known Forumite
I have grown sprouts this year. They look pretty good (other than the the stalk not being straight). Some of the bottom leaves are turning yellow.

Do I need to harvest now or can I take off the yellowing leaves and leave them?

Can I pick a few sprouts off at a time or do I need to harvest the lot?

Does anyone cook with the sprout tops? I was just going to give them to the rabbits but would like to use them if they are suitable
 
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