Grow Your Own Magazine

Was down at the plot at 8.30 this morning so Lauren could let the chooks out and feed them before school.
Then after she went off to get educated, I went to focus and got lots more potting compost and some Aster and Nasturtium seeds. (Planting flowers for the front garden)
Got another 5m x 1.5m bed rough dug over. Going to break up the clods and level it tomorrow after work. Going to put my Arran Pilot in there.
Young plants in the big and mini greenhouses seem to be doing ok. My peas are starting show their heads as are my sweet peas.
Missed delivery of my canes etc that I ordered, interlink coming back tomorrow so looking forward to unwrapping them when I get home
Even managed to get some housework done!

Kirsty

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I'd rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

http://hollandsroadparadise.blogspot.com
updated 14 May 2008

www.bradleyroundtwo.blogspot.com

I did the same today as I have the last three days - I've dug, and if people didn't keep talking to me I'd have got more done.

I'm doing short stints so I don't completely overdo things, but by the weekend, with the odd hour here and there, I will have enough done to start planting.

Hi Guys,

This is my first post here (real name Keith).

We have a 100' x 30' by 100' x 40' approx, (almost L shaped) garden, almost on cliff edge, in south Dorset.

Very sunny and wind only around force 2 this morning, but I still started in the greenhouse. Sowed two types of tomato: Sutton's Beefeater and Sweet Million - both new for us! I decided to try three seeds of each in a 3 inch pot, putting them initially into a small, heated propagator in the cottage. The idea is to get the plants going with the absolute minimum of disturbance. Used B@Q seed compost. These are special varieties for me hence the extra expense and fuss. Later, I will 'chuck' some old seed into pots of ordinary multi-compost, and transfer any seedlings that come up in the garden - and plant those outside to bring on a lot of toms for chutney.

I also put in some Red Hot chilli and some Worldbeater sweet pepper seeds into pots in an unheated propagator.

Watered a tray of Tagetes, single plants in 3in pots which will be planted out later near carrots.

Checked out broad beans. Some of the plants that were sown at the same time, but planted out later than the rest (this spring) are being nibbled, presumably by bean weevils.

Picked the first lot of (outdoors) forced rhubarb this afternoon... and gave half away. Lots more coming up now, unforced - but I must feed them again soon.

Cut back some buddleia bushes. I wait until 'Apil' to do this for several bushes, so that their flowering period coincides with the 'main' emergence of Red Admiral and other butterflies.

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Will do some photos when my brother in law adds the camera info stuff onto lappy Snadger! Bernie aka Dexterdog

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Appreciate the little things in life because one day you will realise they are the big things

Chinese artichokes finally arrived from Dobies. Most of them have gone into the bed that was prepared before winter. Stuck some of them in a pot as well - will have to see how that goes. Got about four tubers left now - might have to give them away.

Noticed that the mini-carrots (Ideal) have also germinated from a direct sowing 3 weeks ago.

Checked on radishes. They are coming on, although slowly. Pulled one and ate the leaves as suggested by someone in anther thread. White Icicle radishes have also germinated.

[quote=Seabreeze;82684]Hi Guys,

This is my first post here (real name Keith).

We have a 100' x 30' by 100' x 40' approx, (almost L shaped) garden, almost on cliff edge, in south Dorset.

Hi Keith/Seabreeze & welcome to the vine.Do you have problems with salt in the air damaging plants? Your garden sounds lovely.
Today I've been pruning some lavender which was very overgrown,tying in my climbing roses,cutting back some penstemons,potting up 2 types of potatoes outside, sorting out the mini greenhouse & putting the sweet pea & onion seedlings in there to harden off & cleaning out the tiny pond. Off for a cuppa in a minute, lovely day today, yesterday & day before.

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Into every life a little rain must fall.

Spent the whole morning trying to sort out the strawberry beds. Away for the next two days and will start to finish it - if you see what I mean - over the weekend.

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

Went to work AGAIN. Why is the really lovely weather always when you can't get to the garden or allotment? It's been beautiful here since the weekend, but is forecast to get wet and colder again after tomorrow

Because it is now light in the evenings, I couldn't resist going to the Hill just for a look, and ended up:

• ran the how between the peas and beans
• thinned the radishes
• brought Billy Scarecrow home and gave him a make over
• did a little dance when I saw the turnips seeds have sprouted

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sun 30/11/2008......Indoor Allotmenteering too!.....

i spent the whole day stuck in a conference room on various courses, while the sun shone out the window...bugger!

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Trousers

Up and Down

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com

Hi Sue,

Thanks for your welcome. Not really as the prevailing wind blows SW from land to sea. The garden is sheltered on the W side by the backs of the cottages, but very open to the east. I will post today's 'work' separate.
Best wishes,
K

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As the birds massacred some of my brassicas I have planted some surplus plants in the brassica bed and put a frame of fine netting over it....
Hope that keeps the pigeons and catipillars off....
Will still have to do evening slug patrol unless anyone has any amazing tips other than pellets for keeping the blighters away

Mike

I potted my Tomatoes on into bigger pots, and noticed that some of them have the beginnings of their first truss on them!
Also potted on the Chillies, Peppers and Melons.
And yesterday I planted out all my shallot and onion seedlings, and put a tent cloche over the top to 'harden then off in-situ'.
A few bulbs of last years' Garlic that's beginning to sprout got planted in my new permanent herb bed, along with some Pot Marigolds, Black Cornflowers, Borage, Lemon Thyme and Parsley. Mmm! It's going to the Pretty/Tasty Salads this year!
Thank you for listening,

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com
BLOG UPDATED Sunday 2nd November at 19.30hrs

I ordered 32 bags of compost from Wickes ready to get my raised beds set up this weekend.

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Kim



http://kimbos-veggies.blogspot.com

An afternoon has been well spent in the heated greenhouse at home. The last of the peppers and tomatoes were potted on and gave me the space finally to start sowing other stuff. Sweetcorn was sown in 2" pots (80) and lots of flowers were sown into 4" pots from which they will be pricked out individualy into 2" pots later. In addition lots of salads were sown, a few of each mind, also into modules so that they can be intercropped between slower growing crops. These will be sown successionally every fortnight or so to keep a contant trickle of fresh salads.

Finally, having learnt lessons over the last two seasons, now that the sweetcorn is sown, the mouse traps are set and loaded with chocolate. Unfortunately the greenhouse is close to our secondary log store and the mousels come in and eat all the shoots off.

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Kindest regards, David.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/
updated - Sunday 19th at 2100hrs

Today after work I went to Wyevales to collect a free sachet of water retention stuff (hurrah!), to ask about the 5l sample packs of West+ compost (not in till the weekend - boo) and to ask if I could have the broken pallets that I'd spotted on the way in (no - serves me right for being polite, I could easily have just had them - double boo)

I went to the Hill and reinstated Billy Scarecrow, marvelled at the bird song and picked a huge handful of rhubarb.

Rhubarb in the oven, blog updated, wineglass in hand - pretty good evening!

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Hazel
www.hazelandjanesallotment.blogspot.com
update Sun 30/11/2008......Indoor Allotmenteering too!.....

I had intended to plant my onion sets, but my back insisted it did not want to get exposed to cold drizzle and biting wind.

So I went and bought ten bags of postcrete as I had run out, then retreated to the unheated, but sheltered greenhouse and pricked out my "Piglet Willies" aka banana shallots supplied by Pigletwillie.

From one hurried sowing in a single tray on 23rd Jan, I now have ninety-seven pots, ninety three with single seedlings and four each having an additional little sprout.

Moved the Climbing French bean seedlings from the inner sanctum (growbag house with single-tray heated propagator in) to the main bench.

Pricked out the nine best seedling Cayenne Chilli Peppers, discarded the rest and a whole mini-tray that had dried out , sowed another tray of sweet peppers. The whole lot staying in the sanctum.

Pricked out the eight nice little Butternut Squash seedlings and replaced them in the sanctum.

Turned the fifty nicely growing sweetcorn seedlings round, as they had a slight lean.

Watered everything, then did some site agent stuff to agree with Michelle how much of the available five rods she wanted.

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Always thank people who have helped you immediately, as they may not be around to thank later.
Visit my blog at http://podsplot.blogspot.com/
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Pot on my summer calabrese and mini-cauliflowers from three and a half inch pots into 5", and put brassica collars round the stems, as I lost a whole bed of them summer-before-last to cabbage root fly, and I was 'gutted'. It may seem unnecessary to grow on to this extent in pots, but I haven't finished extending the potager sufficient yet to plant them, and the area I have intended for them is the 'firmest ground' available, where the turf just needs to be skimmed, and any grubs, or other nasties, disposed of..., and I don't want the plants to suffer any check to their growth because I'm greedy, and want an early crop to harvest for the freezer, then be out of the way for growing something else gorgeous in its place very soon after.
Thank you for listening.

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

http://hollycottagegarden.blogspot.com
BLOG UPDATED Sunday 2nd November at 19.30hrs

Today, or was it yesterday? I sowed a row of Cabbage F1 Minicole. This year I intend to cover them right from the very start - well almost - with a new, double row, net tunnel bought this year after the wretched frustration of losing so many brassicas to Cabbage White caterpillars in the past.

Rather alarmingly, the green, plasticky netting, used in the construction of said tunnel, appears to be exactly the same material that I bought from B&Q for greenhouse shading! Anyway I've now swiped the cloche-net off the broad beans - that seem to be growing pretty well anyway, shade or no shade, and I will next site the fore-mentioned over the cabbages as they emerge. I am not going to bother to grow tall brassicas until I can get a decent movable frame organised. Is it possible to grow sprouts sort of 'on their sides'... I am tempted to wonder?

Anyway, much shovelling first thing this morning during the construction of raised bed no.5 (2.4 x 3m). I doubt if I'll get to use it seriously this season due to almost running out of compost.

God, it's getting dry here now. After several weeks of incessant rain, the lawn is cracking up and the pond is running low. I topped the pond (12' x 8' approx) up, running the hose over it while we had supper tonight... using my new Hozelock Ultra 6 spray gun (that arrived from Ebay today), cheaper than could be gotten locally.

Hopefully our latest wildlife addition will appreciate the re-oxygenated water: I had to go out after dark this evening when I shone a torch into the pond to check the frogs. There, scuttling among the goldfish was - our very first newt! The pond has been there for almost ten years and I have always hoped they might appear. I will check to see if this is Common Newt in my prized collection of Collins Wildlife field guides.

Anyway, as Bill and Ben would say,

'Goodbye'.

PS I must have seen re-runs as I was only just being thought of when the series first appeared 52/54....

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Today i went to my plot and then it started to pour down so i sat in my greenhouse having a cuppa i was the only one on the site but it was GREAT

Just soaked some beetroot seeds (Boltardy & Globe 2) so that I can sow them tomorrow morning.

Today I dug out two raised beds, re did the two I dug the other week because they werent high enough. Then I took delivery of 32 80L bags of compost which I moved from the roadside to the garden in just under an hour. Then I filled the four linkabord raised beds and covered with cardboard/plastic compost bags to keep the cats off.

Tomorrow (if I can get out of bed after all the digging today) I need to finish digging out another raised bed and fill it with compost. Then assemble to lots of staging for the plastic greenhouse. Repot my tomato seedlings and start off some more.

Need to buy some fleece and some enviromesh to make tunnels with the canopys I bought for my