Grow Your Own Magazine

I've got the whole weekend and BH off, so hoping to spend lots of time on the plot, weather permitting!

Went to the plot today, weeded (lots done, but lots more to do!), fed toms and chillies with tom feed, fed brassicas with fish, blood and bone and then fed / watered the brassicas with rhubarb leaf stew and fed the aliums with potash!

Ate the first 3 ripe (almost ripe) strawbs, lots more nearing ripeness, picked about another 40 stalks of rhubarb and then was amazed at the size of some of the crops! The largest onion we've got is about 3 1/2" diamter of the bulb, the largest Naga chillie is 15 cm long, the largest Big Jim Chilli is now 10cm long and the cucumber plant now has an 8" cucumber on it! Took some piccies of everything, which I will try n post later!

All in all a good day, now got friends round for tea, so we're doing baked trout with cous cous and then rhubarb crumble for afters!

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Blessings
Suzanne (aka Mrs Dobby)

'Garden naked - get some colour in your cheeks'!

The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - a blogspot work in progress!
Last updated 26th November2008 - more new piccies!

If only I'd know Mrs D I could have popped up and said hello

We've got Sausage's


What hav I done today, well I went up the lottie and drank 3 cups of tea and ate a bar of Cadbury's WHolenut - well it is a bank holiday week end. Then I did a little light weeding, and measured the proposed new plot up - it's a big bugger

Looked at the existing plot and realised with a small amout of Jiggery and little bit of pokery I cna accomadate the new LBC that Piglet got me behind the shed, SO if I can get the shed moved and then track down a few pallets this weekend I can have a full butt ( if you pardon the phrase) by next week if we get all the rain forecast.

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ntg

Never be afraid to try something new.
Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark.
A large group of professionals built the Titanic

http://grief-encounters.blogspot.com/

Earthed up all the pots of spuds. Got fed up waiting to see if any were ready so chucked out the contents of the two earliest planted - charlotte from the supermarket - we will have about 3 mini spuds each for tea (hope nobody has a big appetite tonight)
Pulled up all the ragwort plants and asked the lads to mow the grass while I scrounge tea together - not hearing the mower so I guess I better get out there and do it or it will be a jungle by the time the rain has gone again!
Also sowed some rainbow radish and some spring onions.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

I spent 5 hours on my plot...3 gardening and 2 waiting for the AA to arrive and jump start the car as the battery was completely flat. Needless to say I got lots and lots done!!
planted out several courgette and squash plants on my newest bed heavily manured with cow poo.
Earthed up the last row of the potaoes, 7 rows in total, some are now huge and I can't wait til I can dig them up.
planted out brassicas: brussels, cabbages and broccoli. Covered them with enviromesh supported by hoops of water piping.
planted out 4 cucumber plants in the greenhouse and a wide variety of tomato plants...Ace, sweet million, Britains Breakfast, Gardeners Delight,San Marenzo 2, and a couple of Italian ones I can't spell !
Picked the first peas-Twinkle variety and broad beans-Sutton
planted 5 rows of leeks out and also some parsley, corriander and basil I grew on in the greenhouse.
Had to try and remove the greenfly/blackfly from my artichoke plants with soapy water and marigold gloves-rubbed the leaves very gently to wipe them off but avoid hurting the ladybirds!
Broad beans are also covered in blackfly, so tried the same method with those too.
A busy day all round and quite satisfying...car finally started by lovely AA man,

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May all our seeds germinate and grow

Helen

Big weeding day on the potager - looks great now. Spent several hours weeding and sorting the front garden and planting out the plants I bought yesterday at the Helmsley Walled Garden. Sowed some rocket.

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Earth laughs in flowers. Ralph Waldo Emerson

www.vegheaven.blogspot.com

Updated November 30th - Mr Stinky's Excellent Adventure (and a Christmas Cake)

Went to the plot first time in ages. Did lots of weeding and more weeding............. Peas have pods forming, Broad beans in flower - the ones started in green house lots bigger than the direct sown ones, will start them all in green house next year. sorted the bed with brassicas and onions in. pulled the green bit of loads of mares tail to slow it down a little. Squashed lots of snails. Cut part of the grass path until battery went flat, will do more tomorrow.
Took growing tips out of Broad beans was pleased to see only one had black fly, which I rubbed off with my fingers. Found several ladybird larvae so I must be doing something right.
Picked 2 small cabbages/ 1 cauliflower / and several Red Barron onions - ALL a first time growing for us. Made a stir fry with them was delicious ! hung some onions in garage to use next week.
Feed everything with chick poo pellets so the rain can wash them in tomorrow.
Lots of plants ready to go in some tine next week weather permitting.

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Denise xox

Learn from the mistakes of others because you'll never live long enough to make them all yourself.
-- Alfred E. Neumann
http://irchesterplot.blogspot.com

Today, I spent being as laid back as I could possibly manage, because Trousers was busy building some new steps up to the cottage, and I'm not keen on the combination of him and DIY, as it always results in very very bad language, and an injury. The injury I most remember, was when he dropped the weight of a whole 4ft x 3ft york slab on my right hand..........

Anyways, he really has done a fabulous job of it so far, but has badly grazed his legs and the skin round his round middle at the back? And that really must of hurt something rotten. Guess which york slab bit him? Yup! The very same one! I think it's called 'Poetic Justice'? Poor Trousers.....

So, I 'hid' in the kitchen for most of today and just took my time chopping, stirring, roasting and blending.

As a result of that, there's Rhubarb Ripple Fools, a litre of Rhubarb Schnapps and a huge vat of BlackTurtle Bean, Aubergine, Leek & Braising Steak Chilli (mmm... which is hotter than planned, but gorgeous).

And 'A Complete Angel' sent Trousers an article and recipes from Sarah Raven, which arrived in today's post. I used to think that was one of the best advertising slogans ever invented. As Hazel said, "I saw this, and thought of you....".

When was the last time you sent or received something really thoughtful?

... and he's asleep now, Hazel, thankfully (!)

Thank you for listening,

__________________
With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

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

Yesterday I...

Bought the biggest bag of compost I could carry (100 litres - I couldn't carry it far!)

Planted out 12 leaf beet and covered 10 with bottle cloches (ran out - we don't generate many plastic bottles in out trash! Lots of glass though... )

Weeded around the swede, onions and beans. The bindweed is coming out quite easily at the moment.

Planted one courgette plant and one squash plant at the ends of the bean rows. Lots of fish, blood & bonemeal underneath.

Sprayed aphids with soapy water - greenfly, things that look like greenfly but are brown and little round bronze shiny things on my rosehip plant, blackfly on a couple of the new BBs.

Considered removing all the BBs - new and old - because the rust is spreading, and replacing with the next lot that are germinating now in modules. Probably will do that later.

Planted the strongest of the tomato seedlings (5" high) in a couple of containers (a polystyrene one from a delivery last week and a long metal trough) with some lettuces.

Planted some gladioli and dahlias in the front garden, at the back of the new lawn. Dumped a few buckets of water on the dry bits of the turf.

Potted up some stuff: rosemary from the supermarket that had been sitting in a glass of water for a couple of weeks and rooted nicely, some caulis and marigolds that I didn't have space for in the lottie (wonder when the mr will notice that I have veg growing on the terrace amongst the flowers? He's still annoyed by the rhubarb in the border but doesn't object to the rhubarb sponge and custard!)

Gave away a few small plants - 3 swede, 6 cauli and my last marigold.

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

This should really be entitled what I did yesterday. Today the rain is like stair rods!
Yesterday spent all day at the allotment, Weeded, Weeded and Weeded. Also discovered some cheeky raspberrys coming up from where I moved them all at the beginning of this year.
Planted some peas out and bought 2 courgettes, hoping to plant them today but dont think much chance of that.
Cut down some nettles and I'm having a go at making nettle liquid feed.
Finally managed to dig in all the rye grass roots.
Drank some tea and watched two men putting up a small shed - the best entertainment I have seen for a while, they should have sold tickets!
I noticed reeds from the nature reserve have yomped their way onto my plot, if anyone has a way to get rid of these beasties I would be soo grateful.
Today gardening will have be from books!

Pyewacket

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Today: put up guttering on the new cat-run (at last!) and directed the down pipe into a water butt. Connected the new water butt to the old one in the lottie (just through the hedge - forced a route for the hose using the downpipe offcut). Got thoroughly soaked in the process, but more fun than slobbing on the sofa! Discovered the limitations of my cheapo waterproofs.

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

Today I had to go to work to cover the early shift (which was unfortunately the best part of the day). It started raining at 1 pm, I finished work at 3 pm and it is now coming down stair rods as they say.

I was at work but Tigger and her hubby came to collect an IBC and 25 litre barrels for their pottager. It was nice to catch up and to be honest I spent most of the time picking Lyndons brains about his pizza oven so that I can build one that actually works.

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Kindest regards, David.

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

Didn't get down the lottie today as it's been bucketting down. I really wonder if there's someone out there against me. I can only get there the weekends at certain times and today was tomato bed digging and tomato plant planting day. I can't go tomorrow as DH is back doesn't get Bank Holidays off and I can do the digging myself

Pant, pants, pants and bottoms

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Shortie

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children; one of these is roots, the other wings" - Hodding Carter

Went out and picked up the water butt - it's a tad unstable when full so I need to build it a better base. However, today I will be mostly gardening online and from books because it is wet, wet, windy and wet.

__________________
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
Max Ehrmann, Desiderata

blog: http://allyheebiejeebie.blogspot.com/ and my (basic!) page: http://www.allythegardener.co.uk/

It's blown lots of leaves and bits of branch off my old apple tree. The poppies which were just about to bloom have been flattened and everything is full of water. Haven't been over to the lottie today, but the only thing over there that is tallish is the potato foliage - that should be OK

Progress so far in the workshop is that all of the freezer tubs are now sorted and on a shelf and the le parfait preserving jars are in the cupboard. Time to convert all of the off cuts of wood into kindling and top up the kindling basket in the house.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

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

Got to the plot for 11am ish, to find weather was reasonable, cloudy, breezy, but dry at that point, and almost everyone was down there or arrived within an hour or so!

I did a load more weeding, whilst Mr D did some gentle hoeing, then we planted out the second batch of outdoor toms (another 20 plants of dif varieties), and planted into the greenhouse 12 celery seedlings, there's another load to plant outside, but as the weather was getting iffy (we were planting between the rain and hail showers) we decided to call it a day (everyone else had gone an hour before us when it started to rain and get windy!)

Harvested the first 4 Naga Jolokia chillies, going to make a curry for tea with them in it!

__________________
Blessings
Suzanne (aka Mrs Dobby)

'Garden naked - get some colour in your cheeks'!

The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - a blogspot work in progress!
Last updated 26th November2008 - more new piccies!

At last, the rains stopped. I have sown in modules some more sweetcorn, climbing french beans, Kenya beans, basil and some swede all in modules.

__________________
Kindest regards, David.

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

Very little, still confined to the house by intermittent/torrential rain, been like this since Friday lunch time, everything is so wet, warm but wet AND it's blowing a gale at the same time for 50%of the time.

Still, catching up with my other work instead of gardening!

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TonyF, Dordogne 24220

We had a lazy lie-in bed reading GYO as it will soon be time to buy the next issue! It was really lovely that today it didn't rain, and so Trousers and I built ourselves a Brassica Cage, to keep the pesky cabbage white butterflies at bay. It's big enough for me to sculk around weeding etc. in there, which is great.....

We also very gingerly moved the bucket of comfrey tea from one side of the potager to the other, as the smell was just awful. It now has a new home inside a tightly-lidded water butt. Phew!

Then I planted the Cape Gooseberry plants into a big tub in the GUG greenhouse, updated the 'you know what', and whilst Trousers is cooking the contents of 'The Smug Trug' to go with a small steak, I am finally picking Mr. & Mrs. Flobalob's christian names from all your fantastic suggestions. So, after dinner, 'watch that space', because the results won't be on the 'you know what' until tomorrow evening.....

Thank you for listening,

__________________
With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

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