Grow Your Own Magazine

With our fan-trained Peach tree in a pot, residing temporarily in my 'Grown-Up-Girls' Greenhouse, since late last year, to avoid the worst of Peach Leaf Curl, and stuff (do look it up in a book if you're new to growing stuff and fruit trees - it's worth knowing about) Even though I've got the double doors open for pollinating insects to come in and 'do their stuff', I have yesterday and today been hand-pollinating the blossoms of said tree with a pastry brush from my kitchen, as ya do.... This was in preference to using one of Trousers' proper sooper-dooper paintbrushes he uses for work, on account of: too ruddy big, and: I'd not live to tell the tale if there was Peach Pollen on his pride'n'Joy Glossing PaintBrush (see Wellie go 'Tut' in an annoying girlie manner whilst raising eyes to Heaven....)

So pollinating bees or not, we now may get a peach of a peach or two at least to drool over this summer, if they don't get knocked off in the Removal Lorry.....

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With Love,
Wellie

Give it some....

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

Today I have harvested 4 savoy cabbages, to empty the bed ready for onions. Forked over same bed, removing horsetail & dock roots along the way. The horsetail was nowhere near as bad as last year & a lot of it was thin & spindly... I think I may be winning the war? I then spread a thin layer of very well rotted FYM, and raked it in. Then, getting extremely annoyed with a huge hump in the path, which was causing me to tip headfirst into the bed every time I knelt down, I grabbed my spade & set about trying to level it... Big mistake, as this involved stripping back 'turf' full of couch grass, horsetail, creeping buttercup, dock... I managed to do about 5ft/1.5m (of 10ft/3m...), which was TWO barrowloads, before collapsing with a much needed brew. After much recovery time, I then raked what I'd done level and planted up half a bed of onion sets & covered the bed with old wire shelves (from a mini greenhouse ) to keep the birds off. I had to leg it to school then to pick the monsters up.
After dinner, I potted 2 module trays of tomatoes - Sub Arctic Plenty, Salt Spring Sunrise, Broad Ripple Yellow Currant & Sungold, another 2 of bedding dahlias, and sowed 2 trays of leeks - Early Market & Musselburgh.
I am now just about to fall asleep while typing, so I'm off to ma beed.

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

I finished my night shifts this morning so went straight to the plots and was there at 7.30am. First off I emptied a compost bin, using the contents to top up some raised beds, then turned the adjacent full bin into the empty one.

Three rows of Pentland Javelin first early tatties then went in on the new half plot before a tent greenhouse was assembled and positioned over a raised bed on plot one. Finally some radish and two rows of early nantes carrot were sown in a raised bed.

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Kindest regards, David.

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

planted out 6 parsnips that were sown into loo rolls. pricked out 4 pepper seeds into own pots. sown 6 roma toms into heated propagator along with 4 courgettes. sown some poached egg plants into soil. finally potted 2 9" garten perle toms into 14" hanging basket in the greenhouse.

Managed another 2 yards of the front garden path - stripping turf and covering with weed suppressing fabric and coarse bark - before the back of my legs started to shriek. Then I sowed the crimson flowered broad beans - a kind gift from Muckdiva - managed to find something she was after so it became a swap.

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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)

Like Flum I sowed some crimson flowered broad beand which were a 'cadge' from another grape!
I already have a row of red seeded epicure broad beans which are looking a bit weatherbeaten but are starting to flower. I also transplanted another row of broad beans which I had started in modules, but can't for the life of me remember what they were but i've got a suspicion they were Aqualunce Claudia.
Planted two staggered rows of home grown absolutely huge shallots which were becoming rootbound in the trays. These should give me my pickling onions this season as i believe large shallots make lots of small shallots whereas small shallots make whoppers!
Chopped some more logs and lit the woodburner in the greenhouse and managed to raise the temp from a chilly 50 deg to a comfortable 75 deg.
Watered plants in both bottom greenhouses and had a shufty around the top greenhouse which has a lot of broken panes.
Started to clear the area for my 8X6 aluminium greenhouse I am bringing to lottie from home. There is no glass in it because of vandals and high wind so i intend canabalising my other greenhouse for the glass and may turn the 12X8 into a chicken run.
I need to measure the aluminium greenhouse exactly because i am going to build a brick plinth to stand it on. Hopefully with the help of a friend i will be able to lift the whole greenhouse on to the back of my Landy, strap it down, and transport it in one piece over the easter period. Should be interesting!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Went to lottie this morning, and fastened together the boards round the kids bed. It's not the world's tidiest job, but I've been waiting for the OH to do it for long enough, and as the saying goes "If you want a job doing, do it yourself"... I also set up one of my Lidl 'Seed Shelter' thingys (it's actually a tunnel cloche!) over my just planted onion sets. Not because they need it from a temperature point of view, but it'll stop them getting waterlogged & keep the birds off. It looks great, although the poles/hoops are a bit too easy to snap... Luckily, I only snapped one!
This afternoon I have admired the tomatoes & peppers growing in the greenhouse, and planted 2 tubs of potatoes with my daughter (Mimi & Ulster Sceptre), and sown a tub of Chantenay carrots.

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

At the Hill this morning the rain held off, so had a productive time there.

• Re-dug a green manured part that had resprouted
• planted out 8 hative de niort shallots that have been in pots since mid Jan (thank you, PW)
• planted out 10 pots of peas to form a 4' row
• planted out 4 small pots of sp onions into 4 clumps in a row (a la PW)
• planted 2nd early spuds - 8 each of Edzell Blue and Charlotte
• sowed 2 short rows of carrot seed and covered with fleece - I WILL win against the carrot fly this year!
• picked red cabbage, parsnip and a little kale

now gearing up for various seed sowing in 2" pots, making a batch of choc chip cookies, and wondering what to 'do' with the chicken drumsticks which are for tea...

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

Got myself a lottie

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Finally got my act together and got around to cleaning the greenhouse. Pulled everything out, scrubbed with Jeyes inside and out, and now it's sparkling! I've been putting it off for so long, but it was a really good feeling to stand back once it was finished. Now I just need to fill it! Sorted out my tubs for the tatties, think I'll go over tomorrow and plant my first earlies as they've been chitting very nicely on the windowsill and look ready.

Anyone know how I can get rid of the smell of Jeyes off my hands though?!!!!!

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“The secret of happiness is not in doing what one likes, but in liking what one does.”

Planted 4 rose bushes.

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I wish i could make a yo-yo work.
http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

Collected 4 bags of well rotted chicken poop from local chicken man, dug out one of my rhubarb plants that had snuffed it over winter (Timperley Early) and replaced it with another from the garden centre (Victoria), weeded & dug over both my veg beds, repotted a couple of house plants, and admired my Chilli seedlings that have decided to make an appearance. Not a bad days work.

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Newbie,
keen but clueless

Lit the stove in greenhouse and had a rather pleasant afternoon planting spuds in containers.
I found these blue containers about 18" X 12" X 8" deep which I filled with some greenhouse bed soil (which I'm changing this year) mixed with old potting compost and well rotted horse muck. Because there were holes in the sides but not oin the bottoms I lined them with old newspapers first. I now have four of these with four Charlotte tubers in each. I also planted up four 10" black plastic pots with three Belle de Fonterey earlies in each which along with my pots of Winston, which are just starting to break surface were all put on the floor of my other unheated greenhouse.

I still have more 'indoor' earlies to plant yet but I'd had aenough for one day. Finished off by applying paintsrtipper to another couple of panes of glass and stipping the undercoat off to let a bit more light in.

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Today I put up my new greenhouse (I say greenhouse...it's more like a wendy house really - a £30 thing from Argos!) and potted on the peppers and tomatoes from my propagator. I put them in the porch, which I use for hardier seedlings and potting on more fussy things. Then I planted out another pea seedling to replace one eaten by wood pigeons and put a plastic bottle over it - more firmly wedged into the soil this time! I'm going to arrange my seed potatoes in an egg box for chitting before bed

• Pricked out 20 Jalepeno x3 (3 times hotter then generic Jaleps)
• Pricked out the rest of the Tamina Tomatos
• Sowed 12 Onward Peas in toilet rolls

Chilli's are doing well that were sown in January....Black Scorpion Tongue and a mystery one which I got from West Dean last August....( for a picture of the fun last year look over at Chilli Forums and the Events thread).....

Firtilized my roots bed where the first earlies are going in a week or two. Started digging, but it was a bit wet so I went home re-planted a honeysuckle against a fence in the back garden. Sowed some lettuce, sprouts, cauli and leeks in modules. Also did the parsnip germination tip using a damp paper towel and put in a plastic used chinese take away tray in the cupboard. Now im just having a can of beer.....or 2.

Firtilized my roots bed where the first earlies are going in a week or two. Started digging, but it was a bit wet so I went home re-planted a honeysuckle against a fence in the back garden. Sowed some lettuce, sprouts, cauli and leeks in modules. Also did the parsnip germination tip using a damp paper towel and put in a plastic used chinese take away tray in the cupboard. Now im just having a can of beer.....nice

Peel and chop a bit of garlic!

Yesterday I went down the lottie with my lottie-mate and her partner and the toddler - all 4 of us in a state of wild excitement! We measured and marked out our plots and had some deep discussions (some of which involved plans for a barbie or two in the summer evenings!) but then she and I had to go and do our duty and join the team tidying flower beds and replanting for Britain in Bloom. Had rellies here for dinner but later in the afternoon went back to plant the boysenberry and hildaberry oh, the thought of puds to come!

Today I planted a clump of Himalayan Giant blackberry along my home back fence - gift from F-I-Law.

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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)

Planted 5 Charlotte spuds in a 75 litres compost bag, 2 of which are pretty small so could technically be 4 tubers. Should be interesting how the spuds will fare as it's a supermarket stock. Mixed in bonemeal as fertiliser to the soil mixture of multi-purpose compost and fine garden soil. Dreading the prospect of buying in more compost so will consider the no-dig potato growing approach but probably need to consider slug resistant spud strain - have Kestral.

Sowed 40 leeks (half each of Musselburgh & Blue Solaise) in a 7" pot earlier than planned as the trial sowing in heated propagator is taking over a week, if that! Hopefully won't have to worry about them until they're ready for planting out in May but obviously they'll have to germinate first.

Pre-germinated parsnips (White Gem) and various squash seeds; courgette (Egyptian White), Buttercup, Butternut (Ponca), Thelma Sander Sweet Potato and Kabocha (supermarket bought), wrapping them in a damp kitchen roll before putting in a sealed plastic bag (pity can't get hold of 2"-3" sealed bag). The reason for doing this is to ensure that I don't rot the squash seeds which I often do. Have no more heart to grow 4 more variety of winter squash that I already have the seeds for, there's always next year.

The last batch of vegetable sowing (before the flowers) has been pretty disasterous but my own fault really for cheating with stale compost. Brussels Sprouts, Cauli and Cabbage failed miserably, may report to T&M on dismal germination on the last two.

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Food for Free

Potted up my tomato plants.

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I wish i could make a yo-yo work.
http://www.guerrillagardening.org/

Got my internet back!!!!

Also spotted that my peas have joined the beetroot above soil level (in modules in the greenhouse). The shallots are starting to put up green shoots. I planted all my fruit trees yesterday - in buckets until the fence is re-done then they will become a 'fedge'.

Collection now consists of - one nectarine, 2 pear (conference and beurre something); 2 plum (opal and victoria), morello cherry, golden gage and a crab apple. There are mature apple trees in the garden and I have a james Grieve and a golden delicious in containers.

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk