Gardening 2014

[debih]

Just wondered what everyone was doing this year in their gardens.

We have been busy. We don't really do much gardening as such at home as our garden is so steep - we just tend to keep the wilderness down.

Mick has moved my polytunnel down to a lower terrace though (it kept being destroyed in the bad weather) and I now have four tomato plants (two different types), cucumbers, a red and a green pepper and a chilli plant growing in there. There is bags of room for more stuff but that was all I had the time to get. I am very lucky that our office is in the mill yard and directly opposite is a very helpful man who sells plants.

I have planted up lots of pots of herbs on the decking, along with some nice flowers (in pots), window boxes and hanging baskets.

Our main gardening takes place on the allotment. So far we have planted (a variety of plants and seeds) - lettuce, spring onion, radish, pak choi, turnip, carrots, onions (red and white), leek, butternut squash, courgette, beetroot, sweetcorn (normal and baby corn), peas and potatoes. The soft fruit (strawberries, raspberries, green gooseberries, dessert gooseberries, black currants, red currants and white currants) are all looking incredibly healthy and we are getting loads of rhubarb.

At home I have some broad beans and parsnips to go in this weekend. We will also get the canes ready for French climbing beans and runner beans. I am not going to grow as many this year so I am going to use some of the space for more sweet peas. I also want to put some dahlia's in - I've never grown any flowers (other than sweet peas) on there before.

I have also just put an order in for red and savoy cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli which should be here in a couple of weeks, giving me time to get the ground ready.

What are you all up to?

[Ally]

That all sounds great Debih.
All those veggies!

Thanks to the hard work of the previous owners of this house our garden really does look after itself.

We have lemon, orange and pear trees that are on an irrigation system.

The flowers just flower every year and Don looks after them.

[meriad]

You've got loads going Debih, I am jealous. I was planning on going to the garden centre in the course of this month but the car MOT and Henry's conjuctivities and resulting vet bill sort of put a stop to that idea. Payday is next week so I'm planning on popping by the garden centre then to get what I want.

'll have the usual tomatoes, peppers, chilli, cucumber and aubergine in the greenhouse. My raised bed outside unfortunately has totally collapsed so I'm going to replace it as well; just not sure if I should replace it with the same, ie one bed or two smaller beds instead; or even a whole lot of larger plastic plant pots, which may make it easier with cleaning up in the winter / replanting and also spreading out the planting / seed sowing time. The more I think about it, the more I'm tempted to do the pot thing; just need to find the rights ones at the right price

[Kaz]

Well our garden is pretty small, just grass and a small patio area and some raised deck in one corner......the only real 'gardening' is the tubs and pots. I plant and tend those and Mick mows the grass I also have a hanging basket at the front door, and a couple of terracotta planters at strategic points on the front gravel as these mark the manhole covers

This year I have violas and pansies, some geraniums, some trailing freesias (one of my mum's favourites) I put in some new lavender plants as the old ones were too woody and they are taking nicely, and I have some tubs of mint (various), also some basil, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, sage and some garlic chives......

I also have a clematis that has miraculously survived me pruning it a rose bush (likewise) and a new honeysuckle that I am training to climb up the same trellis as the clematis......

We are very lucky to have the run of my MIL's large greenhouse, and in that we have growbags with tomato plants, aubergine and peppers of various varieties including chilli No courgettes this year as they ran riot last year and we got sick of them

[meriad]

No courgettes this year as they ran riot last year and we got sick of them

I have had very little luck with courgettes; I've tried them both inside the greenhouse and outside but they get so much mildew on their leaves and the flowers start producing fruit, then grow brown and shrivelled and nothing comes of it; I'm obviously doing something wrong Need to dig out my trusty books, but suspect it may be irregular watering and not enough ventilation even though the door, louvres windows and roof vents are open

[Kaz]

They need a LOT of water!!

[debih]

We all hate courgettes but have to grow them.

You just know that if nothing else grows we'll always have courgettes!

We don't do much with ours. I always plant them on a mound of earth with a moat around it then water the moat not the plant. Lots and lots of water. I'm quite cruel to them really, hacking their leaves off when they take up too much space.

My experiment this year (I have to try something new every year) is butternut squash.

[meriad]

I'm going to give the courgettes another try this year then; I do like them and can also pass on to Nadine and another friend or two if they are a success.

Just spending time online looking at different raised bed options - lots of fun

[Kaz]

Just water them lots and you'll have loads

[debih]

A very frustrating visit to the allotment for me yesterday.

None of our seeds have come through (apart from half a dozen beetroot). We put loads in but not one is showing its head. I was talking to a couple of my allotment neighbours and they have said the same. Not sure why - maybe its been too hot and then too wet. But its been a disaster anyway.

And then I spotted that my pak choi and turnips all have tiny little holes in their leaves - they are in the same bed. But my radish is the same - and they are in a bed quite a way away. I asked one of the old chaps and he thought it could be thrip (whatever that is) but when I got home and googled it it looks like we have flea beetle. They jump from one plant to the other and they are quite difficult to get rid of organically. However, I am not averse to using a small amount of chemicals so I am off to buy an insect killing spray at some point this week.

I managed to get my broad beans in at last anyway. And bought some rhubarb and radishes home.

If the weather is nice on Thursday I am going to get some more plug plants - lettuce, broad beans, peas and beetroot and get more in.

The next "big" job on the plot is to get my bean canes in and plant my runner and French beans - I'm not in a huge rush as I will put plants in so can afford to wait until mid June.

Then its the brassicas. But I want to try to get rid of these pesky beetles first.