-
Gardening 'linked to longer lives'
It's official! Gardening 'linked to longer lives'
-
New soft fruit
Have a section of the garden , facing S.W, 8 ft by 3 ft and are thinking to increase my soft fruit. Already have Raspberries ( Auterm Bliss) and lots of strawberries . Thinking Wineberry /Blueberry /Jostaberry Any ideas ? advice T.I.A
-
Over wintering fuschias without a greenhouse
Any advice please on how to over winter my fuschias ?; some are in v.large pots and others in the soil (heavy clay!!!). I don't have a greenhouse, assuming that I could even move the pot ones, so I'm really looking for tackling the problem "in situ". Thanks
-
Looking to buy a new shed
Hi. The time has come that I need to buy a new shed. Looked online and there are some pretty good deals out there but a bit wary of some of the companies as some have pretty bad reviews. It's a big investment for me so want to make sure where ever I get it from is a reputable company. Looked locally but they are much more…
-
Tree branch fallen into neighbouring garden
We got a call from neighbour of my deceased FIL. Last nights storm brought down a branch of the silver birch in FIL garden onto their front garden. It is a big limb. When we arrived it was dark but it looks like a boundary tree or if its in FIL garden it is by 2 inches. The branch was one growing on their side of the tree.…
-
Equipment Preparations
Afternoon All, What are your procedures for this time of the year in relation to ride-on and walk behind mowers as well as strimmers and hedge cutters? Is now the right time to have them serviced or should they be left until next season?
-
Runner bean advice please - saving seed
Last month, I left some runner beans growing, to dry out for next year's seed. Now back from France, >6 weeks later, they're like truncheons, no sign of dying down. Most are now over 2' long with very fat seeds evident. What to do? - are they ever going to die down, dry out now? Does it matter? I'd pulled most things out…
-
water butts - cost effective?
Hello all, I'm working on my retirement plan (hope to finish December 2015) and want to start growing some of my own veggies next year and then gradually increase the amount of these I grow as I start to get more time (winding down at work). When I've grown veggies before I've always watered them from tap in the garage but…
-
Lemon tree advice please
Hi All After a bit of advice from you, please! I have two lemon trees. They're about 3 feet high, and were bought for me Feb/March 2013. Both had lots of leaves and fruit at this point. The care label said 5-10 degrees, so I put them in the (unheated) spare room, around 3 feet back from the north-facing window. I watered…
-
Spring Bulbs Showing Shoots
I have just been doing a bit of tidying up in the garden and I have noticed bulb shoots breaking the surface in both my back and front gardens. Should they be doing this already? Does this mean they are not planted deep enough and if this is the case should I dig up and replant deeper.
-
Bonfires
My garden looks a lot like a smaller version on the amazon rainforest at the moment, so tonight I'm going to start tackling it, and on Saturday would like to have a bonfire with all the waste. I know nothing about bonfire etiquette or even how to build one safely and sensibly. Has anyone got any tips?
-
Best season to inspect sycamore tree?
We live next door to a building plot. Against the wall to this property is our TPO'd Sycamore tree. The land owner has out of the blue come to us to say that our tree is dying and he wants a tree inspection done. There was a report made 5 years ago that stated it was in good condition and that it had atleast 20 years life…
-
Over wintering geraniums without a greenhouse
I have several large healthy geraniums but nowhere to store them over winter. I was wondering whether I could take cuttings and put them in my spare room. There is no window sill but I could set up a wallpaper table. Would this work? Any tips would be welcomed. I know I'll have to do it soon as they won't survive when the…
-
Strimmer Issue
Afternoon All, I have a Stihl strimmer that has been very reliable overt he past number of years. Last week however I noticed that on a wide area of grass the strimmer never quite got going to 100% capacity. As a result the grass was difficult to cut and the strimmer ended up burning the plug. I left the strimmer in with a…
-
Grow your own beginner advice needed please
Hi all, Me and oh are moving soon and want to start growing our own fruit and veg but have no idea where to start.as our new house will be rented everything we grow will need to be in pots etc. ideally lookin to get started as cheaply as possible to see how we get on with it. Also would we be better off trying to find an…
-
Cutting back an apple tree
I've got an old apple tree that's been infected for the past 2 years with Wooly aphids and flat leaf burrowing things. I've found the right insecticide to kill them off. This is a fully matured apple tree (30+ years), how far back can it be trimmed? Because the tree would need washing and insecticiding. Also, what time of…
-
When to bring in greenhouse chillies
Hi I overwinter my chilli plants. It's the only way I get any fruit. This does mean my windowsills are cluttered and aphid attack is obligatory! This year I have a mini plastic blowaway type greenhouse. Obviously unheated. What can I get away with? How long can I keep them in there do you think? I live in West Yorkshire.
-
Strimmer Replacement
For the past four years I have had a Ryobi Strimmer, using it for strimming, hedge cutting and as a blower. it is now coming near to it's replacement time. The question is would a premium brand such as Stihl be a better replacement. I notice that Stihl can be more than twice the price of a Ryobi if I want to have the add…
-
Winter spraying of roses
I'm looking for advice for winter spraying of roses. I believe that now is the time to spray roses to kill of any unwanted pests that might be thinking about "over wintering" on my roses. I've looked in the local garden centre and diy sheds but nothing seems to be specific for this purpose. Am I misinformed or is there…
-
Is it worth planting these little onions?
I am quite new to growing veg and have very little knowledge, so I apologise in advance if this is a dumb question! I started some spring onions off in some pots with the idea of using them to fill in spaces between bigger plants. These spring onions were left to lurk behind the greenhouse and were then forgotten about. I…