The Potting Shed - come on in, the kettle's on!

annie123

Hiding in the garden today, hubby is putting in our new loo.:eek:

I have way too many spinach plants this year, I already have enough soup in the freezer to last us to xmas so there will be a lot of spinach in our salad this summer.
Only planted so many as I have to share them with the slugs and snails but this year they've not muched any........... yet!

wish it was warmer as I'm off back outside, I can hear swear woods being mumbled again!

pollypenny

Hi, all! been so busy in the garden that I haven't had time to post.

Just put the hanging baskets out the front, along with pots of geraniums. Looking good!

Bit of competition in our little close.

Aless

Hi All

I have not posted on this thread before but I follow intermittently so I hope you don't mind me joining in.

I went on slug patrol last night. I was so upset because the blighters had eaten all of the marigolds I planted except for the stems, not to mention the devastation to the dahlias, echineas and lupins, that I decided to take direct action. I am not keen on using the pellets because of the birds (and my cats) and the more environmentally friendly ones are a bit rubbish.

Wow, was it successful. Over 40 found and killed and I only have a small garden. I will be going out again tonight to track down any I missed. I know people have recommended it before, but I could not really be bothered before I guess, but now I really recommend it. It is a great stress relief killing the blighters too. I told my OH to think of the guy at work he hates as he did the killing (bashing with a brick).

I planted out my leeks yesterday, sowed some more spinach. This afternoon I am planting out my tomatoes and more dahlias and marigolds. I might also manage to plant out a few squash seedlings and a cucumber.

I have never grown cucumber before and I am a little doubtful that I am going to get a crop but I will let you know.

I am now on my third attempt at sweetcorn and I think this year will be write off for that but my beetroot are doing very well.

I had some celeriac last year but when I pulled them up they had nothing. My MIL and her friend had the same problem. It seems that some roots or something must have been left behind because I have three which have suddenly grown up this year and are really tall. I am not sure if they are going to crop though. Has anybody had any success or should I just pull them up?

Primrose

This is my third year of growing celeriac but despite having well manured soil I never get bulbs which are much bigger than a tennis bulb, although they are very tasty all the same and I grow enough to pack about in dry peat to last until late spring. I'm told the secret is to pull off the lower leaves when they start growing strongly so that all the plant's energy goes into the bulb. Keep well watered.

Aless

Thank you Primrose. Very helpful and informative. Our soil is not great, so I am not sure I will have much success. I don't think I need the spot they are in for anything else, so I will leave them there for a while.

Primrose

Aless, If your celiac are last year's crop, they will probably bolt before long so I doubt now whether any of them will develop a bulb. However, if your soil quality isn't great and you want to grow cucumbers outdoors, try mulching around them with a good layer of grass cuttings, provided of course you haven't treated your lawn with any weedkiller. If you fork lightly around the soil before laying on the grass cuttings the worms will drag some of them down into the soil where they will compost down, and it will help protect against slugs. Cucumbers like a moist environment and the layer of grass will help preserve some moisture in the soil.

Aless

Primrose you are spot on. When I had a closer look today, I was shocked to see they have started bolting. So I guess they are a write off.

Thanks for the tip about cucumbers. I will definitely do that, despite my repeated requests not to my OH insists on shoving all the grass cuttings in the composter. I then have to try to sort the "compost" i.e. big tranches of mouldy grass get chucked out. So this way I can at least utilise some grass cuttings.

kazwookie

Just arriving with strawberries and cream for you all!!

Primrose

Been too busy in the garden to pop in here recently but vegetable patch is looking healthy & soft fruit borders in front garden are doing well.
Picking baby courgettes, lettuces & had had about 8 mini outdoor cucumbers..
Got three good pickings from 6 foot row of peas, so have sown 2 more successional rows.
Picked first climbing French beans this morning.
Had lots of strawberries from 4 & 5 year old plants.
Picked some blackcurrants. Gooseberries & redcurrants probably need another week.
First kohl rabi Swiss chard & Cavalo Nero ready for picking.
First handful of tumbling red & yellow tomatoes are colouring up nicely.

All in all so far, am very satisfied with my efforts. BUT I'm inspecting my outdoor tomato plants daily for signs of Blight now and think I probably ought to start spraying. (Hate doing this as everything in garden is organic, but not prepared to risk losing my 30 plants of mixed varieties).

How are all your plots coming on?

aliasojo

I'm having a tea break right now. Been in the garden moving my plastic greenhouse this morning and it's now screwed to the side of the shed with glavanised pipe clips. Let the wind try now, lol!

I've got pea pods growing and my courgette plants look like something out of 'the day of the triffids'.

Got 2 bright red strawberries and 1 tiny tiny baby tomato.

Considering all I'd grown before was grass, I'm chuffed. :rotfl: