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

hex2

Hi everyone, I keep forgetting about this thread

YorkshireLass, I have a couple of areas that are shady and don't drain well. The inherited lawns were solid moss so I have taken them out. I have dug a lot of horticultural grit in and as much compost as I could manage. The shadiest bed (under a mature laburnum) is now a woodland bed, and it is currently lovely. It has cyclamen, hellebores, snowdrops in flower at the moment, Later in the year it has hardy geraniums which seem to cope ok and stop it from looking too bare, and then the autumn flowering cyclamen start up again. I like Toad Lilly too (Tricyrtis) but I dont seem to have much success with them - chicken damage I think.

MrsRogers - At least with the shrubs you have inherited a mature backbone to work round so it shouldn't cost too much to get it looking wonderful again. Have you managed to work out what they are and how to prune them?

On the veg front so far this year I have managed to dig over half of the veg plot. It needs weeding again but the hens are doing a top job of manure and mix. One of the key projects for Spring will be to find an area I can dedicate to the hens so they stop destroying everything.

I have got some garlic and onion sets planted in modules that I need to put in the ground. I bought them and then the weather got too bad to plant them outside. My potatoes are chitting.

[Deleted User]

doh, back to winter today so all baby plants are safely tucked up. I got myself an A4 A-Z index book so I can sit and write bits down about all the plants I am growing or going to grow. I think my next job, when the weather improves again, is to get some perenials going both flowers and herbs

I don`t think I am alone these days of living and dreaming `garden`

Primrose

kittie wrote: »

I don`t think I am alone these days of living and dreaming `garden`

Yes, frustrating isn't it? We're so near, yet so far. One day the weather is tantalisingly springlike and we're all geared up to get out there sowing and growing, and the next day it's almost like winter again. Apart from sowing some pepper & chilli seeds on my indoor window sill, this year I'm desperately trying to hold myself back from being too eager to sow too soon. Often in previous years I've rushed out on the first sunny day, sown things far too early and then had to resow because everything has been killed by a hard frost or rotted. With older age I'm now trying to culture a little patience on the basis that things sown a littler later in warmer soil will soon catch up. But it's endlessly frustrating when one is eager to get going again after a winter of inactivity.

Dustykitten

Operation move the olive tree complete. It is about 10' so no mean feat and was moving from the back to the front garden (through the kitchen), hope it survives but as it wasn't doing brilliant where it was it is worth a go. Apricot planted where the olive was and 2 wineberries planted.

Front hedge had been very drastically cut back. It is more a shrub border which has been clipped into a hedge which it doesn't like so the middle bit of viburnum has been cut back to about 3'. Sure it will rejuvenate it. Also planted a hazel in the gap next to it.

Can't wait to get the almond planted but we need to dig the wild life pond first for the soil and hope to start that in the next few weeks.

This week I'll plant the last wineberry and the tayberry and attempt to clear the rubble and broken plants from the border where the fence was replace.

Hoping for a little bit of dry weather as it was a bit damp in the drizzle today.

angelavdavis

Hi all,

An update from an insomniac

We went up to the allotment on Saturday and it was amazing what an effect a couple of days of sunshine had had on the plot - the garlic and daffodils had doubled in height (one daff had a bud on it too), the tulips and shallots have made an appearance at last, so my concern about the earth being too waterlogged were unfounded thank goodness. We hacked back some blackberries on the edge of our plot - we planned to cut them back, but discovered they had grown tall and then the growing ends had actually rooted into our path, someone had then woven these growing ends back into the bushes, so once we started unpicking them, it was clear that the main fruiting parts had to go anyway as they were growing from our paths. We decided to cut the wood back to see if they sprout again from the base but it will mean no blackberries this year sadly.

We put up half our home-made pallet picket fence at the front of the cut flower border. I think it is going to look really smart when finished. We also met a couple of new plot holders - and got a great compliment when asked if we were old-timers on the plot (we have only had the plot since June last year!)

I spent my spare time yesterday making dozens and dozens of newspaper pots using my Christmas present potmaker and spent some of my time today planting them up with tomatoes, parsnips, sweet peas and the first lot of dwarf beans (to grow on in the greenhouse).

I have chillis, peppers, cucumbers, aubergines and a few flowers to plant tomorrow.

I plan to put the heat reliant ones in the propagator to bring them on.

I am intending to start off some potatoes in pots in the greenhouse for early crops so these are chitting away. I thought I would simply plant two pots of each variety. Anyone else growing some early ones in the greenhouse?

No luxury of spending Saturday on the allotment this week. Hubby and I are going off-road driving using a voucher my Mum bought hubby for his birthday. We have managed to get a bargain night at a Hilton local to the driving centre on Friday night too.

I pick up my latest batch of 4 rescued chooks Saturday afternoon and so no doubt will be keeping an eye on them on Sunday while I try to tidy up the garden which is lacking some tlc due to the allotment.

I have a list as long as my arm of "todos" for the allotment, but the next few weekends are real busy and my weekdays are getting hectic due to the charity work I do, so I think I will have to make do with tending my seedlings until late March.

Primrose - I am still waiting to get patient with maturity!!!:)

cheeswright

can i join in here ?
post from a lurker ( dosnt it sound awful)
but i found myself madly gardening on saturday....
not that anything was actually needed doing .but it was SUNNY:T
and I had to get outside..mostly I created....mud... and more mud
and some slightly less confident weeds:D
but my bantams prevent direct veg sowing so I'm really hopefull of some container gardening this year
the hanging veg gardens of dorset coast .. ..all hints and tips for a supended garden much appreciated

(please note spelling is arbitery and genetic - not ignorant and pathetic - please forgive)
...******i may have to change my signature.......

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Hello,

I moved into my first house in October last year :j: after 17 years (my entire adult life) in a top floor flat. So I have a tiny front and tiny back garden. Previously, I spent my time contributing to a world surplus of house plants (they all keep having babies), plus taking up my balcony space for drying clothes with 3 windowboxes, a mini greenhouse, 2 hanging baskets an about 12 pots.

I have already done tons in the front garden as it is entirely brick (3 foot stepped front wall - will have troughs behind it to support either lavender or nasturtiums scrambling over this summer), block paved slope to front door as it has been built with disabled access, 8 foot pebbledashed side wall and the house itself. It had to have some life in it. Which I think I need to stop doing now, as it is going made out there with it being a south facing storage heater. And I need to save for a gate and little fence, as the local kids run up and down it.

The back garden was just a dump, as it started raining the second week after I moved in and hasn't really stopped since.

I was supposed to be tidying the house today, but popped into the shops for some cleaning materials.

I spotted some long black troughs and some baby's breath and some hollyhock root sections. Oh, and some snowdrops and a heather. And a pink climbing rose.


Next thing I know, it's 4.30pm, the greenhouse is over the other side of the patio, the slabs have had a good going over with rainwater and a stiff brush, everything is planted, mostly out the back with extra soil from expired pot plants, but some out the front, and I have decided that although there appears to be some soil under the turf, I'm going to have to build raised beds for veggies.


I think the bug has got me.

Primrose

Jojo - yes, you're definitely showing all the symptoms of the intrepid gardener. Don't bother going to the doctor for a cure for this disease. I'm afraid it's probably with you for life now! You can expect it to flare up again with a vengeance every spring when the evenings start getting lighter and the soil starts getting warmer.:rotfl:

YORKSHIRELASS

Yep, the bug has got me too. For my birthday OH bought me a load of gardening stuff in a bright pink trug and I was so happy. Have got my own fork and trowel so dont need to borrow his any more.

For my birthday treat he is going to take me to buy a tree for the corner of the garden. Friends think I am a bit mad but I cant think of anything nicer!

I have just come in to put tea in the oven or no-one is going to get fed tonight. Off to finish potting up some polyanthus and voilas into tubs in the greenhouse before it gets dark.

Happy gardening all!

Primrose

YORKSHIRELASS wrote: »

For my birthday treat he is going to take me to buy a tree for the corner of the garden. Friends think I am a bit mad but I cant think of anything nicer!

I think that's a delightful present which will hopefully cheer you in all its moods for years to come. One of my most desired birthday presents from my OH was a trailer-load of horse manure for my vegetable patch! I couldn't have had a more perfect present but my female colleagues at work thought I was completely crazy and couldn't imagine why I didn't want a pampering week-end at a health spa or or some expensive jewellery. As the manure actually ended up being free from a farmer who wanted to get rid of it, and I then used the manure to grow vegetables which also only cost the price of seed or compost, I keep emphasising to my OH what a really low maintenance wife he's got !