Help MBE grow his dinner 2011

mrbadexample

I sent you half a wheelbarrow-full! Don't tell me you've used it all already? :doh:

I've been and bought a load more netting. Everything is now protected; although the netting's not fixed to anything yet, it should do until I get more time to sort it. I've sown a few more parsnip seeds to fill in the gaps.

And I bought flowers! 18 French marigolds from Morrisons for £3. They'd better be the super-plant they're meant to be!

Still billions of greenfly, and now I've netted everything the sparrows can't help me out.

lolly5648

What do marigolds do? Everyone seems to be planting them but I don't like them. What am I missing?

spandles

I don't know if this has been mentioned before - but cats hate the smell of orange peel. You could throw some around the veggies to put them off. We had great fun tormenting our cat at Xmas time when we ate lots of satsumas. (BTW no cats were harmed during the making of this post!!!)

mrbadexample

From Wikipedia:

"Marigolds are a wonder-drug of the companion plant world, invoking the saying "plant them everywhere in your garden". French marigolds produce a pesticidal chemical from their roots, so strong it lasts years after they are gone. Mexican marigolds do the same, but are so strong they will inhibit the growth of some more tender herbs. Certain Varieties of marigolds (Tagetes) can help manage eelworms (Root-knot nematode) when planted the year before [1]. Tagetes has also been found effective against perennial weeds such as Ranunculus ficaria (Celandine), Aegopodium podagraria (Ground elder), Glechoma hederacea (Ground ivy), Agropyron repens (Couch grass), Convolvulus arvensis (Field bindweed), Equisetum arvense (Field/Common Horsetail) and other 'starchy' weeds."

mrbadexample

spandles wrote: »

I don't know if this has been mentioned before - but cats hate the smell of orange peel. You could throw some around the veggies to put them off. We had great fun tormenting our cat at Xmas time when we ate lots of satsumas. (BTW no cats were harmed during the making of this post!!!)

Sadly, I can't eat enough oranges to do this effectively.

Lotus-eater

mrbadexample wrote: »

From Wikipedia:

"Marigolds are a wonder-drug of the companion plant world, invoking the saying "plant them everywhere in your garden". French marigolds produce a pesticidal chemical from their roots, so strong it lasts years after they are gone. Mexican marigolds do the same, but are so strong they will inhibit the growth of some more tender herbs. Certain Varieties of marigolds (Tagetes) can help manage eelworms (Root-knot nematode) when planted the year before [1]. Tagetes has also been found effective against perennial weeds such as Ranunculus ficaria (Celandine), Aegopodium podagraria (Ground elder), Glechoma hederacea (Ground ivy), Agropyron repens (Couch grass), Convolvulus arvensis (Field bindweed), Equisetum arvense (Field/Common Horsetail) and other 'starchy' weeds."

They also attract nice insects to your plot to eat the bad ones and are excellent at keeping white fly out of tomato greenhouses.

mrbadexample

Having never grown proper flowers before, can I get seed from my Marigolds so I don't have to buy them again next year? I know they were cheap, but so am I.

Mrs_Veg_Plot

Now have two water butts full of rain :jand the garden is looking very green (apart from some patches of lawn). Have one strawberry ripening on a plant and flowers on the snack cucumbers. Second sownings of carrotts have started to appear.

The row of lettuce seems to be producing only 2 lettuce and the salad leaves are comming up but are a bit sparse. Will sow some more at the weekend.

emiff6

mrbadexample wrote: »

Having never grown proper flowers before, can I get seed from my Marigolds so I don't have to buy them again next year? I know they were cheap, but so am I.

Yes, masses.

I've got young plants growing in trays that I started in April from last year's seed, and a bag still three quarters full of seed, which I may just toss about the garden when I get a decent bit of rain.

mrbadexample

point3 wrote: »

I hope you've got slug protection for your marigolds, MrBE. I've given up planting them as they always get scoffed overnight - check tomorrow to see if you still have stalks standing. :rotfl:

They're in the greenhouse until I get chance to plant them out. They're not very big yet - no flowers. Thanks for the heads up though.