A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

[Deleted User]

FUDDLE - check around your aquaintance for someone who has a thornless blackberry, they're much easier to live with. You can start a new plant off by anchoring an existing frond into a pot of compost, it will set new roots and grow new leaves. You can then cut the frond off from the parent plant and Hey Presto - new plantlet to live with you!!! You can do this with a wildie too but there are hundreds of different sub species and they are not all as good to eat as some (does that make sense?). Some of them have very small bitter seedy berries and aren't at all nice - if you're really lucky you'll find a nice one with juicy berries. Wait till autumn and find the nicest bush locally and adopt one of those!! Cheers Lyn x . p.s. Is it still raining in your neck of the woods?

Mrs_Chip

Fuddle - strawberry plants are supposed to last 3 years - first year (so if a runner, the year after it grew from mum) you should pick off flowers and runners to let the plant grow strong, it should give fruit in the second year, and may not be so good in the third, then they need replacing. If you have enough runners coming through I would replace in the second year (after fruiting).

I have had lovely blackberries from wild bushes I have left in the garden, but you would be much better to spend a bit of money and buy a named variety - poss a thornless one. Wild will go mad in the garden sending out runners everywhere, a total nightmare. If you know anyone with a 'tame' blackberry you can dig a root out and grow from that - I did this with the Tayberry we had in London and have two healthy plants growing now. Best time for roots is autumn/winter.

fuddle

Brilliant advice as always, thank you both. I have seen the tayberry variety on crocus.co.ukso that is an option. It makes sense MrsL - the wild bb's we picked last year were really sour... good enough in a bb and apple crumble but not much else.

Ok, the plants are cuttings from mum rootings from last year, so that's why they just have tiny flowers? So if I go chop off those flowers and don't let the runners grow I should have a decent crop next year? So much to learn :rotfl:

Easy tea of hotdogs and onions in rolls and treacle sponge and custard.

It's still raining heavy but only in short bursts so not causing any trouble. It's frightening when it comes though, so strong. I've not seen rain like that before.

grandma247

Pah what make of knitting machine?

You could advertise in your local paper for someone to come and show you how to use it,
I have had knitmasters for years so could help a bit with that. Not the others though as they work in a slightly different way..

Byatt

I didn't know that about strawberries. Or if I did, it's forgotten.

The slugs/snails seem to love the flower plants too. Totally decimated.

Mrs_Chip

Tayberry is thornless and a cross between blackberry and raspberry. It is quite vigorous, sending out long stems. I used to stick canes into the ground in a row and tie the stems along them horizontally as that makes the plant produce more flowers. Fruit is produced through the season not just one flush, on the canes that grew the year before. In winter you cut these old canes off and tie in the new one that have grown. The fruit needs to be really ripe to be sweet and nice raw, but I think the flavour when cooked is amazing, they make fantastic jam. I am really glad the two roots I took have done well and look forward to some lovely berries next year!

Evie74_2

Thank you Mrs Chip for the advice on strawberries, I didn't realise you weren't supposed to let them fruit in the first year. Mine are sending out runners too - should I try to root those or just nip them out and hope that the plants make themselves stronger for next year? I'm growing them in hanging baskets to try and keep them out of reach of the dreaded slugs (so far, so good) so putting a pot alongside might be a challenge!

I have so much to learn!

Evie xx

fuddle

I don't know how lottie folk can contend with the disappointment. It's heart breaking. Nothing grew for me last year, nothing and I got disheartened so much so that I didn't even try this year. I'm regretting it now but wanting to bare fruits in the front garden. I figured it would be easier to grow bushes and shrubs than individual plants. I figured anyway lol

Knitting machines. They sound like fun

Mrs_Chip

I never bother with the pots Evie, I let the runners grow on and they produce little roots. I chop them off in autumn and pot them up and leave them over winter in the garden, just checking now and then that they are not too dry or wet.

I have taken runners from 1st year plants and they have been fine the following year, but it's not what is recommended!

Mrs_Chip

This year is turning out to be a washout for lots of things, but runner beans are at the top of their poles and have flowers on, they like the rain. The tom plants are green and lush, they like the rain - we will see if we get enough sun to get ripe fruit.

Carrots germinated and grew into small plants and have not grown for weeks - they have stopped dead. No idea why, I grew lovely carrots in London! I doubt we will get any. Broad beans looking battered but did pick some tiny pods and had them with the sum total of our peas this week - about a spoonful each! Lettuces have done well, they like the cool and wet conditions it seems. All the herbs have done well, but are under constant attack from wretched slugs.

Rhubarb has gone mental and is ready to pick, very pleased with that!

Each year I learn more and I think the trick is to find the things that do well in your garden and stick with them, perhaps trying one or two new things each year, but not losing heart if they fail - there is always another year!