Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

radiohelen

Hello - I've got mange tout that won't grow up the helpfully provided wigwam! Last year I even wove bits of twig round it to provide a support but they just ignored it. They are the 5ft yellow pod ones from the real seed company but it seems like they want netting to climb up rather than canes. Not sure what I'm going to do with them this year because they did taste fab so I am going to grow them again. Tie them on I guess.

I lost all my aubergines to a slug yesterday and a couple of celery babies, all in the greenhouse. Still. I'm planting the celery out today and going mad with the slug pellets so that should limit the devastation a bit. I also appear to have planted too many tomato plants. They aren't all supposed to live! Outdoor girl, Purple Ukraine, yellow stuffer and a baby one. Plant anyone?

Lotus-eater

Peas grow using tendrils that grab hold of thin things, not winding like beans, so yes they do need some sort of netting type thing.

Angelfeathers

annie123 wrote: »

They're only leaning trying to get more light, turn them round and they will straighten up.

You know, I obviously thought of that but discounted it because they were leaning away from the window whose sill they were living on.

Then I realised that it was only the row furthest from that window that were leaning away from it and that they were clearly leaning towards the *new* window we had put in last year - south-facing so more light comes in that way!

I feel a bit stoopid now for not thinking of that! (But glad I've cleared it up!)

Unfortunately, my peppers and three tiny (bought) chilli plants are all succumbing to their usual invasion of tiny green bugs. I know I can get rid of them by squishing them off or squirting with dilute soap mixture etc, because I've had to the last two years, but I wish I knew how to stop the damn things appearing in the first place!

Fay

Hey everyone :wave:
Well we have been in the garden since 9.30am this morning and came back in about 30 minutes ago. Done lots but not sure it looks like it :rotfl:
I'm glad to see the thread is still moving along even though our founder isn't around-you've missed a lovely gardening weekend MBE.
Amongst lots of other jobs my husband has built us a sturdier raspberry frame which looks great-he's even decorated it for the birds he he

It's hard to see in this pic but he's used wire in between each of the new posts and has tied the raspberries into them. It looks really good at the back of the patch. Don't look at the weeds though-didn't get round to that today :eek:

TallGirl

Absolutely lovely here today played golf in cropped trousers and t-shirt then had the first BBQ of the year.

Not done a lot of gardening this weekend as our builders came ack to relay the patio and we now cannot walk on it for at least a week.

Used my herbs to make some lovely herb butter to go with my steaks lovely flavour in the tarragon it's growing well.

MBE hope you had a nice weekend in Cronwall looks like everyone has been busy too.

mrbadexample

Very pleasant weekend, thank you all. A "few" beers and some Cornish rugby on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. See if you can spot a certain British and Irish Lion playing a bit part for St Agnes:

RedLass

On Saturday I received my order of tomato and cucumber plants from Marshalls. Tomatoes looked a bit sad, but I potted them on and this morning they're more perky and less floppy, so I think they've taken ok.

Disappointed to find they sent me the wrong cucumber plants though Ordered Burpless, got Euphya. This is an indoor variety isn't it? Specifically wanted Burpless because I have no greenhouse. So I'll give them a bell today and see what they say. I've potted on the Euphya but they look very unhappy. I wonder if they're sad because they know I was disappointed to see them? Even if they take, I don't really know what I'm going to do with them, but couldnt just throw them out.

If they can't offer me a replacement then I'll try planting seed. Might be there is still time? I don't have many windowsills though, nevermind sunny ones!

Got lots done in the garden this weekend, as we had some sunshine :j All wet again today but not to worry. Have fixed the edging on the new bed, and laid bark chip out on the areas I am using containers for. Mostly so it looks nice and I have minimum weeding to do. The soil in the patch had clay cumps in it like rocks... we've broken it as best we can, and layered some compost, then some of the soil we took off the top before digging over, and some more compost. Wondering if we should buy a couple of bags of topsoil to finish it off.

Anyway, really pleased with how it all looks, and is almost ready for planting in. Can't wait. Pics to follow soon

RedLass

I called customer services, and apparantly someone labelled a whole batch of the Burpless with the wrong stickers... a problem they are aware of, she said. Maybe she's had nothing but calls all morning about cucumbers.

So now I need to look after the poor little things. What's the best I can do for them to try and return some strength? Try to find a "sunny" windowsill and hope for the best? Should I pop a big sandwich bag over the top of each one to try and warm them up? Or will that choke them somehow?

mrbadexample

RedLass wrote: »

So now I need to look after the poor little things. What's the best I can do for them to try and return some strength? Try to find a "sunny" windowsill and hope for the best? Should I pop a big sandwich bag over the top of each one to try and warm them up? Or will that choke them somehow?

Do you know someone with a greenhouse? Try to swap them for something else?

RedLass

mrbadexample wrote: »

Do you know someone with a greenhouse? Try to swap them for something else?

She assured me that they are in fact Burpless plants, but with the wrong sticker on. So they should be fine to go outdoors when the time is right. Just got to try and not kill them off before then!

I think I'll just try and grow all from seed next year. To be honest, the online plants aren't as big or established as I had imagined in my head. Almost feel as though they'd be stronger if I grew them from scratch and they had minimal disturbance. Has anybody else found this? Perhaps I was just a bit naive