Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

Drea

First day I've been able to survey the damage. My strawberries and tomatoes are goners. Tatties probably are too.

Aria`s_Tail

:grouphug: To Drea and anyone else who needs it.
As the sun edged out from behind the clouds over Wolves I had a quick survey of the scene. Thankfully nothing has been snapped by the wind, just very battered, tatties and rhubarb are flattened and toms have lost several leaves but were staked up well against the fence. Hopefully everything will pick up if we get some decent weather.
Harvested a lettuce which we had with lunch and pulled up all the garlic as none of it had split and most was rotting. (Think it went in too late, will plant some in Oct this year if I remember.
If it stays dry tomorrow I need to clear the front garden of weeds and get the bedding plants in as they are sitting in trays all over the back garden at the moment.

Little_Vics

So I popped outside to find that someone has stolen my cold frame in which I was attempting to grow salad. It was very very securely pegged down so can't have blown anywhere. I guess it's part of the danger of having a roadside garden, but I'm not happy at all - especially as it's one we borrowed in the first place.

misskool

Lotus-eater wrote: »

It's defo not blight aliasojo, often older leaves will get this and I think it's quite normal. Not sure why yours have got it, but carry on treating them well and it should be fine. Btw, don't cut any more leaves off yet.

Tomatoes are a bit like sheep I think, if they can catch something they will.


Talking about blight, I've just had a full smith period warning from blightwatch, not surprising considering the weather, but a look at the blight map (http://www.potato.org.uk/node/910) shows it's only been verified in a couple of places so far, although the toe of Cornwall looks a bit dodgy.

I had a full smith warning on may 11 My tomatoes hadn't even gone out yet and my potatoes were just showing.

Nothing since then but I'm expecting another full smith warning in a few weeks if this keeps up.

Thankfully, my laziness means no climbing french beans are out yet, they have just germinated and most of my plants are still small. The tomatoes are not looking good and the weeds are overtaking most of my beds though :rotfl:

aliasojo

Strawbs are on offer in Tesco just now Drea...£1.99 a punnet. (You have to laugh otherwise the alternative ruins your mascara. ) Sympathy. :beer:

I now have no marigolds left. They were fine yesterday and today they have been stripped, all that is left are the stalks.

These were planted in amongst the toms and cucs. I can't find anything that was responsible so I'm now thinking whatever did the munching, will be at my plants tonight.

The cucs that were looking great up until now, are also showing signs of problems (leaves looking unhealthy, veined and marked, and also now showing holes)

I'm thinking the backyard just isn't conducive to veg growing after all and I'm seriously thinking of chucking the towel in tbh. Not in a huffy way I hasten to add, just in an accepting pragmatic kinda way. :undecided

I can't even go out there now without getting badly bitten by midges, it seems to be a rich area for insects and beasties.

The place is surrounded by huge bushes that are unhealthy (obvious signs of disease) and I'm now wondering if they're not helping my efforts to grow. I've been reading about how spores can be airbourne and how plants can be affected by unhealthy ones near them.

I have no idea if this is relevant to me or not, it's difficult to know if I'm trying to grow in an area that's perhaps just not suitable.

Everything was fine and healthy until it went outside.



Little Vics..just read your post, that's rotten. I'd be fizzing.

annie123

Little_Vics wrote: »

So I popped outside to find that someone has stolen my cold frame in which I was attempting to grow salad. It was very very securely pegged down so can't have blown anywhere. I guess it's part of the danger of having a roadside garden, but I'm not happy at all - especially as it's one we borrowed in the first place.

If it's a plastic one then even pegged down they can take off I'm afraid. Someone on the allotment found his plastic one 20' in the air in a tree and it was sturdy with that blue tubing to make the hoops.

aliasojo wrote: »

Strawbs are on offer in Tesco just now Drea...£1.99 a punnet. (You have to laugh otherwise the alternative ruins your mascara. ) Sympathy. :beer:

That did make me chuckle sorry Drea.
Strawberries are tough things I'd be surprised if they didn't perk up.

aliasojo wrote: »

I now have no marigolds left. They were fine yesterday and today they have been stripped, all that is left are the stalks.

These were planted in amongst the toms and cucs. I can't find anything that was responsible so I'm now thinking whatever did the munching, will be at my plants tonight.

The cucs that were looking great up until now, are also showing signs of problems (leaves looking unhealthy, veined and marked, and also now showing holes)

I'm thinking the backyard just isn't conducive to veg growing after all and I'm seriously thinking of chucking the towel in tbh. Not in a huffy way I hasten to add, just in an accepting pragmatic kinda way. :undecided

Never been able to grow marigolds here, snails munch them in days so I've not bothered for years.
This has been a bad year for gardening so far so don't give up. There are way more than usual slugs/snails around due to rain and the weather has been very erratic, but the start of the season is often worse than the end of.

If anyones got broken toms they can be repotted and the original one can have an armpit used as the new main stem.

I've found a neglected small cucumber plant, so I've lost 4 now and have this one and the sad 50p one.
Courgettes seem fine, butternut squash (last one others eaten or wind damaged) was not happy so have oiked it out of the ground and put it in a popup bag.
spinach has all been eaten, so has the kohlrabi and rocket, garlic is looking a little better today, had a rummage and the bulbs are fattening up nicely, onions had been dug up and looked dreadful anyway due to soggy soil so composted them.
Spring onions looking average, and basil looks dreadful. 2 Chilli peppers going great guns, the rest are small and sulky.

We have a loose fence post now, but won't let hubby replace it at present as it would mean trampling on my raspberries:eek: and they are looking fab full of busy bees today:D

cootambear

aliasojo wrote: »

Strawbs are on offer in Tesco just now Drea...£1.99 a punnet. (You have to laugh otherwise the alternative ruins your mascara. ) Sympathy. :beer:

I now have no marigolds left. They were fine yesterday and today they have been stripped, all that is left are the stalks.

These were planted in amongst the toms and cucs. I can't find anything that was responsible so I'm now thinking whatever did the munching, will be at my plants tonight.

The cucs that were looking great up until now, are also showing signs of problems (leaves looking unhealthy, veined and marked, and also now showing holes)

I'm thinking the backyard just isn't conducive to veg growing after all and I'm seriously thinking of chucking the towel in tbh. Not in a huffy way I hasten to add, just in an accepting pragmatic kinda way. :undecided

I can't even go out there now without getting badly bitten by midges, it seems to be a rich area for insects and beasties.

The place is surrounded by huge bushes that are unhealthy (obvious signs of disease) and I'm now wondering if they're not helping my efforts to grow. I've been reading about how spores can be airbourne and how plants can be affected by unhealthy ones near them.

I have no idea if this is relevant to me or not, it's difficult to know if I'm trying to grow in an area that's perhaps just not suitable.

Everything was fine and healthy until it went outside.



Little Vics..just read your post, that's rotten. I'd be fizzing.

they taste like turnips though

annie123

Forgot to mention that out of 100 or so peas I sowed back in Mid March I have 3 left, 2 with a single flower each on them
First time ever I think I've not had loads of fresh peas to eat straight from the garden, so will sow some more tomorrow but will start them off indoors in my root trainers.

Also just found some borlotti beans I was given at the end of last year, so they can go in the root trainers too, bit late but I'll get a crop rather than no crop if they stay in the packet


What can I inter crop with my celery in the self watering planter? not radishes can't stand them, nor lettuce, got loads indoors.

pink_poppy

cootambear wrote: »

they taste like turnips though

:rotfl: Some definitely do taste rubbish from the supermarket, but if you can find Ava or Jubilee they're usually really nice, especially Ava.

My marigolds are flowering ~ only problem is, I haven't actually planted them outside yet Tbh, I'm reluctant to now as I don't want them ending up as slug food ~ the marigolds wouldn't be protecting anything anyway as I haven't planted anything outside (except my strawberries & the raspberry stick that isn't doing anything...).

My mint has died off (probably due to lack of watering :whistle:), basil is still coming along sloooowly, same with the rosemary & the peppers are going mad (even though they're still in their starter pots). Solitary nasturtium is a twisted monster, but I still love it!!

sammyroser

pink_poppy wrote: »

My mint has died off (probably due to lack of watering :whistle:), basil is still coming along sloooowly, same with the rosemary & the peppers are going mad (even though they're still in their starter pots). Solitary nasturtium is a twisted monster, but I still love it!!

I had a mint plant drown over the winter, was pulling weeds the other day and about 20cm from where I planted it I noticed mint leaves! Those !!!!!!s are hard to kill!