Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

Fay

Hi everyone
Well the sun has come back out-for the time being anyway, more rain predicted for us so I managed an hour in the garden last night.
Our garden really has been decimated by slugs and snails-my husband has actually now ordered us a year long nematode (sp?) programme that you apply 4 times a year to try and controld them. I thought they had left the veg plot alone as we have some hedgehogs that pass through the garden and seem to spend most of their time by the veg plot where there is a large hedge with ivy under it-but I saw last night that they have been at my runner and green beans, argh. They have totally eaten all my home grown marigolds and petunias I planted a couple of weeks ago-killed a ground cover phlox and eaten two beautiful, large dahlias I had grown in the greenhouse. I really could cry when I look at it all
But on the plus side-I harvested our first onion last night

Not the most beautiful looking, or biggest (although it is our largest one...again but it was very tasty in a stir fry.
The broad beans are doing brilliantly, first year growing these but they are coming on a treat.
We have lots of raspberries this year but not ripening yet-also need to net these due to a large family of blackbirds in the garden
Strawberries in the hanging basket are ripening, but I don't think its the best place for them and as I could only fit 3 plants in we certainly won't get a bumper crop. Although I don't mind as I only enjoy them with whipped cream and meringue, or champagne
Potatos are going great guns.
Greenhouse: peppers are doing well although I am getting a lot of flowers dropping off them and the chillis, I think its just not been warm enough for them. My chillis are nowhere near the size of MBE's...I have some tiny (just about see) chillis coming on the wenks hot yellow. The jalapenos are flowering now. The albertos locoto are very strange plants...anyone else grown them? Very large and straggly-I shall await and see if any fruits actually come off them.
Tom's-well, disappointing really. The good old gardeners delight are merrily doing their thing and have lots of flowers. The Dr carolyn (real seed co) aren't really doing much of anything, the early stupice-same. early Galina have some flowers and a couple of fruits. Again I think this is due to the dire temperatures-we were down to 9degrees here some of the days last week.

Inspired by MBE I shall try to get out later and get pics for you all-before the match!

annie123

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Last night I sowed another 200 odd cucurbits - mainly winter squashes but about 30 cucumbers and courgettes. Mainly to plug gaps and give away to other people who have lost their squashes, cukes and courgettes.

I'm so pleased you said that, makes me feel more confident about my last 2 BNS seeds sown and a few cucumber ones too.

I've just noticed that the 25p cucumber I got from homebase says it's called 'Indoor' and best grown in a greenhouse, which I don't have so it'll have to do with whatever warmth London may get this year.
Do I have to s*d around removing male flowers with this variety?


The organic slug pellets are starting to work. I don't like to use them but this year has been something else for snails, my neighbours 5 year old and I collected 80 odd dead ones last night, and 30ish alive ones, and only cost me a cornetto from the freezer;)

As it's not rained for 36 hours:j I'm going to give everything a good feed using Miracle grow. Wouldn't usually use it this late in the year but things are so behind and desperate for some food that I'm hoping it will give everything a good boost and wake them up.

mrbadexample

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Last night I sowed another 200 odd cucurbits - mainly winter squashes but about 30 cucumbers and courgettes. Mainly to... give away to other people who have lost their...cukes.

:wave:

So I've still time to sow more then?

mrbadexample

Fay wrote: »

Inspired by MBE I shall try to get out later and get pics for you all-before the match!

Yes, we wish England luck against the SA Barbarians North later today.

Drea

Inspired by MBE I took some pics:



^ the runner beans, they are just being eaten by slugs. The slugs seem to have grown smart to the pellets and don't touch them anymore. I don't think the runner beans will last much longer...



^ tomatoes... what can I say, the wind destroyed what I hadn't already destroyed myself



^ the replacement strawberries, these don't seem to be doing very well either...



^ Hello baby chillies! They took a long time coming up but they pocked their heads out a couple days ago



^ Hello baby radishes! Will need to thin these out.



^ Courgette plants seem to be coming along nicely... I think?



^ adult chilli plants doing well, I have some big chillies on there but waiting for them to go red... beginning to think they aren't red chillies :rotfl:



^ chillies and courgettes



^ round carrots, have no idea how these are doing



^ potatoes, they recovered nicely after the winds just lost the one bag



^ sweet pepper plants, they were doing well but today they seem to be drooping and the leaves feel very thin and have no structure, any ideas?

mrbadexample

Drea wrote: »

^ sweet pepper plants, they were doing well but today they seem to be drooping and the leaves feel very thin and have no structure, any ideas?

Good looking chillies, courgettes, spuds & carrots.

Give up on the baby chillies unless you plan on overwintering them?

The tomatoes will recover, eventually, if you stop pulling bits off them. The beans will too but stick with the slug pellets.

I don't think your peppers like being inside. Turf something out of the blowaway (e.g carrots / courgettes) and put them in there.

Not looking half too bad if you ask me.

Drea

mrbadexample wrote: »

Good looking chillies, courgettes, spuds & carrots.

Give up on the baby chillies unless you plan on overwintering them?

The tomatoes will recover, eventually, if you stop pulling bits off them. The beans will too but stick with the slug pellets.

I don't think your peppers like being inside. Turf something out of the blowaway (e.g carrots / courgettes) and put them in there.

Not looking half too bad if you ask me.

Aww but the baby chillies are ever so cute :rotfl:

I promise to stop pulling bits off the tomatoes! I learnt my lesson! Will they ever give me fruit? I'm doubtful...

Will re-pot my peppers then pop them in the blowaway, thanks

mrbadexample

Drea wrote: »

I promise to stop pulling bits off the tomatoes! I learnt my lesson! Will they ever give me fruit? I'm doubtful...

Got any flowers? I think you'll get something, one way or another.

Tip: When someone tells you to pull all the leaves off something, or similar drastic action, do it to a few of your plants first. Then if it was wrong you haven't trashed the lot.

mrbadexample

Next year you could also turn your growbag on it's side so it's a bit deeper, or cut it in half and use each end stood upright, or use flower buckets with the growbag compost in. They like a bit of depth, do toms.

Drea

mrbadexample wrote: »

Got any flowers? I think you'll get something, one way or another.

Tip: When someone tells you to pull all the leaves off something, or similar drastic action, do it to a few of your plants first. Then if it was wrong you haven't trashed the lot.

I have flowers on a couple of them, they just don't seem to be growing very much! Although after looking at the old picture they've gained quite a few leaves again. Poor things... they looked so healthy before I did that to them!