Preparedness for when

[Deleted User]

Having done a little reading I find that we most likely have a type of 'rot' on the strawberries and the vector for it to infect them? the THRIPS!!! It's not just the pests themselves then that we have to watch for but any viruses or plant diseases that they may be carrying. Interesting times eh?

Karmacat

Definitely interesting, in the sense of the Chinese curse ...

Shallow baskets seem helpful for harvesting fresh greens from the garden, I think - I can imagine (haven't done it yet ) snipping a bit of sorrel, a few nettle tops, some chives, some oregano, a bit of mint, then dunking in a bowl of fresh water and patting it dry to chop into the salad ... got to rescue the mint from the stupid Japanese anemone that keep growing after I try to dig them out

greenbee

Japanese anemones are almost impossible to get rid of...

Karmacat

Nooooooooooo! Don't say that! :rotfl: It's the most overstocked border in the world

- ivy draped over the fence itself, from next door
- main plant that I have is a quince, which I've harvested in the past.
- a huge fern.
- a sedge, which has grown since I took my eye off the ball.
- s*dding Japanese anemones.
- sorrel (which I planted)
- the mint, chocolate (which I planted)
- various weedy volunteers, including hairy bittercress
- grape hyacinths, volunteers but I like them.

Its about 30 inches wide, and its right outside my back door. It *has* to be tidier than this .... never mind, I've got plans

moneyistooshorttomention

Ivy - now that I would be thinking "Yikes" about (if not as much as some other plants I can think of) and make that triple "yikes" because it was the neighbours, rather than mine.

Speaking personally - I'd be glad to know an absolutely infallible way to deal with ivy once and for all. My garden had ivy coming into it from 2 different neighbours when I bought the house and I've ripped it off a joint wall it was coming in on and ripped out of a "bed" near another neighbour and removed every last trace AFAIK.

Which has been followed - more than once - by spotting a bit of ivy trying to grow on up through a bit of soil adjacent to one of the neighbours concerned. All (organic) suggestions welcome....

Has anyone got any idea how far down ivy roots can go into soil?

greenbee

The organic solution to ivy is the one you are using. You then need to dig down about 18 inches all the way round your garden and put a barrier all around the edge to stop things growing through underground.

The non-organic one is to put some weedkiller in a jar and drop a length of ivy into it. Although your neighbours might not be thrilled when their ivy dies.

moneyistooshorttomention

Thanks.

In the event - one neighbour had removed theirs before I moved in.

The worst-affected removed theirs after I moved in for the main area they were affecting. The bits that come up at intervals are usually right next to where they still have some - and I've never yet been able to identify whether its there as a "meant to be" or a weed in their garden.

Thinks - there ought to be a list out there somewhere of "what neighbours do and/or neglect that might affect your garden" - as that's something that I've never yet read a specific book (or even article) about and its very much down to "play it by ear and hope they dont affect you - and look up whats what if they do" scenario. Definitely not something budding gardeners learn about when we pick up basic "how to be a gardener" type info.

monnagran

MITSTM. You've got it about right. We should be more concerned about what we are doing to our neighbours with our planting.

When I moved into my cottage (semi-detached) it was January and I could see that the wall dividing our properties had a green hedgey type thing planted on my side. What with moving, having much done to the place and coping with 41/2 acres I didn't give much thought to this hedge. However, I was delighted to discover in the summer that it was Jasmine and had the most delicate and fragrant perfume. Give it a few weeks and the green hedge had covered the wall, the wall of the house, half covered the roof and was pushing tiles off, (Grade 2* listed. Not funny!) And had managed to do the same next door and had managed to push through into their conservatory and was flourishing in there. Added to which the delicate fragrance had become so overpowering that it now resembled the aroma of dirty nappies. The gratitude of our neighbours when I had the whole thing ripped out was humbling.

Yes, I've battled Japanese anemones also.

Gardening is a battlefield and takes no prisoners. I have heard that some people do it for pleasure. Morons!

x

moneyistooshorttomention

....and, on that note, ie "doing it for pleasure" (hollow :rotfl:) I'll finish my little sit-down I've been having from feeling shattered and try and push myself back out into the garden to get on with another task that looks like its going to take a lot more time and effort than I had bargained on. Fingers crossed I'm not about to find another bit of couch grass (ie when I thought I'd removed it all....).

No - it aint a pleasure - I just want "the goods" (ie the food).....:(

Try to think about the plus side - we've still got Summer tied-up here in Wales - and I'm of no mind to let her go yet...

Frugal_gem

Hi All,

De-lurker here!

Just popping in to see if anyone has been listening to the Dangerous Visions series on BBC Radio 4? It's different stories and updated stories / novels on dystopian futures - anything from the effects of global warming and the government to cloning. I love sci fi so have been avidly listening, but thought it might appeal as some of it seems in-keeping with this brilliant thread. I would start with the short 'Dark Vignettes: Blackout'.

Anyone, I shall carry on reading and if this is not your thing, please ignore!!

Gem