Help MBE grow his dinner 2013.

mrbadexample

It's a good job the Greek Air Traffic Controllers aren't on strike or anything.

Oh, hang on minute, yes they are.

D&DD

Hope you still manage to get away MrB

Molly are you in the U.K lol surely not if it was warm and sunny!

Having said that tho it's actually a really nice morning so far..shouldn't tempt fate should I really?

Need to get out the front garden and rig up my new wicker thing over the drainhole cover and thin out the calendula a bit and weed everywhere!

Foxy I did celery once and obviously did something very wrong,I still shudder at the thought of the taste of it

Vics so sorry to hear that will keep fingers crossed for you

Dinner is looking good so far at least all the spuds are sprouting anyway

RedLass

After days of cloud, gales and rain, we woke this morning to blue skies and little whispy clouds high in the sky. Phew.

My tomatoes, courgettes and cucumbers have all been hiding under upturned clear plastic storage boxes but this morning I've released them for a breather. The boxes are doing a good job of protecting them outside, but I don't like the idea of my tomatoes staying damp for too long.

Cucumbers - The tallest is about 12" high and climbing. It's been flowering for almost two weeks now but I very much doubt a bee has wandered past yet. The other two are much smaller and I've got a constant eye on them hoping that they get stronger soon. The runt of the group has more or less given up, it never looked healthy fromt he start. With only 4 out of about 15 having germinated, I plan to try a different variety next year.

Courgettes - My little plants remind me of Dumbo - I've never seen seed leaves so huge! They seem happy enough and I potted them on last weekend.

Tomatoes - Really pleased with these as I bought plants last year, but this year raised from seed. 17 out of 18 germinated and all are looking healthy, probably averaging about 6" tall now. I guess soon I need to learn about the bits that need picking off the tall types - I had bush varieties last year that needed nothing special doing.

Mange Tout - Going strong, I think, this is my first go. They're climbing, albeit a bit untidily.

French Beans - I started 4 plants indoors and planted out a few weeks back. They're growing much more slowly than I expected, I thought they'd be racers like runner beans. I have also sown 4 direct but these haven't shown up yet (I wouldn't have either given how chilly it's been).

Runner Beans - Sown direct 10 days ago, not showing any signs of life yet.

Garlic - Has been in since October(ish) and looks fine. I guess I just continue to leave it to its own devices until the summer.

On Sunday I put the last of the seeds out. Carrots (orange, white and yellow), parsnips, beetroot (yellow?), swede, salad onions, and red onion sets. I also put out some borage, marigold and nasturtium seeds. I'm looking forward to the flowers this year, they really brightened things up and added colour last summer, and this year I intend to have a few more.

There is a small 2 foot x 2 foot patch that is empty at the moment. I'm toying with trying strawberries again...

lemonjelly

Little_Vics wrote: »

we're getting close to being on flood alert again. Great.

How do you make a paddy field?

You choose to bat first?:p

lemonjelly

So have just been outside watering, & starting some of the major weeding I need to do.
I noticed that one of my composters has a significant amount of ants in & around it.

Is this going to be a problem? Or could it be a good sign?

I planned to start using some of it for repotting over the next couple of days. Looks like I need to repot a few carrots, my cucumber, and some of the beetroot that I started off in trays. Busy weekend then!

D&DD

They're probably using it as a lifeboat Lemon Usually we get a lot of ants here when it's really dry but people have been complaining of a lot of them this year and it's been wet! I don't think they'll hurt anything and they usually eat the greenfly but I could be wrong

Redlass sounds like your plot is doing well it's funny as much as the weather has been carp this year the plants are looking stupidly healthy, weird!

More potting on for me today and really tempted to plant out a few of my tomatoes as the wind seems to have gone for now.

I planted up my planter with sweet peas for the 4th year running out the front and keeping my fingers crossed this year,every year I have tried them out there they've been ruined by gales and struggled to get above a couple of feet high so we will see.I'll crack it eventually!!

annie123

D&DD all but my toms are out now and seem fine. I've got 3 in small pots still as I need compost for the buckets and as I've got a couple of fractured ribs (be careful of suddenly lurching over sofa arms that have wood under a very thin cover :mad:) going to have to wait till hubby picks me up some.
My overwintered chillis are out and fine, but not this years sown ones yet.
Gardening over the next week will consist of anything than can be done bending at the knees but not leaning over (so not a lot then) or sitting at a table indoors (could sow more seeds but need compost) so not a lot then. Although on all fours hand weeding might work?
Wanted to turn the compost but that will have to wait.

harrys_nan

Oh dear, think I may just as well give up.

The slugs have eaten all my purple sprouting and the leaves on my swede, so they have all gone, in the greenhouse they have had 3 of my pepper plants, thats without every thing else Ive lost :mad:

on the bright side, my runner beans are planted and seem to be ok and I have planted out the french beans today, the potatoes are coming up and I've had plenty of rhubarb.
Strawberries are in flower and rasberries wont be long
Had a beautiful day here today. is summer on it's way ?

D&DD

Thanks Annie have left a message for you in t'other thread
I'll stick them out I think I've checked on Metcheck and there's no really bad wind forecast so they'll be ok hopefully and as you know I have a few spares!

Harry'sNan so sorry to hear about the slug damage its frustrating sometimes isn't it.I use those nematode things and they do seem to work really well.I won't chance pellets since we got the dog just in case although she's good and doesn't go anywhere in the garden thats planted usually I would rather not risk it.

We have had two days now of thick black cloud but no rain,really strange as it's so dark it looks like it'll tip down any minute then it blows over.

Next 2 weeks are forecast to be a mix of the same so can someone send a bit of sunshine our way please

harrys_nan

I wont use slugs pellets because of the birds, but I'm getting very tempted. It is frustrating when it happens but I guess thats the joy of gardening. I have a frog now in my pond so perhaps he/she will earn its keep.