The great, good and not so good bits about growing your own dinner 2017

CAFCGirl

:(:(:(:(

Feeling completely dejected.
I suffered sunburn last week and it has triggered sun poisoning rash (I always believed I was just allergic to most sunscreens). I have felt utterly awful, not to mention looking like I have some dreadful disease :eek:

So this glorious weekend saw me doing absolutely nada because I cant be out in the sun, and none of my clothes cover it enough for protection. Feel like I've lost valuable time and especially after doing so well with getting stuff done, this bump in the road is saddening/maddening.

Kantankrus_Mare

Oh heck CAFCGirl :eek: That sounds awful. Hope it clears soon for you. :(

Fruittea

Poor you CAFCGirl. I can't take much sun and suffer from rashes so I know how you feel. When everyones in shorts and tops I'm in trousers and long sleeved shirts. Yesterday was quite bright for the time of year and I felt a bit overwhelmed - when I got back from the lotty I had to lay down for an hour. So take care of yourself - is there any potting up or sowing that you can do indoors? At least this week will be a bit cooler.
Everyone else is doing so well. So pleased all the onions went in Kantankrus and so many! I have a propagating book - I'll take a look at clematis and see what it says.
I'll pop down to the lotty - just for an hour today as I have other commitments.
All the best.

zafiro1984

CAFCGirl do look after yourself, it sound horrendous. I don't like strong sun, I much prefer the shade when it's sunny. I find it hard to work in the sun, especially if there is no breeze, it snaps any energy I have. Hopefully this week things will become a little cooler and you'll start to feel better.

determined_new_ms

Poor you CAFGirl! Wishing you a very speedy recovery. Try not to worry about lost time, time seems to be on our side at the moment.

Today I am still a bit achy after Saturday & Sunday's stints so I decided to give it a rest today and have instead done a little tidying, potted on what needed it, sown some more salad leaves and repotted the mint. I didn't take very good care of it so it had died off but true to form has sprung back to life so put it in a bigger pot. Am sure in a week or 2 it'll be growing like crazy.

Planning a little trip to the garden centre with madam today

Fruittea

Kantankrus - I looked up clematis propagation and it says the easiest way to do it is to layer it. Encourage a vine to lay on the soil by pining it down to the surface and wait for it to naturally root.
Second best way is division. Divide late flowering plants in early spring and spring flowering plants in autumn.
Or take softwood cuttings from the new growth of the previous seasons vines.
Quite complicated really - if the plant was really strong I'd go for division.
Done at the lotty I split up some of the artichokes and replanted them - so I should get 4 more plants this year. I love artichokes and if you see them in the shops they are so expensive. Also thinned out the raspberries at bit and prepped a strip for peas which are coming up in root trainers.
All the best.

CAFCGirl

Thankyou all,

I guess Ive just been mad at myself for letting it happen and not being aware, as well as being mad at the interruption to my flow of getting work done up the plot, I was on a roll!

I really need to get back up there soon as I have peas that really need to go in, and my onion sets too:eek:!

The minigreenhouse at home is chock full of trays, so I'm at a point of waiting for them to do anything. I also have some seedlings to which I have lost the marker/never got round to writing, and for the love of gardening I cant figure out what they are. They're growing very nicely mind you

Onward and upward anyway, cant let it get me down for too long :A

Fruittea

That's the spirit CAFCGirl don't let it get you down. It's so early in the growing year - there's plenty of time.
I'm always mixing up my labels - usually on my tomatoes. It can be embarrassing when you give some to neighbours. Last year a neighbour took a couple that were marked as sweet cherry - he said how healthy and big they looked. They turned out to be Aunt Ruby's giant green tomatoes! Not quite what he wanted.
Looking at my allotment space yesterday I realise that it's filling up quickly and I'll have to make decisions about what I can grow. I'm not going to the carrots a line this year and I'll grow them in a tube close together. It's a cheap crop in the supermarket and I don't really have the space to give them a whole row. And I'm going to use square foot principles in the 2 raised beds. Where I'll cram in the salads and orientals.
Sowed White lady and Tenderstar runners which I'll plant together - hopefully giving me a lovely show of red and white flowers. I know it's early but I think I'll be alright as I have them under a bit of cover.

tibawo

Signed the tenancy agreement yesterday so have just been up to my new plot for half hour and was already struggling with the lock but luckily someone pulled up who was going in and told me that it is right code but lock is fiddly! She didn't know who exactly had my plot but said to be careful as there were rumours she had a strange approach to gardening. I chuckled and pointed at the half melted plastic Wendy house and said i got that feeling too!


There was some thick plastic sheeting that i pulled out... full of muck, snails, huge spiders, centipedes and probably other things too! It covered the width and nearly half the length of the plot so have just plonked it down and threw a few stones on. Underneath where the plastic was [about a metre] there was what i think is weed membrane so tentatively lifted this to see loads of random brick, rocks etc!


The ground is very uneven so until i have dug the weeds out etc we will have to tread carefully!


Compost big is full of composted material that has now got stuff growing out off it. The bin itself is in a really weird place, there is a small water butt, bins. However grass is rooted to membrane so this will be fun. Found a bramble trailing down the path and the chip board that is half grown on and half peeping out. Do i get rid of chipboard or can I break it down into soil?


What are peoples views of using weed killer right at the bottom where is meets the path? About 30cm width. Not planning on growing anything here as intend to put pots.

determined_new_ms

I did buy some weedkiller last year but just put it on the area I wasn't going to grow on. I've managed to get a lot more done than I originally thought and it doesn't seemed to have had any adverse effect, I've planted 20 strawberry plants there and they are going really strong. I guess it depends what you can live with! I felt really guilty. Not so guilty I'm not going to attack the marestail in my neighbours plot!