The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

Viking_mfw

May I join in? My ambition is mostly to try to keep the toddler in soft fruit - he is a devil for raspberries in particular. We also have strawberry plants looking pretty good. I think we'll grow some toms because they are also good for small children to pick at. Otherwise I'm just plodding on gradually converting our garden to producing food of different sorts. Cleared a large bush from.the front yesterday and I think I will try to get a couple of currants to.go in its place.

The seed potatoes I found hanging around in a tub from last year are not getting a fair go as it turns out, because the toddler also likes to redistribute soil...

baggins11

Welcome Viking! I look forward to hearing your progress. Keeping a toddler in soft fruit is an ambitious challenge.

CAFCGirl

I didn't mean to offend anyone with my dandelion love.
I often forget people live in areas unlike mine (urban) so dandelions are much welcome colour and aspect of nature to offset all the concrete.
The chickens I keep love dandelion leaves, Hugh F-W tells me (I'm reading a River Cottage book) to eat them like salad leaves and I also dry the flowers in June time to infuse into oil which I use in lotions, calves and soaps that I make. So effectively they're a crop to me LOL

CAFCGirl

Tomatoes are definitely good pickings for young hands.
Foraging blackberries is good too once you've worked out avoiding prickles.

The sun is here and the temp is already higher than its reached all week. HUZZAH!

I'm giving the plot today to dry out a bit, then will help there tomorrow. I had better write myself a list I think.....

baggins11

I am sure you didn't offend anyone CAFCGirl - it's really interesting to hear what you can do with dandelions. Nature is a marvellous thing.

CAFCGirl

Thankyou, I appreciate that.
I just didn't want to read as one of those do gooder how dare you types whose all evangelical about the virtues of dandelions and make anyone feel judged LOL

euronorris

baggins11 wrote: »

We have the same thing with ivy. People are constantly tell me how good it is for wildlife and I am happy for it to grow in the woodland but I don't want it invading my garden area and flower beds.

Yes, my MIL has a similar issue with Ivy. Their back garden backs onto a public pathway behind, lined with trees and bushes and various plants. One of which is Ivy, and it comes through every little gap it finds. If we didn't control it, their whole garden would be Ivy alone. As she and her husband are no longer able to do some of the more manual stuff, DH and I hack it back a few times a year. It still covers the shed roof mind. It's very tall and we can't reach the top of it. I fear it'll just collapse one day.


I have a bigger problem with spiders tbh. I am so fearful of them, but am working hard to just let them be (mostly), and not show DD that I'm afraid (in the hope that she won't be).


And yes, we have lots of other flowers in our garden also. There is a white flower in bloom at the moment. I don't know what it is. We rent this place so a lot of stuff was already here (another reason why we have to keep the lawn in 'good repair' - it's part of the contract). From a quick search on google, I think it's a serviceberry?! Anyway, it's very pretty. There is a very pretty, very tiny, Asian bleeding heart growing in the corner. I think it may have snuck through under the fence from next door. Though DD loves it, and 'harvested' most of those flowers yesterday when we were busy doing other stuff. And there is another plant/tree (?) that grows quite tall, and has lots of lovely, long tall purple flowers on it. I can't remember it's name. It grows prolifically. I have to prune it regularly! lol It grows wild around here also. Toadflax maybe?


I'm a bit rubbish with my flower names knowledge. As you might have guessed! lol

euronorris

Viking_mfw wrote: »

The seed potatoes I found hanging around in a tub from last year are not getting a fair go as it turns out, because the toddler also likes to redistribute soil...

Haha. I can relate! Do you have a little play table you could put some play sand in? We found that kept DD, mostly, entertained yesterday with her bucket and spade. I saw Tesco were selling them at a cheap price! (and great for doubling up to line bottom of plant pots with for drainage if necessary).


ETA: Now I'm all caught up. I am not offended. We all have different goals for our gardens/plots/land.


It's lovely that you use the dandelions to make such goodies CAFCGirl. I didn't know you could!


And yes, blackberry foraging is brilliant with the toddler. I did it last year, sooooo much! I still have jars of jam in the cupboard, and coulis in the fridge from doing that. And we enjoyed more than a few blackberry and apple crumbles too! DD had only just turned 2 then. And she did pretty well avoiding 'ouchies' from the thorns. A couple did get her, but nothing too bad. And....she wasn't very good at actually collecting them. Most of her foraging went straight into her mouth, despite my best efforts to stop her (I wanted to wash them first). There are sooooo many wild blackberry plants around here, and I know where most of them are now. I also sourced out a few damson trees, a pear tree and a load of elderberry trees YUM!

-taff

I have just made a total schoolboy error. I have mixed up my Costoluto and my French Black seedlings while potting on, and along with that is the reaslisation that what I marked as saved seed Brads Black Heart is in fact Black Trifele.
I am so disappointed with myself.....Now I have to find some more BBH and start those off, let's hope they catch up....

euronorris

I hope that works. Anyway, it's the garden 8 weeks ago (17th Feb) and today. Spring has most definitely sprung! The tree with the white flowers is past it's best for it's bloom period now, but still a few on there.