2023 - the good, the not so good but hopefully not ugly of growing your own!

Suffolk_lass

carinjo said:

@Suffolk_lass they didn't have the tromboncino at garden centre, so got the Sicilian snake. Aparently the squash can grow up to 2m! 

    Oh my goodness. You must be bonkers! Just don't feed them. I had ENORMOUS pumpkins one year. You know, the kind that deter you from using them!!

carinjo

Hehe, i should be so lucky!
We moved the brassicca tunnel and strengthened it (collapsed over winter). The 2 little mice i disturbed in the old compost heap seems to have found a home in a compost bag in shed. Ms C flat out refuses to go near the shed now! 
Absolutely gorgeous morning here in hertfordshire, i'm at work the whole day, but hope everyone has a productive day!

alicef

Soooooo....  we've finished the winter pruning in the orchard and I have cut back the canes of about 1/3rd of the autumn raspberries and sorted out the blackberries, tayberry & loganberry.

A 1/2 tray of broad beans have poked their heads above the loo roll inner so I shall plant these out in about another week; early pea sowings are emerging in the raised bed.  The tomatoes are starting to form their true leaves so I will think about these. 

 I've avoiding thinking about sorting out the polytunnel by going on snowdrop walks.....

MissRikkiC

I too walked around a snowdrop walk yesterday at golden hour @alicef it was beautiful. Picture below 

alicef

@MissRikkiC - Fab picture! - the immense drifts & carpets are so beautiful!  We've been so lucky with the weather over the last 2 weekends to get out and about.  Also v. easy way to donate to our local charities and pick up some v. excellent raspberry jam.  I even made scones the other day!!!!!

KajiKita

Planted out my second attempt at broad beans (first was eviscerated by that snow and hard cold weather we had), put copper slug collars around them and fleece over the top of them to give them some wind protection for a week or two, until they get away. They seemed very tender to me, not robust enough to go outside without some tlc.

There was enough sun in the garden this weekend that I found myself weeding one of the veg beds. Slow work as it is riddled with bindweed! I know if am not getting it all out, but I am hoping I have knocked it back by taking it out to three or four inches down.

My tomatoes have germinated so one job this week will be to do some potting up of them. My sweet peppers are through, but only just so I shall leave them for a while before potting them on. 

KK

Suffolk_lass

My update from the RHS suggests planting chilli seeds this month. Oh Good, with house turmoil and husband repeat hospital things I have planted nothing so far. A good job I have heated propagators! - Today is the day to start some seeds or I will have nothing!

droopsnoot

I threw out two of the tomato seedlings I'd potted as they looked dead, but the other two seemed to have revived themselves a little so they had a reprieve. I also planted some new seeds to see if they come up a little stronger. I've got signs of activity from a couple of the Money Maker seeds, too.

MissRikkiC

My 2.5 year old was very quiet today and I knew she was up to something. I went into the conservatory and the little starter pots were empty. She had pulled the tomato seedlings out. Of a type of tomato with just 4 seeds to a packet 😠 

When I explained they would have to go in the bin now and we would have to start all over again, she got very upset and said ‘just put them back in!’ 

Oh how I wish that would work. Maybe a life lesson there 🤪

YBR

Managed to spend some time in the garden over the weekend and this morning. The Greenhouse is now much tidier, which enabled me to plant the first seeds of this year - lettuce.
Then concentrated on the herb bed that was choked with dead leaves. The plants there have to compete with a vigorous Bay tree so it's quite dry, it seem's that's done for some of my strawberries, but I've some potted-up runners so planted those.  
I took another hack at the Bay also, so one side done, top needs doing and 2 more sides tidying up.
When we moved here the bay was a shrub covering almost the whole bed and shading the one next to it, so I've made a fair impact over the 8 years we've been here.