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

Soontobeoap

Soo excited today. Whilst working in the garden 2 sparrows showed up, then 3, then 4. I cant remember ever seeing birds in this garden. (unless you count pidgeons) So pleasant to sit with my ice lolly in the garden and watch them confidently flying from bean poles to lupins eating greenfly, blackfly and other insects. They were also collecting bits of coconut matting for their nests. I was wondering if they have a 2nd brood to look after. We had rain over night and runner beans, cucumber plant and tomatoes seem to have almost doubled in size. They are definitely looking much healthier. Planted more carrot seeds today. Hoping they come on as well as the first lot are. More strawberrys picked and radishez are ready. Must sow some more. Potato pots are now nearly all filled with soil. GSs were a bit later planting theirs out but will be topped up soon. More rain this afternoon but I worked through it. Very pleasant to be out in. 

droopsnoot

jokono said:

We have couch grass at the allotment, I don't know if I'll ever get rid of it. I dig out as much as I can, but some roots break when I pull very gently, and also there's grass everywhere around the plots. There's loads grown again around the raspberry and currants and I'm worried about digging to close to the bushes' roots. It feels like I'll be digging out grass forever 😖

I think I have similar at home - I've got grass growing in all the flower borders, it's all intertwined with the plants and flowers that are supposed to be there so it makes it even more tricky to remove.

Glittering_M

Well I am certainly glad we had rain last night although I'm surprised when I went out this am buckets didn't seem that full. When I'm out, my partner doesn't seem to recognise that the garden need watering unless I explicitly ask him to so a bit of rain will help some neglect. I'm hoping I'll be able to actually dig out some more bed as I've got some plants that are desperate to go out but I've got no room! Hopefully I'll be able to sow some seeds too but I'm out today so it will have to be later in the week.

Did anyone else go to Gardener'5 W0rld live? I was a bit disappointed, everything seemed very expensive so I didn't actually buy anything! I had hoped to be able to buy some specialist herbs (e.g. horehound, mrtyle, soapwort etc) but there was only one herb seller that I found and they didn't have anything particularly unusual. Saying that, I was nearly tempted to pick up a 'cola' plant (only for the smell so wouldn't be worth it). I know of some specialist retailers online where I can get what I want but they nearly always seem out of stock! On the advert it mentioned ask the experts section so I took photos of things but never saw anyone! Saying that, whilst disappointed in buying options I certainly enjoyed looking around so I'm glad I went particularly as it is in effect 2 shows in one (with G00d F00d). 

Deer ate my evening primrose that I planted out last weekend so I'm annoyed about that! 

The plants I've planted out in the last couple of weeks haven't done much growth wise. I don't know if there isn't enough nutrients in the soil? They are new beds that were grass but good beds a couple of decades ago. If I put well rotted horse manure on is that too late?

Think that's my update for the week! Hope you are all having a good week. 

Farway

Glittering_M said:

Well I am certainly glad we had rain last night although I'm surprised when I went out this am buckets didn't seem that full. When I'm out, my partner doesn't seem to recognise that the garden need watering unless I explicitly ask him to so a bit of rain will help some neglect. I'm hoping I'll be able to actually dig out some more bed as I've got some plants that are desperate to go out but I've got no room! Hopefully I'll be able to sow some seeds too but I'm out today so it will have to be later in the week.

Did anyone else go to Gardener'5 W0rld live? I was a bit disappointed, everything seemed very expensive so I didn't actually buy anything! I had hoped to be able to buy some specialist herbs (e.g. horehound, mrtyle, soapwort etc) but there was only one herb seller that I found and they didn't have anything particularly unusual. Saying that, I was nearly tempted to pick up a 'cola' plant (only for the smell so wouldn't be worth it). I know of some specialist retailers online where I can get what I want but they nearly always seem out of stock! On the advert it mentioned ask the experts section so I took photos of things but never saw anyone! Saying that, whilst disappointed in buying options I certainly enjoyed looking around so I'm glad I went particularly as it is in effect 2 shows in one (with G00d F00d). 

Deer ate my evening primrose that I planted out last weekend so I'm annoyed about that! 

The plants I've planted out in the last couple of weeks haven't done much growth wise. I don't know if there isn't enough nutrients in the soil? They are new beds that were grass but good beds a couple of decades ago. If I put well rotted horse manure on is that too late?

Think that's my update for the week! Hope you are all having a good week. 

I bet after the rain you had overnight, they will rocket away now, somehow rain perks things up while just plain old watering seems to keep them alive

carinjo

Enjoying reading everyone's posts after 2 weeks away. For some reason my email updates stopped, so will have to sort that out.
Due to the extreme heat, all the salad and basil in the tomato bed bolted. The purple climbing beans and squashes slow to start, but surviving. More asparagus germinated, think 9 of the 10 crowns! 
The autumn planted onion  and garlic ready to be harvested soon, so the space will free up for greenhouse.
Had great pleasure in eating my first strawberry, so big and sweet! Ms C also managed to find a couple of blackcurrents. 
At home a few things bolted, but the cucumber, bush tomatoes and potatoes in buckets all doing well. Dug my hand into a potato bucket and found a salad sized potato. Will start harvesting as needed from next week.

So thankful for neighbours both on allotment and at home who helped keep everything alive.

In the next week or so the leeks and brassicas needs planting out and will see if it worth still sowing dwarf beans, might just stick green manure in the space.

KajiKita

Good haul of strawberries this evening, thyme and bay leaves collected for OH’s Coq au Vin and have broad beans coming on stream, finally! 😊 I have no idea how though - the ground is bone dry to a depth of at least 5 inches as I discovered when finally planting out my courgette plant - yes, just the one as there is only two of us ….! 😂😉

I am tracking all my produce (edibles and flowers) from the garden this year as supermarket price for organic at the time of harvest (so organic strawberries are at £10/Kg atm). I’m up to £69 so far since January (herbs add up *really* quickly!) and it looks to me as if I will easily pass the £100 target I set myself for the year. My next plan is to harvest some of my gargantuan sage plant that is taking over the world(!) before it flowers and dry that over the weekend - I’m hoping Friday evening will be a good time for this task as we will have had two dry days by then, according to the forecast …. 🤞

KK

Suffolk_lass

Glittering_M said:

Well I am certainly glad we had rain last night although I'm surprised when I went out this am buckets didn't seem that full. When I'm out, my partner doesn't seem to recognise that the garden need watering unless I explicitly ask him to so a bit of rain will help some neglect. I'm hoping I'll be able to actually dig out some more bed as I've got some plants that are desperate to go out but I've got no room! Hopefully I'll be able to sow some seeds too but I'm out today so it will have to be later in the week.

Did anyone else go to Gardener'5 W0rld live? I was a bit disappointed, everything seemed very expensive so I didn't actually buy anything! I had hoped to be able to buy some specialist herbs (e.g. horehound, mrtyle, soapwort etc) but there was only one herb seller that I found and they didn't have anything particularly unusual. Saying that, I was nearly tempted to pick up a 'cola' plant (only for the smell so wouldn't be worth it). I know of some specialist retailers online where I can get what I want but they nearly always seem out of stock! On the advert it mentioned ask the experts section so I took photos of things but never saw anyone! Saying that, whilst disappointed in buying options I certainly enjoyed looking around so I'm glad I went particularly as it is in effect 2 shows in one (with G00d F00d). 

Deer ate my evening primrose that I planted out last weekend so I'm annoyed about that! 

The plants I've planted out in the last couple of weeks haven't done much growth wise. I don't know if there isn't enough nutrients in the soil? They are new beds that were grass but good beds a couple of decades ago. If I put well rotted horse manure on is that too late?

Think that's my update for the week! Hope you are all having a good week. 

Normal time to add this is in the autumn, so the worms have a chance to pull it down into the topsoil. I think there is a danger it is too strong and will "burn" your plants. Better to give them something like a dilute liquid feed - seaweed or liquid tomato food (tomorite?) are good, or miracle grow for things that flower.

Here we have now planted out three out of five squashes - Tromboncino, Crown Prince Pumpkin and 5 courgettes (yes, only two of us too @KajiKita but I have a commercial freezer in the pig shed that holds my frozen garden produce, and I grow lots to make soups and cakes that are also frozen). Just one cucumber left in an interim pot (Crystal Lemon - last year's seed, it was slower to germinate) and butternut squashes that will follow the soon to be harvested potatoes and (by the look of them) onions.

The remaining gooseberries that the greedy pigeon missed are changing colour and ripening, the asparagus has bolted (the tips when it fans out are lovely, but the seeds can upset your tummy) and we are picking strawberries. The blackcurrants will be plentiful but are yet to ripen.

Oh, and once again, we had no red currants as the birds pinched them first. Rhubarb is dwindling, although the rain may have helped, and most beans are doing their things but something munched off half of one variety of dwarf French bean, despite the bed being rabbit-fenced and netted 

Glittering_M

Thank you @Suffolk_lass that is what I wondered. The weeds are taking over but slowly the plants seem to be growing a bit more in the rain. 

I think partially I'm a bit too impatient for gardening!

-taff

Everything seems ot be taking an age to really get going. The only things nearly ready are the potatoes [salad type]  and a few measly rocket plants. I accidentally broke off the main stem of the cherry tomato outside and that was doing really well, bigger than the one in the greenhouse. On the plus side I have finally had one artichoke sprout so I'll be guarding that until it's big and strong.

Ronald_Cham77

If your household (DH) has the energy and enthusiasm to help with various tasks, you can ask him to take on specific tasks such as weeding, mowing hedges, removing clippings, turning over compost, and other similar tasks. Mr. C.K., as I understand it, prefers the more physical and practical tasks of gardening to the more subjective or labor-intensive tasks. He probably has more physical strength and ability than you, and enjoys organizing, cleaning, and restoring.

I hug you and want to encourage you in your efforts. Sharing tasks and helping each other can make work more efficient and enjoyable for both of you. Feel free to ask for help and share the workload to get through the tasks in the garden.