The ups, the downs and the insides out of growing your own in 2024!

kiss_me_now9

This is my rather sad looking blueberry bush. Do we think it's alive still? Do excuse the multitude of weeds in the base of the pot... 

sammy_kaye18

@kiss_me_now9 you'll probably be surprised that it will bounce back to life and is just dormant at the minute. 
My new little blueberry bush doesnt look more than a stick in a bucket at the minute. 

Well today has been productive. 
I managed to tidy up the front garden and get some rubbish bagged up which will hopefully be taken away soon and then decided that since it was still a nice day that I would get out in the back garden and put the steel rods with hooks in, and then cable tie chicken wire to them to create my barrier to keep the dogs away from any veggies I grow. I did start to dig a bed that is now in the said fenced off space, so I may just fill it with some hedge cuttings/leaves etc and top with compost and make a no dig bed there, and then put all the cardboard I have been saving down and wood chippings on top.
Just have to figure out some sort of gate now but for now it is a dog free zone so far! 

Have got some bits planted on the windowsill too
- jalapeno peppers
- basket of fire peppers
- peas
- beetroot
- potatoes are chitting (read that as I misplaced them and they sprouted in the bag) 
- sweet peas

I do have broad beans that will be going in tubs soon now that I have the patch ready in the garden. 
Today feels like it has been a productive day and with it looking lighter outside is feeling very spring-like

alicef

@kiss_me_now9 I would scrap a little area at the base of your blueberry with your fingernail - if it is green then your blueberry is fine.  If the scrapped bit is brown then I would say your plant has had it.

-taff

Garlic should ideally have been planted in November, you run the risk of small whole bulbs with no cloves now because it needs a cold spell..Doint something different has never stopped me experimenting before though...Feed them well.

ladybird1106

If you haven't put your garlic in the ground yet, you could put it in your fridge for about a week and then insert. This can help with cloving as it mimics a cold spell. However this doesn't alway work. 
Love 🐞

CoffeeSonata

I've been reading along, as late to the party and getting organised with my garden.  The garlic conversation is fascinating me. I lived somwhere (UK) colder before and colder in March. Planting garlic early march was still totally do-able.  Is it too late for mid-south UK now? (Just bought some from the garden centre).  I never knew about the on whole bulb versus clove being the reason it needs a cold spell, or to be in before christmas, or when it's stil cold. We always just planted end of Feb and first week of March when I was growing up.  

Half of me wants to try to get some of my garlic to do one whole bulb. Does it taste the same, like garlic just one whole clove/bulb? That could be fabulous for roast garlic! 

Am I doomed for clove garlics though in East Anglia? Was going to plant today! 

DD265

I planted garlic in spring the past two seasons and it turned out fine. I think it's worth a go regardless.

Not done a huge amount at the allotment; I'm largely trying to stay off the beds to avoid compacting them. I did shift some soil out of the way of the shed foundations, planted some more snow drops, and hung a bird feeder containing alpaca wool up for the birds. I want to start tidying up the strawberry bed, but conscious that there will be insects nesting in there still, so holding off for now.

It'll be all go-go-go soon enough!

kiss_me_now9

-taff said:

Garlic should ideally have been planted in November, you run the risk of small whole bulbs with no cloves now because it needs a cold spell..Doint something different has never stopped me experimenting before though...Feed them well.

My garlic's been in since long before Christmas somehow all 30 cloves I planted have sprung up beautifully with lovely green tops and I am looking forward to an abundance of garlic later on this year! 

KajiKita

Got my potted up and sprouted shallots in the ground yesterday 😊

Still finding deer hoofprints! 🙄 Need to set up the wildlife camera to see if we can see where it is coming in from. 

KK

CoffeeSonata

DD265 said:

I planted garlic in spring the past two seasons and it turned out fine. I think it's worth a go regardless.

Not done a huge amount at the allotment; I'm largely trying to stay off the beds to avoid compacting them. I did shift some soil out of the way of the shed foundations, planted some more snow drops, and hung a bird feeder containing alpaca wool up for the birds. I want to start tidying up the strawberry bed, but conscious that there will be insects nesting in there still, so holding off for now.

It'll be all go-go-go soon enough!

Thanks! I will try. Sad I didn’t get anything in raised beds or pots yesterday.  Plan all went very wrong. I’ve lost the shed key.  

Got (slightly unreasonably ) grumpy as partner needed me and it was 4pm  before I could even attempt the garden - then still hadn’t located shed key and it was cold and all the sun was gone. 

Planned to at least plant bareroot soft fruit canes and dig over raised bed, plant garlic and onions and radishes direct into it. 

Still not made any progress with that. 

Did manage to plant one redcurrant cane at the back of the garden. Plan is to cordon it or possibly fan train  it on the back fence.  

Planted one gooseberry on the edge east facing garage  wall which gets shade from afternoon on and has a (very very neglected and only
Half trained espalier now looking somewhat tree like at top no idea what to do, totally dropped the ball on that one when I was sick and because the upper wires weren’t put in) 

ended up heeling in the other fruit canes in a large pot , in late twilight as they are beginning to leaf and I bought them on Wednesday I think so they really needed water/ soil. 

Two more raspberry canes in their rootball/ packaging I have just left as they appear still dormant.
Rain all day today, and much of next week so quite sad I didn’t manage all the things especially as the garlic really needed planting. 

Bit worried I’m pushing it with the onions and garlic now . (And potatoes still chitting and not progressing, also pushing it!)

I’m on my own today so going to try to get seeds planted indoors, in the normal propagator and my shiny heated prop with capillary mat that I have had for 2 years ish and not used yet (shame!).

to plant :
      - peas? 

      - pea shoots (for windowsill) 
      - peppers 
      - tomatoes 
      - marigolds
      - broad beans 
 And sweet peas! 

I know some of these may be a bit late but I think they will catch up. Have been stung by late frosts and water logging  / not able to put out/ harden off and then leggy weak plants.  But may be a little late. We’ll see. 

This is my first year really since finally managing to (almost ) complete re landscaping the garden to a gravel garden with 2 small raised beds for growing.  So I don’t have many interesting plant in. Last year tried to lazy grow kale and spinach (slugs! Snails ! I did not get any.)  & my carrots just ….. didn’t carrot. The caterpillars got my lettuce.  So success in largest (4ft by 6ft?) raised bed was 0.  

The plant is a flower filled kitchen / potager garden that grows plenty of herbs and some veg (raised bed) and fruit around the garden. 

With things that cope with low rainfall only watering essentials for growing food.

The flowers and structural plants I plan to have being all gravel/ garden dry garden suitable and not require watering mostly even in the summer once established. 

I’m on a mission this year to actually 1- grow more than just tomatoes and my fruit trees , 2- have a very pretty garden to look at. 

It’s currently very neglected over winter though with lots of things I should have done … not. (Roses pruning, lavender pruning, herbs pruning / sorting etc).  I’m hoping it’s not too late to sort out some of the dead lavender spires as some are showing green regrowth. Am trying to grow a lavender hedge to border the garden / gravel from the patio - the biggest nemesis of the lavender is currently 2 x cats! 

The other problem is I have not so much space and want to grow ALL the things.