Show Us Your Veg Patch - You Know You Want To!! (Merged Thread)

kazwookie

I know the feeling escaping to the garden whislt dinner is cooking.........I watered the spuds last night, they seen to be growing like triffieds, already at the top of the sacks and still going!!

MrsMC well done, I'll take an updated one tonight.

Brassic

jtb2412 wrote: »

Some info for us newbies (you probably already know this ), I found out today (after ringing my MIL) not to worry about ants on plants - they eat the aphids/greenfly ! I saw loads of ants going up and down the stems of my blackcurrant bush cuttings and got worried they were eating it ! MIL told me to go and look closely at the stem and sure enough, they were eating loads of little green bugs on the stem so yay for the ants !!!! :T

Off to potter about again and see what else I can do :whistle:

Oooh, now that's interesting. I've been obsessing about the little critters as I have LOADS in my main veg patch. I thought I read somewhere that they could get inside your onions? Am I wrong then?

Brassic

Kaz2904

We're doing quite well at the moment. I've got my cos lettuces popping up quite well. My Lollo rosso are gone (slugs) although one looks like it's trying to make a comeback!
Every day for the last week DS & I have been out in the front garden with the scissors and the colander, chopping some lettuce ready for lunch/tea.
Where were the cauliflowers from for next year please? I think I might just about get them in in time!
All my tomato plants have flowers on them even the ones in the baskets which are still tiny.
I work nights and go straight outside every morning to water my basket tomatoes before it gets too hot. I also check to see how big stuff's getting.

jtb2412

Where were the cauliflowers from for next year please? I think I might just about get them in in time!

Hiya

The cauliflowers were just from seed (Suttons Seeds) and the variety is 'Galleon'. Sow in May and up to end of June, plant out in July and beginning of August and harvest next Apr/May. I'd be happy to send you a few seeds if you'd like?

Lotus-eater

jtb2412 wrote: »

Some info for us newbies (you probably already know this ), I found out today (after ringing my MIL) not to worry about ants on plants - they eat the aphids/greenfly ! I saw loads of ants going up and down the stems of my blackcurrant bush cuttings and got worried they were eating it ! MIL told me to go and look closely at the stem and sure enough, they were eating loads of little green bugs on the stem so yay for the ants !!!! :T

Nope!

Completely wrong, sorry.

Ants FARM aphids! They use the sticky honey dew liquid the aphids (ahem) pass through their bodies as food. You will see ants moving aphids around the plants and looking after them.

If you have them on your blackcurrant's, use soft soap.

~Chameleon~

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Nope!

Completely wrong, sorry.

Ants FARM aphids! They use the sticky honey dew liquid the ants (ahem) pass through their bodies as food. You will see ants moving aphids around the plants and looking after them.

Ahhhh that might explain my aphid problem I've had on my brassicas this year then as there are lots of ants nests nearby. Noticed them crawling all over my rhubarb yesterday too :mad:

divadee

heres the progress on vegetable patch the potatoes have gone mental and are starting to resemble the day of the trifids!!

nozzy6

I'm v jealous of your patch divadee! Its looking ace, and so tidy too!

divadee

nozzy6 wrote: »

I'm v jealous of your patch divadee! Its looking ace, and so tidy too!

thank you very much, i am a bit of a neat freak, and slightly ocd about it. Everything has to be neat and in straight lines etc... drives mr divadee mad lol

Primrose

Divadee - lovey tidy veggie plot! Just a thought about your tomato pots. I grew aubergines & peppers in pots on my yellow stoned patio last year and found that after feeding them with Tomarite, the patio stones underneath got stained brown with the compost liquid, etc. You might find that placing your pots in large plastic drip saucers will prevent any stain damage to what looks like white stones underneath them. It also allows any surplus water which contains liquid fertiliser to drain though, be collected rather wasted, and reused.