The gardening thread

[contadino]

To add to my wildlife I still have a rampant mole ...

... s/he is living in holes and producing mountains under a couple of trees and a patch in the front "lawn"
I can use the mountains for re-potting various items. Just hoping that I don't have too many collapsed tunnel / runs over the summer.

One year I decided to grow a vegetable rainbow, with rows of different coloured vegetables. It started out fine until voles discovered the patch and ate the roots. Each day I'd find a couple of plants that had been healthy hours earlier just gone.

The dogs were keen to get in and sort the problem out but I kept the soil loose and hoped for the best, but to no avail. One day I threw the towel in, told the dogs to do their worst and went off to the beach for the afternoon. When I got back I was greeted by a scene from Wallace and Gromit vs the Wererabbit. Two knackered and happy dogs, the veg garden totally destroyed...never had a vole problem after that.

 

[gentlegreen]

First attempt at a dedicated bubble cloner for veggie seedlings...
Foodsaver foiled all over to exclude light, wide slots cut, soft sponge pad hotglued to the top with narrow slots cut to grip the seedlings gently
I currently have ten different leafy things I want to grow hydroponically - so I've numbered everything - though most of them are easy to recognise and certainly will be once they start growing a bit.

I'm expecting my airstones to arrive shortly.

Next to mix up some half strength nutes ...

 

[gentlegreen]

It just dawned on me ...
Along with the nettles, I brought home some bramble root.
Were I staying here - and it's certainly an option in my future garden, I could simply use brambles as an animal deterrent.
Here, it's ideal. The neighbours built sheds at the end of the garden and let it all run rampant.
I suspect the corrugated iron shed is 18 inches from the end because of the Anderson shelter that's still partly under there .

 

[iona]

Found a knackered bee in the barrow of grass I was about to compost this morning, so I let it warm up in my hand then gave it some sugar syrup. Their tongues are so cool

 

[iona]

Yes I keep a sachet of sugar in my wallet specially for hungry bees

 

[gentlegreen]

Another of today's purchases ...
ten fishing floats for £3.95 ...
Because of the location of my Kratky hydroponic "tanks" on top of the porch, I needed an easy way to check the nutrient level.
The technique relies on the level varying from no more than 3/4 down to half full to keep the air and water roots healthy...
I will have to find tubes to mount them in, but I think that by removing the weight and cutting off the line=mounting spigot, these will do the job.
The more elegant way would be to mount reed switch and magnet float switches and I still haven't ruled that out ...
I will probably see if I can have both.

 

[StoneRoad]

View attachment 324184
Roll up, roll up to the Alium Café.

Onion flavoured honey ?

 

[StoneRoad]

Yes I keep a sachet of sugar in my wallet specially for hungry bees

Yup.
ditto ...
I regularly rescue bees [and wood wasps], usually from in the house, but also from plenty of other places.

Bees seem to find me "interesting" as out in the garden they often come to visit me.
Touch wood, I've yet to be seriously stung ...

 

[gentlegreen]

Please forgive the heavy breathing, for some reason movie maker doesn't work with my phone videos ...
Touch wood, with the air pump tucked out of the way, the whole setup probably won't be too annoying.
I will need to anchor the airstones somehow ...

 

[steveseagull]

After some sort of tree/bush/conifer thing to shield off a footpath from the garden. They need to be about 1.5 metres high and fair low maintenance.

Any recommendations please?

 

[BoatieBird]

Are you talking about a single plant or a run of plants steveseagull?
If it's a run of plants then maybe a mixed hedging pack? Good for wildlife

Mixed Native Hedging Plant Packs for Wildlife - Hedges Direct

Buy Mixed Native Hedging Packs online. Economy, Coastal and Garden MIxed Native Hedging Packs - Discounted bare root hedging packs.

www.hedgesdirect.co.uk

A brutal chop every now and then will keep the height in check

 

[steveseagull]

Are you talking about a single plant or a run of plants steveseagull?
If it's a run of plants then maybe a mixed hedging pack? Good for wildlife

Mixed Native Hedging Plant Packs for Wildlife - Hedges Direct

Buy Mixed Native Hedging Packs online. Economy, Coastal and Garden MIxed Native Hedging Packs - Discounted bare root hedging packs.

www.hedgesdirect.co.uk

A brutal chop every now and then will keep the height in check

Thank you. Need a row of three or so to cover 1.5 metres in length

 

[Leafster]

After some sort of tree/bush/conifer thing to shield off a footpath from the garden. They need to be about 1.5 metres high and fair low maintenance.

Any recommendations please?

If you're looking for something with a consistent growth pattern then I like beech hedging.

It keeps its (dried) leaves over winter so provide some screening but also changes with the seasons.

 

[two sheds]

Leylandii is a fast growing hedge that's traditionally been recommended

 

[gentlegreen]

This morning was all about firming up the planting areas and access in the veg garden.
As you can see that at high noon there is no sunlight in the top left hand corner, so I will be fattening up some of my kale seedlings.
It will be interesting to see if it grows at all there - hence the NFT on the south-facing fence.
But at least I will have tried.
Hopefully the winter squashes lower down will at least make pretty leaves ...

So the main growing beds in the "top field" are only 6 feet by 4 feet 6.
So I planted the top bit with solanaum tuberosum - var. "Pentland Javelin" for which I only paid £1.50 and they still look OK for planting even though they've been sitting on a windowsill for weeks ..

With the sun going over the house, I will be in the front this afternoon moving a verbena bonariensis to make room for planting two sunflowers - and I'm more than a little tempted to plant the ones that have been in 15 litre buckets - as the ones in 3 litre pots are not going to give of their best .. slightly risky, but nothing ventured, nothing gained - I will probably then plant the other ones in the buckets ...

I will also see if I can get some nicotianas in the ground - which will piss off the cat that uses it as a toilet - and that means I will have to protect the bed where the climbers are going as well..

 

[gentlegreen]

Front garden Nicotianas planted.
If these get killed by downy mildew I will have snapdragons or helichrysum (straw flowers) to take their place - though that would not be the same at all ....

I found positions that kind of worked for the sunflowers. Luckily the garden faces east so the blooms may end up still facing the street

I moved the verbena bonariensis around so it made some sort of sense in terms of framing the window boxes - like the sunflowers...
I'm hoping the bronze fennel gets to a decent size to build on the diffusing effect ...
I also raised the grass and the window boxes and rotated the Joe Pye to put a rogue tall one at the back.
Just as with the back garden, symmetry is a challenge because of shade on one side ...



Gardening with OCD ....

I will be out there later with both slug pellets and chilli powder to deter the cat.

 

[BristolEcho]

Panicked a little bit earlier as the water in my bog plant is stagnant and we found some maggot like creatures.

Turns out they are rat tailed maggots and turn into drone flies which are good for plants.

Some snaps my partner took.

 

[bimble]

 

[gentlegreen]

I nearly had a bee incident to report.
A swarm flew over my head - sadly no camera to hand - but my first encounter in 62 years ...

 

[StoneRoad]

Had a trip to the not quite local garden centre that we often patronised BC [Before Covid] ...
[e2a - not one of the big chains, but I don't think it is fully independent, either]

Unfortunately, the wind was getting very nippy, so I didn't want to hang about outside.
I did, however, partake in some purchases as well as a cup of quite decent coffee.
I'll need another visit during a less windy day as I want to really look at the outside plants, and I may lash out on some veg seeds. Although it is more than likely that they may come from another establishment.

I bought a few routine items.
Plus some cucurbits as my various seeds have not germinated [yet].
My friends decided on half a dozen house plants.
There were some very nice specimen cacti, but seemed far too expensive [and my OH has an irrational dislike of spikey plants]
Impulse purchase - Houttinya cordata "Pied Piper" - I was impressed by the colours !

Unfortunately, the lass who usually looks after the live pets wasn't at work today. So, our intended purchase of another hamster is still to happen.
Which reminds me, there's two gerbil cages to clean out tonight.

 

[gentlegreen]

Houttinya cordata "Pied Piper" - I was impressed by the colours !

"fish mint"
Apparently tastes of it

 

[iona]

I nearly had a bee incident to report.
A swarm flew over my head - sadly no camera to hand - but my first encounter in 62 years ...

Bee swarm behaviour is fascinating. They send out the most experienced scouts to look for a new nest site while the rest of the swarm clusters around the queen to protect her. When the scouts come back, they dance to communicate the direction & distance of the potential nest site they've found and how good it is. If they can't decide where to go, other scout bees will go back to the sites they're trying to choose between.

 

[gentlegreen]

I felt certain initially it was a drone !
(as in "eye in the sky" ...)

 

[gentlegreen]

No amaranthus seedlings have appeared in my garden - and looking at photos from last year and seeing I'm way ahead, I reckon I need to sow some - but not caudatus ... neither of those amaranthuses had germinated on 5th June .... it grows like a weed ...




If I'd thought ahead it would probably have been angelica...

Amaranthus Marvel Bronze
Sadly only T&M have it so £5 including postage and there's nothing else I want ... ..

Thompson & Morgan Amaranthus paniculatus Marvel Bronze Garden Seed Flowering | eBay

Amaranthus paniculatus 'Marvel Bronze'. Sow February to April. Do not cover the seed. During germination, allow the temperature to reduce at night. Can also be sown direct outdoors where they are to flower.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[gentlegreen]

I see they have lobelia cardinalis plugs too going cheapish - though they'll still charge me postage on the seeds
Oh well I'll have them for next year too at least ...
And sadly several angelica gigas may be heading my way too ...

And I may need some red daisy things - I wonder if it's too late to start off Bishop of Llandaff dahlias ???

 

[gentlegreen]

So the "kale bed" (top left) does get a very brief window of sunshine ...
I think I'll sow alfalfa and maybe some fenugreek while the plants are fattening up ... in fact I'll do the courgette and squash beds too ...
I'll get the peas and carrots sown today.
I will also get the squashes and courgettes out into the nano greenhouses - not sure when I'll plant them out ...

 

[gentlegreen]

And the bloody fox is taking the piss.
A higher fence coming up.
Though perhaps catching the wires on the way over may already make him think again.

 

[clicker]

Are these honey bees? I'm saying that like I know there are other sorts . Anyway, they're getting drunk at the Salvia Arms.

 

[gentlegreen]

The fence is now 6 inches higher and I added an extra intermediate support - so hopefully they won't even get into the garden - let alone leap back over it...

So this morning I started by selecting the best of 11 kinds of leggy greens seedlings and put them in the bubble cloner to fatten up ready for the hydro.
I also potted-on about 30 kale seedlings for the garden ...

In the garden I sowed my three kinds of peas - pretty well ignoring the spacing instructions.
At the very least I will have plenty of pea shoots and one of them is mange-tout.
As with the tomatoes I suspect most will be grazed on in situ.

The courgette and squash plants are out in the sunshine fattening up and I sowed alfalfa as a nitrogen-fixing cover crop while waiting for them and the kale to be ready for planting - or rather until they actually block out the light ...

I have only carrots to sow tomorrow,

I will start my French beans off in pots - I'm massively out of sync with having thinned sunflowers for them to climb up ...

 

[gentlegreen]

Are these honey bees? I'm saying that like I know there are other sorts . Anyway, they're getting drunk at the Salvia Arms.

white bum bumbles