The gardening thread

[TopCat]

I’m eating tomatoes every day now, am giving gifts with a bunch of basil and parsley but am having to start thinking of chutney or similar.

 

[contadino]

Picked before heading off to work this morning, they’ll make for a lovely tomatoe salad later.

View attachment 335630

What are the stripey ones?

 

[Numbers]

What are the stripey ones?

Shimmer F1.

 

[contadino]

Shimmer F1.

They good eating? Sweet or acidic?

 

[two sheds]

A couple more nosy visitors


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And one that briefly confused me


View attachment Rec_20220713_034545_151_M.mp4

 

[Wolveryeti]

Anyone got any tips on protecting sweetcorn? Some accursed beast has been tucking into my immature cobs

 

[TopCat]

Anyone got any tips on protecting sweetcorn? Some accursed beast has been tucking into my immature cobs
View attachment 336228

I used to put road barrier screening all around my corn patch. Then watched Mr Fox teach his kids how to squash it and get the corn. Maybe piss around the patch? First wee of the day is best.

 

[Wolveryeti]

I used to put road barrier screening all around my corn patch. Then watched Mr Fox teach his kids how to squash it and get the corn. Maybe piss around the patch? First wee of the day is best.

This style of stuff?

 

[TopCat]

This style of stuff? View attachment 336241

Exactly. It kept rabbits away and was a sort of deterrent to foxes.

 

[TopCat]

As it’s so hot and I’m still hungover I decided to empty and turn and refill a 550 litre compost bin. Blimey. All energy gone now. I need another, bigger compost bin as well for chicken shit.

 

[TopCat]

Well watering aside this sunny weather has been fabulous for vegetables and flower seeds. My borders all came out of a few seed packets from pound shop and wilko.

 

[TopCat]

My climbing French beans are truly growing before my eyes.

 

[clicker]

Well watering aside this sunny weather has been fabulous for vegetables and flower seeds. My borders all came out of a few seed packets from pound shop and wilko. View attachment 336967View attachment 336968View attachment 336969View attachment 336970View attachment 336971

What's the 3rd pic down...the lemony mauve? Are they chilli's?

 

[TopCat]

What's the 3rd pic down...the lemony mauve? Are they chilli's?

Yeah chillis. They are a patio pot of fire plant. Pods going purple

 

[TopCat]

The chillis love the heat, sun and seaweed extract. I managed to get bone meal fish stuff from Poundland today. The seaweed is pricey. This was buttons. Garden will stink though.

 

[Leafster]

The one advantage of this extremely dry weather is that there hasn't been any slug or snail activity.

After an hour of rain my back garden looks like the equivalent of Victoria station in the rush hour for snails.

 

[two sheds]

It's raining proper wet rain and lots of it

 

[moonsi til]

Yep proper rain here too.

My sunflowers have really tiny heads! I just bought a regular pack. I didn’t support them this year.

 

[TopCat]

Legal notice of water restrictions | Help | Thames Water

Read the full legal notice of water restrictions, including what is prohibited and possible exceptions and how to make representations

www.thameswater.co.uk

 

[Callie]

My hydrangeas have gone a bit crispy. Is it a good or bad idea to chop off the crispy flower heads? I've already done some. I know they might not flower if you prune them too late in the year but not sure what this might do?

 

[cesare]

My hydrangeas have gone a bit crispy. Is it a good or bad idea to chop off the crispy flower heads? I've already done some. I know they might not flower if you prune them too late in the year but not sure what this might do?

Ours did as well. Someone will be along with good advice re chopping off the crispy heads I hope! Yesterday's rain really revived the leaves though.

 

[clicker]

Ah, they're all happy after a proper downpour.

 

[Signal 11]

My peppers are doing well now.

 

[Ron Merlin]

Thought I'd try dahlias again this year



All rather jolly

My beloved gaillardia are in full force too now. Love these things.


Happy times

 

[Wolveryeti]

A new project: I always sow a few 'insurance squashes' in case the ones I plant out fail. They normally go on the compost heap if not needed, but this chap (honeyboat squash) impressed me with his lust for life, so I whacked 50l of mpc in a dalek and put him in the top. To be continued!View attachment 330311View attachment 330312

So..... 6wks later, time for an update!

Little blighter has loved its time in the compost bin - sprawled everywhere and set at least one fruit. Fingers crossed it will ripen before October!

 

[TopCat]

Tomatoes are getting turned into confit and chutney and sauce this week. There are loads.

 

[two sheds]

Apparently peat-based compost has been banned in UK according to CPRE.

 

[Leafster]

Apparently peat-based compost has been banned in UK according to CPRE.

I thought the proposals were for it to be banned from 2024.

 

[two sheds]

Grrr the email didn't say that but yes that's right. I must admit I was wondering what they'd do with all their present stock.

 

[campanula]

Ah, sod this. I am now dwelling in futurefantasyland and ordering bulbs!

And, as a desperate reward for the trials and disappointments of this year. I have been on a rare plants website and have spent almost all of my gardening budget on ridiculous, rare and special bulbs. A whole year of saving £2 coins, gone in 15 minutes. I ordered 2 lots of species tulips at £6 - 8 a single bulb (I ordered 10) a climbing tropolaeum, 10 tiny white autumn flowering acis and, most spectacularly of all, have blown £40 on 6 teeny tecophilaea. I visit my local botanics every year without fail, just to see the blue chilean crocus (tecophilaea) but this year, I will damn well have my own. O yeah, some Moroccan narcissus - the gorgeous pure white waiterii and a handful of rain lilies (zephyranthes). Going to make some hypertufa troughs over winter, for special display purposes as I have high hopes that my seed-grown hoop petticoats (narcissus romeiuxi) and tulipa sprengeri are going to bloom next season.

I also bought a bunch of anemones (250 Caen in purple and white), leucojum and camassia for my meadow. I had a glorious year until mid June, when it went downhill from then...so going all out for another spring and early summer show and will fuck off to the wood for July/August and September cos I am also planning a full 12month allotment break for soil repairing (have got green manure seeds and all the legumes). I have just enough £££ left to pay my allotments rent for next year.

This is shameful, I know, but the south end of my wood is basically peat-based reed bed... so I will almost definitely be digging a few buckets to take home...in true Norfolk tradition. The entire Broad wetlands are man-made peat-cuttings so I have no real qualms about liberating a few spadefuls.