The gardening thread

[dessiato]

We've discovered a mound near the stable is full of bricks etc and is now badly overgrown. We found this while we were trying to clear it and dig it over.

It's being suggested we put weedkiller on it, then, when everything is dead, clear the bricks etc.

Opinions? Suggestions?

 

[The39thStep]

We've discovered a mound near the stable is full of bricks etc and is now badly overgrown. We found this while we were trying to clear it and dig it over.

It's being suggested we put weedkiller on it, then, when everything is dead, clear the bricks etc.

Opinions? Suggestions?

Photos?

 

[two sheds]

Black plastic and leave it for a year?

 

[two sheds]

Having said that when I moved here there was a large mound of bricks and stone and concrete down the bottom of the garden. It took a fair time but I sorted them into three piles. Think I composted the rest.

 

[dessiato]

Black plastic and leave it for a year?

I like that idea. Much more friendly and less likely to poison the cat.

 

[The39thStep]

Cut down as much as you can or strim it as you'll need it as close to the shape of the mound before covering it. You could try spraying with a vinegar and soap based mixture before covering and then once a month if you want a more organic weedkiller? Get thick plastic and as large as possible to make sure it's secured properly.

 

[steveseagull]

A neighbour has a black plastic sheeting held down by bricks all across their front lawn for over 18 months now. What does that suggest? Something bad?

 

[gentlegreen]

In spite of the insane heat and dryness I had to get the courgettes in.
I'm also emptying my big planters along the south fence so I can plant French beans and tomatoes amongst other things ...
Keeping the foxes off them until they get established adds to the challenge.
That broken chimney pot marks where one had dug a substantial tunnel...
I hope if I can frighten them off once or twice from the bathroom window with my catapult, that will be sufficient but I never manage to catch them at it ...

 

[two sheds]

It's raining proper rain the sort that starts filling water butts I was down to my last one out of 6

 

[Johnny Vodka]

Considering how dry and warm it's been, somewhat surprised to get back from a week away to a lush garden rather than a load of dead plants. (Even things in pots are generally fine - and I picked some salad leaves for dinner & a few strawberries.) Loving my ox eye daisies in one of the wild patches.

 

[two sheds]

It's stopped

yes I've got loads of ox-eye daisies they're lovely and spread like hell

 

[Leafster]

A neighbour has a black plastic sheeting held down by bricks all across their front lawn for over 18 months now. What does that suggest? Something bad?

Not necessarily. I think it's suggested you leave things covered for at least one season so all the seeds which would have germinated get killed off.

But, it could be they are just lazy!

 

[gentlegreen]

I was determined to do something with the back garden this year since if all goes to plan I won't have access to a garden for two or more years - and I had seeds left over as well as self-seeding nasturtiums, amaranths and more...
I've emptied a lot of the planters to enhance the dry soil when planting.

I had to fill in a fox hole on the left so put down coarse mesh, covered it with soil and transplanted more nasturtiums into the area than had already appeared - along with some self-seeded mini spaghetti marrows and several self-seeded ones from the compost which may well come up as hybrids with the three other cucurbits I grew last year ...

Courgettes in the middle - given what I got from only two plants last year I will hopefully have loads to give away.

Along with Gardener's Delight toms along the sunny fence, I planted loads of fancy nasturtiums I actually sowed myself as well as transplanting self-sown ones - along the front interspersed with spider plants I had spare - plus lots of morning glories ..I have one decent clump of self-sown ones right by the end of the bean structure that will have a head-start on the others ...

I have a fair few baby cavallo nero kale plants which I may initially try along there too as well as on the edge of the courgettes...
I've transplanted some amaranths to see if I can grow some sort of hedge.

Amazingly I have so far not seen a single tagetes from last year's hedge experiment.

I've transplanted morning glories at the back and will plant loads more ..

Since it's shady at that end and the foxes are giving me grief anyway - though I've managed to get a few catapult shots in from the bathroom window and sent them packing - I will probably just sow it all with alfalfa unless I have an embarrassment of kale plants ...

 

[RubyToogood]

Yeh mines south west water, currently watering garden with two watering cans at a time for a lot of trips, so it saves nothing except some nosy bugger possibly reporting me. But no outside tap which is more of a pain. Even when we could use a hosepipe the kitchen tap is so fucking weird shaped that 12 different adaptors never fit it properly. Best was it leaked a lot after being overtightened and had a towel wrapped around it incase it squirted water everywhere. Or sometimes having it come out the bathroom window, that's fun to setup.

I forgot to say that my like of this post was meant as a solidarity fistbump. I have the same problem. I bought a new hose and connector on Thursday and it's still just the same.

If I bite the bullet and get an outside tap put in though it'll be sure to trigger a hosepipe ban.

 

[newme]

I forgot to say that my like of this post was meant as a solidarity fistbump. I have the same problem. I bought a new hose and connector on Thursday and it's still just the same.

If I bite the bullet and get an outside tap put in though it'll be sure to trigger a hosepipe ban

We have had one for like a year anyway, despite the odd bonus I got of 30 quid for them achieving 30% reservoir or something. Fecking things leak everywhere, that's the problems.

With an outside tap, some metal work etc I'm sure could assemble a bucket chain if I wanted. Tho a drip system seems more sensible. Especially as I'm inconsistent about xommitment to projects and these things die. As my cacti would confirm if not underwatered to death. I have alarms now

 

[newme]

I've got 2, 6x3 foot beds coming but they have no cover. What's the best cover? Can see cheap poly tunnels but very low (30cm) and it's just sheeting. Other one has zips plastic then netting. Medium sun area.

Also just filled in the pond with dug out stuff, was looking manky and loads of flies, maybe not the best but it can dry up, get emptied and then refilled with clean water, some logs for frogs or whatever and not 1 inch of water and 20 years of dead apples, bamboo and reeds in it. Only a metre squared or so tho so idk what to try? Its shaded but by gunnnera which also drops.

 

[iona]

I've got 2, 6x3 foot beds coming but they have no cover. What's the best cover? Can see cheap poly tunnels but very low (30cm) and it's just sheeting. Other one has zips plastic then netting. Medium sun area.

What do you want to grow in them? What covers do you have on your other beds (iirc) and do you want more of the same, or different for a wider range of conditions (e.g. larger scale but we have one polytunnel under full plastic and another with netting down one side which is closer to outside conditions but still a bit more sheltered)? Weather/climate?

 

[newme]

What do you want to grow in them? What covers do you have on your other beds (iirc) and do you want more of the same, or different for a wider range of conditions (e.g. larger scale but we have one polytunnel under full plastic and another with netting down one side which is closer to outside conditions but still a bit more sheltered)? Weather/climate?

Err stuff? I basically just bought shit loads of veg/fruit/etc seeds and stuff in the hope that something may actually grow as in hurry, what lives means its fine and the losers are compost. Have one 6x3 alu raised bed thats got a poly cover with netting cover inside, starting area maybe as I can adjust it. Netting both sides, plastic covers both sides but adjustable.

Two new ones are likely to be one long 12 x 3 unit so I thought maybe https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085R9K7RR/ref=sw_img_1?smid=A1NDSWQ31JJ62G&psc=1
Covers the new area and ingress from local animals plus its a two in one effectively, also thats 16 different areas over the 2 beds so all the access points are useful. Likely surrounding with cedar logs and some fill in for a sort of hugelkutur thats faster and buried to improve the base level which can grow stuff now. Also near to where water butt should be if I setup a drip feed arrangement.

Anyone much good with restoring a pond environment that has a lot of deadfall on it?

 

[Ron Merlin]

Set up my new trellis planter, with a balcony planter fixed to the top for extra trailing flowers. I've put morning glory in that, and in the main bit planted petunias (to train up the trellis) and more morning glory (to trail over the front). I think it'll work.Watch this space!

 

[cesare]

My dwarf sunflowers are limping along. The one that flowered earlier this month has run its course and I'm hopeful that it's setting seed.

The next is much smaller but looks quite happy and the pollinators are over it.

I think the third (behind) might also flower

 

[Saffy]

Anyone have an idea what this might be on my privet hedge? I drove past this morning and couldn't believe it! It seems to have happened overnight, or at most the last 2 days. The leaves are limp and brown and not crunchy like box hedges I've seen die with the caterpillars they get.
A neighbour mentioned honey fungus but I can't see anything like that.
I'm gutted, I love this hedge.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

View attachment 380152
Anyone have an idea what this might be on my privet hedge? I drove past this morning and couldn't believe it! It seems to have happened overnight, or at most the last 2 days. The leaves are limp and brown and not crunchy like box hedges I've seen die with the caterpillars they get.
A neighbour mentioned honey fungus but I can't see anything like that.
I'm gutted, I love this hedge.

Random one, but seeing as it’s just that one patch, maybe fox pee? I’ve seen other shrubs & bushes brown where foxes mark.

 

[Saffy]

Random one, but seeing as it’s just that one patch, maybe fox pee? I’ve seen other shrubs & bushes brown where foxes mark.

I did wonder about pee of some kind. It does kind of looked thrown on.

 

[Elpenor]

Pee was my thought. When I lived in Uni halls there were some hedges growing in the grounds. One of the other porters (I was a porter during the summer vacation) pointed out the rooms were lazy students had chucked pint glasses of piss out of their windows with resulting damage to the hedge

 

[Leafster]

I did wonder about pee of some kind. It does kind of looked thrown on.

Something I found out recently, assuming the hedge is along a pavement, is that hot exhaust fumes from road maintenance contractors machinery can cause similar patterns of damage. If they've been working alongside the hedge, that could be the reason.

Of course, when they switch to electric machinery, the problem will disappear.

 

[moonsi til]

I’m growing cucumbers for the first time & for weeks they did very little then this past week they are proper Day of The Triffids! I have 6 in 3 pots in a small greenhouse & when I was watering & changing position earlier I found my first cucumber which has made me deliriously happy.

I’m still very much a beginner I’m the garden so there is lots of whooping when plants appear.

 

[RubyToogood]

I’m growing cucumbers for the first time & for weeks they did very little then this past week they are proper Day of The Triffids! I have 6 in 3 pots in a small greenhouse & when I was watering & changing position earlier I found my first cucumber which has made me deliriously happy.

I’m still very much a beginner I’m the garden so there is lots of whooping when plants appear.

It never gets old tbf.

 

[gentlegreen]

I finally got stuff planted in the front garden.
I just realised I need to plant some nasturtiums in the window box for a splash of colour in the middle.
There should soon be a decent thicket of verbena bonariensis at the front and I have loads of hopeful nicotianas out the back which are too tall of course .. perhaps I'll just plant them to screen the bins and sprawl nasturtiums around the verbenas ...
I've almost finished with the green waste in any case so may take the green bin through the house and the wheelie bin will probably go indoors too.

As per usual plants chosen for effect rather than in sensible places...

One day I will garden properly, but if I'm serious about getting out of here, this will be my last bit of gardening for several years - so perhaps in the meantime I will visit other gardens for ideas...
It will be a massively new phase of my life - so time for changes all round...

 

[Ron Merlin]

My two other gaillardia. Sooo many flowers to come!

 

[newme]

Turns out the pond bamboo/gunnera/apple tree/some type of reed fall thats collected to be 3/4 the depth of the pond may actually be useful, whacked a few wheelbarrows of topsoil I had dug for another project on it cos it was full of some flies or similar and left it. Turns out its great for compost, can I use this as the lower level of raised beds too? Have another 16ft arriving and it would help with the fill, otherwise how do I fix a 5ft high composter with a missing door? lol.