The gardening thread

[gentlegreen]

I cleared the courgette patch to organise my house renovation timber pile and harvested all the squashes I could find.
The only ones I deliberately sowed were the baby spaghetti marrows - and even there I can't be certain - the rest were from me chucking kitchen scraps on the garden.
The white ones must be hybrids and I won't know if they're actually edible until I taste them - perhaps a hybrid between patty-pan and spaghetti ?

 

[iona]

Does anyone here cover their beds over winter? Not something I've done before, but I'm thinking of digging some manure in and covering them this year. If nothing else it will stop the dickhead foxes digging holes everywhere.

I grow all year round as much as possible and try to use cover crops for spare space. Stuff like winter purslane and lamb's lettuce is good as they're hardy but easy to get rid of so long as you don't let them self-seed (and even if you do, they're easily hoed off) and also edible.

Mostly use covers for spaces that need a lot of work like where there's an existing seed bank that'll take over without regular attention, or lots of stuff nearby I don't want to self-seed, or grasses and other pervasive weeds still popping up that I want to weaken. I like to use not-very-old manure under black plastic as a way to warm beds in spring for a few weeks before planting under fleece earlier than I'd otherwise be able to.

No dickhead foxes digging holes here though.

 

[Oriole]

I have planted 50+ bulbs today (most of them in the grass) to add to the naturalised crocus' I put in last year. I feel I didn't put them in deep enough (there isn't much top soil so it doesn't take much digging before reaching the rubble). Will report in the spring re the results. Anyone wants to place bets on how many get dug up by the squirrel which has appeared in the area this Summer?

 

[iona]

Copying this here for anyone who doesn't read the kitchen garden thread (wouldn't necessarily have to be edible plants)

Actually would anyone be interested in doing a seed and/or cuttings swap this winter?

Lots of stuff like blackcurrants are incredibly easy to propagate via cuttings and they'll cope fine with being posted (I've eaten fruit from plants that spent weeks as abandoned twigs in the bottom of my fridge ). Might be a nice way to try some new varieties or species without forking out nursery prices...

 

[heinous seamus]

Does anyone have any experience of composting horse manure? I got some locally that I was hoping to compost in time for spring. I mixed it with some wood shavings, but whenever I've turned it theres been no warmth at all in the middle of the pile. Perhaps it's too cold already.

 

[iona]

Does anyone have any experience of composting horse manure? I got some locally that I was hoping to compost in time for spring. I mixed it with some wood shavings, but whenever I've turned it theres been no warmth at all in the middle of the pile. Perhaps it's too cold already.

Was it fresh when you got it? And when you say manure, is it pretty much just actual shit or is it mixed with e.g. straw? How much wood have you mixed it with, how wet is it and what size is the pile?

E2a and do you know if it's free of pyralid herbicides? That's been a problem with horse manure especially for some people.

 

[heinous seamus]

Was it fresh when you got it? And when you say manure, is it pretty much just actual shit or is it mixed with e.g. straw? How much wood have you mixed it with, how wet is it and what size is the pile?

E2a and do you know if it's free of pyralid herbicides? That's been a problem with horse manure especially for some people.

I think it was fairly fresh. There was definitely some sawdust mixed in there. I didn't put much wood shavings in: I wasn't sure how much I'd need due to the presence of the aforementioned sawdust.

It's been really wet here so it's probably a bit too wet at the minute. I'd guess it's about 5' x 3' x 3'.

No idea about the herbacides.

I wonder if adding some worms to the mix would help. Although it's on top of bare soil, so in theory the worms should get there on their own if they fancy it...

 

[iona]

I think it was fairly fresh. There was definitely some sawdust mixed in there. I didn't put much wood shavings in: I wasn't sure how much I'd need due to the presence of the aforementioned sawdust.

It's been really wet here so it's probably a bit too wet at the minute. I'd guess it's about 5' x 3' x 3'.

No idea about the herbacides.

I wonder if adding some worms to the mix would help. Although it's on top of bare soil, so in theory the worms should get there on their own if they fancy it...

How long's it been there for? Could you take a closeup picture of a handful from inside the heap?

If it's just piled up out in the open I'd loosely cover it with a bit of tarp or something.

You can test for pyralids by mixing a handful into a small pot of bagged potting mix that you know to be ok, and sowing a few beans or peas in it (if you want to be thorough you could do a control pot without any added manure too). They should start to show signs within a few weeks of germination if it is contaminated.

 

[heinous seamus]

How long's it been there for? Could you take a closeup picture of a handful from inside the heap?

If it's just piled up out in the open I'd loosely cover it with a bit of tarp or something.

You can test for pyralids by mixing a handful into a small pot of bagged potting mix that you know to be ok, and sowing a few beans or peas in it (if you want to be thorough you could do a control pot without any added manure too). They should start to show signs within a few weeks of germination if it is contaminated.

It's only been a couple of weeks when I was reading up beforehand it suggested it would start to heat up in a matter of days.

I'll try and find a cover of some sort before it rains again.

What happens if it's contaminated? Will it poison my beautiful soil? Or will it not compost down?

 

[two sheds]

Fucks your potatoes

and tomatoes, beans, peas, delphinium, phlox and roses

 

[iona]

It's only been a couple of weeks when I was reading up beforehand it suggested it would start to heat up in a matter of days.

I'll try and find a cover of some sort before it rains again.

What happens if it's contaminated? Will it poison my beautiful soil? Or will it not compost down?

If the moisture and c:n ratio are right it should be heating up by now, definitely. Does the middle/bottom of the heap smell bad when you've turned it? If you squeeze a handful does actual liquid come out or does it just leave your hand slightly wet?

If it is too wet, adding some shredded paper or card will help dry it out a bit as well as adding more carbon which I'd guess is more likely to be lacking than nitrogen. They'll break down quickly too.

Pyralid herbicides affect the growth of a lot of common plants - some veg especially seem to suffer - and can take a really long time to break down in the soil.

Weedkiller in manure / RHS

Contaminated farmyard manure can cause damage to vegetable crops in gardens and allotments. This contamination is caused by application of weedkillers to farmland used to grow hay and other forage which are then eaten by stock.

www.rhs.org.uk

Aminopyralid – the herbicide that hasn’t gone away - Organic Growers Alliance

Contamination have been increasingly detected in compost this year. A real headache for market gardeners and domestic growers.

organicgrowersalliance.co.uk

Charles Dowding has had a lot of issues with them in the past iirc

 

[iona]

If you get the moisture and c:n spot on, add something to kickstart it - kitchen waste is ok, dead animals are better - and turn every day or two (soon as it reaches 65°C or a bit before) you can have immature but useable compost in three weeks or less...

 

[andysays]

If the moisture and c:n ratio are right it should be heating up by now, definitely. Does the middle/bottom of the heap smell bad when you've turned it? If you squeeze a handful does actual liquid come out or does it just leave your hand slightly wet?

If it is too wet, adding some shredded paper or card will help dry it out a bit as well as adding more carbon which I'd guess is more likely to be lacking than nitrogen. They'll break down quickly too.

Pyralid herbicides affect the growth of a lot of common plants - some veg especially seem to suffer - and can take a really long time to break down in the soil.

Weedkiller in manure / RHS

Contaminated farmyard manure can cause damage to vegetable crops in gardens and allotments. This contamination is caused by application of weedkillers to farmland used to grow hay and other forage which are then eaten by stock.

www.rhs.org.uk

Aminopyralid – the herbicide that hasn’t gone away - Organic Growers Alliance

Contamination have been increasingly detected in compost this year. A real headache for market gardeners and domestic growers.

organicgrowersalliance.co.uk

Charles Dowding has had a lot of issues with them in the past iirc

Pyralids have become an issue on recent years, but as far as I'm aware they don't effect the decomposition process, so the problems heinous seamus is having getting their pile to heat up shouldn't give any particular concern that their manure is contaminated.

 

[iona]

Pyralids have become an issue on recent years, but as far as I'm aware they don't effect the decomposition process, so the problems heinous seamus is having getting their pile to heat up shouldn't give any particular concern that their manure is contaminated.

No, I wasn't suggesting that was the cause. Just mentioned them because I know horse manure has been the main cause for people having issues (with their plants, not their composting).

 

[Callie]

- kitchen waste is ok, dead animals are better

This is what I always say

 

[two sheds]

https://i.redd.it/wgex2pecuh6c1.gif

www.reddit.com

snail repellent that works even for fast moving ones

I do have flat copper wire I could try this with

 

[Johnny Vodka]

So what plants are people using to brighten up their garden in winter?

I think it's important that there are still points of interest in the garden during the darkest months, and need to add a bit more to the obvious holly, cyclamen coums and winter bulbs. I've been buying recently a hellebore, a vaccinium vitis-idaea and a winter flowering clematis (still to put these in though).

 

[Leafster]

I've still got the last of the berries on the pyracantha and cotoneasters. Although the birds have been feasting on these recently so there aren't that many left.

I have a couple of viburnums flowering at the moment (x bodnantense dawn and a tinus (I think))

There's some dogwoods (cornus alba sibirica and cornus sanguinea Midwinter Fire)

There's a handful of Skimmia japonica but only one of them does really well as most of my garden is too chalky for it.

Apart from that I rely on structural stuff. A have some topiary yew bushes and some clipped beech which retain their dead leaves over the winter. I also have a yew hedge and two beech hedges. There's various other evergreens like euonymus and vinca (for ground cover) and Ivy (over walls and on a trellis). The ivy has berries on it at the moment so the Wood Pigeons have something to eat.

In January, I should start to see some of the bulbs. They start with a few snowdrops, Iris, crocuses and some very early daffs.

I also have loads of hellebores although they seem a bit slow this year.

 

[Leafster]

I forgot, there's a few nandina bushes in the front garden which have leaves of various shades of red and orange. There's a corkscrew hazel with some young catkins on and self-seeded primroses dotted around the garden which are currently in flower (they seem to grow where they like and flower when they like!)

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I have lots of ivy, pyracantha (never had any berries on it, but could be because it's young) and a cottoneaster. Also winter jasmine. Other evergreen stuff.

 

[Leafster]

I have lots of ivy, pyracantha (never had any berries on it, but could be because it's young) and a cottoneaster. Also winter jasmine. Other evergreen stuff.

The pyracantha is in the hedge between me and my neighbour. I think the trick to getting lots of berries is to allow it to grow out a bit so it has newer growth to flower on and then only clip it back hard once the berries have been eaten. It does look a bit 'messy' but my neighbour and I agreed to adopt this policy.

 

[heinous seamus]

I managed to get the garlic planted today.

 

[iona]

View attachment 405397

I managed to get the garlic planted today.

I went a bit mad with garlic this year and bought several different varieties as well as swapping or blagging more from other people's saved seed. Early planting varieties went in end of October and the Extra Early Wight is already living up to its name! Planting some in both sections of the polytunnel (one under plastic, one more exposed under mesh) and the field to see how they do.

 

[heinous seamus]

I went a bit mad with garlic this year and bought several different varieties as well as swapping or blagging more from other people's saved seed. Early planting varieties went in end of October and the Extra Early Wight is already living up to its name! Planting some in both sections of the polytunnel (one under plastic, one more exposed under mesh) and the field to see how they do.

Mine is descended from some Tesco garlic I planted a few years ago!

 

[iona]

Mine is descended from some Tesco garlic I planted a few years ago!

I've had decent results doing that too! This year's crop was planted far too late, but before I got here, and then not watered (inside the polytunnel) for ages and the few bulbs I managed to coax into life were so pathetic that I felt like splashing out this year. Another variety, Provence, produced ridiculously big bulbs on the heavy clay soil of my old allotment, so I'm hoping that will do well here even outdoors.

Just dug the oca up and despite also being planted very late - that time was my fault - a few plants produced some really good sized tubers that I've kept back for seed. Got a couple more packs from Real Seeds too, to add a bit of variety.

 

[Elpenor]

Been out in the garden today, finally started digging out the bare patch of soil where I store my bins to put down a plastic shed base thingy. I’m not in great physical shape and using a spade etc to dig up soil takes it out of me.

Anyway after a few hours I’ve managed to more or less do what I want. It isn’t flat, but then my garden isn’t flat, and it definitely slopes the right way most of the time And now my gate will stop catching on the grass as it had been



Bins will be on the top bit, the lower tier which is by far the least flat will have some form of planter on, to screen the bins. Can probably get that flat with plant feet. Concrete chunks found around the garden to border the two. Managed to lose the spare soil in the lawn on a bit where it dipped a bit.

To be filled with gravel next weekend, it will be cheaper using my mates Wickes trade discount so will wait till then rather than nipping to Homebase.

 

[iona]

I think you're going to need to lower the fence side of that one square that's bottom left in the second pic Elpenor because otherwise it'll either stick up loads or you'll have gravel constantly rolling down onto the paved steps if you add enough to fully cover the grid. But it looks great otherwise

 

[Elpenor]

I think you're going to need to lower the fence side of that one square that's bottom left in the second pic Elpenor because otherwise it'll either stick up loads or you'll have gravel constantly rolling down onto the paved steps if you add enough to fully cover the grid. But it looks great otherwise

I did wonder that after I took the picture from a distance but I’d already mentally clocked off by then! The soil was very compacted there, perhaps I’ll attack it with a pickaxe. Will see if I have time to look at it tomorrow lunchtime.

Thank you

 

[iona]

I did wonder that after I took the picture from a distance but I’d already mentally clocked off by then! The soil was very compacted there, perhaps I’ll attack it with a pickaxe. Will see if I have time to look at it tomorrow lunchtime.

Thank you

Sorry, I know you didn't ask for advice It might partly be the angle of the photo too.

 

[Elpenor]

Sorry, I know you didn't ask for advice It might partly be the angle of the photo too.

It may be the angle to an extent but I was having trouble there. Advice always welcome from my perspective