This week in your Kitchen Garden.

[Melinda]

Sad innit.... Will pull it all about tomorrow, may have one or two to save

The snails got to them in a hanging basket?!

*has new respect for ninja snails*

 

[Melinda]

Some new photos:

The invasion of my neighbours' rooftop is going well. In another few weeks, their kitchen window should be completely obscured.

My first butternut squash has appeared.

It's all thanks to the assistant gardener, pictured here.

Brilliant photos! That new squash looks so exciting!

 

[madamv]

Yup Melinda. Hence my complete disbelief and inability to get over it already

 

[gentlegreen]

My poorly cucumber ...

I wonder if I need to raise the humidity at the end of the greenhouse ...

 

[gentlegreen]

Another weird tomato - this time with a merged main stem and flowering branch ...

 

[Hellsbells]

my beans are growing totally out of control. How tall are these things meant to grow?!?! I've had to start trailing them horrizontally along the fence now b'cos they're getting so tall. One of them has amazing red flowers.
I am SO proud of my beans!!!

 

[gentlegreen]

Some people pinch them out

Should encourage lateral growth - and flowering.

 

[gentlegreen]

I thought I was being overly cautious sowing 18 beans when I needed 12 ....

This morning I found that one solitary snail had maimed one and probably destroyed a second.

That particular snail won't be doing it again, and I sprinkled loads more "eco-friendly" pellets around - though it had ignored the ones I'd put down the day before.

I'm not sure I was cut out for this gardening lark ...

 

[sheothebudworths]

Don't be silly, gg - fact is that you HAD been cautious so still have your 12, plus more!

It IS awful when it goes wrong though (sorry to you madamv, btw although I think you should do more and protect with pellets, just because pak choi is at least quick to grow )!

I was on the verge of thinking that all my aphid infested suqashes and courgettes might have to go but although they're certainly suffering for it, they're still holding on and I bought the pressure sprayer yesterday yesterday too, so they're not going down without a fight.

My raspberries are shite though - they were some from my ex's plot and I reckon I'll be lucky to get a small handful of not very nice rasps.
Gonna buy some new canes I reckon (can I do this soon and have some for this autumn?).

Also don;t know what to do about these ants! They seem to have destroyed the roots of the thyme (the bulk of it just lifts off the soil now) and the cinnamon I put down yesterday might have slowed them down (or might not) but they're still there!

 

[sheothebudworths]

Right, I'm trying polenta.

Apparently they'll take it back into the nest, eat it up and it'll swell and they'll all explode.





















I bet they don't fucking touch it.

 

[gentlegreen]

I seem to have a self-contained colony of ants in a pot of heliotropes - busy farming aphids.

I will be getting my pressure sprayer out later - along with the soft soap ...

 

[fogbat]

Exploding ants

 

[gentlegreen]

If polenta fails, there's always cous cous .

 

[fogbat]

If nothing else, you'll certainly attract a better class of ant with these foreign treats.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Exploding ants

A little miniature war, all in my own herb bed.

 

[sheothebudworths]

I said WAR, mauvais !!!

 

[prunus]

May I suggest:

 

[gentlegreen]

Ant powder is pretty effective - or rather my DIY version seemed to work - borax and icing sugar.

 

[BoatieBird]

I've just eaten the first of my broad beans in a pasta salad for lunch. Bloody lovely they were too
I'm hoping to have some more tonight with new pots and peas in minted butter mmmmmm

Courgettes are looking promising, hopefully will be able to harvest some by the end of the week.

I love this gardening lark

 

[sheothebudworths]

May I suggest:

Is that ok to use near crops then!?!



Fucks sake - I just went to bastard B&Q yesterday, but didn't notice the ants till I got back!

 

[Melinda]

I fed the squashes and the other heavy feeders with a new load of borage/ alkanet stew Ive been fermenting.

The smell was very bad earlier in the year, but this period of sun and heat has had an amplifying effect. You cannot imagine the smell, I cant do it justice with words. It is eyewateringly foetid- beyond any public latrine this side of hell.

I honestly darent use it anywhere near the house, or during daylight hours.

 

[Melinda]

Is that ok to use near crops then!?!

Should be fine I think.

Will the Nippon Ant Killer Powder contaminate food crops?

This product does not carry approval for use directly on food crops, therefore we cannot recommend its use in such a situation. We would not, however, expect any problems as a result of eating crops treated with the product as it is not classified as dangerous and exhibits very low toxicity. The active ingredient, Permethrin, is not absorbed by the plants and is rapidly broken down in moist soil.

From: http://www.capitalgardens.co.uk/nippon-ant-killer-liquid-p-6377.html

 

[prunus]

Is that ok to use near crops then!?!

It is, yes. Not good near ponds etc (very toxic to fish) though.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Excellent! Thankyou both - back to B&Q I go!

 

[sheothebudworths]

Btw, the pressure sprayer is SUPER COOL FUN!!!!












I'm almost pleased about the aphids now!

 

[prunus]

sheo - Death To All Arthropods!

 

[sheothebudworths]

Cshhhhh, cshhhhhhh, CSHHHHHHH!















( )

 

[mauvais]

I said WAR, mauvais !!!

A war, you say?

 

[LilMissHissyFit]

Ive just got back from a weekend away to find little runner and broad beans have developed... one lot of my tomatoes is looking decidedly droopy so im going to plant them into a growbag... the courgettes have exploded size wise ( thanks to masterfit and his regular peeing expenditions I suspect) and the pumpkins and filled the space I was going to use for cabbages so I guess the cabbages will be going into tubs

Im going to get planting more salad leaves although the window box of lettuce I have is fine, I want some more interesting stuff..
My broccolli, cucumber and pak choi seeds havent germinated :-(

 

[sheothebudworths]

A war, you say?

Yes indeedy, mauvais. YES, INDEEDY!!!