This week in your Kitchen Garden.

[BoatieBird]

What seeds did you plant? Loads of ours haven't come up yet so you might be OK!
Actually, now I think about it the peas that we planted in the garden several weeks ago have yet to do anything at all
I'm hoping that all the rain we've had over the last few days will get things going.

 

[Me76]

Erm, coriander, lettuce, spring onion, radish, carrots and something else that I can't remember.

The radishes sprouted really quickly last year which is why I am a bit concerned.

 

[invisibleplanet]

The new greenhouse cover is working a treat! Musk Mallow, Brachysome, Snow-in-summer, Salvia var. turkestanica, Baltic parsley - all sprouting! Yay for future flowers!

 

[invisibleplanet]

Potted up the lemon and orange trees which arrived today. They can keep the olive tree company in the hall over winter. They're only small, so I've put them into pots that I hope will see them through this year into next spring. Bought some specialist citrus food for them, and some Fish, Blood and Bone for when I dig over the beds.

 

[Me76]

Some of my seeds have started to sprout

The problem is now that I didn't mark what I had planted where

 

[tendril]

Weeded the onions and planted some custard squash, green courgette, yellow ball courgette, climbing french beans and mange tout. All the babies in the greenhouse are coming along nicely now. Should be able to get the sweet peas, convulvulus and schizanthus out into the ground soon. Marigolds and swan river daisies a couple of weeks after. Waiting for lobelias to make an appearance at the garden centre.

 

[invisibleplanet]

Stocks have germinated, as have all 10 of the okra and one of the potimarron, as well all the onions!

 

[invisibleplanet]

Some of my seeds have started to sprout

The problem is now that I didn't mark what I had planted where

LOL! Photograph them when they get their true leaves - we can play guessing games

 

[invisibleplanet]

Nothing too exciting this weekend - watering the seedlings (indoors and out) - the Verbena Bonarensis and the Jacob's Ladder have begun to germinate.

Power-washed the patio - that was a mucky affair. It looks too clean now, lol. Going to fill the gaps between the slabs with compost mixed with low-growing plant seeds and the seed the edge with compost mixed with chive seed to grow a chive hedge.

Going to sow some more pots with brachysome - they form a mound of small purple flowers that keep flowering throughout the summer and are very low maintenance:

​

Brachysome Iberidifolia "Blue Star"​

All the bluebells are in flower - the ones I moved in the green before flowering have a shorter stem to those I left in situ, but now the entrances to the house delight visitors with a drift of delicate bluebells and dainty forget-me-nots

 

[BoatieBird]

More seeds planted this weekend: melon, courgette, runner bean, pumpkin and more cucumbers as only 2 of the first lot germinated.

Not much happening with the peas we planted direct into the garden over a month ago
I'm beginning to think that the wood pigeons might have eaten them all. If nothing happens within the next week I'm going to plant some more.

 

[invisibleplanet]

Yes, definitely suspect the wood pigeons of disappearing your pea seeds - they're devils for picking over the garden!
I think that's where my sunflower seeds have disappeared to! Going to try again with those, in pods under pigeon-proof glass.

 

[mr steev]

I'm beginning to think that the wood pigeons might have eaten them all. If nothing happens within the next week I'm going to plant some more.

Pidgeons or mice probably

You could try sticking some twigs (so that the birds cannot get near) and holly around them to act as a deterant

 

[BoatieBird]

Yes, definitely suspect the wood pigeons of disappearing your pea seeds - they're devils for picking over the garden!
I think that's where my sunflower seeds have disappeared to! Going to try again with those, in pods under pigeon-proof glass.

Pidgeons or mice probably

You could try sticking some twigs (so that the birds cannot get near) and holly around them to act as a deterant

No wonder our wood pigeons look so well fed

Right, I'm going to plant another batch tonight - but this time I'll start them off in toilet roll tubes in the greenhouse

 

[invisibleplanet]

Wood pigeons pull out sticks - don't think sticks will keep them away!

 

[seeformiles]

Here's my Naga Chilli plant that I nursed through the winter enjoying some sun yesterday!

(well you could see it if it would let me upload the file......)

 

[mr steev]

Wood pigeons pull out sticks - don't think sticks will keep them away!

The buggers! I've never noticed them doing that on our plot, but I think it's probably more of a slight deterent and they'll go and eat someone else's as up the allotment they have plenty to choose from.
I imagine they would move the holly, but we use that more against mice.
My peas at the moment are happily growing under panes of glass propped up on bricks with a border of holly to stop the rodents. The only problem with that though is it can be a safe haven for slugs

 

[invisibleplanet]

My five pieces of comfrey root arrived in the post today! Wrapped in damp paper, they're now ready to plant in the prepared area behind the herb rockery. I've placed a layer of grass cuttings, which are nitrogen-rich, in a trench and over that, I've mixed in some compost mixed with John Innes #3. They need to be placed 2 inches from the surface, and 2-3 ft apart, so the mature plants have plenty of space. In their first year, the flower buds need to be nipped out so that the plant concentrates on rooting and producing leaves. No harvest in the first year, unfortunately, but next year I'll be able to make green compost from them. They'll also be a good place to spread my grass cuttings in the future as a mulch. I spend £10-£15 per annum on organic fertiliser for the garden, so at £7 for 5 pieces of root, next year I'll be able to start making comfrey water (5-6 wks soaking of leaves in rainwater) and use that instead and it will have paid for itself by the end of next year


Comfrey Bocking 14 by kanuk1120, on Flickr

 

[tendril]

Got out early this morning and planted the maincrop Desiree potatoes. Got the babies outof the greenhouse to give them some more sun (greenhouse gets afternoon sun). my bleeding heart is finally making an appearance... thought it may have died over the winter. The two fuschias are still not doing anything. may have lost them. Oh well.

 

[invisibleplanet]

30 strawberry plants have now arrived - earlies, mids and lates. Come rain or shine, tomorrow is planting day!

 

[BoatieBird]

Got out early this morning and planted the maincrop Desiree potatoes. Got the babies outof the greenhouse to give them some more sun (greenhouse gets afternoon sun). my bleeding heart is finally making an appearance... thought it may have died over the winter. The two fuschias are still not doing anything. may have lost them. Oh well.

Nothing is happening with my fuschias either tendril. One of them is a massive beast that comes back reliably every year, I'm hoping that it's just waiting for some warmer weather. The other hardy fuschia I have is 'star wars', bought at the Hampton Court Palace flower show last year. I'll be gutted if it doesn't do anything

The frost got a few of the tomato plants in the greenhouse, so I've got more Maskotka germinating (there for the hanging baskets).

More peas planted - this time in the greenhouse!
I've put them in a bag we've previously used to grow potatoes in, and I'll move them outside when they start to grow (take that wood pigeons )

 

[Leafster]

The fuchsias in my garden aren't behaving the way I would expect. One particularly tough one called "Mrs J P Woods" started growing in March but has since stalled. Others including some I didn't expect to survive are now just showing signs of growth but several of the hardy plants look dead. We had some pretty cold temperatures here for a while (down to -14) so it could be the smaller ones didn't stand a chance. The recent temperatures have been below normal too so it could be the others are just slow to get going. (Fingers crossed!)

 

[invisibleplanet]

Went to B&Q and bought two Sankey windowsill propagators reduced down to £3 each. I love a bargain.

Picked up some granny geraniums to replant into pots to sit on the steps into the garden, and some reduced white dianthus to plant with the white snapdragons I got earlier.

 

[pennimania]

Oh this thread is making me itchy

I am in Dundee and have been for a week - how I am missing my garden. Mr mania is (well he says he is) watering the seedlings but I know that there has been NO rain in Skye and the pond dries up really quickly

and it's just that time of year that you want to walk round every day looking how things are shooting up.

Oh well - home on Monday

 

[Part 2]

Any ideas for what I should plant here?

I'm worried I've left it a bit late. At the back are goosberries, rhubarb that I found in the school skip and some raspberries moved from elsewhere. I've put some spuds in just in front of the raspberries and I've got some courgette plants growing indoors but could do with putting something else in I think. The soil is poor I think, very dry and dusty, and I'm usually a plant it and leave it type of gardener.

 

[invisibleplanet]

A border along the hedge, a narrow path running along, and then a narrow path down the middle - Weeding should then be a doddle.

As for planting ... well, it depends on the passage of the sun, really. Have you observed the time-periods for sun across the patch yet?

 

[Part 2]

The garden points west(ish) so I've a feeling the bit in the shade doesn't see much sun all day, that's why I started putting the flags along the hedge. I could use that wood by the garage to make a path of sorts up the middle just for this year I suppose.

 

[Me76]

My tomato plant has fallen off its stalk I have it in a strawberry hanging basket thing and I went out yesterday and all of the greeness was on the floor.

I have some free seeds I got from Dolmio so hopefully I will be able to rescue the tomatoe situation. It's not too late to plant them is it?

Also, the strawberries that are also in the hanging thing have started getting flowers. Should I be doing anything to them?

Oh yeah, and seed planted wise, I have only identified radishes so far. everything else is still growing but all look the same

 

[invisibleplanet]

My mum bought me a mini greenhouse!
Useful - I needed another. Can never have too many greenhouses!
I also bought 4 more huge tubs - probably will plant more cucumbers and use two to hold the sweetpeas (which are now ready to plant out) & their wigwams.

In the propagators, I've sown: globe artichoke, viola, penstemons, more brachysome, borage and something I can't remember right now.

I plan to sow (for the new greenhouse) more chives, more cucumbers (mine have done nothing as yet), some marrow (green bush), and more climbing beans.

 

[invisibleplanet]

It's not too late to plant them is it?

No.

Also, the strawberries that are also in the hanging thing have started getting flowers. Should I be doing anything to them?

No, although you could give them a liquid feed.

 

[Leafster]

My tomato plant has fallen off its stalk I have it in a strawberry hanging basket thing and I went out yesterday and all of the greeness was on the floor.

Stick the broken off bit in a pot with some soil and give it plenty of water - they often grow roots again quite easily. My mum has a habit of sticking the side-shoots she takes off in the ground anywhere there's space and more often than not they start growing and produce a decent crop!