How does your garden grow?

[Trev62]

we've always kind of muddled along with growing things but this year we're really trying to get more organised and methodical and try and plan more ...not sure how that will go but I've got a Calendar to try and keep on track and plans and lists and.... and...

Good luck, we try the same every year (even putting up a whiteboard this year) and fail miserably. I often find the best result come from mistakes and the planned planting fails

[Trev62]

After digging and laying another set of footings in the animal pens we spent a few hours trying to get some form of control in the field. Harvested bucket loads of carrots, tomatoes and peppers, over 50 butternut squashes, the last courgettes, several kilos of raspberries (some now on the cheesecake I am eating ). Finally and the best, we took the honey filled frames from the hives, tastes great, we will strain and jar it all tomorrow.

Biggest disappointment this year has been the apples, 3 apples from 6 trees, must do better next year.

Nearly forgot, also picked the Goji berries.....all two of them! Still, they were only planted last year.

[Mo]

I picked my Cox tree this week, all 2 of them. And found that the birds had got them first. The one I've eaten (after cutting off the hole) was good and ripe though.
The Kidds are beginning to fall, probably just the maggotty ones, the ones I picked were willing but not eager to part from the twig.
Bramley & Chivers need picking too.
As well as cheering the drive of moss, and stopping the brambles taking over

[manda]

Best of luck with that.
i always come across the instruction "in land that was well dug the previous autumn"

Those people don't live here...it's old river bed dig in that and all you get is rocks. I'm afraid for the moment all our growing will have to be in raised beds or pots. I've grown in old straw here but it'll take years (more than I've got probably) to put a layer of anything decent here to actually grow in ...or tons or top soil which is really not an option cost wise ...so raised beds it is.

That being said the weather, much the same as anywhere, can be really fickle here so our growing season can be lengthy but then again in what is our summer (Christmas time) we've had big dumps of snow which can really mess things up

[manda]

Good luck, we try the same every year (even putting up a whiteboard this year) and fail miserably. I often find the best result come from mistakes and the planned planting fails

I thought I'd do a laminated chart of the raised beds and then when we've planted print what actually went in and then I can write all over it for when things fail / succeed/ timings etc

I'm sure I'll have plenty of fails to learn from

[Spreckly]

Today the friend in the village\ who has taken on Ted`s veggie patch for herself, came round with cardboard, and with the boxes I had, we have almost covered the veggie plot. We recovered with a glass of fresh orange (carton), and a long chat.

[lancashire lass]

Today the friend in the village\ who has taken on Ted`s veggie patch for herself, came round with cardboard, and with the boxes I had, we have almost covered the veggie plot

hope the cardboard is well weighted down .... they can be quite mobile in windy conditions

[Trev62]

An expected snap frost last night seems to have finished the few things we had left growing. We will gather in the remaining peppers and tomatoes tomorrow along with the last of the beetroot. Luckily we moved all the butternuts inside for winter storage or we could have lost a few of them.

The Jerusalem artichokes seem to have survived and held their flowers but we shall see in a few days if they start to die off. Only our second year with these so we will attempt to preserve some but we still have not decided on which way will be best.

[Spreckly]

I can see from here that some of the cardboard has moved. We have the storm here, the path and lawn are covered in leaves.

Sadly all the work my friend did in the veg plot has been a complete failure. However, I have moved all my bedding plant tubs into the greenhouse, and the antirrhinums have burst back into life.

[Spreckly]

I actually have honeysuckle growing in my hedge!!

[Mo]

I actually have honeysuckle growing in my hedge!!

You sound surprised. It surely isn't flowering still. Though my hypericum is. Part of its 'take over the world' strategy. It spreads sideways but you wouldn't want to cut it while it's in flower. Such a cheerful golden flower that I put up with it growing over the path as fast as I cut it. But I curse when it rains and it drenches me.

[lancashire lass]

Surprisingly, the honeysuckle I bought and had in a pot actually survived the drought and heatwave last year (I was unable to get outside to water potted plants, so only the strongest survived!) and is spreading wildly all over my back patio.

[Spreckly]

Yes, Mo, the honeysuckle was in flower.

Yesterday my gardener came. He comes about three to four time a year. He trimmed my front hedges and the leylandii on the trellis, cut my oak tree back (I grew it from an acorn), and a fir tree near the gate.

I have a beautiful cotoneaster hedge at the bottom of the garden, this will be cut back once the berries have been eaten.

Also at the bottom is a very oddly shaped magnolia belonging to my neighbour. Some weeks` since I asked him if he would trim the over hanging branches back.. He told me he was forbidden to climb ladders. I asked my gardener if he would be able to do it, but it means going into next door`s garden, which is like the Kew. I approached my neighbour again this morning, but they were on their way to the hospital, and will discuss it later. I am annoyed that I will have to pay for the job, when it is not my tree.

The neighbour on the other side, despite being asked has not attempted to cut a sapling and trim the hedge outside my living room window. He said he would weeks` ago. Not pleased.

My back lawn is muddy, and did not get its last cut due to the weather.

[Trev62]

Harvested three small broccoli heads today, my lovely partner had put a few plants in a small sheltered area behind our house. The snow finally disappeared revealing them, so, we had them for tea tonight. Nice surprise and very enjoyable.

[Spreckly]

My Magnolie Susan has shed all its leaves, and is covered in buds.

I have a Liquid Amber tree in the front garden, and planned to photograph it in all its glory, but the wind beat me to it!

The odd antirrhinum is flowering in the greenhouse, and my chrysanths are going over. They were nurtured by my husband, several colours and shades, but over the years, they have all turned a washed out mauve, not very exciting.