Karen's 2015 garden diary

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Mo
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by Mo »

Freeranger wrote: Couch grass I can sympathise with, but I see your couch grass and raise you a nettle (or several).
Next time there's a pandemic, please can we arrange for your OH to get locked down up here? He sounds very much more useful in a garden than mine!

My bid is brambles.
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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kitla
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by kitla »

I've finally got the knack with peppers & chillis, they need extra heat to germinate so best to seed them indoors on a sunny windowsill under a propergator. Watermelon I tried last year, the best ones grew in a tomato grow bag, the potted one failed & surprisingly they dont like to be overwatered. In the end I only got 1 tiny melon! good luck.
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Oh I've got nettles and brambles as well, and of course in places which are hard to get to!

The weather has turned much chillier, which might make digging more comfortable. Kitty I'm just too lazy to try that but I really should - I think LL has pointed that out to me before. In fact, I will go and sow some new seeds into a mini tray and bring them in. I do like a nice sweet pepper!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

So pleased with the allotment, it's all cleared and dug over - the soil has been great to work with now that we've had some rain. The gooseberries are ripening up nicely - I've fenced off the red ones in my garden too due to last year's complete stripping of the lot by Little will, and this eyar they've all been eating the tiny forming fruit - and the raspberries are coming on nicely. The strawberries are loking a bit depleted but there's plenty of new plants and flowers so hopefully we'll get a good crop there.

I've marked out all my beds and have planted out my peas and beans, onions and beetroot. We are forecast a spell of wintry weather so I hope I won't regret that planting. Luckily I had resisted planting out my sweetcorn, tomatoes and squashes.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
Gwenoakes
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by Gwenoakes »

I have got nothing on my gooseberry bushes, yet.
Do have lots of flowers, which will be strawberries on my plants, so looking forward to them.
Last year I started off with about 12 strawberry plants and while the runners were still attached to the parent plant I potted them up in some compost and not so long ago I planted them all out and have quite a few now. Did not really know what I was doing, but all have come good, so quite pleased.
I have some in a container, lots in a two wooden trough's Terry made and loads in a raised bed, so fingers crossed.
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

That's what I did Gwen, just started off with a few plants and over the last few years the runners have taken and now I have a massive strawberry patch on my plot. Come the autumn, I must sort it out and replant some of the newer plants as it is quite taking over my fruit cage! Dead easy really strawberries, but make sure you set some netting over when the fruits form (before they ripen) otherwise the birds will nibble the berries and you won't get hardly any. I've been pulling some out of my netting as I've been tidying up the edges - I've transplanted them into pots and troughs and they are also doing fine, so they can go bakc into the patch in the autumn. Ideally pop some straw down as well to protect the fruits from rot and slugs.

Odd that your gooseberries haven't started setting yet?
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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Mo
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

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Slugs get my strawberries, the few there are.
Got some tiny gooseberries coming but some way to go. Plenty in the freezer still. (Deja vu - I thought I'd already said this)
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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lancashire lass
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by lancashire lass »

my problem are the blackbirds - cheeky beggars steal the strawberries and look at you while slinking off with the fruit in their beak
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Mo
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by Mo »

When I was younger and keener I had a big strawberry bed. Yes Blackbirds (and hens) love strawberries. And if you net the bed you end up cutting holes in the net to untangle birds that have got in and can't get out.
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by Freeranger »

(Deja vu - I thought I'd already said this)


:-D :-D

I have blossom on my apple trees, and gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes. Nothing yet on my unhappy looking strawberries.
My problems are slugs, blackbirds and hungry pheasants.
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Flipping frost! I had planted out half of my french beans and lost them all }hairout{ . Luckily I had some in the greenhouse and i've sown some more so they should be fine. Now I'm not sure when to plant them out! The peas & beetroot I planted are all fine. Interestingly enough, the potatoes that were coming through from last year's strays left in the ground have died back due to frost. No big deal to me, they were accidents and the others I'd planted are nowhere near coming through but loads of people o the lotty had early crops coming through and they all look like they've been hit. Hopefully they should recover.

The thing I am most hacked off with is myself, because I got impatient and planted out my cherry toms into hanging baskets - I meant to brign them in overnight but forgot, and now I've lost half of them! }hairout{ )ang I've sown some new ones so they'll probably be ok as well but really annoying. Not that I'll be short of tomatoes, I've got about 8 bush ones to plant out as well, but I do like a cherry tom in a basket. Serves me right, I knew I shouldn't plant them out! But everything is getting so big in the greenhouse and I'm desperately running out of space.
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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Mo
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by Mo »

In previous years I've earthed up my early spuds to in the evening so that the leaves have a light covering of soil to protect them. Or a dock leaf, or net curtain.
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Sunny Clucker enjoyed Folk music and song in mid-Cheshire
Freeranger
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by Freeranger »

I really sympathise with this.
We live on a hillside in southern Scotland, and it's so difficult to see progress even within a couple of miles of here and then not even have sown some things - judging the frosts is always so difficult. This year I've put seedlings out in the car (in the absence of greenhouse and cold frame), and lost courgette & cucumber on the dashboard to frost. Annoyingly, a few tomato seedlings to heat.
I always start with good intentions of hardening things off before leaving them outside, and stick to it religiously for a while. The one day I forget is the one they are destroyed - pretty much an annual phenomenon, though you'd think I'd learn.
And this year, we've also had strong winds to contend with, which have killed the hebes.
I think if the other seasoned lottie holders have had problems then you can be excused.
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Everything is growing really well now, starting to take off. The gooseberries at the lotty were stripped before we even had a chance to get any berries - not a big deal as we don't really like them much, but I had promised my allotment neighbour (who is also a good friend) he could have them for his goosegog wine but he lost all his as well! Surprisingly the red gooseberries at home are doing fine and I've already had a punnet off them. I'm sure the birds will find them soon enough. The blueberry plants at hoe look good too, I'll have to move them into my greenhouse soon to protect them from the birds and chickens.

Strawberries at the lotty are less good, mainly I think some of the plants are past their best. The new plants (runners) and the ones I transplanted at home are brilliant so I'll definitely be sorting out my patch when they've died back.

raspberries are a bit meh, probably because I havent done any pruning for a couple of years. Serves me right. They don't last for ever either so maybe I need to pull a few up and give the newer plants some room. I don't fancy trying to transplant canes though!

Tomatoes - bloody butcher and roma, and tumbling tom cherry plus mini plum I planted from a supermarket tomato - are all coming along nicely and starting to set. The toms at the lotty are doing less well but maybe they haven;t been getting enough water as it has been very dry on the whole.

The cucumbers are just starting to get a bit of growth on them, as are the squashes. The courgette at the lotty is starting to develop flowers. The broccoli, kale, caulis and cabbages are looking good esp as i have covered them with insect proof netting so hopefully the cabbage white damage will be minimal this year (will still get some as I haven't fixed the netting properly but will make some proper little covers for next year)

Beans are good, but peas as ever not so good. I've got some at home which I'll plant out, and I might sow some more but if i want a decent crop I'll have to be more serious next year.

Sweetcorn at home looking better than the lotty but it gets more regular watering. Of course I moved some of my corn to the garden in case the badgers came back and had the lot at the lotty, and of course sods law - the badger has come to our garden! So I might be sweetcorn-less either way )gr:

I lost my watermelon because Marley dustbathed on it (cat, not chicken!) so I sowed a couple more seeds and they've both come up! Probably a waste of time especially at this stage but I've planted one into the greenhouse. I'll take the other to the lotty.

Onions are looking good now there's been a bit of rain. All in all, it's looking quite good. A nice mix of rain showers and sun is helping!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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KarenE
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Re: Karen's 2015 garden diary

Post by KarenE »

Everything is taking off beautifully now, the squashes & pumpkins have put on a good growth spurt and have a few fruits setting on them. Hope they don't fall off. The tomatoes are trussing nicely, the cucs starting to form fruit and the beans should be ready any day now. The beetroot have worked so well, they are big roots already so i've pulled a few up and have frozen them. I'm going to roast and freeze some more tonight, and I've sown a replacement crop which wa probably a mistake as the ones I planted already will keep me going for a while! And they were al different varieties so that's been really good, not all were red. My dad likes them so he is going to get a good pile of them!

The yellow courgette is coming along nicely too, I picked a little courgette yesterday for us to try.

My brassicas are doing well underneath their insect proof netting, really pleased with that so I'll build more permanent cages for next year (just bambo canes tied together at the moment) and fingers crossed no more caterpillar damage there.

The red gooseberries are nearly done and have been good - the birds haven't been at them and there's just a few hard to reach ones on the bushes now. We've had crumble and I've mixed the last batch with some cherries (bought loads dead cheap in tesco) which I'll use to make pie/crumble filling and jam. I've moved my blueberry bushes into the greenhouse to stop the birs (and chickens( gettingthe berries when they ripen. I even have some pears on my patio pear, although my cox apple hasn't anything on it but to be honest, I thought it was dead so i suppose that's a positive that it isn't!

The blackcurrant crop is pretty good too, I have more on the bushes still ripening.

Strawberries are done now, I'll definitely sort those out at the end of the year and the raspberries too which haven't been too bad at all given I hadn't pruned them for a few years. They're still fruiting.

Sweetcorn growing nicely, the spinach has been very disappointing - all but 1 plant has died. I'll have a bit of space when I dig up the potatoes, and take out the celery (I never pick it, the stems go tough & woody so it's hardly worth it) so I'l have a bit more space on there. Might putt he other watermelon plant there, although I'm not expecting to get any fruit on them as they are really too small and probably won't have time now to set and ripen fruits.

The allotment has been a godsend in lockdown, it's given me exercise and an excuse to get out, and the weather has ben perfect in a lot of ways - enough rain to help swell but enough sunshine too. Hoping we get more sunshine now!
Karen
Alpha chick to: Smudge, Matisse and Bluebell
Chief servant to Marley the cat
Remembering Weeps, Rexie, Sage, Cassie, Toffee, Captain Gabby, Commander Nugget, Ronnie, Juno, Special Poetry and Reading Casper, Tigger, Tophenanall Rembrandt, Chestnut, Tiddly, Willow, Mango, Coco, Dorian Grey and Pokey.
Also my lost furries Charlie and Jasper
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