Grow 2021-24

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vietnammer
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by vietnammer »

Come on Chaps
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by jevs »

sendô wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 2:59 pm The pot is fairly big tbh, maybe 40cm across. I've made sure to keep it well watered too. Will have to check the soil acidity - I actually have a probe somewhere in the shed.

I don't really want to replant it again until I know I'm not going to kill it. The soil in my garden is basically solid clay too that barely drains at all so don't want the roots to sit in water.
Hydrangeas love clay soil....dig a big hold somewhere in semi shade if possible, chuck a shed load of well rotted leaf mould in the hole....and maybe a shovel full of grit and plant away.

Good luck with your probing :shock: :crylol:
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Up the Junction »

vietnammer wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:36 pmCome on Chaps
"There's a bit of ground waiting for you somewhere..." - if only!
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by bonzosbeard »

I am attempting to grow Rosemary again in a large pot. Sunny position outside but I believe it doesn't want the rain we've been having.

I have tried Rosemary's before and failed each time but I have a sunnier spot at this house now.

Has anyone managed to grow a decent one where if you snip a sprig or two off it doesn't look bare.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Joyeux Marteau »

Managed to get a decent harvest of about 30 cherries from our two trees.

Also bought a new gooseberry and white currant ready for next year!

Nothing better than home grown!
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Tenbury »

bonzosbeard wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:32 pm I am attempting to grow Rosemary again in a large pot. Sunny position outside but I believe it doesn't want the rain we've been having.

I have tried Rosemary's before and failed each time but I have a sunnier spot at this house now.

Has anyone managed to grow a decent one where if you snip a sprig or two off it doesn't look bare.

Rosemary tends to get pretty leggy, it's not a bad idea to take cuttings (dead easy) and start again every 3 or4 years. As it's a Plant from the Med it wants to be well drained and not overfed. As such, in a largish pot, I'd use John Innes No. 3 rather than multipurpose, and maybe a few handfuls of horticultural grit (or vermiculite) , and don't water too much.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by rigoberts song »

Morning Fellow gardeners
Everything coming along nicely down here on sunny Exmoor.
Quick question I've got 2 sorts of onion in normal which are doing brilliantly and some called white onions which grew tall and spindly.Their not getting any fatter or taller now should they be harvested or will they fill out.Their not spring onions to be clear.
Thks for your help
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Up the Junction »

rigoberts song wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 7:14 am Their not getting any fatter or taller now should they be harvested or will they fill out.Their not spring onions to be clear.
Depends when you sowed them of course but they'll usually let you know when they're ready by falling over like Mo Salah in the penalty box.

Any possible reasons why this might be, RS? Is it a certain area of the garden (ie shaded) for example?
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by rigoberts song »

Hi Boss Thks for the reply.
The soil quality isn't quite as good but lots of water and light .
I may pull one up and see
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Up the Junction »

rigoberts song wrote: Fri Jul 01, 2022 10:40 amThe soil quality isn't quite as good but lots of water and light .
I had a similar problem last year. Those in my raised beds were grand, those in another area of the garden (with really bad soil) failed.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by rigoberts song »

OK thanks you may well be right
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by WHU Independent »

Haven't posted in a while because of life and gardening! Lots of gardening.

Ok Flowers first, as I know some peeps don't want to read about veg :)


Flowers: Hastors, hostors, Roses doing well - although soem Roses has got black spot which I am about to tackle. Any tips would be appeciated! Daffs all died off but lavender is growing lovely. As were the foxgloves.but they are dying off now. All other flowers - I don't know there names - are doing well, including some kinda stump which has produced lovely blood red flowers. I've also got some lupins and other stuff that just keep on growing - I've had to prune them back as they were making it impossible to get into the back end of the garden.


Trees and bushes
: The Apple trees have baby apples on them, the cherry trees has loads of fruit, which are a tad sour, whilst both the plum tree and the pear tree have proto fruit on them. The blackberry bush and gooseberry bush are showering me with lovely sweet fruit, but the ruhbarb plant finally gave up the ghost and died. I haven't had the guts to try the red berry plant - but it has loads of berries.

The allotments: Allotment no 1: The potatoes are doing well, there are loads of earlies in different stages of growth. Some have flowered but are still growing strong, so i am leaving them for now. I had one batch of New potatoes and they were unreal. Nothing like the shops. The onions I planted a while ago are slow in developing - maybe a bit to shadey for them - and the spanish onions I have planted have just stagnated - they've not grown an inch but are still healthy. The curly Kale is growing like mad, the butternuts squash, broccoli, brussels are all slow but deffo growing. I actually put some seedlings of rocket that a propigated from the greenhouse in the ground (as I didn't have enough pots to put them all), and I thought they woud die, but they seem to be getting bigger,

Allotment No2. I've weeded, turned over and layed compost on about 1/3 and am waiting for a sunny day to do the second 3rd. It's still all covered over.

Greenhouse: The two indeterminant plants are producing loads of toms, small red and sweet. The indeterminates are producing some lovely yellow toms, there are some massive Italian types growing on the other and the other two have some lovely red toms coming on. I think I will go indetermiate all the way next year. Much less fuss, minimal pruning, a decent yeald per buck and they grow quicker too. I've pruned the indeterminates a lot getting rid of a lot of the side growth, as they just went beserk.

Oh and using the Mushy method re cuttings I now have a 3 ft tall flowering tom plant from a 3 in cutting. And it''s flowering! Cheers Mucker!

I've moved the green pepper plants out of the seedling tray and into a big long growing tray. They are shooting up and look lovely. On the other hand the brussels, broccoli, chilli and one asparagus plant look slightly yellow and anemic. I dunno if I am under or over watering them, I water them twice a day with a quick count of 1 - 10. They are in a shaded part of the greenhouse, so they don't get full sun? Should I move them?

I've got 40 lavender (20 x 2 types of lavender) plants in seed trays (my mate bought them for me) and one type is doing well, the other not so good.

The lawn. Pisses me off. Looks ok when mown but leave it for a week and weeds spring up everywhere. I've declared war on them and am trying to keep them under control, but it's a full time job. I've used some weeds, seed and feed and it's taken in patches, but the new green grass makes the old stuff look sickly - and it's patchy. I might have to get it ripped up and new stuff relaid. I'll see how it goes.

On the whole I'm really enjoying the whole gardening process. Come the autum, there is going to be a big pruning op and a cull of plants I am not keen on. I've seen some stuff I like so will be trying to grow that instead.

I also never knew how exhausting the whole gardening process is but I really enjoy the manual side of things as apart from doing weights I have a pretty sedentary life. It's great for my mental health too - in the garden I'm on my own, no phone, justing doing my thing. I think a solar radio might be my next purchase.

Oh one final thing - I have a low wall in the garden and I noticed it was teaming with microspoic red spider like things. My cats sit on that wall and i was worried about them getting these things as mites, so, under advisement, I've cleaned the whole lot down with a diluted Jeyes fluid solution to deter them. Is this the right thing to do? TYIA.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by prophet:marginal »

Tenbury wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 6:10 pm I'd love a probe in me shed.
Just remembered, if the hydrangea's blue, keep it that way with the occasional dose of sequestered iron(or similar, 'spect old nails would do..)
My grandad, who loved his garden, used to push a copper coin into the root area of his hydrangea, so as to enhance the blueness of the petals.

At least that's what he appeared to believe happened.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by prophet:marginal »

bonzosbeard wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:32 pm I am attempting to grow Rosemary again in a large pot. Sunny position outside but I believe it doesn't want the rain we've been having.

I have tried Rosemary's before and failed each time but I have a sunnier spot at this house now.

Has anyone managed to grow a decent one where if you snip a sprig or two off it doesn't look bare.
We once had a large bush of it, from when we moved in, onwards. Anyway, the other half took against it - despite my protestations that it served two purposes (food and lovely lilac flowers).

Anyway, I took a cutting before the main plant got dug up. I put that in a glass of water and the root system poked through the end of it within days.

A mate came around and took one look at it before going down to a supermarket, buying some small twigs of the stuff, and repeating my trick of prompting it to root.

What we both have - me in a bed, him in a pot - is a tasty but fairly spindly plant, that doesn't seem to be all that bothered if, once a fortnight or so, a clipping of the oldest leaves happens for culinary purposes.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by sendô »

bonzosbeard wrote: Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:32 pm I am attempting to grow Rosemary again in a large pot. Sunny position outside but I believe it doesn't want the rain we've been having.

I have tried Rosemary's before and failed each time but I have a sunnier spot at this house now.

Has anyone managed to grow a decent one where if you snip a sprig or two off it doesn't look bare.
The best rosemary I grew was when I stuck it in the ground at the old house. Indeed I was round someone's house the other day and they had in their garden what I first thought was a small fir tree, but was actually a huge rosemary plant.

I'm planning to plant one of mine in the ground somewhere soon, I just need to get round to picking a spot.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Up the Junction »

Wilko doing a deal on their small walk-in greenhouses currently - down from £45 to £30.

https://www.wilko.com/en-uk/wilko-walk- ... /p/0260896

Just ordered one to test the water.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by -DL- »

Up the Junction wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 10:58 am

Just ordered one to test the water.
Might have been better off with a dingy than a greenhouse tbf.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by mushy »

WHU Independent wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 2:03 am

Oh and using the Mushy method re cuttings I now have a 3 ft tall flowering tom plant from a 3 in cutting. And it''s flowering! Cheers Mucker!

Well done Indy, to be honest whilst mine have shown a lot of growth this year flowering has been disappointing and have no idea why. What toms I have growing seem very small by normal standards (even though they are Cherries). Could be because I was away for that abnormally hot week and moved them into the shade and they weren't watered, but would have thought they'd had enough time and water by now for a full revival although they did look particularly leggy when I got back.
Also thinking it might be the quality of compost, I can't remember what I used in previous years but I did read that compost quality is paramount and have been using Grow More this year.
What are you using Indy?
I've also been feeding regularly (once a week) with Tomorite.
Any ideas anyone?
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Up the Junction »

mushy wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 11:26 am Any ideas anyone?
I've been using the same brand as last year, mine too are very slow to grow and considerably smaller than 12 months ago.
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Re: Grow 2021/2

Post by Tenbury »

Don't know about you chaps, but although May was very mild round here, early June was unusually chilly and everything got quite a check. I'm sure that's messed with things.

[Asparagus update,.. 30 crowns planted in 'weed free' bed (subsequently hand weeded every few days!) 30 strong plants emerged, I'm already gathering loads of horsesh*t to mulch it with in Sept). Thoroughly recommend ' A+Asparagus' pm me for details.]
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