How Does Your Garden Grow?

[WeldingLD]

Out of curiosity what veg do you plan to grow? Over covid my family converted a strip of the garden to grow everything we'd need!

 

[DAPPH]

I'm still debating nematodes and their possible effect on the slow worms, frogs, toads etc.

Similarly whether I'll isolate any such fauna with this in effect, walled off area?

If you read the blurb on the "Nematode " leaflet they say the nematodes are present in all gardens , using their product just increased to number enough for them to kill slugs a lot quicker . It only affects slugs as it was from naturally infected slugs that their culture was developed .
I noticed a big reduction in snails as well for several years . It's four years since I last used nematode control ..... as yet no slugs of any great concern but the snails have comeback with a vengeance this growing season .

According to several of my American gardening friends :-
As full strength newly made nematode culture is so expensive , you can also eke out the use of the culture by putting a dozen or so big fat slugs in a lidded jar with air holes & a bit of greenery . then pour in & a dessert spoon of the made up solution .
Keep it at 15 oC .
Shake each day till you can see the slugs have died & are starting to decay . Top the jar up with water for a few more days , shaking it daily then pour it in to a bucket of only just - tepid rain water .

Stir it for a day then use a watering can to treat the veg garden . Start off a new jar in the same way.
When you think about it the dead slugs in your garden are full of nematodes , they don't hurt the worms but slugs & snails will also eat the infected dead slugs over time till ther eare no slugs left , leaving you with a slug free treated area for a couple of months or more . Some of my Scottish friends have reported that after five years of annually applied paid for treatments their small holding are pretty free of slugs .

Whilst the nematodes are harmless to humans ( our stomach acids kill them ) all eaten raw veg should be washed in clean water . I think its said you shouldn't use them on soft fruit especially strawberries for some reason.

 

[roofman]

Fantastic colour ........ That's given me something to strive & live for ... six years you say .. can I beg some seeds in a jiffy bag please ? Can PM you my address & compensate you .

pm me end of the year when the seed pods start falling..you can have a load of them.

 

[fixedfixer]

I'm still debating nematodes and their possible effect on the slow worms, frogs, toads etc.

Similarly whether I'll isolate any such fauna with this in effect, walled off area?

We tried nematodes but didn’t see any huge difference. Still have slugs. Found removing slug habitat more effective. Any dead or decaying leaves picked up, remove any long grass near raised beds etc. We throw slugs in compost bit so they can do what they are supposed to - break down the stuff into nice compost.

 

[brewdexta]

When the wife first started gardening she used to run down to the greenhouse and veg beds at night time and stab all the slugs with a little knife

She's now uses a variety of methods to minimise slug and snail and other critter damage, none quite as dramatic as that.

I can't remember all the techniques but she has a small pond in the polytunnel to promote frogs, and she plants stuff that they like more than our veggies, kind of a diversionary tactic, and she does something with parasitic wasps. She now wants some ducks for the veggie plot.

 

[fixedfixer]

Been there with the ducks. Now, assume your a duck for a minute. What would you like to eat, a slug or a nice strawberry?

 

[vw-al]

This ours, mostly done by the mrs

 

[DAPPH]

We tried nematodes but didn’t see any huge difference. Still have slugs. Found removing slug habitat more effective. Any dead or decaying leaves picked up, remove any long grass near raised beds etc. We throw slugs in compost bit so they can do what they are supposed to - break down the stuff into nice compost.

And lay thousands of eggs in the composting matter so they hatch when you put it on the gardens ?


See this , read the whole article not just what you see presented in the post & weep me a river .

What Is the Life Cycle of a Slug?

In ideal environmental conditions, a slug may live up to six years; however, most slugs live two years. Most slugs start off as eggs, hatch into immature adults and develop into adults in just under a year, though there are a few species of slugs that have live births.

www.reference.com

 

[Onoff]

And lay thousands of eggs in the composting matter so they hatch when you put it on the gardens ?

Do slugs survive, at optimum, "hot" composting temperatures?

 

[aesmith]

My 50 bean plants have grown at different rates though all planted at the same time in the same medium and all from the same packet. As of today 49/50.

Most are 4-6" high and need to go in I think. A few have only just broken through the soil.

What sort of beans? We've only done French Beans so far, and those will grow to maybe 12"-18" without support so no need to get them into their final places that early. I've not yet come up with the best supports, first year we used four stakes tied together at the top, but that wasn't ideal because the plants all converged together. This year I'm trying more like a trellis, vertical poles with light horizonal laths and vertical strings.
May do runners next year, but they're said not to do too well in a polytunnel.
(Our peas are finished now, no longer cropping and starting to die off, seemed a really short season)

 

[Onoff]

What sort of beans?

Czar variety, from Real Seeds:

Special Runner Bean vegetable seeds to buy from The Real Seed Catalogue UK

Runner beans will produce in cooler weather than French beans, and crop over a really long period. Selected new varieties for you to grow at home.

www.realseeds.co.uk

 

[Onoff]

I think this weekend it's a case of get 'em in or go home. Torrential rain every evening, (hail even last night), when I've gotten home, has stopped me finishing the sleeper surround. (Saying that, my 200mm screws only arrived yesterday). This weekend is looking dry and the ground should be nicely diggable to get the sleepers in.

The soil where the trench was dug is remarkably weed free. Guessing the literal "top" soil was the last to go back in the trench. I took out most of the flints and rubble when I backfilled and there's the alternate layers of soil ash, compost and grass cuttings and bits of bone in there. Hopefully the original "weed" layer is at the bottom, rotting away.

Do I plant the beans on the inside of the A frame or outside? Thinking inside then train up the coir ropes. Need to get some more coir rope too.

The couple of birthday bean plants SWMBO put in tubs don't seem to be faring so well. Fairly sure she imported critters in the compost etc Our compost bins are well shaded so I don't think rot down as quick or as well as they could. Basically a buffet for the local vermin and ideal snail / slug habitat.

 

[aesmith]

Do I plant the beans on the inside of the A frame or outside? Thinking inside then train up the coir ropes.

Inside. They'll grow vertically to meet the ropes and probably grab them without much assistance.

Did you say 47 plants? You going to have a lot of beans.

 

[Onoff]

Inside. They'll grow vertically to meet the ropes and probably grab them without much assistance.

Did you say 47 plants? You going to have a lot of beans.

Erm...50 out of 50 now.

First time I've grown anything in my defence!

 

[Kram]

Did a bit of gardening..
We have a bayleaf bush/tree that was getting a bit big/wide so I chopped one of the trunks off a little above ground level. Its about 2" dia at the bottom.

We used a previous cutting as a bird feeder, but as expected it quickly died, no new roots when I pulled it today. It did the job but wasnt looking great.

Planted the new cutting, about 8-12" deep and rammed the ground around it to hold it up.
Is there anything I can or, should have done, to keep the cutting alive?

Perhaps a green stem would have better chance than a large old trunk?

 

[Kram]

Photo from earlier. Since I have dumped 4 buckets of soil and planted some small bayleafs stolen from the patio area. Added some big sticks to hopefully prevent the pigeons flattening everything as they land.

 

[Onoff]

Did a bit of gardening..

Want any runner bean plants?

 

[Onoff]

The last two packs of coir rope in Lidl Gravesend! Didn't have any in Sevenoaks or Tonbridge branches. Means I can finish stringing the bean frame with all the same rope:

 

[Onoff]

It's hard work this gardening lark!

Got two sides of the sleepers square and level. Got to dig the other sides in but I keep stopping for tea breaks!

Got laddo printing more connectors for the box section frame:

 

[Onoff]

3 sides in and near level/square save for some tweaking. Really not sure what to do with "side 4".....

The site slopes uphill. If I bury side 4 level with the other sides it'll literally be near level with the ground. Possibly not an issue, I can just rake it all level within the area.