How Does Your Garden Grow?

[Ross365]

The circular one I made with a big holesaw. No takers, guessing it was treated wood?

The one I have must have been outside for 2-3 years, so even if it was treated wood surely that you have aged and become "hospitable" by now? I'll try a new location.

Over the last day or two, and in that warm spell we had a while ago, there seem to have been quite a lot of insects and especially bees, whereas last year bees seemed quite rare. I'm normally pretty quick to deal with dandelions appearing on my lawn, but they say that they are one of the few food sources for bees early in the year, so I'm leaving them alone this year.

 

[Onoff]

50 beans in little pots, in a multi purpose compost today. Good / bad, who knows? Aim is to grow them until end of May / the last frosts:

 

[Onoff]

they say that they are one of the few food sources for bees early in the year, so I'm leaving them alone this year.

Right now I've mown "paths" through the lawn to key points; shed, washing line, compost bin etc. This on the basis that the daisy's are a good food source for the bees.

 

[4String.]

These are mine, planted 2 weeks ago:


24 seeds in 2 separate trays. I'll keep 6 or 8 and put the rest out on the front wall, free to a good home.

Beetroot went in at the same time and coming along nicely:


Not much activity from everything else, tomatoes, chillies, basil, and radishes, but it hasn't really warmed up that much as yet so there's plenty of time.

 

[Onoff]

These are mine, planted 2 weeks ago:

View attachment 344620
24 seeds in 2 separate trays. I'll keep 6 or 8 and put the rest out on the front wall, free to a good home.

Beetroot went in at the same time and coming along nicely:
View attachment 344625

Not much activity from everything else, tomatoes, chillies, basil, and radishes, but it hasn't really warmed up that much as yet so there's plenty of time.

I might be tapping you up for advice! I've swede, dwarf peas and sweetcorn to go in. All bought on a whim with the runners.

 

[4String.]

I might be tapping you up for advice! I've swede, dwarf peas and sweetcorn to go in. All bought on a whim with the runners.

Along with a lot of things, I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in the garden and greenhouse this summer.

I made a mesh screen door and fitted automatic openers to the greenhouse roof vents a few weeks back so I now don't need to worry that my precious plants will bake to death on a hot day because OH has forget to let the heat out , and future plans are rainwater harvesting and some form of raised growing beds. I'm trying growbags this year for the first time so that should be interesting as well.

And if I can find a supplier of railways sleepers that doesn't want an arm and a leg, I'm planning to build some raised beds in the front yard where I can grow pollinator friendly pants and maybe some herbs.

 

[addjunkie]

Along with a lot of things, I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time in the garden and greenhouse this summer.

I made a mesh screen door and fitted automatic openers to the greenhouse roof vents a few weeks back so I now don't need to worry that my precious plants will bake to death on a hot day because OH has forget to let the heat out , and future plans are rainwater harvesting and some form of raised growing beds. I'm trying growbags this year for the first time so that should be interesting as well.

And if I can find a supplier of railways sleepers that doesn't want an arm and a leg, I'm planning to build some raised beds in the front yard where I can grow pollinator friendly pants and maybe some herbs.

Go up the road to Rookhope and get some alpaca poo. Will help your garden grow.

 

[Onoff]

I've ordered some "bean string" to tie on the metal frame.

Still in two minds as to whether to surround the patch with sleepers. Worried I'll create this dug over, "sterile"patch the slow worms won't be able to hunt in for slugs.

 

[RichardM]

Carrots are not showing yet (I don't know why I sewed them it's only the dog that likes them ) Lupin seeds are starting to sprout

@Onoff That's it for my gardening news - apart from if you have any egg boxes they are good for starting individual seeds in so you can plant them on without disturbing.

 

[Onoff]

Carrots are not showing yet (I don't know why I sewed them it's only the dog that likes them

My old flat coated retriever loved fruit. She'd strip a blackberry bush ever so delicately. Citrus fruit too was a favourite.

 

[redlig]

My old flat coated retriever loved fruit. She'd strip a blackberry bush ever so delicately. Citrus fruit too was a favourite.

We had a mongrel that took the buds off of anything that grew but especially liked the Dandelion flowers.

 

[RichardM]

He loves bananas and apples, even eats cucumber. As an ex street dog he will eat most things, favourite shops are Gregs and the chippy

 

[bigegg]

He loves bananas and apples, even eats cucumber. As an ex street dog he will eat most things, favourite shops are Gregs and the chippy

I had a dog (ex-traveller) that would eat cauliflowers out of the field. She also picked blackberries.


The dog I have now is just obsessed with fruit + veg: she climbs the apple tree to pick apples. She drinks my apple juice. Digs up potatoes + carrots.
I put my strawberry plants in an aquponics planter to keep her away from them

Oh. She likes Chinese curry, as well. Not so keen on Indian.

 

[Onoff]

I had a dog (ex-traveller) that would eat cauliflowers out of the field. She also picked blackberries.

Go on, it offered to tarmac your drive and nicked the mower from the shed?

 

[bigegg]

Go on, it offered to tarmac your drive and nicked the mower from the shed?

Proper traveller - not an itinerant road mender.

 

[droopsnoot]

I'm normally pretty quick to deal with dandelions appearing on my lawn, but they say that they are one of the few food sources for bees early in the year, so I'm leaving them alone this year.

I've been pulling the heads off dandelions as they appear, but it does seem like they're much faster than I am. I'm tempted by this new-fangled "no mow in May", but I'm worried that the grass will just be all dandelion and never recover if I don't. I seem to have plenty of other flowers up that the bees are welcome to, though I've little idea what any of them are (other than the obvious ones) as they were all planted by my parents over the years.

My problem with dandelions as that I can never (be bothered to) get the root out, and I'm far too tight economically aware to buy a special tool for it, so they're going to just carry on growing. I must dig a few of the larger ones out of the border in the next couple of days, if it stays dry.

I "cleared" the vegetable patch and found a lot of potatoes still in the ground, which I put on one side with the intention of eating over winter but never got around to it, so I then cleared it again to plant some and found enough still there that I didn't need to - I just re-arranged them into rows. Now I have potato plants coming up in some of the rows, and a load of other spots. No sign of my onions or lettuce yet. Indoors, I have tomato, jalapeno and machu pichu packet seeds starting to turn into little plants, and some sweet peppers growing from the seeds inside a pepper I bought in Asda last year. The trouble is, all the things that are easy to grow are also really cheap - there's probably a link there somewhere.

New to this thread, I'm starting out from scratch, really, trying to keep things relatively neat and tidy. I'd love to have a bigger garden, but I don't think I'd find the time to look after it.

(ETA - is it OK to post in here? I can't tell whether this is a general gardening thread or a specific "build" thread. I'll re-post elsewhere if I'm trampling over someone else's metaphorical lawn.)

 

[Onoff]

I've read that May is the time to plant sweetcorn so they'll be going in pots tonight.

 

[bigegg]

The dog I have now is just obsessed with fruit + veg: she climbs the apple tree to pick apples. She drinks my apple juice. Digs up potatoes + carrots.
I put my strawberry plants in an aquponics planter to keep her away from them

Oh. She likes Chinese curry, as well. Not so keen on Indian.

Her latest craze is pickled gherkins.

 

[redlig]

Her latest craze is pickled gherkins.

Pickled Gherkins ? that sounds interesting ,do you have any spare seeds ?

 

[DAPPH]

The one I have must have been outside for 2-3 years, so even if it was treated wood surely that you have aged and become "hospitable" by now? I'll try a new location.

Over the last day or two, and in that warm spell we had a while ago, there seem to have been quite a lot of insects and especially bees, whereas last year bees seemed quite rare. I'm normally pretty quick to deal with dandelions appearing on my lawn, but they say that they are one of the few food sources for bees early in the year, so I'm leaving them alone this year.

The RSPB web site have plans for nesting boxes & where to site them don't site them to face th sun much after 10.00 hrs or the nest box will get too hot
I've 3d printed some 8 mm thick by 75 x 90 hinge part so when one is turned though 180 % it snugly pushes inthe the other making a simple box hinge that can be screwed downthe back of trh nest bpox as welll as on top of ht elid .. helps to clean thm out . the lids are secured with copper wire over headed pin nails to stop the wind & squirrels getting them open .

Several of my nest boxes also have a 2 inch dia 4 mm thick anti chew through aluminium squirrel plate over the 35mm to 40 mm bird access hole .