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Today I did something in my Garden

blackbox

In the car maintenance forum there is a popular thread called "Today I did something to my car"

I'm proposing a similar thread for gardening that the mods might consider making a sticky! Please give a THANKS if you think this is a good idea.

I'll kick it of with:

Today I picked my redcurrants. They seem to have been early this year. They mostly ripen together but I will get a handful more over the next week. I have a small bush in a dodgy location but I got a couple of hundred grams that will make some nice jelly.

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[Deleted User]

I’m looking ahead to next year now and wondering about what I could replace the alliums with for the same effect if they do flop on me. At the moment the only thing I can think about are globe thistles. The only problem I have with them is that they’re not very fond of our heavy clay. Had them unsuccessfully in another spot of the garden a few years ago!

Edit: I’ve altered the soil so much over the years in the allium boarder that they might like it more there, plenty of drainage in it now.

macraignil

SnowyMuckish wrote: »

I’m looking ahead to next year now and wondering about what I could replace the alliums with for the same effect if they do flop on me. At the moment the only thing I can think about are globe thistles. The only problem I have with them is that they’re not very fond of our heavy clay. Had them unsuccessfully in another spot of the garden a few years ago!

Edit: I’ve altered the soil so much over the years in the allium boarder that they might like it more there, plenty of drainage in it now.

Leeks are the same family as alliums and I found they can be grown to produce similar flowers by accident. I had some left over in a window box from ones intended for growing as vegetables and I threw them down to cover some tree roots when they became exposed when the wind moved a young tree in a storm. You can see the leek flowers at just before 2minutes into this video clip and they have grown back on the same spot each year since I put them there a few years back. They can flop over a bit when they get older but I think they are nice flowers so let them continue growing where they are and there are good strong looking stems on them again this year. Tried allium flower bulbs but they have never worked here and I read somewhere that they don't do well in damp soils and being on the north side of a hill here I think the leek flowers are the closest thing I can grow. Chives are also the same family and have good colour to their flowers and seem to be much tougher plants. They also keep flowering for much longer when the old flowers are removed and the stems are nice to use in the kitchen as well.

Zardaz

Igotadose wrote: »

...
Things I learned: Stems of brussel sprouts don't break down worth a damn. Stems of kale plants are slightly better. Eggshells - forget it, they absolutely don't.
....

1) I always smash the stems of any particularly obstreperous brassicas with a lump-hammer before consigning them to the compost bin.
2) For eggshells, I keep them in a separate little box until I have enough to dry them out in a still-warm oven (with the extractor fan on!), and then crush them into flakes in a 1L plastic yogurt pot with the bottom of an jam-jar.
I keep the dried flakes until its time to plant out the tomatoes and chuck a fist of them into each planting hole. (or just add them to the compost pile if you don't do toms)

[Deleted User]

^ Good idea with the egg shells! Will give that a go. They seem to be ever lasting unless treated/mashed/mangled in some way.

I went mad on the fabric pot buying recently and have several chard, parsley, broccoli, basil, cabbage, kale and turnips at various stages of development in 5 and 7 gallon fabric pots. They are sitting out on what used to be grass, but is now covered in weed fabric as I want more space for veg. Poles and netting due to be delivered this week to protect this area and a separate strawberry bed.

I've discovered that there's a significant slope on the area that used to be the lawn, so yesterday I lifted up the fabric and put some old soil that I had kept from previous years in to level it out a bit.. more of the same today. Once it's level, I will properly organize the space.

[Deleted User]

Was out in the garden yesterday. Planted oca tubers.

All perennial tubers in the ground now.

Spuds are doing well. Need to earth them up

PeadarOBriain

Zardaz wrote: »

1) I always smash the stems of any particularly obstreperous brassicas with a lump-hammer before consigning them to the compost bin.
2) For eggshells, I keep them in a separate little box until I have enough to dry them out in a still-warm oven (with the extractor fan on!), and then crush them into flakes in a 1L plastic yogurt pot with the bottom of an jam-jar.
I keep the dried flakes until its time to plant out the tomatoes and chuck a fist of them into each planting hole. (or just add them to the compost pile if you don't do toms)

Can you just add eggshells in the planting whole without the oven process? Or does heating them in the oven make them easier to brake down and be absorbed?

Zardaz

PeadarOBriain wrote: »

Can you just add eggshells in the planting whole without the oven process? Or does heating them in the oven make them easier to brake down and be absorbed?

Raw eggshell tends to go a bit rancid after a while.
Lightly baking them stops them going off, and also makes them much more brittle for crushing.

Grawns

Planted 2 years

macraignil

AlanWeb wrote: »

I recently bought a house with a garden and I'm new to gardening. I just know that you have to work hard in the garden to make it really beautiful. Is this true? Previously we lived in an apartment and the flowers were growing in pots, but that will change now I think))My friend says that if you have your own house you will always be fixing things in the house) It makes me laugh because I can't do anything. I've been reading a lot about garden tools and I hope this helps me at least a little bit.

What looks really beautiful to one person may not be as wonderful from someone else's point of view depending on personal taste. Some people like to have work to do in the garden as it can be a nice form of exercise. My job only offers part time hours so it allows me a lot of time to potter about in the garden but I never really find it hard work.

Growing your own vegetables can take a fair amount of work and some people set up flower displays that they renew and replant to suit different seasons. You could describe these types of gardening as hard work but its also a nice activity and a lot of people find it rewarding to see the fruits of their labour. Gardens can also be planted up to be low maintenance and if well designed still look good if that is what you would prefer. An appropriate sized tree or some shrubs that wont need to be clipped because they are varieties that fit the space they are given can look beautiful and mostly look after themselves. A wildflower meadow can be great for pollinators and look beautiful and only needs to be mowed a handful of times a year. If you want a food producing garden that is not hard work then maybe look into permaculture where perennial food producer plants (like fruit trees and shrubs) are left grow in a way they can look beautiful, are productive and need little maintenance work.

If you just read up about tools you will only learn about the work element of gardening which does not cover the more interesting elements in my opinion.

Igotadose

AlanWeb wrote: »

I recently bought a house with a garden and I'm new to gardening. I just know that you have to work hard in the garden to make it really beautiful. Is this true? Previously we lived in an apartment and the flowers were growing in pots, but that will change now I think))My friend says that if you have your own house you will always be fixing things in the house) It makes me laugh because I can't do anything. I've been reading a lot about garden tools and I hope this helps me at least a little bit.

Don't buy anything. Visit some gardens, see what you like, see what plants you like. Get an idea for the space you have, then worry about conditions like wet/dry/wind/sun/temperature and look again at the plants you might be interested in.

Garden is a place in your life for what delights you. Some people delight in the work of growing vegetables, some the solitude of a nice quiet garden for reflecting and relaxing. Some like beautiful masses of plants, some a garden full of exotic speciment plants. But, they all start with an idea and your planning after you have one.

looksee

Don't fret about it, or try and get too organised too quickly. Spend time in your outdoor space and see what ideas you come up with, what you feel you would like to do with it. If you want a few flowers, buy a fork and dig a border. If you fancy growing a bit of salad try some in a large pot. Put your chair outside and see what you would like to do to improve the outlook.

If you are going to be a gardener it will develop naturally and you will find yourself doing things and buying tools to do the immediate job. If it continues to look like a lot of work - it is work, but enjoyable, productive work - then maybe get someone to turn it into a lawn, or a lawn and patio, for you and just mow as necessary.

Gardening can be anything from a pleasure to an obsession to a tedious job that has to be done, you will find out where you sit on that spectrum!

scarepanda

If your only starting out with a garden don't change anything to drastic for the first year. See what's in the garden and what catches your attention in different seasons. You'll also learn what areas you use the most andd what areas get the sun at different times of the day etc. If you do decide to do something that's where you will focus your attention on first because it's where you'll get ideas. If there's any bulbs that come up that you like or a tree/scrub that catches your attention at a certain time of year, then stick a label on/beside it because you may not remember in a few months time.

[Deleted User]

Igotadose wrote: »

Don't buy anything. Visit some gardens, see what you like, see what plants you like. Get an idea for the space you have, then worry about conditions like wet/dry/wind/sun/temperature and look again at the plants you might be interested in.

I agree I wouldn’t buy anything. Get a feel for your space, aspect/ soil type etc.

Think about how you plan to use the space, seating?veg?flower boarder? shrubs?colourful perennials? How much time do you see yourself giving it? (no such thing as a no maintenance garden :pac::pac:)

I often think starting a garden is a bit like deciding whether to get a pet. Same questions apply:
1 Are you interested in looking after it?
2 do you have the time?
3 will you take on all the hard jobs eg weeding etc?

If you do decide to start, one piece of advice I’d give is ‘right plant, right place’. So take your time, research what you like and make sure to put it in a place that suits. Good luck!

Hocus Focus

Zardaz wrote: »

Raw eggshell tends to go a bit rancid after a while.
Lightly baking them stops them going off, and also makes them much more brittle for crushing.

I was continually finding what I thought were bits of plastic in my compost, until it eventually dawned on me that it was bits of eggshell:(

GreeBo

Hocus Focus wrote: »

I was continually finding what I thought were bits of plastic in my compost, until it eventually dawned on me that it was bits of eggshell:(

Yeah, that stuff lasts forever it seems.

I have also banned the compostable bags from my heap, 2 years in and they are still visible, albeit a bit shriveled looking, I certainly wouldn't have them in a bed.

Hocus Focus

GreeBo wrote: »

Yeah, that stuff lasts forever it seems.

I have also banned the compostable bags from my heap, 2 years in and they are still visible, albeit a bit shriveled looking, I certainly wouldn't have them in a bed.

You don't need to use compostable bags for your garden compost, they are meant for the food waste that goes in the brown bin, so as to keep the bluebottles from laying eggs in it and causing maggots which make it stink.
Your fresh vegetable wast can just be kept in an unlined container to accumulate for a day or two, before being thrown on the compost heap.
TV chefs and other media people cause confusion when they refer to cooked food waste going "in the compost". Perhaps it does go in compost, but not the kind that you want near your house.

hirondelle

GreeBo wrote: »

Yeah, that stuff lasts forever it seems.

I have also banned the compostable bags from my heap, 2 years in and they are still visible, albeit a bit shriveled looking, I certainly wouldn't have them in a bed.

The compostable bags are designed to break down in large composting facilities where the temperature of the compost is higher than a little domestic one will generate.

[Deleted User]

I planted a wisteria today. Always wanted one, here’s hoping it flowers!

Started hardening off my dahlias yesterday.

Got a delivery of agapanthus Dr Brouwer and Black Buddhist today. Going to give growing them another go in the boarder. They never amounted to anything first time round. I know they grow better in pots but a neighbour has them in their boarder, anything they can do I can do bett.... well maybe not but I can give them a go. Can’t be worse than my alliums :pac::pac:

blackbox

Today I did something in my shed...

I made a rack to hang my garden tools.

It beats having them all stacked in a corner.

ellee

Looks brilliant!

paddylonglegs

Folks, I want to climb/creep something up a pergola. However it will need to be in a pot as it’s a patio area. I can probably manage a decent sized pot.

Any thoughts what would suit? It will be in a sunny position and I’d like if it flowered. It doesn’t need to be evergreen

hirondelle

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Folks, I want to climb/creep something up a pergola. However it will need to be in a pot as it’s a patio area. I can probably manage a decent sized pot.

Any thoughts what would suit? It will be in a sunny position and I’d like if it flowered. It doesn’t need to be evergreen

I have clematis in a large clay pot and to be honest, it struggles- I definitely need to feed it more and I wonder is water stress too much in a clay pot. It does flower, but if you are plonking it in a patio area you will want something that looks well.

macraignil

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Folks, I want to climb/creep something up a pergola. However it will need to be in a pot as it’s a patio area. I can probably manage a decent sized pot.

Any thoughts what would suit? It will be in a sunny position and I’d like if it flowered. It doesn’t need to be evergreen

Not tried to grow a climber in a container myself but I have seen lots of comments from others insisting that climbers really don't do as well when the roots are restricted in a pot. Is there a chance you could take up one of the patio slabs where you want the climber to grow and allow it access to the soil? A climber to cover a pergola would likely be very big when it matures so I'm not sure that would be possible from a pot. The climbers I have seen grown from pots even comparatively big ones seem to remain small. As for plant choice I think wisteria can be spectacular when grown on a pergola but it would be worth investing in one that has already started to flower.

CelticRambler

I have a passionflower in a temporary position since last year. Bought as a 50cm high plant, now straggling over about 2m (and flowered well, last year). Not entirely sure whether I potted it on or not after I bought it. I think I did, but whatever pot it's in is inside a square chimney pot "placeholder" about which I haven't made a final decision yet!

Butterbeans

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Folks, I want to climb/creep something up a pergola. However it will need to be in a pot as it’s a patio area. I can probably manage a decent sized pot.

Any thoughts what would suit? It will be in a sunny position and I’d like if it flowered. It doesn’t need to be evergreen

I would agree with above comments re climber in a pot and that restricting size and reach of the climber as it matures.
I have a Solanum jasminoides (potato vine) in a large pot the last few years and it's doing very well - does best in full sun, semi-evergreen, needs good drainage too, lovely white flower. However it only has approx 7ft upwards to grow (more freedom either side), otherwise it's into the neighbours so I do have to regularly snip back straying shoots during the growing season - they can grow to 20ft.
The fact I have to keep it small will help with keeping it in a pot long term (hopefully).

looksee

I saw an article about growing things in bottomless pots - use an anglegrinder to take a decent sized circle out of a clay pot, or a hole drill to take several 2 or 3 inch holes out of a plastic or similar pot, or make a baseless wooden container. Stand the pot directly onto open ground, doesn't really matter if its good soil, take up a single slab and put it on the sand/whatever soil is there. The compost/soil in the pot will nurture the plant till it gets going then the roots will find their own way down into the ground and the plant can be left indefinitely. That's the theory anyway.

[Deleted User]

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Folks, I want to climb/creep something up a pergola. However it will need to be in a pot as it’s a patio area. I can probably manage a decent sized pot.

hirondelle wrote: »

I have clematis in a large clay pot and to be honest, it struggles- I definitely need to feed it more and I wonder is water stress too much in a clay pot.

I have a similar situation with my clematis in pots, they’ve never been great at flowering! but I was watching Gardeners World tonight and had a clematis enthusiast on who said Group 1 clematis do well in pots. I’ve invested in a timed irrigation system this year for my pots, I’ve got honeysuckle in a pot too. So it’ll be interesting to see if it makes a difference.

looksee wrote: »

I saw an article about growing things in bottomless pots - use an anglegrinder to take a decent sized circle out of a clay pot, or a hole drill to take several 2 or 3 inch holes out of a plastic or similar pot, or make a baseless wooden container. Stand the pot directly onto open ground, doesn't really matter if its good soil, take up a single slab and put it on the sand/whatever soil is there. The compost/soil in the pot will nurture the plant till it gets going then the roots will find their own way down into the ground and the plant can be left indefinitely. That's the theory anyway.

Funny I was wondering about this exact same idea today for the agapanthus I bought. Cut the bottom off the pot and stick them in the boarder, so giving them the root restriction they like with the moisture and nutrients from the soil. I’d love a link to that article?

paddylonglegs

macraignil wrote: »

Not tried to grow a climber in a container myself but I have seen lots of comments from others insisting that climbers really don't do as well when the roots are restricted in a pot. Is there a chance you could take up one of the patio slabs where you want the climber to grow and allow it access to the soil? A climber to cover a pergola would likely be very big when it matures so I'm not sure that would be possible from a pot. The climbers I have seen grown from pots even comparatively big ones seem to remain small. As for plant choice I think wisteria can be spectacular when grown on a pergola but it would be worth investing in one that has already started to flower.

Ok, I could look at the idea of taking up a patio slab. If that was the case, would a clematis be the way to go? I do like wisteria bu to have heard the roots do get very big - I don’t want it disturbing other patio slabs and making it uneven.

Thanks for any direction.

looksee

You mentioned it was a sunny site, and if you planted a clematis in a pot it would be subject to a good deal of warmth in the summer (hopefully

). Clematis are happy to have their top growth in sunshine, but they really like their roots to be kept cool, even to the extent of placing a paving slab or similar over their roots. So maybe in your circumstances a clematis might not be the best solution.

Edit: Wisteria do eventually grow big roots and the Chinese wisteria can be very vigorous. Japanese Wisteria might be an option, though they are also slow to flower. Roses might be a good choice.

[Deleted User]

Would you think about climbing annuals, they love the sun? I’ve had sweet peas and morning glory in pots, they do need consistent watering and feeding. I wouldn’t grow wisteria in a pot as it’s got very strong roots as looksee has mentioned.

I’ve tried climbing roses in pots too, the pots were designed and made especially for them to be large enough to deal with their root needs, and I spent a fortune on making sure their soil conditions were right but in the end of the day they failed due to inconsistent watering and feeding.

The lesson I’ve learnt the hard way is that climbers in pots need consistent watering and dedication and with a busy life that’s not always possible!

I’ll update later in the year how my honeysuckles and clematis faired in pots with the irrigation system...