Today I did something in my Garden

04-06-2021 7:10pm

Assembled a wooden raised bed, filled bottom half with sticks, grass cuttings and left over soil from last season's pots... spread a handful of ammonium sulphate down in one half for plants that like that sort of thing. Filled top half w/ lovely wormy compost and peat. Planted sprouts, chard, spinach, turnips and more chard.

Then I got myself in a right mess thinking about birds and insects. Little fookers are everywhere. One of them (a bird, that is) shat on a cabbage leaf last week and I had to wash it. That is the level of depravity I am dealing with.

So I put up netting all round the bed to deter birds and some flying insects etc. Not bad, I thought to meself, but I better put up some fleece too, as it's a new bed and I want to keep it bug free.

So I put fleece up on three sides. Then I remembered that it's 30% light blocking, so I thought I'd be clever and on top and along one side, I put leftover polytunnel plastic.

So basically, I made a mess in the garden today, but I enjoyed every minute of it, got a bit sunbrunt and I have a bed that's always protected from insects, allows air flow and is part-polytunnel; i.e. a mess. :pac:

What I'm wondering now is, 1) why do I hate planning and 2) where have all my clothes pegs gone and 3) what are people's views on fleece at this time of year?

Would I be better off not having the fleece, let the veg enjoy the sun and just deal with any insects that fly in past the netting?

Fleece Side.jpg
Polytunnel Side.jpg

looksee · 05-06-2021 12:56pm

MeepMeep2021 wrote: »

Fleece Side.jpg
Polytunnel Side.jpg

so you are not expecting any wind then?

looksee · 05-06-2021 1:02pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Day off today so I finally got around to putting up trellis on a high wall and planting clematis.

Anyone have tips on looking after clematis? Planted them fairly deep, as recommended.

You have a layer of mulch there, but I would suggest putting a few flat stones over the root area - they prefer to have their roots cool.

SouthWesterly · 05-06-2021 1:59pm

Bought a black elder today.

https://plantophiles.com/plant-care/black-tower-elderberry-care/

Out this evening and put down some dwarf beans

06-06-2021 1:29pm

looksee wrote: »

so you are not expecting any wind then?

There's a lot to be said for drunk gardening! :P

Normalcy/sobriety returned to the bed today: IMG_20210606_132418_3.jpg

07-06-2021 7:19am

looksee wrote: »

You have a layer of mulch there, but I would suggest putting a few flat stones over the root area - they prefer to have their roots cool.

Thanks. I had actually added the stones after the photo was taken.

One is doing really well and has already started climbing, but the other one looks a bit weak.

fryup · 28-06-2021 11:01am

there's greenfly on my strawberries, i sprayed it with greenfly killer ....how long should i wait before eating the strawberries?

nigeldaniel · 28-06-2021 7:55pm

Today I put down a new row for potato as the last one was raided during the night by unknown intruders. No night cams in my garden to find the guilty suspect but it made a big mess so might have been a badger. Would not rule out hares or rabbits same things happened last year.

looksee · 28-06-2021 10:53pm

fryup wrote: »

there's greenfly on my strawberries, i sprayed it with greenfly killer ....how long should i wait before eating the strawberries?

One of the advantages of growing your own crops is that you decide whether you want a side order of pesticides. Its a bit late to say that it was probably not a good idea to spray and that a strongish jet of soapy water would have dealt with the greenfly. Also any purchased strawberries you have ever eaten probably had lots of pesticides, and you survived them.

It usually tells you on the bottle how long to wait before eating sprayed fruit and veg, but you can remove a lot of the residue by washing with cold water. Some people suggest vinegar in the water, but I reckon your strawberries might taste a bit pickled.

New Home · 28-06-2021 10:55pm

You could also rinse them in water and bicarbonate of soda, but don't let them soak too much. Incidentally, strawberries with balsamic vinegar (proper one) are delicious.

looksee · 28-06-2021 11:04pm

New Home wrote: »

You could also rinse them in water and bicarbonate of soda, but don't let them soak too much. Incidentally, strawberries with balsamic vinegar (proper one) are delicious.

Yes I have heard that, though I haven't tried them, I didn't make the connection though, my brain was going the 'fish and chip' route.

I did on one occasion wash fruit (might have been grapes) in a mild Milton solution, then rinsed well. It didn't improve the fruit.

SouthWesterly · 28-06-2021 11:35pm

Was out in the garden 5 minutes after finishing work today.
Weeded the leeks and pulled some volunteer spuds from last year.
Sowed, carrot, parsnip, beetroot, halblange, chard, spinach, fennel, chicory, kale and a few types of cabbage, swede and turnip on 2 spare beds.
Hoping they come up as root veg hasn't done well this year.

New Home · 29-06-2021 12:21am

I think I remember reading something about sodium bicarbonate "absorbing/breaking down" the toxins/the components of the pesticides, for lack of a better/more accurate expression.

Ah, here, I found one of the articles!

CelticRambler · 29-06-2021 7:55am

New Home wrote: »

You could also rinse them in water and bicarbonate of soda, but don't let them soak too much.

New Home wrote: »

I think I remember reading something about sodium bicarbonate "absorbing/breaking down" the toxins/the components of the pesticides, for lack of a better/more accurate expression.

Ah, here, I found one of the articles!

Washing for 10 to 15 minutes! :eek: There wouldn't be much of a strawberry left after that, unless you're growing those tough aul' out-of-season Spanish varieties!

New Home · 30-06-2021 11:56pm

I don't recommend soaking soft fruit, but even a quick rinse with water and bicarb would be a damn sight better than nothing.

SouthWesterly · 01-07-2021 9:33am

Was reading a book recently called quality agriculture.
Well worth a read

It looks at regenerative agriculture. They were discussing the rise in cancers etc to the rise is the use of chemicals in food production.

I don't use any herbicides or insecticides in my place.

CelticRambler · 01-07-2021 9:55am

New Home wrote: »

I don't recommend soaking soft fruit, but even a quick rinse with water and bicarb would be a damn sight better than nothing.

SouthWesterly wrote: »

It looks at regenerative agriculture. They were discussing the rise in cancers etc to the rise is the use of chemicals in food production.

I don't use any herbicides or insecticides in my place.

Without trying to put a label on it, that's more or less my strategy too - "nothing" is better than trying to fix one treatment problem with another (sodium bicarbonate is, after all, a "chemical" - E-number E500) And while I'm still at the stage of powering my mower, rotavator, strimmer, hedge-trimmer and chainsaws with liquified dinosaur, I'd rather go hungry than eat home-grown fruit that had been deliberately sprayed with washing up liquid!

SouthWesterly · 03-07-2021 12:16pm

Amaranth coming on nicely

nigeldaniel · 04-07-2021 1:11pm

Yesterday I finished cleaning up an almost forgotten corner of the garden. Lots of briar and nettles needed to be cut back. A troublesome green Lawson cypress hid a wonderful suprise... A big 5ft wild foxglove. I have a picture and might post it sometime.

Fann Linn · 04-07-2021 2:15pm

I've the Golden Wonders planted since the 30 April and now they've produced very large and full stalks and some are now beginning to show some nice pink flowers. There's no evidence of any blight and they look very healthy.

Can anyone advise when they can be lifted?
Thanks.

Jim_Hodge · 04-07-2021 3:49pm

Fann Linn wrote: »

I've the Golden Wonders planted since the 30 April and now they've produced very large and full stalks and some are now beginning to show some nice pink flowers. There's no evidence of any blight and they look very healthy.

Can anyone advise when they can be lifted?
Thanks.

Being a Main Crop potato they need some time in the soil after flowering. I always left them until Autumn when the stems have died off.

Isambard · 04-07-2021 3:50pm

I continued the battle against Bindweed and Sweetheart. (losing obviously)

New Home · 04-07-2021 4:36pm

Isambard wrote: »

I continued the battle against Bindweed and Sweetheart. (losing obviously)

Hope they don't create a hybrid, you could find your garden filled with Overly-Attached Girlfriends. :pac:

Isambard · 04-07-2021 4:42pm

New Home wrote: »

Hope they don't create a hybrid, you could find your garden filled with Overly-Attached Girlfriends. :pac:

the Briars will get them

Skipduke · 04-07-2021 5:38pm

can i plant lupin seeds now ? can do indoors or outdoors just want them ready for next year

Jim_Hodge · 04-07-2021 6:57pm

You can sow them outdoors in Autumn or Winter, as a frost helps them.

CelticRambler · 06-07-2021 9:48pm

After a much longer interruption than intended (work, weather, weeding ...) the re-landscaping is back on the agenda. Stretching the "today" part of this thread's title, but (today) I finished the first third of three new 12x2.5m terraces:

If I ever get enough spare time (next winter, maybe? :pac: ) I'll put up a separate thread on it, but the giant pit visible in the photo is only half the hole: the terrace on the right is about 30m³ of topsoil covering another pit underneath. It's all part of a longterm experiment in making a passive, drought resistant vegetable garden. Next stage is to dig one trench in the centre section and another on the left.

As I try never to do something that has only one purpose, this hole will serve as the final resting place for the 20-year-old hay that needs to be be cleared out of my barn; and the clay-rich subsoil that you see heaped up on the left is being used to raise and resurface pathways elsewhere in the garden, such as this one (still needs to be compacted and levelled):

If my back and shoulder muscles are up to it tomorrow, I'll mess up my lovely flat terrace by planting a very late crop of potatoes there. Two varieties, already well-sprouted, so should still have enough time to give me a harvest in October and December.

CelticRambler · 06-07-2021 10:04pm

And before the boards techies push the Big Red Button and kill us all

... some time ago, in relation to my pond building, I was asked was I not worried about the water seeping out if it wasn't lined. Well, here's an illustration of why not:

The big puddle at the top/in the background has been sitting there for the best part of two, maybe three months. It's actually in the way of a wall from which I want to recover the stones, so I thought I'd drain it. But why waste an opportunity to do a bit of science: I dug a 1-metre deep pit in front of it and made sure there was no direct communication between the pit and the puddle. This picture was taken about a week later. Yes, there's some seepage, that's easy to spot in the pit, but you'd hardly notice it at the level of the puddle. And after last night's rain, the puddle is now bigger/deeper than it was yesterday.

It's been quite interesting to see just how impervious are the areas of ground where I've been driving and manoeuvring, with way more puddles in that part of the garden than ever before ... but the soil dug out of the terrace pit (in the post above) - where the ground hadn't been driven over - is really quite dry in comparison.

Samson1 · 07-07-2021 2:41am

Fann Linn wrote: »

I've the Golden Wonders planted since the 30 April and now they've produced very large and full stalks and some are now beginning to show some nice pink flowers. There's no evidence of any blight and they look very healthy.

Can anyone advise when they can be lifted?

Thanks.

You could try a stalk the first week in September, and see what size they are.

blackbox · 16-07-2021 1:33pm

Today I sat in my garden and tried to figure out how the new Boards is supposed to work.

Not much success so far. It was hard enough to find the forum.

.

paddylonglegs · 16-07-2021 2:15pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117619676#Comment_117619676

Figuring it out myself and I imagine the threads will be quiet fir the next couple of weeks. But I managed to figure out if you tap on your icon to the top right hand corner, a drop down menu appears. Tap on the star and it brings you to the threads you’re following.

blackbox · 16-07-2021 10:01pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117619924#Comment_117619924

I see a note that "my forums" hasn't transferred properly.

Things should get much better when this is resolved.

Jim_Hodge · 17-07-2021 10:44am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117619676#Comment_117619676

Took me so long to find this forum this morning that it's just not worth the bother. I'll let it lie for a while and hope it improves.

Igotadose · 18-07-2021 8:52am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117609311#Comment_117609311

I've now tried about 12 times to delete this draft. No luck. So, I'll post this comment - maybe I'll be able to delete it later. If not, my apologies

looksee · 18-07-2021 11:55am

Go to your profile icon, click on drafts, hit x.

paddylonglegs · 28-08-2021 6:59am

Just finished a bedded area. Is it too late to plant up with some perennials and shrubs? I wonder will they not have as much energy to get a good start?

28-08-2021 7:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117813725#Comment_117813725

I'd stick in shrubs and bulbs now and wait until spring for the perennials. I did a bed at this time last year and it's flying it now.

magicbastarder · 28-08-2021 9:48am

you might get perennials reduced in garden centres this time of year though. you'd be buying them for the price, not for any expectation of them doing anything this year.

SnowyMuckish · 28-08-2021 9:54am

There’s no problem planting hardy perennials this time of year, with hopefully another month of warmth they’ll get established before winter and will be quicker to take off in the spring. Great time to split them too for free plants!

28-08-2021 1:47pm

I've been really busy working on clearing a bit of an overgrown area at the back of the garden. When I moved here there was a great big rambling rose living happily atop the shed. I asked an uncle of mine to cut it back one year as but rather than a gentle pruning he cut it to the ground and in it's absence the ivy took over. The area has since become a habitat for all the birbs and I was reluctant to go too hard on it. Had someone come along with a hedge trimmers and he cleared a ton bag of ivy out of the space. The rose has managed to regain some footing up there so my hope is it will beat the ivy regrowth and reclaim it's rightful place as the king of the shed roof. (There's a Buddleja behind that again)

This was the shed in June

IMG_20210618_122929.jpg

and this is the shed after the work was done

IMG_20210827_161931.jpg

I was able to recover about eight feet of space from the undergrowth so I adjusted the border to accommodate it and planted Hydrangea Whitelight at the recess and filled in other spaces with ferns I had divided. I had some Foxglove seeds on order so I threw some down while the ground was cleared and the soil tilled a bit, I'm an apprentice flower grower so I don't know how that will work but I kept some seed over for spring planting too. I also reseeded the area that had been exposed with some grass seed so I'm looking forward to seeing how that space will develop over the next year or so.

Have a few projects to keep me going for the next while anyway, keeping me happy and busy while the weather is good for it.

looksee · 10-10-2021 10:10pm

I have finally got my front drive/car park area resurfaced and a flower bed created along the pergola that was built earlier in the year. Today I finished planting it up with roses, clematis, honeysuckle and a few herbaceous plants in between. Hopefully next summer will see it mature a bit and some growth on the various climbers!

Meanwhile daughter was tackling a bit of hedgerow where a lonicera nitida bush had been growing unchecked for a long number of years, it was about 9 or 10 feet high in amongst some rather strangled hawthorns, but it had also grown out into the garden a similar distance and width, so it was a huge, absolutely solid mass of twigs and branches, with massive brambles growing through it. The core of it - most of it - was completely dead with just foliage on the outer surface. It is going to be completely cleared out and cut back to more or less ground level, then the lonicera can regrow in a more controlled manner. As it was being cleared we discovered that the space revealed a surprisingly good view of the garden and the surrounding countryside.

11-10-2021 9:07pm

Hope we get to see some pictures once the pergola starts to fill in, sounds good though. I started a similar project last year although mine is built on a concrete patio but I have managed to start a jasmine vine successfully in a large planter which seems to really have taken off this year, it's providing good coverage on one side anyway and I've been adding a collection of potted plants around about it which has made a huge difference.

Today was just beautiful where I'm at. It was just great to be able to get outside and do a bit of tidying up and begin the process of winterizing the space. I planted some garlic today, I have no idea what I'm doing but I had some spare in the kitchen and a bed ready outside so will see how it turns out next year. I gave the herb garden a good pruning and planted up a few little pots with some of the offcuts thinking someone might like them for Christmas. I trimmed a few low hanging branches from over the lawn and mulched the other beds with the leftovers of that too. Tidied the greenhouse and gave the place a good sweep up.

I ordered a cylinder mower last week which is hopefully arriving tomorrow and with the weather playing ball I should be able to give the lawn its first cut since over-seeding a few weeks ago. Once that's done I suspect it will be a case of sleeping it out til spring. (Glad I managed to get my gym membership renewed to keep me going over the winter months!)

Living Off The Splash · 13-10-2021 10:44am

Removed three raised beds and put down gravel in their place. Didn't order enough pebbles so sitting here waiting for a new half ton delivery today. We now have six raised beds and a new patio area to sit in. (not that I don't have enough areas to sit in at the moment). Removed an apple tree that was not producing and grassed this area. Old seed so I hope it grows.

Also moving around topsoil from the old raised beds to other parts of the garden.

We also did a big clean up of our flower beds. Cut down most of our sunflowers and hollyhocks and removed three ugly looking ferns that had self seeded. Removed a hydrangea and created more space in the flower bed.

About two hours spent most days which is enough for us.

magicbastarder · 13-10-2021 11:36am

irritatingly, i managed to break my cheapo lidl/aldi extendable lopping saw cum loppers. to be fair, it didn't owe me anything. the head snapped off, the business end was attached to the pole by a thick piece of plastic rather than being welded on.

i need to take down a dying escallonia which has reached over 15 foot tall so it was very handy for lopping the branches off from a safe distance.

22-10-2021 5:03pm

Planted another round of bulbs today. I picked up a couple of mixed bulbs (30x2) in Lidl last week, a white and a pink selection of tulips, daffodils and iris and put them in a raised bed on the patio. I had ordered a Thuja Smaragd (emerald green cedar) last week along with a Hakonechloa (Japanese forest grass) and Anemone Honorine Jobert (wowee) and planted the bulbs around them. I'll probably be relocating the grass and anemone in spring but for now they might just have a chance to get settled in the bed over winter. There's a few shady areas under trees and corners which would happily accommodate them better.

I had enough to fill another pot with a few leftover tulips so there should be a good display next Spring. I'm really happy out with the tree too, 13e for a 3ft arborvitae is a bit of a steal and it's the healthiest tree I've ever seen come direct from a nursery.

looksee · 22-01-2022 2:54pm

Today I thought I would just go and plant one shrub then get on with other things I needed to do elsewhere. Then I hit carpet. I thought we had finally got all the rubbish out of the (new to us) garden, but no, somehow we missed the large lump of carpet folded and crumpled and going apparently straight down. I rounded up help and we spent a good while on it but its showing no signs of coming up, so its been abandoned in favour of lunch. I'll have another go later.

nigeldaniel · 21-03-2022 12:24pm

Just dropped some spud seeds into the ground this weekend and put down a few Rose shrubs. Not the first time I tried the Roses but I do love the smell at the corner of the garden when they all get going. 6 Rose shrubs and a lavender plant in the middle.

awec · 25-03-2022 5:56pm

Went to the garden centre for a look today, building a raised bed soon and wanted to get some ideas and inspiration as to what's going in it. Wasn't supposed to buy anything.

Came home with an apple tree. 🙄

looksee · 25-03-2022 7:19pm

It is completely illegal and immoral to go to a garden centre without buying anything, you had a narrow escape.

awec · 25-03-2022 8:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118835569#Comment_118835569

Ha!

It's a Coronet (https://coronet.ie), so should only grow to about 1.5metres but will still produce fruit. Perfect for my suburban garden!

The site suggests feeding with a slow release fertilizer in march, I just planted it in a container (~55 litres) in John Innes #3, will this be sufficient?

Today I did something in my Garden

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