Today in the Garden

[veganblue]

I could do that I suppose, but honestly, would anything actually grow in there?

regarding growing plants in the garden...

If you don't have light then the best thing to grow would be mushrooms - they don't need light and happily grow in a dark damp place. We have kit form ones over here that you buy in a box - I don't know if you have ever seen them in Australia Roxy?

There are plants that will grow around the house that don't like light - such as 'parlour palms' etc, but if you want to grow something to eat inside, you will need light.

I have seen some lovely bookcases fitted with full-spectrum fluorescent globes that grow beaut indoor arrays, but after water, a plant needs light to photosynthesize and grow or it just becomes compost.

If you choose to make an indoor garden an aquarium shop will be able to help you with the lighting; but it would be more for the plants company in the room or a place to sprout seeds (snow pea sprouts) than an economical way of getting food.

On the otherhand, homegrown is priceless... ?

[Roxy]

Thanks you guys I might make it one of my spring goals, to plant and nuture something and TRY.......really TRY not to let anything bad happen to it.

[Seaside]

Today I repotted my gramma's cymbidium orchid. Every couple of years it just cracks the pot it grows in, and I have to get a new one. I can't remember how old it is, but I've had it since she passed away 12 years ago. It has a very beautiful spray of cream and wine flowers that last 3 or 4 months. My dad gave it to her as a Mother's day present, and it is very special to me!

[eve]

My pots are in constant shade because of the huge mango tree, so over time I've had to find plants that grow in shade. My favourites are bromeliads, that are lovely, and they keep growing new 'pups' that can be potted (what *do* they get up to? ). Some beronias also do well in the shade, as well as pig-face, that are in lovely colours of yellow, and red. There's also my blue boy.

There is a tiny little strip of ground at the rear of the unit, possibly 18 inches by 5 metres, and growing there is a bush of 'yesterday, today, and tomorrow' which has a beautiful perfume. Now there's a trellis going up tomorrow, and I will have some hanging pots. At the rear, there's plenty of sunshine so room for some creativity.

[Seaside]

I wish I lived where I could grow a mango tree!
I love bromeliads, though they must be kept inside where I live. I have a couple of pineapple plants that grow like weeds for some lucky reason, and have little baby pineapples on them. They aren't the big, edible kind, and they look so cute I wouldn't want to eat them anyway!

[tails4wagging]

My gardener friend gave me some runner beans to grow and some main crop potatoes, cant wait to put them in, too soon yet, he tells me as we could still get frosts. My early new potatoes are not coming up yet.

I have put in the carrots,beetroot and onions. An ideas how to control slugs/snails without killing them?.

[Seaside]

Hi Tails,

Snails and slugs may be hand picked at night and taken elsewhere (not MY favorite thing to do), or if you put out pieces of cardboard or plywood they might gather under them to stay in the shade during the day, and you can collect and remove them.

They are not supposed to like crawling across gritty surfaces, so some sandpaper barriers might work, or use copper tape as a border around your beds. They are not supposed to like crawling across copper as their slime conducts electricity as it makes contact with the copper and they get a shock. It won't kill them, just deter them.

When I had a garden it was visited daily by ducks, and they took care of the slugs and snails for me.

[Roxy]

On Friday, I purchased 2 lavender plants. Well, I guess they are seedlings really - well they're a bit bigger than seedlings (about 2 inches high).

So today I planted them in some pots on my balcony. Here they will receive sunlight until about noon, when the sun goes around the other side of the building.

I hope they live

[Seaside]

Good Luck Roxy! Lavender plants have such a wonderful fragrance, even without the flowers. Your balcony will smell really good once they get a little bigger, especially in the rain!

[Roxy]

Thanks Seaside The frangrance is the main reason that I bought them. Although I also love the little flowers that come up. They look so pretty. I wonder if the flowers will attract any bees or butterflies?

[Seaside]

I'm not sure lavender is especially attractive. If you really want to attract butterflies, Buddleia, also called butterfly bush, will, but they become very large shrubs. Monarda, also called bee balm, is very attractive to bees and butterflies, and is a smaller plant that should grow in containers. You can try honeysuckle in a pot. It is hard to kill honeysuckle, and you can train the vines around your balcony railings. Honeysuckle will attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

[tails4wagging]

Thanks for tips on snails and slugs, I will try cardboard. I have baught some sharp sand to put round the tender plants so that may help.


I will be putting the the runner beans out this week. Hopefully no more frosts.

Lavender is lovely I have four plants of these. There are a few different sorts out there.

I went to the Norfolk Lavender fields last year, lovely the fields of lavender are stunning. I would love to live next to one of those fields!.

The company is non animal testing and you can take your dog with you on a lead and outside on the patio area next to the rest, they have water bowls for your dog and they are even purple!! Sitting on the patio next to loads of different lavender bushse and the smell is lovely.
The only BIG hiccup they do not do anything vegan at there rest,. Ihad a word with them about that!

There are three shops there and you can spend loads of money there!!. Well worth a visit.

[Aurora]

I went to the Norfolk Lavender fields last year, lovely the fields of lavender are stunning. I would love to live next to one of those fields!.

The company is non animal testing and you can take your dog with you on a lead and outside on the patio area next to the rest, they have water bowls for your dog and they are even purple!! Sitting on the patio next to loads of different lavender bushse and the smell is lovely.
The only BIG hiccup they do not do anything vegan at there rest,. Ihad a word with them about that!

There are three shops there and you can spend loads of money there!!. Well worth a visit.

I used to live in Norfolk and went there regularly. Beautiful isn't it?

I also love lavender and take cuttings each year to fill in the holes where the rabbits have eaten the plants!

Our greenhouse is full to bursting with pots of tomato plants, melons, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, runner beans, lettuce, sweetcorn and seedlings of all sorts of flowers!

Outside we have broad beans, garlic, onions, strawberries and potatoes.

Isn't spring wonderful

[eve]

I just have potplants, but at last Sunday's flea market, I bought a little tray with three strawberry plants. Today I bought a new hanging plantpot for them, and in the morning I'll be filling it with some good potting mix, to make it ready to receive the three lovely strawberry plants. Hope to have a reasonable supply of strawberries before too long.

[gertvegan]

This is kinda thread related.

The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers has their green gyms, set up to promote fitness, and well being and health for everyone through physical work, and improving the local environment.

For more info click ME.

[cedarblue]

over the bank holiday weekend we planted out our broad beans, sugar snap peas, some carrot seeds and some spinach seeds. also the tomatoes are out now, and a few lettuces.

my sweetcorn seeds are just sprouting and so are the sunflowers. strawberry plants are coming on wonderfully in our new little plastic greenhouse and so are the pots of basil. in garden pots we have mint, fennel, chives and parsley. maincrop maris piper potatoes have just gone in too and the first early spuds are just popping out.

the pond is looking good with the newts still in residence and i noticed one of the toads i rescued the other day is still there

we have been clearing an area of brambles and rubbishy grass to make a little area to sit out in during the summer and hope to buy a chimenea to sit by and cook on too.

[Peas'nHominy]

I stepped out the other day to check on the garden (I'm particularly looking forward to the tomatoes), and I was quite surprised to see that I'm growing....doggie toys! It was just so funny to see the toys half buried; it was like they were growing as part of the garden!

Danny, my black lab, is always right at my side while I garden, and seems to be watching me closely while I work. I guess he's decided to take up gardening, too! ha, ha

Danny's doing a great job keeping the rabbits out of the garden for me. But he absolutely loves the birds. He shares his food, water and our garden with them! I've tried that purple netting stuff to try to keep the birds out, but it SO didn't work.

[tails4wagging]

I have three strawberry plants in my greenhouse, so forcing them up a bit early.

Ive planted lettuce and surrounded each one with sharp sand to try to stop snails/slugs getting to them.

Some young lettuce and home grown spinach I had on a salad yesterday. Lovely.

Ive just baught young tender tom, plants and grow bags to put them in.Too soon to put them out yet.

[kokopelli]

I just have potplants, but at last Sunday's flea market, I bought a little tray with three strawberry plants. Today I bought a new hanging plantpot for them, and in the morning I'll be filling it with some good potting mix, to make it ready to receive the three lovely strawberry plants. Hope to have a reasonable supply of strawberries before too long.

The really good thing about strawberry plants is, as well as making strawberries, they send out 'runners' with new baby plants on the ends, and you can peg them down into pots till they grow roots, then cut them off from the mother plant and so you get new strawberry plants for free!

[DianeVegan]

I live in a development with very lovely, pesticide sprayed and petro-fertilized grass. Stunning! Fabulous for the home values! And the association won't go organic - too much money they say.

So.......I container garden on my deck. The beauty is that you can avoid many pests but the watering can be tricky, especially during hot, dry spells.

My perennial herbs are growing, arugula and rapini are about 1 inch tall. I started my peppers inside. This is the first year I'll try zuccini and eggplant in a container - does anyone have tips on this? And the beans went in yesterday with spinach, kale, chard.

No tomatoes this year. Those damn chipmunks LOVE them!

[veganblue]

No tomatoes this year. Those damn chipmunks LOVE them!

Have you considered growing your tomatoes in cages?

I am going to try tomatoes in wire mesh tubes next Spring as they make good support but I figure if you cap the top you might even get a tomato or two?

[DianeVegan]

Hahaha!!! You have obviously not met the predatory Connecticut Chipmunk Not cage nor fence nor Havahart animal trap can keep the chipmunk from his prey. Not even a large Macaw shrieking every time one comes on the deck!

They are truly horrid. I hope they never make their way to Australia!

(I usually do get more than a few if I pick them green - but what's the fun of that?)

[Peas'nHominy]

I usually do get more than a few if I pick them green - but what's the fun of that?

ooo-oooo!! Slice'm and fry'm! Fried green tomatoes rock!! (no, I'm NOT referring to the movie, ha ha)

[tails4wagging]

Green tomato chutney??

[Aurora]

Grow them under glass?

We grow Aubergines, Melons, Peppers, Tomatoes and Cucumbers in the greenhouse.

[tails4wagging]

Put my runner beans in today. Hope snails/slugs leave them alone. I have put sharp sand around them.
Also put my tom, plants in a grow bag.

[cedarblue]

does sharp sand really work effectively, tails?
we have great problems with slugs & snails in our garden, there are loads of them and they have stripped a new planting of plants overnight.

today the weather is sunny & warm/windy/raining/hail/sunny again.... but managed to plant out my little yellow marigolds around the pond at the end of the garden - looks pretty and the rain is helping them settle in

loads of first early pots poking through now and the strawberries in our plastic greenhouse have trillions of buds/potential strawbs on them!
broad beans seem to be settling ok and the peas need help to train their spindles round the string to climb on. lettuces seem to be holding their own too. sunflowers are coming on well in greenhouse and the sweetcorn is all poking through.

rescued a mini stag beetle from pond too!

[Aurora]

Put my runner beans in today. Hope snails/slugs leave them alone. I have put sharp sand around them.
Also put my tom, plants in a grow bag.

Put our runner beans in this time last year and they all got wind burn and took ages to grow again, even though they did eventually. So not putting ours in until the end of the month.

Tidying the greenhouse out tomorrow and transferring the baby plants to the cold frame to harden off to put in the garden next week and the tomato plants, cucumber plants, aubergine and melon plants into bigger pots to grow in the greenhouse.

Bought one courgette plant from the garden centre today (not worth putting seed in for just one plant!) and 6 brussels sprout plants as our seeds didn't grow and it's too late to start again.

Sunny, rainy and hailing this afternoon (not all at the same time though)

[tails4wagging]

Yes, dam and blast they forecast a light frost tonight and my runner beans and lettuce are out!!.

Sharp sand is working so far, its too rough and sharp for snails and slugs and you can dig it into the earth as well as good drainage.

[DianeVegan]

The chipmunks have a new favorite food! Green beans! They aren't even waiting for them to sprout.

[eve]

I noticed that my strawberry plants already have 4 baby strawberries growing - of course they aren't red yet, but it was a pleasant surprise to see them.

[tails4wagging]

My strawberry plants are in my greenhouse still and they have a few flowers on.

Yesterday I sat in the garden watching the baby sparrows being fed, blue tits in and out of the nest box busy feeding. Mrs Blackbird still sitting on eggs. Also have honey bees in a hole in the lawn ? hive in there.

Lovely to watch the busy activity of nature this time of year.

Bloomin cold though, we have a north east wind blowing!.

[cedarblue]

last night in the garden....

about 10pm last night, i was just going to go up to bed when one of our cats darted to the french windows, ears up, all alert. now for a few days our seed markers have been found scattered all over the garden, it was a mystery well, when i looked out the windows last night there were two baby fox cubs playing and chasing each other around the garden, they then disappeared by the shed. our shed is falling down and needs to be dismantled, but maybe there is a little set in there???

[veganblue]

I can't wait till it rains!!! It is so dry here - the weather is beaut actually but no good for the garden. Trees are looking sick all over the place - native and exotic ones.

I am looking forward the the rain so I can put bean seeds in, as well as the shovel - the ground is rock hard too.

[Roxy]

OK - Miss brown thumb here!

So far my lavender plants seem to be going well. They are growing a little taller and more bushy. But no flowers

Yesterday, I bought a small basil plant, which I am going to transfer into a pot and grow on my balcony. Does anyone have any hints or tips to help keep it alive?

[DianeVegan]

Basil needs sun, and will thrive more in heat and sun than cool and wet (unlike, say, mint , which will grow in those conditions). It also doesn't like to be crowded as it will get moldy. So.... a really sunny window with the perfect amout of water will do it

[Seaside]

Hi Roxy,
I just planted a few lavender plants myself a few months ago, and they are only just blooming now.
Make sure you keep the basil in the sun, as Dianecrna suggested, and make sure that whenever the tiny flower buds appear, you pinch them off with your fingernails while they are still small. This will keep the basil growing leaves, which is what you want. If you let it flower too soon, it will go to seed and die without getting very big. The tiny buds taste good too, so you don't have to waste them.

[tails4wagging]

I can't seem to grow basil, always dies off with me!!

[Seaside]

Do you call it "bayzil" or "bazzle"? I don't think it likes to grow for people who call it "bazzle".....

If you can grow tomatoes, you should be able to grow basil. It is an annual, and so doesn't live on from season to season like other herbs. Maybe it just has a shorter growing season where you live?

[Roxy]

Thanks Dianecrna and Seaside! The basil will get a good amount of sun for the most of the morning (as does the lavender).

So the basil will die off at the end of the summer? Hopefully the lavender won't and I guess I will have to bring it inside for the colder months.

[Aurora]

Growing basil in the conservatory, it's too cold here for it outside yet. I have also grown some mixed leaves in a pot and they are now outside. It's lovely to make my salad for work each morning and pop out to put some fresh herbs and leaves in it. Can't wait for our own tomatoes and cucumbers to grow!

Got some fruits on our strawberries too (well the ones in the planter, the ones in the ground are much slower to grow) Hubby put some netting around them last week to stop the birds from eating them!

Hopefully will be putting some bedding plants in the garden tomorrow as they were hardened off in the cold frame all week.

[DianeVegan]

Roxy, basil is an annual so it will die off in the cold and you will need to plant more next year. Some people are able to overwinter it indoors but I have never had any luck with this. I just make a bunch of pesto, freeze it in ice cube trays and use it all winter in place of fresh.

Lavender is a perennial so it might survive the winter. You need to have the correct pH for the soil and the correct type of lavender for your climate. I have had mixed results with lavender but mine did manage to partially survive this year. Again, some people have luck with overwintering inside.

[Roxy]

Thanks so much for all of your advice!

I have a couple more pots to fill and hopefully will find something useful to grow, over the next couple of weeks.

[Seaside]

What sort of climate do you have, Roxy? Lavender is used in landscaping where I live, and it is very hardy. We don't get any snow, though, except once in a blue moon! We do get some frost.

[Roxy]

I am in Vancouver B.C. I have lived here for 3 years. When I lived back in Australia, I seemed to be a lot better at gardening, than I am here. I think the difference in climates is what really throws me off.

We get quite warm here in the summer (high 20's and sometimes low 30's - celcius that is lol).

In the winter, we don't get as cold as the rest of Canada, and may have a few days of snow in December or January.....but that's about it.

[eve]

Today I read in my gardening book "container gardening" a quote from Francis Bacon that "gardening is the purest of human pleasures" - with which I concur.

[kokopelli]

The purest and the most useful!

[kokopelli]

I am in Vancouver B.C. I have lived here for 3 years. When I lived back in Australia, I seemed to be a lot better at gardening, than I am here. I think the difference in climates is what really throws me off.

We get quite warm here in the summer (high 20's and sometimes low 30's - celcius that is lol).

In the winter, we don't get as cold as the rest of Canada, and may have a few days of snow in December or January.....but that's about it.

Yeah, it definitely takes time to get used to new gardening conditions!
We used to live near London, where the climate is lots drier than in Wales, where we live now. Also, the soil was light and dry there, and it's very heavy, sticky clay here, which takes ages to be ready to work in the spring.

It was a real shock when all our potatoes and tomatoes got blight at first, because we'd never had it before, and now I grow mainly early potatoes because they're ready before the blight strikes. And we don't try to grow tomatoes outdoors at all any more.

Also, saved seeds take a few generations to adapt to the new conditions and grow as well as they did before. I've always thought BC might be a bit like Wales, I heard Margaret Atwood once say that Canada's like Wales, 'it's where the weather comes from'! But here, we can get frosts as late as June, which was also a big shock at first.

My partner's developed a way of making cloches and tunnels from woven willow frameworks covered in polythene, which are a big help. We grew the willows ourselves, they're 'salix viminalis' or 'superwillow' and they are really amazing! You just push a foot-long rod into the ground, so that a few buds are showing at the top, and in the first year these grow into shoots which you cut back. The next year, the stump grows 9ft long sturdy shoots which you can cut back and use to make the tunnel framework. And the stump will grow a new batch of shoots every year! And you can grow new plants just by cutting a fresh rod into sections and planting them! The tunnel framework will also sprout shoots under the polythene cover, and you can either cut these back, or leave them to create shaded areas.

One problem with all this is the polythene, though, which I recently discovered gives off poisonous hydrogen cyanide if it's burnt, and it isn't biodegradable. I think the government here is trying to implement a recycling scheme, though, so I hope that gets underway soon.

[RockyRaccoon]

I mowed my lawn yesterday. I knew it needed doing when I could no longer see the dog when she was at the bottom of the garden! It was hard going mowing grass 2 foot high! Now I can see my garden again I can decide what I'm going to do with it. I love gardening but since I've lived in this house I've not touched it, it's all lawn at the moment, but I've got big plans .

I have some herbs in pots outside the backdoor and I potted them up this morning. Mmmm, the smell has put me in a really summery mood. I also sorted out my pots and hanging baskets, ready for planting and putting out the front in a couple of weeks.

[tails4wagging]

Raining today, typical I watered my garden yesterday!!.

I have had to put netting around the edge of both my veg, plots due to some cat, pooing all over it!!.