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OT: Gardening thread

(35 posts)
  • Started 3 years ago by crowriver
  • Latest reply from crowriver

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  1. crowriver
    Member

    Thought some folk may want a gardening thread? Seeing as there will be no holidays to speak of for a while, those of us with a wee patch of soil to grow stuff in may be spending more time there this year.

    I was down the allotment for the first time in weeks today. Pleased to see my crops had survived the frost, snow and freezing temperatures. Harvested spring onions, beetroot and turnips. Will leave the Brussels sprouts a bit longer, but the heads are shaping up nicely. Cabbages still alive but very small.

    Erected first part of a wee fence at the front of the plot, will need a couple more trips to finish the job. Water butt full to the brim, which is good as the stand pipe will be switched off until April. I have an apple tree and fruit bushes to plant, so the water will be handy. Lots of weeds to clear away before they start growing fast again, which will be soon.

    Anyone else been doing a bit of gardening this week?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    “Thought some folk may want a gardening thread?”

    Not complaining, but I think there was one last year.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    “Lots of weeds to clear away before they start growing fast again”

    Ah yes.

    Dig in or compost?

    Bare earth or mulch crop or cardboard?

    Dig or no dig?

    Perpetual questions!

    Posted 3 years ago #

  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    The green tips of our garlic were peeping through when the snow melted. This is a good thing.

    Wood pigeons have not been kind to the kale and risk being harvested themselves.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  5. crowriver
    Member

    Pigeons ate away most of my turnip leaves, despite netting.

    As for the weeds, mostly these are types that I don't want to dig in nor compost. Invasive buttercup, horsetail, couch grass, dock, bramble. Once roots are dug out, I tend to throw them over the back fence into the nearby row of poplars. If weeds are out of control I kill them off by laying down old bits of carpet. Try not to use herbicides.

    No dig works for some crops but not others. Haven't planted garlic this year, but there's still time - just. I like to mulch with cardboard, a good way to reuse mail order packaging. The growing season for many crops relatively short, so mulch crop seems a bit extravagant.

    Built a small cold frame last year so I can start off some seedlings in that over the next month.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  6. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    The growing season for many crops relatively short

    Scotland innit? I do not know what garlic is up to underground from November to February but it is doing something and grows bigger than if you plant now.

    Two years ago it was fertilised by the cat's cadaver and was huge.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  7. crowriver
    Member

    Yeah I usually plant in November. However I was chastened last year by a rather wet summer, left the garlic in the ground too long and quite a few plants had got mildewed and started to rot. I'm trying the shorter approach this year. Also my turnips were occupying the bed until now, so...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    The big snow just killed my kale. I had loads but am the only person who eats it.

    Due to world wide shortage of leeks in Scotmid, I was heartened to see the re. Emergence of last years leeks encouraged b6 the manure of famous Seamus and famous Ted.

    Will be mostly spuds I will be planting this season

    Posted 3 years ago #

  9. crowriver
    Member

    I have had enough of growing spuds. Too many wriggly things like to eat them before I've unearthed the tubers. My leeks are still in the ground, they are looking fandabidozi.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  10. gembo
    Member

    @crowriver, sympathies I remember when we had spuds in the ground as a youth and the worms loved them.

    My raised beds so far have reduced worm outrage.

    On the plus side, LEEKS are great

    Posted 3 years ago #

  11. SRD
    Moderator

    I planted the bare root black currant today. it arrived during peak snow. hoping it will be happy in the ground.

    Noticed one of my peonies peeking through. hoping the other one (a cheap one from lidl) survives as well.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  12. gembo
    Member

    @srd I had a black currant bush also in a raised bed. Was a Hardy thing and grew quite large. Dug it out when it was quite mature and it went down to Currie where blackcurrants are favoured. I would hope it will be ok to go in no wish and will survive next winter.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  13. steveo
    Member

    If anyone needs wood shavings for ground coverage or compost balancing let me know, I seem to generate tons of the stuff.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  14. SRD
    Moderator

    Novice question: I’ve only ever planted supermarket potatoes that had sprouted by mistake in my cupboard. But ordered some seed potatoes which have just arrived. What do I do with them now?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  15. Colin
    Member

    SRD

    You might want to try chitting your seed tatties. Put them in half egg boxes on a window ledge and they’ll start sprouting in a few weeks. This gives them a head start and will allow the soil to warm up too.

    Cheers
    Colin

    Posted 3 years ago #

  16. gembo
    Member

    Put them in the light and let them sprout. This is called Chitting.

    Plant in ground once frost has gone or if you are using planters that is less of an issue.

    Worms do like potatoes so watch for that. Again planters help.

    Once the shoots appear pile some more earth on top of them and wait a bit longer.

    Leave them to grow tall. Watch the flowers.quite pretty. Once the flowers fall off in late summer. You can howk them. They take very little time to cook fresh from the ground.

    To be honest if you ignore all of the rules except the frost one you will probably still get potatoes. Sharpo Mira brand favoured by Stalin even cope with a bit of frost. Spuds are about waiting, the longer you leave them the bigger they grow. But also the more likely the worms will feed off them

    Do you know if you have a type known as earlier, late earlier or main crop? That is supposed to determine when you plant them. I sometimes give mine some feed but as long as soil good that is quite optional. Again Stalin’s taters don’t even need good soil.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  17. wingpig
    Member

    Sneak the seed potatoes back into the same place in the shop where the ones which sprouted in the cupboard came from.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  18. crowriver
    Member

    That's six fruit bushes planted out, just in the nick of time. Apple tree tomorrow.

    Rhubarb buds are starting to poke through their red/pink tips. Established apple tree buds starting to open. Spring is just about here methinks.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  19. SRD
    Moderator

    Thank you! I wasn’t sure where the best place to leave them was. Anyone want some seed potatoes? Happy to share!

    Posted 3 years ago #

  20. gembo
    Member

    Long as dry doesn’t matter, window sill good. I sometimes prop mine up in egg boxes.

    Will be tattie day at Balerno farmers market March.

    You need deep planters. For piling soil up.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  21. SRD
    Moderator

    I have grown potatoes. Just from unintended chatting.

    My father’s family were seed potato farmers in Maine and developed a number of potato varieties.

    I really ought to know better.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  22. crowriver
    Member

    Apple tree duly planted this afternoon.

    March tomorrow, much digging, weeding and crop planting lies ahead...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  23. fimm
    Member

    Gardening, third floor flat style:
    mr fimm has planted some chilli seeds that my mother gave him for Christmas. Every day he reports that they have not come up yet...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  24. gembo
    Member

    Bit of a frost this am but not a killer one

    Posted 3 years ago #

  25. Snowy
    Member

    Nice and warm is the key for chilli seeds - it's hard to overdo it. Inside a sunny windowsill is perfect. And sown not deeper than 6 or 7mm ..ideally 3mm for the fussier varieties or they can struggle to get going. One they get going they are pretty tough. I moved about 20 chilli plants outdoors in May and they were cropping right through to November!

    Posted 3 years ago #

  26. crowriver
    Member

    Got into window sill gardening during the first lockdown. Sowed parsley and chives, both of which for some reason have never done well at the allotment. Plants are still on the window sill, still growing and giving fresh herbs for salads or garnish.

    Also planted an orange pip and a lemon pip a year ago, taken from supermarché fruits. Orange is now a small (bonsai) shrub doing well on window sill, lemon a bit peaky at the moment. I have to be careful not to over water them.

    Chillies can be temperamental, I've not managed to successfully grow them yet.

    Posted 3 years ago #

  27. crowriver
    Member

    Reviving this thread to ask for any tips on good places to buy small cactus plants. My kids would like a cactus or two in their rooms.

    Thought I would ask here as people might know places fairly central and/or bikeable. In days of yore would have been B&Q, but nearest one is Newcraighall... They sometimes turn up in supermarkets but that can be a bit random.

    Any cactus enthusiasts care to share info?

    Posted 3 years ago #

  28. Greenroofer
    Member

    @crowriver, you have PM...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  29. fimm
    Member

    Seeing as this thread has popped up - we now have 7 healthy chilli plants on the windowsill, and two have been given away. We also have some herbs in various states of healthiness...

    Posted 3 years ago #

  30. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Buy cacti from a garden centre, not a supermarket. I have several that live on my window ledge. Some grow slightly faster than others, but generally most are very slow growing, no more than one or two inches a year.

    My first is now a rampant monster and would be happy to donate one or two of its many limbs to stuff into a small pot!

    Posted 3 years ago #

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