How has your gardens grown? - Page 2

MargaretR · 08-09-2007, 09:11

Spice Pages: Rocket (Eruca sativa, Sisymbrium officinale, rucola, arugula)
I am trying to grow rocket in a window pot -not succeeding
Jambutty - you will be pleased to know that Weedol (diquat) is much less hazardous than Agent Orange - but better not grow veg for quite a few years

garinda · 08-09-2007, 09:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Spice Pages: Rocket (Eruca sativa, Sisymbrium officinale, rucola, arugula)
I am trying to grow rocket in a window pot -not succeeding
Jambutty - you will be pleased to know that Weedol (diquat) is much less hazardous than Agent Orange - but better not grow veg for quite a few years

My mum grew Rocket successfully this year in a pot.

A handy tip is to rub the edge of the container with Vaseline, as it stops the slugs from getting in, and eating it before you do.

MargaretR · 08-09-2007, 09:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

My mum grew Rocket successfully this year in a pot.

A handy tip is to rub the edge of the container with Vaseline, as it stops the slugs from getting in, and eating it before you do.

Havent seen any slugs on my kitchen window sill this year

Tin Monkey · 08-09-2007, 09:19

Rocket is great and easy to grow. However, it does have a tendency to bolt very easily and once it does, that's the end of it. The flavour is not as nice once it starts going to seed.

jambutty · 08-09-2007, 09:39

No sweat for me cashy. That’s what grandsons are for. I have to admit though that I did put my hand on the spade – er to move it out of the way.

My only problem is going to be if the Taleban find out about my crop. Will they nip round demanding protection money? But the opium poppy is the nicest of all the varieties that are around. I believe that there is a blue Californian Poppy and a white one.

By the way – I have never seen a GREEN flower.

I sit back and wait with a patience acquired over many years of living Brian.

I am not averse to organic gardening steeljack but the grasses had many years of undisturbed growth and a root system that was as strong as steel. Digging did not kill it off so I had to resort to drastic measures. The only bird that visited me was a pigeon or two and the only animal life was that ginger tom cat from next door and a marauding squirrel who has been named ‘Stumpy’ because his/her right front paw is absent. It still gets around OK though.

If my plan comes to fruition next year whatever grass does manage to grow will be allowed to - unless it interferes with the growth of the other plants.

garinda · 08-09-2007, 09:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Havent seen any slugs on my kitchen window sill this year

They've got in my windowbox, which is full of Busy Lizzies.

I have a chopstick handy to spear the slimy buggers.

They say because of the mild winter, and wet summer we are in for a bumper crop of slugs next year.

MargaretR · 08-09-2007, 09:42

More people should rip up concrete and paving to make gardens - would allow torrential rain to be soaked into the ground instead of causing an overload of the drains and flash floods

jambutty · 08-09-2007, 09:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by [email protected]

Spice Pages: Rocket (Eruca sativa, Sisymbrium officinale, rucola, arugula)
I am trying to grow rocket in a window pot -not succeeding
Jambutty - you will be pleased to know that Weedol (diquat) is much less hazardous than Agent Orange - but better not grow veg for quite a few years

But I have no plans to grow vegetables. Just a wild flower garden with a memorial plot of poppies and a few bulbs as explained previously.

I have some mixed Antirrhinums (snapdragons) along part of a border where I have harvested the seed in case they don’t reappear next year.

lettie · 08-09-2007, 10:27

This year has been hard toil because we have ripped our garden out. Our garden attracted nothing but weeds and slugs, as we dug it out we found that it was predominantly heavy clay, then we found a layer of rubbish, yes, rubbish!!!!! Polystyrene food trays etc from when the garden was originally laid.
We have managed to dig out the majority of the old soil and then hit a layer of flagstones which we had to chain drill in order to remove them. We are now down to soil again and have dug so deep that the little boy next door thinks we are putting a pool in...

Our back wall has been knocked down along with the old bin hole, this will give us extra space. The new wall is due to be rebuilt next week then we will have to shift some rubble that has accumulated, I could do with a Ute to shift this lot.
We will then need about 3 tonnes of top soil and some cement so that I can re-build my little decorative brick border. We may have a nice little garden next year but this year it is just rubble and muck..

jambutty · 08-09-2007, 12:17

If you have dug that deep lettie, put some of the rubble back in for improved drainage. Just a few inches will do.

It will save you the task of getting rid of some of the rubble and you may need less top soil too.

The pictures.
1.) Part of my garden as it was earlier this year.
2.) Yellow Poppy. Grows anywhere. Seed available, just come and get some. It’s FREE! There is also an orange poppy.
3.) Left part of my garden. The “monster’s” seeds will get sown in the far left corner to fill it. Along the side fence is a row of foxglove – hollyhocks – foxgloves and in front a row of mixed Lupins. And a selection of dead slugs. Five now! I’m winning!!!
4.) Centre part of my garden. Along the back fence will be flowers like the orange ones in the front left side. A flowerbed alongside the path leading to the pavement is bulging with them so some will get transplanted.
5.) Right part of my garden. The “monster’s” seeds will get sown in the far right corner to fill it. Just in front of that corner will be Bluebells.
6.) The “monster” that has sprung from a tiny seed in a packet of wild flowers. How do I know they were wild? Well they weren’t very pleased when I took the seeds out of a nice warm, dry packet and planted them into cold, wet soil.

The white strips are cable channelling that was left behind by the contractors when they re-wired my flat. They’ve come in useful to position rough demarcation lines.

garinda · 08-09-2007, 13:48

Jambutty, I think it'll look great when it's established.

If you could get your grandson to use a scythe on this year's growth, it should help the seedlings flourish next year.

The yellow poppies are called Welsh poppies by the way, and you're right, they are the easiet, and prettiest plant to grow from seeds that isn't a damn weed.

jambutty · 08-09-2007, 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

Jambutty, I think it'll look great when it's established.

If you could get your grandson to use a scythe on this year's growth, it should help the seedlings flourish next year.

The yellow poppies are called Welsh poppies by the way, and you're right, they are the easiet, and prettiest plant to grow from seeds that isn't a damn weed.

I’m hoping so but there’s not much to do now except keep attacking any grass that decided to show. Come autumn proper when the trees have shed all their leaves I will get my slave to dig them in. This will not only help the fertility of the soil but bring any remaining grass roots into the open to be killed off by the winter weather – hopefully.

Most of the grass is now dead so it will rot down of its own accord. I had considered borrowing a blowtorch and burning it off.

A Welsh poppy eh! We live and learn. Thanks!

A weed? (Said in a trembling old voice much like Lady Bracknell in the original film of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance Of Being Ernest” – A handbag?)

Surely that’s just a plant in the wrong place.

lindsay ormerod · 08-09-2007, 17:31

Usually I am a dab hand with plants but this year they just haven't had enough sun; I don't have a garden but my yard is full of large planters.
This year I put in the usual suspects, petunias,ageratum,trailing lobelia,begonia and nicotiana. Also some geraniums that had over wintered and made a reappearance.
The petunias usually do really well but haven't been nearly as productive as last year, but having said that they are usually past it by now but are still looking healthy.
More flowers on the clematis than ever and the same for the jasmine that is climbing over the yard door.
Kelsey had an onion entered in a competition up at the Peel Park, judging day was last sunday, we didn't come last and for a first attempt our 4.6 ounces wasn't bad , sadly the monster that won was some 2lb 12oz !!!
We are trying again next year so all tips on onion growing gratefully received !

LancYorkYankee · 10-09-2007, 17:50

It's really ashame that I never was able to get Tobacco seeds. With this weather I certainly could have played Sir Walter Raleigh to my Accyweb smoking Mates.

We used to have some huge slugs back in Maryland. I used to enjoy sprinkling salt on them and watching them shrivel up. Yeah, I know it's wicked gross but I really do hate those disgustingly evil beings!

I had a nice wildflower "garden" out along the woods but this year's weather really hurt em. I hope they just went dormant for the year.

Great stuff guys! Oh yeah, I know rocket as Arugula though have yet to grow it.

Brian

jambutty · 10-09-2007, 18:17

I came across a web site a while back where you could buy a full grow your own tobacco kit with full instruction on how to go about it from growing to drying to curing to rolling cigars or shredding for pipe or cigarette smoking.

I was half tempted.

Sorry but I didn’t bookmark the site. Maybe a search will find something and it did - http://www.coffinails.com/ amongst others.