Jump to content

How does your garden grow?


Recommended Posts

This lockdown seems to have produced a lot of gardeners, people who have never grown anything before are all trying their hands at growing their own produce and I’m wondering how many of you have done similar?

Our “garden “ was just flattened out after the build and left  to be revisited when time allowed ,however because we were due a new grandchild in the midst of all this and because we would have to look after our granddaughter when the time came we found ourselves having to self isolate for a fortnight so stocked up with everything we would need in that time and that included a poly tunnel and loads of seed , compost etc.

All in all it’s been quite successful and we are now harvesting the first of our produce. We are plagued with rabbits here so we built raised beds and erected small fences around them and now have a good crop of turnip, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, beetroot to name but a few, unfortunately we got so involved in this that other things (like the garage) have taken a back seat!

It has however moved us on garden wise to now make flower borders etc and it’s amazing how when you start one area it all evolves, hopefully by the autumn we will have made a good impression on what was previously a building site so not wasted time and the lettuce are far superior to anything shop bought!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am afraid I am a butcher when it comes to gardens.  I don't have the time or inclination for flower beds and weeding them.  I generally only have 3 gardening tools, a mower, a strimmer and a chain saw.

 

At the last house we had a vegetable plot, but that too needed constant weeding, and the quality of what we produced disappointing, mainly due to the poor soil and high water table, even making it as a raised bed it was nearly always too wet.

 

But the lawn has been mowed and trimmed a lot more regularly this year than most.

 

I do miss the well drained light soil we had when down south, almost anything would grow in that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, ProDave said:

I am afraid I am a butcher when it comes to gardens.  I don't have the time or inclination for flower beds and weeding them.  I generally only have 3 gardening tools, a mower, a strimmer and a chain saw.

 

At the last house we had a vegetable plot, but that too needed constant weeding, and the quality of what we produced disappointing, mainly due to the poor soil and high water table, even making it as a raised bed it was nearly always too wet.

 

But the lawn has been mowed and trimmed a lot more regularly this year than most.

 

I do miss the well drained light soil we had when down south, almost anything would grow in that.

We were quite lucky in that although we have a lot of clay one of the previous owners of the cottage and land was a very keen gardener and had introduced a lot of good soil to the garden (which ended up being the plot) so we had saved all the good topsoil and managed to make a lot of the new garden and raised beds with it, we did have to buy a couple of ton for the flower border we have made at the back of the house but all in all not too bad. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are just getting started with the garden, we have about 600 sqm of garden space (wish we had more). So far we have planted a laurel hedge at the back of the house to provide privacy as most of our family room, dining and kitchen are at the back of the house.

 

104183193_336922537274397_8764027582902986807_n.thumb.jpg.f4b95da5fa973eca27c6a668d68100bd.jpg

 

Plan is to grass the whole area first, then start to add various flower beds. We will be planting in a modern modern style similar to some of the Charlotte Row designs https://www.charlotterowe.com/

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s taken 5 years to get only this far. However this is the first year I’ve actually been able to spend some time out there and think about what to do out there. We’ve planted 20 x 3’ Portuguese Laurels which will take some time and desperately need a fence between us and next door. Raised bed is new, had to get 2 bags of topsoil in. 

FD911796-51A5-4E7F-A5E6-BD9978CDA4B2.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine grows rather more than I might otherwise like, and I have spent some ttime (bah - keyboard is bouncing) this spring trying to recover parts of the garden I inherited from mum.

 

I think my top tips would be to plan your shed somewhere it will be well-hidden, half an hour every day (I fail miserably) in the cool time, and make sure that you have at least some budh or hedge you allow tto grow a bitt ttaller for roosting small birds - which means 2.5m nott 1.8m.

 

Ferdinand

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I only have a tiny patch of earth to work with, so have most things in pots.

Last year I decided to get rid of a lot of the pots, so just tipped them out onto the ground, levelled it off, and decided to see what would happen.

I also had some bamboo that I dug up and put in pots, then neglected, for 6 years.

This spring I made a planter out the front, moved the small grass that was growing and put the bamboo next to it.

All taken very well.  Including the wind blown/bird pooped echiums.

 

Garden 1.jpg

Garden 2.jpg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am finding our “garden “daunting”, just got rid of 53 tons of clay and slowly levelling the plot and trying to get topsoil roughly level with the JCB. The plot (including the meadow) is an acre. Problem with the “meadow “is stones, millions of them and the only route is to hand pick them up ?. Still it’s getting there and I am really looking forward to growing plants and veg next year, I bought loads of scaffold boards fir the build and they are earmarked fir raised beds over clay fir the veg behind the workshop

4DFBD495-B3F0-40EF-B480-9AA9FD574655.jpeg

0502212D-DD06-4D25-AC7F-F011F5F4B76A.jpeg

Edited by joe90
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

I only have a tiny patch of earth to work with, so have most things in pots.

Last year I decided to get rid of a lot of the pots, so just tipped them out onto the ground, levelled it off, and decided to see what would happen.

I also had some bamboo that I dug up and put in pots, then neglected, for 6 years.

This spring I made a planter out the front, moved the small grass that was growing and put the bamboo next to it.

All taken very well.  Including the wind blown/bird pooped echiums.

 

Garden 1.jpg

Garden 2.jpg

 

Interesting orignal Minivan? Or is it a Traveller?

Edited by Ferdinand
Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, joe90 said:

I am finding our “garden “daunting”, just got rid of 53 tons of clay and slowly levelling the plot and trying to get topsoil roughly level with the JCB. The plot (including the meadow) is an acre. Problem with the “meadow “is stones, millions of them and the only route is to hand pick them up ?. Still it’s getting there and I am really looking forward to growing plants and veg next year, I bought loads of scaffold boards fir the build and they are earmarked fir raised beds over clay fir the veg behind the workshop

4DFBD495-B3F0-40EF-B480-9AA9FD574655.jpeg

0502212D-DD06-4D25-AC7F-F011F5F4B76A.jpeg

Can't you make the mother of all riddles?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Christine Walker said:

Waiting on @Ferdinand showing pictures of his veg crop?

 

?

 

This is the Green Wall 2nd generation taken a few days ago. These were planted at the end of May, and each type is about 1/3 - 1/2 of a packet of seeds. I gave away about a quarter of each packet to a friend in lockdown who is quite stressed.

 

(I did the shelves with coats of varnish, and used the ones with plastic not metal mounts) 

 

FED2E376-5D6D-4D23-90CC-A775E20C853D.thumb.jpeg.28aaa1f3fe20a6dc3464844167f1b1cc.jpeg

 

04DBA14C-72FF-4190-AE73-F1C889B6364A.thumb.jpeg.0a860ce32a4dfa6391277cffe6d28263.jpeg

 

A496D12D-91EB-4398-B4F2-16BD143FBBB5.thumb.jpeg.6bdcb90e861d14f613c9d123a5128410.jpeg

 

The middle one above is the first mixed salad leaves I put in in March, which has now had its 4th cut and been composted.

 

A4CBE03F-1BC0-46D1-A12E-371D5A58D0FC.thumb.jpeg.2176d489a4fa6747319bd2b556566d1e.jpeg

 

DE002E88-3B46-4F52-95BA-EC2E30BDECEB.thumb.jpeg.2eb592f666ca3278e2555508257456cb.jpeg

 

DE002E88-3B46-4F52-95BA-EC2E30BDECEB.thumb.jpeg.2eb592f666ca3278e2555508257456cb.jpeg

 

About 10 different types of thing. The next step is to find some bulk seeds and plant more tightly. The seeds for the above cost about £8, so not quite the cheapest thing. These are Fothergills seeds, and all seem to be sprouting Ok. I have some transparent covers on order, and am wondering about lights and drip watering using the Jeremy system I have in the front garden, which works well. But I have no tap there, so will need to think a bit.

 

At the moment it is 10 sprays per tray twice a day and water 1-2l via the tray every 2-3 days, and to spin the trays at the same time before adding the water.

 

This is the putative veg crop when planted late May, but I think I am running a bit late. Will have to get some prepotted tomatoes and courgettes. The tea strainer is for less forceful watering.

 

C823A102-1936-4168-A82E-6C8C6559C157.thumb.jpeg.5f672d2e30f817d821da44c0b2258a6e.jpeg

 

this is just now. The one sprouted is courgette.

 

F01C978B-6B3E-485C-9F07-00A6417DA90C.thumb.jpeg.25cbcf2d0878df8b20ee4c228385779f.jpeg

 

9E8DBB2A-622C-4BB6-9EB4-402C9B787DF5.thumb.jpeg.ea3b478ec25a8b4e1cbdded7094b1e49.jpeg

 

This is the overall.

 

F3789776-69DE-4706-B314-C7800A760726.thumb.jpeg.a59509d27b84a36ec1b7a206f1533bac.jpeg

 

 

Had a neighbour round for lunch yesterday, and we had home made bread, charcuterie and a Mizuma and Rocket portion of microveg, which was great. And some Shiraz which was my second Laithwaites delivery of the lockdown.

 

But the Wistery-Clematis is a bit rampant and needs a haircut.

 

3CEA5174-EE89-49BF-9685-7956E008C965.thumb.jpeg.95a903227df28c3e065c43fc861c2ee5.jpeg

 

F

 

 

 

A452617A-8D0F-4BE4-9C6B-DEDEE4F6C2CB.jpeg

Edited by Ferdinand
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ours are doing surprisingly well and we’ve already had some of the snowball turnips and lettuce, had to lift all the turnip as their shaws were overshadowing the beetroot so we have another crop of them in and the beetroot should be harvested before the shaws get too big.All the turnips have been wrapped in wet kitchen roll and put in a bag in the veg drawer of the fridge which is what was advised for storing them.52D7D89C-8987-4C7D-9FD7-0ADEBFCCA082.thumb.jpeg.c7323c0337469f4a08ce6690e0ad7a63.jpegA3E02057-1627-4C17-99B4-FA5B58D7344A.thumb.jpeg.5006b0f7f00a22b31ea525992d3ece59.jpegD2BCC045-1A06-40D2-82B3-8EB7BA006117.thumb.jpeg.5e2dc05e6905e37299a3bf90fd07ba6f.jpegECBCDF10-AD62-4512-AD04-523BDAC1E3DD.thumb.jpeg.efe4e1714b32d21a8858fd18aac0398b.jpeg35C3627C-6CFA-47A4-A09C-6A20E8297E4E.thumb.jpeg.fd757146f8e7370c96775ea367ee729e.jpegEDC11CB6-423C-49D6-9C72-70ED8FCFBE92.thumb.jpeg.f8e43a52db0aaf2e2a98aaff7623c17f.jpeg

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Pete said:

Can't you make the mother of all riddles?


I did make this but still needs shovelling, anything bigger will take ages to make and only be used once so probably not worth it, a little every day (is my plan).

12 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

I've a stone rake for the digger. Haven't used it in anger yet tho...


what’s that like??.

5ECCC617-6076-4AEB-8440-832657211178.jpeg

Edited by joe90
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am cropping, 

 

bok choy 

lettuce  

spring onions

rainbow chard

purple sprouting broccoli 

kale 

texal greens 

radish 

suger snap peas 

garlic 

strawberries 

 

 

all in abundance and having to give stuff away ! It’s amazing what you can do in a small area. I will be getting my polly tunnel up within six months ready for next year as I feel I have outgrown my fish box garden. 
 

 

 

 

 

C3FE3456-B3B0-4639-9950-DFFD2834EF54.jpeg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

This weather, FML. It’s wrecking my courgettes, they’re just dying on the stems with rotten flowers ?. Not sure I’ll ever see a duke either. And nothing else is growing apart from a few leaves in the cold. Roll on next week.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...