Roasting I think, according to @SatNavSaysStraightOn!If any of us were living in Australia, then we'd be warm there, because they just entered summer!
Who has green fingers?
- Thread starter Morning Glory
- Start date
sidevalve
Guru
We use grass killer instead of moss killer - it gives the moss free rein and it so much easier to cut.I was answering @Cinisajoy who has a drought problem. Moss grows extremely well all over my garden, especially in the lawn. And my patio is currently a curious shade of green. I have an immensly long garden layed mostly to what is laughingly called 'lawn'. When we first viewed the house I thought 'what a nice green lawn'. Its not until uou walk on it that you realise its 60% moss!
In Scandinavia, moss is quite a trendy ingredient... but I'm not sure its the sort of moss I'm growing!
We use grass killer instead of moss killer - it gives the moss free rein and it so much easier to cut.
Lullabelle
Midlands, England
View attachment 4662
Winter has just begun, but you're right, in a few months, spring will be right around the corner! Hah!!
Lullabelle
Midlands, England
I love gardening and enjoy planting seeds and watching them grow. We are doing a fair amount of work to our garden back and front so I doubt we will be growing any veg or suchlike this coming year. In the past we have grown sweetcorn, peas and broad beans.
In the front garden we have cut down conifer trees, hebes etc... so to compensate we have planted spring bulbs which hopefully will look good. Hopefully it will look great when we are done.
In the front garden we have cut down conifer trees, hebes etc... so to compensate we have planted spring bulbs which hopefully will look good. Hopefully it will look great when we are done.
I'm impressed.
sidevalve
Guru
Usually have a fine crop of dandelions - very pretty they are too, who decided they are weeds anyway ? I think it's a plot by the garden centres to sell more expensive plants that don't grow and then they can sell you some more [and then those don't grow either].
Lullabelle
Midlands, England
My parents and grandma used to have an allotment many moons ago and my folks have always had a beautiful garden so I suppose I have inherited some of there enthusiasm and knowledge.
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Yep, I'm growing a lot at the moment, but the truth is that I need more space in the veg plot. at least space I can grow things in and we are working out ways of sorting that out for next season.
At the moment i have 4 of the 5 raised beds growing veg. the 5th didn't happen because of my broken ribs. all of the soul needs digging out in bed 5 like all the others because it is just tree roots. the plots were abandoned for quite a large number of years and the trees with the being no soul anywhere else have simply celebrated that they had something to grow in... thus there is no soil to use and lots of digging through roots some the thickness of my arm...
It has taken a lot of work just to get the first 4 needs working and they only have a mixture of plants in with a few of each. for example bed 1 has 6 purple cauliflower plants which seem to be growing leaves very well, just no sign of the flower head yet. they also have a good crop of caterpillars... then the beans failed totally so I had to replant them. 8 runner beans have just started to flower now. the 24 pea plants have harvested a few pods but I need to re-examine the variety grown because it is too compact. even my beetroot is larger. the onions are growing slowly (around 18 of those from seed) and add said the beetroot are doing best in that bed and will be being harvested very soon. to the side the carrot crop failed totally, but the garlic seems to be growing ok. the soil in that need is very fine and not very rich. much poultry manure will be used this winter...
Bed 2 is solely potatoes. the foliage looks very good, but the soil needs to be slightly deeper and richer for tatties really but they are a good soil cleaner. there is bronze fennel to the side of the tatties. the bed only allowed for a single row of potatoes to be grown though. it's too narrow for a second row which limits me considerably. I literally only sowed 8-10 seed potatoes at best and usually I would grow around 30-40 kg of potatoes.
Bed 3 is a real mixture of small numbers of things. 6 make plans before the leeks. there are 18 of those. not many when you think about it. then comes 2 aubergine, next to 1 chilli pepper plant before another permanent trellis down the centre starts. I've put 2 cucumber plants in along with several squash, Lebanese courgettes and normal courgettes in. the squashes I've trained to grow up the trellis which is working well. the only issue is that the bed is shallow on one side and quite deep, too deep on the other, so one side does not get enough water or soil and the other side wastes it. the squash are just starting to fruit now, so I need to get more manure down to help them. again the soil is very fine and poor.
Bed 4 has odds and ends in it. more an experiment than anything else. lots of things really should be in the main garden. I prefer to grow herbs and spices in the main garden closer to the kitchen than in a very plot, so things like the marjoram, lemon grass and oregano need moving this autumn once the beds in the garden have had all the roots dug out and most recreated... it also has spring onions (most failed) water melon, chilli peppers, peppers and 4 tomato plants in it. again the soil is very fine but slightly richer,. it would make a better potatoes bed but wasn't ready in time though it also needs more organic matter in it. they all do.
Bed 5 is a write off though the rhubarb is in the corner by the stand pipe and I have abandoned some black kale to its own devices...
I have tomatoes scattered around the place in buckets. had the first harvest from one of those plants today, the rest will probably be too late fruiting but we will see.
I've salvaged an old sink where the drain has been sealed for holding horse drinking water and filled that with salvaged soil. it now has both peppermint and general mint growing in it.
In the plot by the laundry room door, outside of the fence veg plot area I abandoned some garlic, fennel and a courgette. the courgette is really the only survivor and only because we put grey water there. the soul is just too poor and fine again. but the plant has given us our first courgettes and is producing more provided it is watered every day. I keep a washing basin in the sink and collect hand washing water or stuff from the shower (stand in it and soak my feet). it isn't ideal for veg crops but it's working. ideally I would like to collect the rain water for there, another project for later this year. sadly that plot is in a rain shadow of the house which has a very overhang on the roof.
I have a few larger containers (old gum tree sections with their centres removed holding soil) which I have put a temporary lining in that contain a few herbs. the coriander and parsley went to seed way too quickly, so obviously not enough water, but the thyme and oregano have survived. another flower bed had a small rosemary plant, tiny bay tree and some more parsley in it which seem to be doing well. I think it will become a herb plot next year. it is right by the veranda and kitchen door and will be very useful now that the tree has been cut down.
That's it really other than the grape vines which I need to learn how to manage and tbh I think they need more water. I've only just found them as well. they had been hacked right back by the previous tenant and it nearly killed them.
Plus there is what looks like a cherry tree area but again I'm working on identifying the crop first. I expect I'll lose the lot to birds this year but that's life.
I am wondering about bamboo shoots though. we have lots of bamboo. I'd it a specific variety that is used for bamboo shoots or can any be used? right now I'm using that for shade and bamboo canes. it's not thick enough for anything else and needs cutting back and or thinning but it takes a lot of time and there are at least 4 big areas of it...
At the moment i have 4 of the 5 raised beds growing veg. the 5th didn't happen because of my broken ribs. all of the soul needs digging out in bed 5 like all the others because it is just tree roots. the plots were abandoned for quite a large number of years and the trees with the being no soul anywhere else have simply celebrated that they had something to grow in... thus there is no soil to use and lots of digging through roots some the thickness of my arm...
It has taken a lot of work just to get the first 4 needs working and they only have a mixture of plants in with a few of each. for example bed 1 has 6 purple cauliflower plants which seem to be growing leaves very well, just no sign of the flower head yet. they also have a good crop of caterpillars... then the beans failed totally so I had to replant them. 8 runner beans have just started to flower now. the 24 pea plants have harvested a few pods but I need to re-examine the variety grown because it is too compact. even my beetroot is larger. the onions are growing slowly (around 18 of those from seed) and add said the beetroot are doing best in that bed and will be being harvested very soon. to the side the carrot crop failed totally, but the garlic seems to be growing ok. the soil in that need is very fine and not very rich. much poultry manure will be used this winter...
Bed 2 is solely potatoes. the foliage looks very good, but the soil needs to be slightly deeper and richer for tatties really but they are a good soil cleaner. there is bronze fennel to the side of the tatties. the bed only allowed for a single row of potatoes to be grown though. it's too narrow for a second row which limits me considerably. I literally only sowed 8-10 seed potatoes at best and usually I would grow around 30-40 kg of potatoes.
Bed 3 is a real mixture of small numbers of things. 6 make plans before the leeks. there are 18 of those. not many when you think about it. then comes 2 aubergine, next to 1 chilli pepper plant before another permanent trellis down the centre starts. I've put 2 cucumber plants in along with several squash, Lebanese courgettes and normal courgettes in. the squashes I've trained to grow up the trellis which is working well. the only issue is that the bed is shallow on one side and quite deep, too deep on the other, so one side does not get enough water or soil and the other side wastes it. the squash are just starting to fruit now, so I need to get more manure down to help them. again the soil is very fine and poor.
Bed 4 has odds and ends in it. more an experiment than anything else. lots of things really should be in the main garden. I prefer to grow herbs and spices in the main garden closer to the kitchen than in a very plot, so things like the marjoram, lemon grass and oregano need moving this autumn once the beds in the garden have had all the roots dug out and most recreated... it also has spring onions (most failed) water melon, chilli peppers, peppers and 4 tomato plants in it. again the soil is very fine but slightly richer,. it would make a better potatoes bed but wasn't ready in time though it also needs more organic matter in it. they all do.
Bed 5 is a write off though the rhubarb is in the corner by the stand pipe and I have abandoned some black kale to its own devices...
I have tomatoes scattered around the place in buckets. had the first harvest from one of those plants today, the rest will probably be too late fruiting but we will see.
I've salvaged an old sink where the drain has been sealed for holding horse drinking water and filled that with salvaged soil. it now has both peppermint and general mint growing in it.
In the plot by the laundry room door, outside of the fence veg plot area I abandoned some garlic, fennel and a courgette. the courgette is really the only survivor and only because we put grey water there. the soul is just too poor and fine again. but the plant has given us our first courgettes and is producing more provided it is watered every day. I keep a washing basin in the sink and collect hand washing water or stuff from the shower (stand in it and soak my feet). it isn't ideal for veg crops but it's working. ideally I would like to collect the rain water for there, another project for later this year. sadly that plot is in a rain shadow of the house which has a very overhang on the roof.
I have a few larger containers (old gum tree sections with their centres removed holding soil) which I have put a temporary lining in that contain a few herbs. the coriander and parsley went to seed way too quickly, so obviously not enough water, but the thyme and oregano have survived. another flower bed had a small rosemary plant, tiny bay tree and some more parsley in it which seem to be doing well. I think it will become a herb plot next year. it is right by the veranda and kitchen door and will be very useful now that the tree has been cut down.
That's it really other than the grape vines which I need to learn how to manage and tbh I think they need more water. I've only just found them as well. they had been hacked right back by the previous tenant and it nearly killed them.
Plus there is what looks like a cherry tree area but again I'm working on identifying the crop first. I expect I'll lose the lot to birds this year but that's life.
I am wondering about bamboo shoots though. we have lots of bamboo. I'd it a specific variety that is used for bamboo shoots or can any be used? right now I'm using that for shade and bamboo canes. it's not thick enough for anything else and needs cutting back and or thinning but it takes a lot of time and there are at least 4 big areas of it...
- Joined
- 11 Oct 2012
- Local time
- 12:33 PM
- Messages
- 18,393
- Location
- SE Australia
- Website
- www.satnavsaysstraighton.com
The plans are...
To put in 5 or 6 note raised beds slowly filling them with reclaimed soil. we have 2 ways of doing this. but lucky in the local Fb page where people often get rid free of charge of top soil. contractors building the new houses often advertise that they will even deliver it free because it is cheaper for them to do this that dump it legally where they will be charged. the same applies to locals doing work on their gardens. it is cheaper to give it away or even offer to deliver a trailer load than pay the fees by weight at the local tip. we have to pay for all refuse to be deposed of at a rate of $5 per wheelie bin load of non recyclable stuff. we have found a cheat though because we produce very little of stuff that can't be recycled and that is to take the recycling one a month and tell them honestly we have a black plastic sack of waste to through as well. usually we are given the ' don't worry about it' or rather being in Australia 'no worries mate' line and let in free of charge.
Our other option is to slowly reclaim the soil that was once in the garden and is now in the lower flat paddock... it's flat for a reason. it's a flood meadow often under water this last winter. it's also deep and further down the valley is where our bore water comes from. the soil looks to be surprisingly good there... but it's down hill in the meadow... that means several things the first being we need to cut a safe path through the long grass about 2m wide to reduce the risk of getting bitten by brown snake which are rather poisonous and the second and more obvious is that we need to cart the soil back up the mountainside! now it only needs to come back up by about 50m vertically but it's steep at the top unless you go above the house and drop back down into the garden... and that's about 750m to 1,000m of pushing per wheelbarrow load arms even getting the empty wheelbarrow up is more than I can currently manage, but I can do all the other work, so my hubby would only need to bring a barrel load up each day after work rather than have to dig up the soil, clean and sift it before being it up the mountainside... the first option is probably the best option but relies a lot on luck...
To put in 5 or 6 note raised beds slowly filling them with reclaimed soil. we have 2 ways of doing this. but lucky in the local Fb page where people often get rid free of charge of top soil. contractors building the new houses often advertise that they will even deliver it free because it is cheaper for them to do this that dump it legally where they will be charged. the same applies to locals doing work on their gardens. it is cheaper to give it away or even offer to deliver a trailer load than pay the fees by weight at the local tip. we have to pay for all refuse to be deposed of at a rate of $5 per wheelie bin load of non recyclable stuff. we have found a cheat though because we produce very little of stuff that can't be recycled and that is to take the recycling one a month and tell them honestly we have a black plastic sack of waste to through as well. usually we are given the ' don't worry about it' or rather being in Australia 'no worries mate' line and let in free of charge.
Our other option is to slowly reclaim the soil that was once in the garden and is now in the lower flat paddock... it's flat for a reason. it's a flood meadow often under water this last winter. it's also deep and further down the valley is where our bore water comes from. the soil looks to be surprisingly good there... but it's down hill in the meadow... that means several things the first being we need to cut a safe path through the long grass about 2m wide to reduce the risk of getting bitten by brown snake which are rather poisonous and the second and more obvious is that we need to cart the soil back up the mountainside! now it only needs to come back up by about 50m vertically but it's steep at the top unless you go above the house and drop back down into the garden... and that's about 750m to 1,000m of pushing per wheelbarrow load arms even getting the empty wheelbarrow up is more than I can currently manage, but I can do all the other work, so my hubby would only need to bring a barrel load up each day after work rather than have to dig up the soil, clean and sift it before being it up the mountainside... the first option is probably the best option but relies a lot on luck...
I think you are great @SatNavSaysStraightOn and I've no idea how you can do what you do whilst being physically challenged and all that. But your last two posts have reminded me (in spades ) why I hate gardening. Give me a few nice clean pots on a patio. Or better still, send me a veg box every week!
) why I hate gardening. Give me a few nice clean pots on a patio. Or better still, send me a veg box every week!
winterybella
Guru
Well I guess I too better understand why it isn't for me. By the time I got to bed 2 I was thinking I should literally go to bed. On a more serious note, it's a reminder why I should appreciate more what my mom and dad to raise the seven of us. They toiled in the land to feed and clothe us and my mom still seems to enjoy it even with her aches and pains. My mom is in her late 80s and she still wants to plant this and that. Remarkable...Not sure if @SatNavSaysStraightOn can handle this Bajan heat but there is enough land to keep her more than busy.
@SatNavSaysStraightOn is dealing with some high temperatures in the outback! I can't deal with Bajan heat or any heat. And that is when I'm not gardening!
winterybella
Guru
I did see that somewhere and wondered if it was anywhere near mine. Granted we had some rain in between and a weird mix of heavy rain and sunshine for a week or two but most days it's scorching.
I am surprise to hear you can't deal with any heat...are you sure about this
?
Last edited:
- Joined
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- 18,393
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- SE Australia
- Website
- www.satnavsaysstraighton.com
I've taken to the Spanish approach. we get up early, I work in the garden until around 10am unless I have any cooking to do then I stop at 8am and cook. anything much past 10am is now not enough to have doors, windows and heat shielding curtains closed. internal doors also seal off the laundry room and sun room (blinds down permanently atm). it stays like this until around 6pm when I've usually lost the battle and the internal temperature is around 30C matching outside. at which point you may as well make use of the fresher air outside and open doors, windows and curtains until 6am the following day. we are going to bed with temps of 28-30C, waking up with +20C. it's due to get hotter soon as summer progresses. we are at the equivalent of end of June in the northern hemisphere seasons. 35C is current daytime temp, though today it is only at 32C but it is only 3pm right now. still time to get warmer but humidity is very high today at 60-70%. thunder is forecast but we can't see it happening. tomorrow is meant to be hotter.
As for water, well one of the major differences here is that we celebrate when it rains! totally private water means we only have what we collect and that is rain water for drinking, dishes and shower plus hand washing. washing machine, toilet and all stand pipes are bore water which is brackish. plus the spare buildings are also on bore water as well.
I rarely water the veg plot. most water is recycled in that I collect it and use it for watering the garden including the veg plot (by hand). so any water going down into the septic tank really is waste water, not just grey water. collected water is hand washing, veg washing, dishes and anything I can when showering. it is carried down to the plants that need it. something gets watered 4 or 5 times a day. I only carry out small quantities at a time (unable to lift) but I keeps plants going until it next rains, mostly.
it works for me and I'm used to it. most people couldn't hack it for long even if they picked up the guts to try in the first place. but if everyone lived rurally there wouldn't be any rural.
As for water, well one of the major differences here is that we celebrate when it rains! totally private water means we only have what we collect and that is rain water for drinking, dishes and shower plus hand washing. washing machine, toilet and all stand pipes are bore water which is brackish. plus the spare buildings are also on bore water as well.
I rarely water the veg plot. most water is recycled in that I collect it and use it for watering the garden including the veg plot (by hand). so any water going down into the septic tank really is waste water, not just grey water. collected water is hand washing, veg washing, dishes and anything I can when showering. it is carried down to the plants that need it. something gets watered 4 or 5 times a day. I only carry out small quantities at a time (unable to lift) but I keeps plants going until it next rains, mostly.
it works for me and I'm used to it. most people couldn't hack it for long even if they picked up the guts to try in the first place. but if everyone lived rurally there wouldn't be any rural.