The gardening thread

[giraffe]

I grow the cucumbers in the conservatory, as it is like a hot house. This year they have been really impressive, some are even straight, so they look quite professional. They have been growing so fast, a couple of weeks ago they were tiny, and now they are full size!

My runner beans have been growing very slowly, it's a couple of years since I grew any as they were eaten or died the last couple of years. They were planted weeks ago and they are still only half way up the poles, and looking rather pathetic. I don't really have room to grow much else.

[Wulfruna]

I'm struggling with cucumbers. Last year had a bumper crop - this year had four young plants, but every one of them just keeled over and died in the greenhouse. Bought another one from the garden centre, and it too is struggling - little growth and no flowers as yet
Beans are getting going now - but only half way up the poles. I deliberately plant them late so that they don't produce until late August/early September - thus avoiding coming at the same time as the broad beans and cabbages/ cauliflowers. Raspberries and strawberries doing ok and currants (black and red) all picked and in the freezer.....

I was wondering how other people were doing with potato bags - I seem to remember that several of us were trying those this year? It's so hard to judge if they are ready - I have been feeling down inside the bags, but not getting much evidence yet of decent crops, which I thought should be there by now. How are others doing?

[tricia]

I succesfully managed to grow carrots in a bag. They are roun carrots and taste fantastic- I am really pleased with the success given out weather

Tricia

[gill216]

I lifted a few potatoes this morming from the top six inches of the bags. All a good size. I'm resisting the temptation to empty a bag to see how many are in there. I watched an online video that said when they have flowered the tubers are growing and when the flowers die off you should cut off the leaves at soil level and leave for 2 weeks. This gives the tubers a chance to fill out and the skins to firm up if you want to store them. . I couldn't resist a poke about while I was at it. Good job I did. The soil was bone dry not far from the top. They've had a good watering because we aren't forecast for any rain for the next fortnight according to uk weather online. We had a fine mist for about 3 mins around 5pm.

I've got leeks ready to go in the bags when the potatoes come out.

[Wulfruna]

I've got leeks ready to go in the bags when the potatoes come out.

That's a useful tip - hadn't thought of that. My leeks are coming on well in the greenhouse, but will not need planting out for a few weeks yet.....

[Laura]

We appear to have adopted a pigeon. It doesn't seem able to fly, so mum's been feeding it. She's calling it Budgie. My dad says we're now only a whippet and a flat-cap away from being true Northerners.

[gill216]

If anyone has a local Aldi they have some fantastic sweet pepper, cucumber, aubergine, & tomato plants on sale at £2.99 each but they won't be there for long.

I bought one of each today. I could pick & use a pepper right now. The youngsters on it are too numerous to count. Same goes for the tomato plant. I have at least 10 aubergines growing if I look after it properly and probably the same- if not more, cucumbers.

[Bunnylump]

We appear to have adopted a pigeon. It doesn't seem able to fly, so mum's been feeding it. She's calling it Budgie. My dad says we're now only a whippet and a flat-cap away from being true Northerners.

Does it need some wheels? I know someone who did that for a pigeon with a broken pelvis.

[Laura]

This was a while ago, and we can't be sure that it's the same one, but there is a particularly stupid-seeming pigeon which reappears in the garden every once in a while, which we like to think is the same one. It managed to fly after a couple of days.

Mum has now adopted the robins that are nesting at the bottom of the garden, and goes out to find them worms even when no gardening needs to be done. I'm much more in favour of the robins than the stupid pigeon.

[gill216]

Is anyone else having a phenomenal fruit gathering year? Today I picked 48 strawberries, yesterday I picked 42. That's the leftoverx being left to ripen. 3 days ago I picked an overflowing platter full as well as on overflowing dinner plate for my neighbour.

I cant get rid of gooseberries. My currant bushes are dripping in berries. I can see by looking at raspberry bushes I'm going to be overloaded as well. Just not ripening yet but up here its usually mid July for them.

[giraffe]

I have had all my raspberries dug out when I had some men in to do the heavy digging. They were running wild and popping up where they shouldn't and the bed was so full of weed that it needed clearing. I'm leaving it fallow this year to try to get rid of more of the weeds, and then next year will replant some raspberries, so apart from half a dozen strawberries I haven't had any homegrown.

[clvrlad]

and my concrete yard hasn't yielded anything yet

[Bunnylump]

I haven't deliberately grown anything this year, but we have an amazing crop of wild strawberries!

[LAT]

and my concrete yard hasn't yielded anything yet

Made me chuckle

We also have lots of wild strawberries. The blueberries are looking very promising but only a few have ripened so far.

[Wulfruna]

Our strawberries are also good this year - not a huge crop, but very good quality and taste. The raspberries are also starting now, although they are not quite so good as previous years - we think that the plants are now getting a bit elderly after 7 years and probably need replacing next year. However, the autumn raspberry plants (which are a bit newer) are looking fantastic - so there should be a good crop just in time for our family visitors in August!!
The currants, both red and black are fantastic - weighing down the bushes and really big and luscious.

[gill216]

I have so many strawbuggars that I had to go looking for things to do with them other than jam. I have 5 large jars of that already and we are sick of the sight of strawbs and cream. See cookery thread for one or 2 things I found.