Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
We just bought a shade sail for the garden, it's pretty cool man.
Any Percy Throwers on the forum?
- Thread starter Beezerk
- Start date
Dando
Q-School Graduate
We just bought a shade sail for the garden, it's pretty cool man.
my other half wants one to go over the garden sofa we have as the big umbrella doesn't quite fit under the Laurel properly
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Re Ericaceous compost, we have found it most efficacious in every way. {one for the oldies]
It is good when used in pots, expensive stuff to just throw on the garden.
Ericaceous liquid feeder works well, remember to put it on your heathers as well
It is good when used in pots, expensive stuff to just throw on the garden.
Ericaceous liquid feeder works well, remember to put it on your heathers as well
Smiffy
Grand Slam Winner
Coming along slowly. New border and bed nearly finished. Will look a lot better when our neighbour replaces his fence.
Got to have a new retaining wall done as well. When it was done a few years ago, my Missus was in complete control of it. She chose cheap untreated softwood sleepers to help keep the costs down, and these are now rotting away. It didn't help that the landscaper that carried out the work used chocolate fixings either....???
This is turning out to be expensive.
Got to have a new retaining wall done as well. When it was done a few years ago, my Missus was in complete control of it. She chose cheap untreated softwood sleepers to help keep the costs down, and these are now rotting away. It didn't help that the landscaper that carried out the work used chocolate fixings either....???
This is turning out to be expensive.
Old Colner
Club Champion
That seems to be the case with anything these days.
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
Never rely on neighbours to replace their fence. Mines 45 years old - I am happy with it despite what my neighbour says about his side
Beezerk
Money List Winner
Spent this afternoon prepping my patch ready for this year, got rid of all the weeds and put a fresh layer of decent compost on top so good to go.
I'm still deciding what to grow, definitely stuff we eat week in week out so I'm thinking onions, garlic, coriander, parsley, maybe cabbage as well.
With the herbs, am I better off putting them in some form of pot or planter rather than just straight in the soil?
I'm still deciding what to grow, definitely stuff we eat week in week out so I'm thinking onions, garlic, coriander, parsley, maybe cabbage as well.
With the herbs, am I better off putting them in some form of pot or planter rather than just straight in the soil?
rulefan
Tour Winner
Ferrous (iron) Sulphate is arguably better and cheaper. It also greens up your lawn and is effective in killing moss. In addition use a feed for rhododendrons.
2blue
Journeyman Pro
Depends how much space you have &/or green house.....
Suggestions for steady Summer garden foods -
Start in pots now, plant out after frost risk is past (end of May)..... Courgette, Dwarf Runner beans
Leeks are good value, better than onions I'd say.... sow now & pot on to go in ground later. I grow loads as they'll stay in the ground over winter.
Perpetual Spinach is good value.... sow direct in ground mid/late March.
Yes coriander, parsley, are easily grown in containers. Cabbage & other brassicas would need to be protected against Cabbage-white butterfly which takes up space & is a pain.
Onions are fun to grown but cheap enough to buy anyway & taste no different when cooked.
Loads of help on-line.... https://www.almanac.com/kitchen-garden-plants-vegetables-containers-and-small-spaces
Beezerk
Money List Winner
Thanks mate, I have plenty of room in the patch so that isn't an issue, I'm wanting to avoid growing things which need protection as well if that's at all possible.
Doon frae Troon
Ryder Cup Winner
Swiss Chard is also an easy bumper crop.
You can also cook with it in many different ways.
I also like growing chives and mixed salads as an easy cut and come again crop. You have the bonus of allowing chives to flower for a lovely bedding plant.
You can also cook with it in many different ways.
I also like growing chives and mixed salads as an easy cut and come again crop. You have the bonus of allowing chives to flower for a lovely bedding plant.
Foxholer
Blackballed
Always a bit of a toss-up, imo, whether to do this, or go for something 'different' to what is available in supermarkets. My reasoning has always been 'cost, convenience/availability'. While home-grown Coriander, Parsley (go for the flat-leaved/Italian as much better/more flavour) and Garlic have markedly more flavour than shop-bought, many of the 'everyday' veg are at their cheapest/best just when home grown equivalents are coming available.
The above does not apply to (if you have a greenhouse available) tomatoes! Home grown toms are infinitely better than shop-bought ones! Basil - both Italian and Thai - has much more flavour 'fresh' than via markets/shops too.
So my recommendation would be for 'compact' items that are (relatively) expensive in shops - such as the herbs above, spring onions, chives and, perhaps, onions. Cabbage takes up a lot of room, so perhaps Spinach in preference. Spuds can be worthwhile, though are better controlled in large pots - I think I've got rid of the remnants (after 3 years) of the ones I planted in an area subsequently allocated to 'decorative' plants.
Old Skier
Tour Winner
Herbs best in pot unless you have free draining soil. They don't like a lot of water.
Mudball
Assistant Pro
Watching the 'garden made perfect'.. i m inspired and thinking that we can make a tropical garden at the bottom of the garden. Unfortuantely, it is sloping and falls away from the house and it is has shades from large trees from the neighbours.. So not sure a tropics may work in a shade
jim8flog
Journeyman Pro
One of the things I learnt from experience is you really have to live in area of the country/location which can give good protection to to tropicals.
Back a few years ago when Somerset had it's worst snow for years virtually every neighbour and I lost all the Australasian plants.
Old Skier
Tour Winner
If you enjoy knocking up Chinese food and a great veg that grows very quickly is bok choy.
MegaSteve
Tour Winner
I grow spring onions in lengths of old guttering... Use them a lot in my diet and relatively [to me anyway] expensive to purchase... Sage is OK straight into the ground and relatively hardy... Grow other herbs in pots... Fresh basil with home grown toms is a real treat especially as they have zero air miles on them...
Beezerk
Money List Winner
Bought the seeds yesterday, just looking into germing them and also going to build a planter for the herbs tomorrow.
Do you think it's worth investing into some form of small lean to greenhouse/shelter or something?
With the amount I'm doing I'll be short of space indoors pretty quickly however I have a large south facing deck I could make use of.
Do you think it's worth investing into some form of small lean to greenhouse/shelter or something?
With the amount I'm doing I'll be short of space indoors pretty quickly however I have a large south facing deck I could make use of.
Old Colner
Club Champion
I bought one of the 4 shelf greenhouse / shelters last year, think it only about £25, it has been great, sheltered quiet a lot of plants in it over the winter.
Beezerk
Money List Winner
One of those plastic types?