Excitable Boy

Red Onions - Buds Forming

About half of my red onions have now bolted - and soime of my shallots as well, which has never happened before!

help with garden shed and bbq area

ian, if you are going to put down slabs I would give some serious thought to preparing a proper base unless you are willing to relay them every few years. to do this use DTp1 sub-base (often called type 1 scalpings) from a builders merchants (roughly £25/tonne). A tonne covers 6-8 square metres. You need to lay this about 3 inches deep and compact to around 2 inches with a wacker plate (which you'll need to hire). You then lay your slabs on cement on top. You can use the compacted scalpings as a base for your shed without the slabs if desired.

This probably involves more cost and work than you want, at least initially, but over the years I have come to the conclusion that laying slabs without a firm base is a total waste of time.

I agree with Paul's comment on a 6 x 4 shed. Get the biggest one you can afford, but at least 8 x 6. For a quick base use a couple of pallets if you can get them!

Neighbour's Plum Tree

I think you definately have to have a word with your neighbour. People often don't appreciate that mature fruit trees do grow to a substantial size (20 feet is way too close). Perhaps you could offer to buy him one with a dwarfing rootstock if he will take it down?

If he won't then I'd be inclined to give it a root prune come winter to get rid of any suckering roots on your property. This should reduce the tree's vigour a bit as well. As I am sure you are aware you are entitled to cut off any branches coming over your boundary providing you return the branches to your neighbour, but I'd only do this as a last resort.

Talkback: Sowing seeds - chillies and sweet peppers

Hi Italophile,

I'm growing chillies for the first time and the flowers are just starting to develop. I'm a bit concerned as there is some dark discolouration on the stalks at some higher leaf axils. Is something wrong?

Cheers, EB

Sizzling Summer Plant Deal

Yeah, I live in the wet, wet, west!

I'd wanted to get the troughs planted up and grown on for a couple of weeks before putting them out on our bay windows, but no such luck.

The plants arrived today. Not the plants I'd ordered (upright instead of trailing) and very small (less than 1cm) - I could easily have grown them in 6 weeks without the aid of commercial facilities. To be fair this is the first time I've had a problem with T&M and they refunded the £20 straight away, but I don't think the troughs are going to happen now which is frustrating.

Will buy corms next year!!

Sizzling Summer Plant Deal

Still awaiting my April order of trailing begonias from Thompson and Morgan.

Supposed to have been dispached by end May, but when I phoned to chase up this morning they claimed they had only been dispatched yesterday (14 June) but needless to say didn't arrive today. Very disappointing as I have spent a lot of money with T&M this year and their service has been fine otherwise.

This is a salutory lesson to me regarding time-sensitive plants ( for baskets etc) as I could have got these locally several weeks ago - perhaps not as cheap, but if plants arrive too late to grow on they aren't cheap regardless of the price!

bolting onions

About a third of my onions have now bolted

Growing lupins from seed

Best to cut any flower spikes off and let the plants get stronger tbh. You might get one or two flowers from a whole packet but they will be small and a severe drain on the young plant. Make sure you have slug pellets down.  Strangely slugs don't seem too bothered with lupin seedlings, but just LOVE larger ones and will eat the entire plant!

Help with identification, this plant is ruining my summer!

If the leaves are circular/oval rather than elongated it may not be Himalayan Balsam. Bad news is that it may be Japanese Knotweed in this case:

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=218

This is not an easy plant to get rid of, but you do need to tackle it!

Sizzling Summer Plant Deal

Pash, be aware that although these deals are cheap you may not get your plants for a long time. I ordered some trailing begonias from T&M in April. The order confirmation told me they would be dispatched by end of May. It's now 8 June and their latest dispatch estimate is "a couple of weeks due to weather". I had always believed that plug plants were grown in commercial greenhouses, but obviously not!

Pergola Problem