Leggi

Fork Handles

Happy birthday Geoff

Your lot signed a young Argentine keeper (Gazzaniga) from us (Gillingham) this summer, I think he's going to be a very good player in the future.

Also if Bertrand comes on during tonights England match we get £200k from Chelsea.

Strange Baubles on Potato Plant

It's nothing to be worried about, it's the fruit of the potato plant. They look like small green tomatoes because they're in the same family.

Do not eat them though as they are poisonous, the potatoes underground should be fine to treat as normal.

Hurrah! New Gardening Prog.

I'll watch it but I'll get annoyed if they make gardens for people who don't have the time (or in some cases the ability) to manage them properly, like the ITV show recently. I know it's nice to give deserving people pretty gardens but if they have three disabled children to look after it's only going to add to their burden.

As nice as they seem, I don't understand what Tufnell and Rice will be there for either.

Hissing Bees??

Fantastic! Must be great being rewarded for all the effort you've put in to making a wildlife garden, can we have some pics please?

Last year I had a very small colony of bees sharing my shed but they left in early summer and haven't come back this year.

Wyevale...

My local Wyvale has a large selection of plants all reduced, I bought 2 blackcurrent plants and a redcurrent bush for £2.99 each.

Get out and grab some bargains

Get Rid of your Lawns

I got rid of our front lawn early this year, it was a pain to cut and wasn't used for anything (and a rather small patch too). It now has an attempt at a wild flower garden on it, I haven't been amazed by how well it's come up, but I think it's ok and a lot more interesting than having an unused patch of lawn.

I do like having a lawn out the back though.

green beetles on my cauli

Can you remember what variety you grew? I've put in January King, a savoy variety that grows with a blueish purple tinge though mostly green.

Dreaded Tomato Blight

Italophile wrote (see)

Leggi, the problem isn't your patch. Unless you have spuds infected with LB lying around the place! The spores travel on the breeze, they can come from anywhere, and revel in mild to warm, damp conditions. In a hot, dry summer you rarely see LB. In fact, you don't see many fungal problems in hot, dry conditions. I don't see many here.

All you can do is plant, do your utmost in terms of plant housekeeping, and cross your fingers. You can also spray preventively against many of the fungal problems, but the traditional fungicides - the copper based ones - are much less effective against LB.

Thanks, it's good to know all is not lost and I can try again next year.

I will grow a healthy tomato crop if it's the last thing I do!

Dreaded Tomato Blight

Italophile wrote (see)

Leggi wrote (see)

I think the yellowing is from a magnesium deficiency, I was about to feed them just before I noticed the stem (that blackened part happened over the course of two days), I haven't needed to water them at all really so didn't get round to feeding.

I don't know whether it's a magnesium deficiency, Leggi, or just the beginning of the end for the foliage. Here's LB on a young plant with failing foliage:

 

It could well be as the majority of the plant looked normal. Do you have any advice on how to grow toms in gardens that have had LB or should I give up trying on my patch?

Rubard just won't die back...

My rhubarb is huge too, think it must have loved all the rain this year. I'm certainly going to start watering ours more in dry spells. I'm not sure about picking it now, the ony reason I haven't been tempted myself is that it's now big enough to divide in to more plants in autumn.

Poorly tomato plant

Peppers

Problem with Bluebells

Toscana Strawberries

What eats onion sets?

20% off at Marshalls

Posting links and pictures from an iphone

What's for tea?

Allotment finds

Pickling Beetroot Recipes

Sowing Winter Onions

Cabbage Butterflies & Nasturtium

Dreaded Tomato Blight

What's loving all this rain?

What's up with my Gooseberry bush?