Lokelani

Wyevale...

Lots of people don't know Insomnia, I'll bet lots get given a bit of mince pie at Christmas with raisins in. Onions are less known too, although most people now know chocolate can be dangerous for them. I grew up with dogs & am still learning!

Off to water greenhouse, everything collapsed yesterday in the unaccustomed heat, until I watered it!

Wyevale...

I had to pull out a grape vine I'd put in the garden before we got our dog, as grapes are very poisonous to them. Just in case others don't know.

May I ask you about your bike Maud? I'm wondering whether to look into converting my bike to an electric one (you can get them converted), as it's much hillier here than I realised until I bought a bike!  It's put me off using it at all really. How much help is an electric bike? I think it would have to make it considerably easier to get me into cycling. 

Taking cuttings with a heel?

Ah, so I'm just trimming the extremity of the heel. That explains it. 

Thank you! 

Taking cuttings with a heel?

I am about to take some Erisimum cuttings & like pinks & others I have read or asked about, instructions are to pull off the plant so it has a bit of a heel, some actually say leaving the heel intact.

Most instructions then tell you to trim the botttom. How much do you take off,  do you want any of the heel left, surely I'm going to lose it if I trim it square.....

Sorry if it's a daft question but I'm not very experienced at cuttings & it would be good if someone could clarify which bit is important.

Wyevale...

Yes we are indeed. 

I'd be telling myself it would have probably died, then I'd be glad I'd saved £2 instead! 

Wyevale...

I always worry about garden centre seeds, because it's often so hot in their glasshouse type structures.

Sometimes I still give in & buy them if I see a variety I really want, am in a hurry for, or a real bargain! 

I must try to resist because I know seeds should be kept cool & I like them to last for years.......

It's so disappointing Insomnia1973 when that happens. 

Is there anything that can go in now for an autumn crop ?

I had to grow some more peas & beans & have just planted them out. So fingers crossed.

Also cut & come again lettuce, rocket & peas for pea shoots in seed trays.

Even my established courgettes are coming to nothing & the cucumbers have all been eaten to bare stems by slugs each time they put on new growth, so I'd say it's probably not worth bothering with them now it's so late, unless as others have said you can buy established plants from the garden centre. 

Ceramic Pipes for keeping water butt clean

I've also seen something that just looks like a silver coin advertised in the Lakeland catalogue. 

I've never tried either though.

I thought that with the really well fitting lid that ours came with, nothing much can get in & as it's black it keeps sun out which is probably what causes algae etc. The water that comes out of the tap below always seems okay. 

My hardneck garlic is falling over

Yes the smell of garlic is very strong in the greenhouse. I wonder if it may keep pests away!

I spotted rust on one of mine actually & then forgot all about it, I'm sure I shouldn't have put that one in the greenhouse, eek.

Not sure about if we should cut the leaves off that one & use it sooner. Maybe someone else knows?

Tomatoe plants with no flowers !

I think you're right Johntheeng, my plants didn't like going on holiday.

I typed end of March, I meant end of April, but even so, the temperatures were the same as they'd normally be end of March!

It was a shame they had to be moved then. Probably halted their growth so much it wasted the electricity of me having treated them to 10 degrees before that.

Keeping everything small for transporting probably saved them from me potting them on too soon though!

Young perennials/seedtrays in or out of greenhouse?

Mites in seeds

Taking cuttings with a heel?

How & when erisimum & scabious cuttings?

Beans not germinating/being eaten

Tiny garlic, what to feed?