Sparklepinksunflower

Alstroemeria

mine are the tall ones, have all floppped in this rubbish wind and rain, will have to get out there at the weekend and support them. 

i have never found the slug damage to be too severe as once they are going they grown faster then the slugs can eat them!!  

When Best to liquid feed in the rain!!!

Thanks Alina, shall give that a try. 

Such a funny yer for gardening, some things are sat sulking, some have gone crazy. 

The slugs and snails are having a party in all this rain and some many things are now falling over in all this high wind. 

And the lawn hs olny been cut about 3 times this year as its always too wet!! 

perrenial foxgloves?

Once you have foxgloves in the garden you have them for life!! Try as I do to raise foxglove seedlings into plants without ever great success, I do far better waiting until the flower spike has gone to seed and cutting it off and wanging it round the garden.

Then you have the stress of trying to work out what are foxglove seedlings and what are comfry

When Best to liquid feed in the rain!!!

Our hose pipe ban was lifted yesterday - not that I have had to do v much watering in the garden. I think I have only go out twice this year to water all the pots.

Now everything seems v behind as the weather has been so cold and rubbish but also I have not been feeding anything. Normally I use a mixture of comfry soup (when available) and Miracal Grow. As everything has been saturated - it seemed silly to put more water (with feed in it) on stuff. When, how, what is the best way to feed all the pots. They had a bit of granular fertiliser in spring but thats its. 

slug pellets

they defo when more then 90'

When do you buy your seeds?

Lidl sell seeds starting at 29p a packet and I have always had good results from them.

Things like lettuce, beetroot, spring onions, radish, carrot, beans - all types - always grow from seed - dead easy, dead cheap

Courgettes, squash, pumkins, cucumbers - nearly always grow from seed. Besides a packet of seeds should last you 3 years or so, if you plant 4 seeds with a hope to get at least 2 plants of each, you will still have more them you can eat!! 

Toms, chillis, peppers - can be a pain - especially up north, as you need to start them really early (Feb) on a window sill/light box for  a hope of good crop - and the seeds can be expensive. 

If you want a variety of toms and peppers etc it can be just as cheap to buy a selection of small plants. I have 8 varieties of toms this year 6 of which I hve raised from seed I have bought in previous years. 1 or 2 plants of each makes for a lot of tomatoes!!!! 

It sounds like you have loads of space so keep the hanging baskets to flowers. veg prefers being in the soil

Herbs - sow basil, corriander every 2 weeks for a constant supply. Parsley, can be a pain to germinate if grown from seed but still worth a try. Treat your self to a rosemary, lavender &  a sage ( well drained soil - add lots of grit and sand to add drainage or they will just curl up and die during the winter) 

But it is only early June - still loads of time for growing this year - why wait? 

slug pellets

I find birds eat almost nothing you want them to!!

No bird eats my slugs or snails - just my lettuces and cabbages - while watching the slugs and snails chew through all my sunflower stalks (- not just nibbling the leaves but through the bl00dy stalks!! ) 

(Several snails this morning got launched across 4 gardens on to the main road this morning in frustration! Bit squemish about picking slugs up in bare hands or they would of got a similar treatment!! ) 

Foxgloves

why should you wear gloves when pulling them out? Surly just wash your hands when you come in doors?

Alstroemeria

Already picked 2 large bunches of alsters so far this year. a bit late flowering but they were going up until Xmas, so I reckon they need a bit of a rest!! 

plant them deep and keep picking them, when the flowers are finishing pull the whole stem out of the ground and the resulting wound spurs it on to make more  flowers. 

Lots of compost and manure and they will form a huge clump and 3 years later you will be dividing them and have loads - I have them every where!!! All from 2 3" pots 5 years ago

One of the best value plants you can get, nearly always get 6 months flowering out of them. 

slug pellets

having recently bought some non organic slug pellets due to lack of being able to buy any organic ones (3 different shops in one afternoon and I was loosing plants by the hour due to slug damage) I have to say i was very impressed with the carnage in the garden after use. i know they are not nice for birds or hedgehogs but I have almost none in the garden as it is. 

With the difference in price and how tight things are here I am not convinced I am going to go back to Growing Success at the mo

Crocosmia has croaked it!

Writing a Name on a pumpkin

What to do with a bucket of snails!!

Carrots have feelings too

Hollyhock Rust

Why don't Sunflower Seeds Compost!!!

When Best to liquid feed in the rain!!!

My Calla actually can!!!

Moldy Compost Disaster :(