Zoomer44

Good Evening FORKERS

Like the camera Gg.

Didn't do alot in the garden today. Put out trays of seedlings this morning and bit the bullet this evening by leaving a tray with the biggest seedlings in the GH overnight. 

What's the weather like in your area?

Cold, dull and cloudy here for most of the day. 

Not yet commited to leaving seedlings out overnight as the temprature keeps dropping drastically but spuds in bags are all pushingn up shoots and doing well.

Good Evening FORKERS

We went to the scarecrow fair in Wray this evening. Started off as a get together and meal at a local curry house in town. Un be knowing to me, the person booking said it was my birthday, it won't be for a few weeks yet. Free drinks and a nice ice cream cake with sparkler came with the order .

I was driving and so suggested we went out of town after the meal, someone else wanted to go to Wray and a local village pub. The scarecrow fair is on for a week every year, all the Wray villagers usually take part and have scarecrows in their gardens, best one wins a prize, there's different stuff going on each day, the weekend is usually the high light, with a very serious fell run on Monday. 

Well worth a visit if anyone is in the area over the weekend. 

seed trouble

As nutculet says seed sowing can be a bit hit and miss. I've had a poor run of germination this year but a lot were old seeds needing to be sown this year and with hinde sight were probably stored in too warm a place.  

Some biennials are fine in the ground over winter providing they have a good root system and are planted out in plenty of time to establish themselves before the first frost and snow hit them - Bellis, Foxglove, Sweet William and parsley have all come through the winter in my garden ,sown in July and planted out September/ October time.

Sweet Pea and Cornflower prefer being in an unheated GH.

Later in the year I was going to sow, Lupin, Hollyhock and Wallflowers for next year.

Which biennials were you thinking of growing.   

Garlic - progress report

Simple answer is no, it's unlikely to be any further on than when it was planted other than having developed a root system under ground. Garlic will grow when the weather starts to warm up. If it's got healthy looking top growth then it should be fine. 

Garlic needs to experience at least 30 days of frost so the bulb will split into cloves hence the reason garlic is planted in October/November time or then February time.

The bulbs will gradually form and split, and unless we have a very dry season they should be ok, if it is dry then watering towards the last few weeks of harvest is recommended but they may start to bolt, which means the garlic starts to form a flower head, these need to be cut off to stop the plant producing seeds, it then concentrates on bulking out the bulb.  

Lanky turnips

It's not to late to start off more turnips, I haven't started mine yet as I was going to plant then later in the season as a winter veg to replace Kohl Rabi. 

Much to my amazement, Kohl Rabi will germinate in a plastic GH in March, nice little seedlings now, not in the least bit leggy and ready to go out, an under rated vegtable in my mind and worth a try for a quick growing veg.  

Good Evening FORKERS

Evening Forkers..

I had a strange day today, which turned out nice, my manager instructed me to take some toil, I had a cancelled appointment later in the day, she said I put in enough time at work and what isn't done will wait till tomorrow...... talk about mood swings I'm normally getting into trouble for what isn't done... ...ddn't need telling twice though, had a rather pampered afternoon. Got in at the hair dressers, then mowed the lawn, which took all of 10mins and did my nails whilst sat in the garden. Was going to go clothes shopping but by then it was 5pm and the traffic was heavy.

What's the weather like in your area?

LOL. Frank.Picturing you in a sun dress has brightened up my day

Bright and sunny here. It was blue skies and white cloud at 6.30pm. The GH plants had a water. Lots of stuff beginning to germinate in the plastic GH and the allotmenteers are beginning to wake up, it was a hive of activity out there this evening.    

ants

I used a ring of vaseline round the bottom of a cherry blossom to stop ants farming aphids. It worked for a while until the ants started by passing the vaseline ring on plants which were growing close by. Cut back any plants at the base of the tree or touch it, ants can be very determined critters.

They are back

I killed one on Sunday, couldn't believe it, never had them in the garden before. No where near the lilies though, it was crawling up the side of a raised bed near to mooli seedlings. It was orange and dropped onto the soil, black on the underside so it must have been a lilly beetle

Bolting onions....

Black spot...

Painting a trellis...

Repotting a Christmas Tree...

Veg to sow in February...

Stored home made liquid seaweed feed...

Moving flowers...

Which spuds to get...

Clearing snow...

Hard wood cuttings...

Where have all my beans gone!.

Growing fennel bulbs...

Growingspuds for Chistmas...

Saving bean seeds...

Saving tom seeds...