Zoomer44

Talkback: Making leaf mould

I was expecting last years leaves to have rotted down more than they did, they still looked like leaves when put on the veg bed but I needed the boxes for this years leaves. With all the rain we've had they are rotting down quicker placed on the veg bed though than whilst stored.

Hard wood cuttings...

I've a variety of cuttings taken over the past few weeks of evergreen shrubs, which look ok, and also gooseberry and currant plants which look like dead twigs. 

They've been placed in pots with compost after being dipped with rooting powder but I'm not sure where the best place for them is, a unheated GH or is it a case of putting them in a sheltered spot outdoors and hope they root.

...and what about watering.... I was going to leave them in moist compost and only water if the compost feels dry.   

What are your favourite plants from gc bargain section?

I bought all this years new Christmas decorations half price from a GC in January, the displays are usually fabulous running up to Christmas but me thinks items are a tab bit expensive to pay full price.   

fallen leaves

Alan, I usually borrow my friends children for the day and we go up to the local park to bag up leaves, they love it   

Cat allergies

From your list I have rosemary and lavender but also grow  lilies which can be harmful to pets, I take the flower heads off as soon as they go past their best and take the stamens off any lilies cut and brought indoors. 

I've only ever seen my cat, very occasionally eat grass and then only when the lawn has got to long. She will smell flowers, usually the one's I've just planted, but never eats them.

If you use a flea collar, it could be the collar which is irritating your cat, I use flea tablets during the summer, she doesn't like having them but is flea free.

I'd suggest you seek the advice of a vet, if it is an allergy they are in the best position to advise.

What's for tea?

A sandwich and packet of crisps in the forecourt of a garage whilst a very nice man from the AA  fixed the car. The service was excellent, I was still talking to the person on the phone from the AA, who was telling me it will be 40 to 50 mins before anyone gets to you, when the mechanic arrived 

What's the weather like in your area?

Dark, cloudy and wet today. 

I tried my hand at hard wood cuttings yesterday, gooseberry and blackcurrant. A few weeks ago I did some evergreen shrubs, and they still have their leaves on, it'll be interesting to see if they get through the winter. Planted the last of the bulbs, brought some Geraniums indoors and dug up the last of my dahlia tubers. I've two empty pots at the back door now and don't know what to plant in them.

fallen leaves

Storing leaves in bags for 2yrs may be difficult to acheive if you have limited space, after 1yr they can be put on your beds or round plants as a mulch, and put on at this time of year Oct/Nov, will rot down further over winter and can be dug into the soil in the spring.

If you can't store leaves but want them to be put to better use than to recycle and waste, drive past an allotment and ask if they want the bags. I acquired six bags after walking past a house where the guy was raking up leaves, he was more than happy to give them away and it saved him a trip to the recycle bank. 

Cheap seeds - again!

If there are children's seed sections at your GC, check them out too, I've found these seeds are often cheaper than the same variety in a grown ups packet of seeds. 

I started to save my own seeds this year, can't get cheaper than that although some seeds are harder to save than others.

What are your favourite plants from gc bargain section?

I bought some geraniums from the nearly dead section 25p each a few months ago, they were a bargain just for the pots and I've 6 healthy looking plants now which were repotted and brought indoors today for next year.

Also a couple of dahlias for 50p which went on to produce a lovely show of flowers and a couple of large tubers.

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...

Fruit bushes...

Rubard just won't die back...