Gardening resources and tips, etc.

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

OH no ! will you get a refund ?

I presume you mean pelargoniums ? (sorry I am a bit of a pedant about what they are called ). I didn't bother with them this year on account of the fact that those I had last year never really died off, so I left them and I have a lovely display now - I even took cuttings from one that had gone a bit leggy

[herbidacious Profile]

There were complaints on the GW forum about T&M. I have some plants on order from them, as does my mother.
Not very happy with Marshalls either...

Yes, Renee that was me. I did get some action in the end from them. (I tweeted, emailed several times, posted a message on their FB page, phoned and was on hold for an hour. But it was the review that provoked the best response. They still haven't answered my emails.) They seem to have reordered the things that went to work. Still no sign of them, or the things I had redirected, though. Tomatoes delivered in June/July are not much use if you are growing them outside unless they are big plants, which I suspect they won't be. But we shall see. Not trusting them, I ordered two of the variety I really want from Suttons (they didn't have them on offer when I placed the Marshalls order in February). I will have fewer tomato plants than I wanted but I am probably a bit greedy. Thing is, I can cope with them this year as we probably won't be going away.

I should write another bad review, but not sure I can be bothered.

re my many plant orders :
J. Parker - hit and miss
Rocket Gardens pretty good although still not had the basil I ordered. (They sent parsley.)
Suttons are stars (most orders placed prelockdown, but some during.) Their plants are always healthy and in the past they have replaced the whole order if part of it is damaged without quibble, even if it's because it arrived while I was on holiday (they are not flexible re despatch dates and annoyingly despatch to arrive on Fridays.)
Sarah Raven very good, but limited stock now.
Victoriana Nursery very good - did shut for a bit but now open again.
Norfolk Herbs excellent (but pricey.) Next day delivery when nothing else was.

Some companies have coped better with lockdown than others. SR and Suttons delivered all prelockdown orders on time. I am still waiting for my Marshalls ones placed in Jan/Feb. I suspect this would have been the case anyway.

While I am at it, this company has been really good and very quick and cheap for pots. Only downside is that they are not a standard shape, but they seem to be a decent quality. But then they are in Sheffield

https://www.greenspirit-hydroponics.com/

[Earthmaiden Profile]

It sounds as though they are still relying on the now erratic post rather than courier services, it must be hard to suddenly have to make the necessary arrangements and costs but maybe worth it in the long run!

[Stokey Sue Profile]

While I am at it, this company has been really good and very quick and cheap for pots. Only downside is that they are not a standard shape, but they seem to be a decent quality. But then they are in Sheffield

https://www.greenspirit-hydroponics.com/

Well, no idea what the pots look like - what a truly terrible website, unusable for me
I was thinking I had plenty of pots, but then it dawned on me that I’d grown commercial varieties of chilli this year, not the smaller patio varieties, so I can’t really cram 3 in a pot, the jalapeños apparently grow the size of tomato plants

[Pepper Pig Profile]

I presume you mean pelargoniums ? (sorry I am a bit of a pedant about what they are called ). I didn't bother with them this year on account of the fact that those I had last year never really died off, so I left them and I have a lovely display now - I even took cuttings from one that had gone a bit leggy

It says geraniums on the packaging Pat . . .

[Suffs Profile]

Yes Herbi ... there are constant complaints on GW about the mislabelling of pelargoniums too.

If you do a search on GW forum there’s a ‘Good Guys’ thread with details of suppliers who live up to their promises.

Here’s a link https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discus ... nt_2178490

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

I presume you mean pelargoniums ? (sorry I am a bit of a pedant about what they are called ). I didn't bother with them this year on account of the fact that those I had last year never really died off, so I left them and I have a lovely display now - I even took cuttings from one that had gone a bit leggy

It says geraniums on the packaging Pat . . .

I know ... even nurserys/garden centres still call them geraniums ...

[herbidacious Profile]

Sorry the web site was useless for you, Sue.

I have also bought pots from this site, which might be easier to use?

https://www.thegardensuperstore.co.uk/pots-and-planters

I bought very large ones, though, for dwarf trees. They are very sturdy. Not bought any of the smaller ones.

And I've been using this a lot:

https://www.jacksonsnurseries.co.uk/pla ... guide.html

I have also bought flexible builders mixing buckets from Wickes to plant up much bigger things.

I am a bit short of 30cm pots. I might have to use terracotta ones (currently containing tulips) for veg at this rate. I have already spent too much... I need to do a pot audit asap. as would really like to put some of my poor aphid-afflicted Hungarian Blue poppy seedlings in the terracotta ones (before it's too late.)

[herbidacious Profile]

I am now down to my last bag of compost

I have ordered some more but won't come till Friday. I sense this is not a a good time to start going to shops. No one is abiding by lockdown ropund here (apart from us.)

[scullion Profile]

I am a bit short of 30cm pots. I might have to use terracotta ones (currently containing tulips) for veg at this rate.

you could always use the empty (well, part empty!) compost bags for growing things in - they may not look very pretty but they work ok - i grow early potatoes in them if i don't have room elsewhere for them.

[herbidacious Profile]

I could. Not so easy to move around once filled though? I guess it depends on what it's for - and there's the depth vs breadth issue - I am trying not to use more compost than I need to. I've got beans in potato bags. However I do get slug and snails issues with them. You need to leave quite a gap between the compost surface and the top of the bags, I find, because of lack of rigidity, which means slugs and snails can climb to the top of the outside bag, then lean over to eat leaves without encountering snails-defying things.

I did -lace an order for pots, but they are taking their time, but given I have no compost it doesn't matter. Yet...

[herbidacious Profile]

Has anyone actually used empty loo rolls to grow beans and peas in? Do they decompose enough?

[Earthmaiden Profile]

I've used loo rolls for beans for years. They don't decompose very fast but it doesn't seem to matter. They do often unravel if the root pushes hard against them. I've used them for tomatoes this year.

[herbidacious Profile]

ok thanks. Will give it a go. I have a very naysaying freind who said no, but it seems to be a T&T method. I wonder if it's a bit late for broad beans. Might give itago any way.

[jeral Profile]

ok thanks. Will give it a go. I have a very naysaying freind who said no, but it seems to be a T&T method. I wonder if it's a bit late for broad beans. Might give itago any way.

(my bold)

I notice that loo roll inners are on the "no" list for recycling here. Maybe it's the glue that's the unfriendly bit.

[herbidacious Profile]

aggh why can't I type?

I think he thought they wouldn't decompose quickly enough.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Well, they don't decompose quickly - I picked up the tip from a gardening programme years ago. I'd hate you to do it and find it a disaster at my recommendation - does anyone else here use them?

Gosh - we can recycle them . I usually save them for GD to make things with.

[Loulou Profile]

Monty Don himself recommended them for Sweet Peas 2 weeks ago! If I’d known sooner I would have saved some but they were already in pots.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

We had a shared garden at my previous flat and saved the kitchen roll cores for sweet peas, I wouldn’t use enough on my own

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I used toilet roll inners to start off sweetcorn for years. These days I use rootrainers, but would happily go back if I had to, just couldn't get enough tubes now. I suppose paper pots would be another possibility.