Gardening resources and tips, etc.

[herbidacious Profile]

I don't think it's practical for me to have mains electricity. The greenhouse is at the bottom of the 100 footish garden. Pity as I have a massive (too big for the lean to) propagator, the heat of which can be adjusted. I had to put it in the spare bedroom with grow lights this spring, which really is not ideal.

I think I need to move... (Ideally to the country and retire at the same time )

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

We were very lucky that we had the existing old greenhouse on our top patio, so mains hookup was easy to achieve in the new one. I have a little folding chair in there and i sit and read among the tomatoes

[KeenCook2 Profile]

We just harvested our first ever James Grieve apple! I think it's 4 years since we planted it. JG are self-pollinating so good for a small London garden. There are 4 more on the tree ...

[Badger's Mate Profile]

Where I came from it's known as 'Jimmy Grieves'. We took an old diseased apple tree out of the garden a couple of years ago, it wouldn't be a bad option as a replacement.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Nice KC2!

We grew those in my last real garden

[Pampy Profile]

I have a James Grieve too. The apple skin on mine is red and green.

[Earthmaiden Profile]

Gorgeous, KC2. You must be delighted. We had a tree in the garden when I was a child. The apples were always green and slightly sharp. It was my favourite.

[miss mouse Profile]

Marvellous KC2, well done and what a thrill.

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

KC2 you should entitle it 'the apple of my eye'. The rotten harvest we've had the year fruit wise, you should be delighted.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

Ha, good one, Sloe

Pampy, I think one of the others is beginning to blush slightly - I have a feeling that the ones in our garden when I was a child were also yellowy/greeny/pink. I remember that they were always huge apples. This one weighs just under 7oz.

BM - good idea!!

We had a JG, a Russett, a Cox and a William pear next to each other ...

[Pampy Profile]

I remember them being huge when I first planted the tree but they seem smaller these days.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

I remember them being huge when I first planted the tree but they seem smaller these days.

Ha, and of course, I was just a little girl then

[Pampy Profile]

[KeenCook2 Profile]

Thanks, all, for sharing my excitement with my first apple!
We've now harvested 3/5 of the entire crop ... one was a windfall and the other came off in my hand. There are still 2 left on the tree ....

Chive advice please. I have a pot of supermarket chives that lasted really well and gave me several weeks worth of fresh cut chives. But it seems to have given up the ghost somewhat. I wonder if I kept it too wet? The individual chives have all gone brown and just fall out from the compost if you touch them.

there's probably nothing I can do to save them now - repotting wouldn't work, I guess ...
In the meantime I bought another pot that is still healthy although not as lush as the first lot. What should I do so that I manage to keep this lot?

Thanks.

[Suffs Profile]

I divide pots of supermarket chives and plant them in the garden ... they make a really pretty border to a herb bed. They die down in the autumn but will reappear in the spring. The first bunch of chives each spring goes into creamy scrambled eggs on toast to celebrate that spring's arrived

[Stokey Sue Profile]

As Suffs says, chives are bulbs, they die down for the winter, I have a large pot I sowed, they are (so far) rubbish - and the remainder of a pot of supermarket chives I moved to a bigger pot and stuck outside 3 years ago which periodically decides to refresh itself


While we are on the subject, has anyone successfully grown real Chinese chives? I've had a couple of packets of seed that claimed to be "garlic chives, also called Chinese chives" and although garlicky they are nothing like the chives bought in bundles in Chinatown, the leaves aren't the same shape

I think maybe I have to space them better and not harvest until the second year

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

I'm off to the greenhouse. Look away now if you don't like tomatoes....

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

toms 2sept 21.jpg (296.2 KiB) Viewed 2714 times

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

Probably about 4 kg

2 sept 21.jpg (122.25 KiB) Viewed 2712 times

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Can anyone identify these please? We came across them in an allotment whilst having a stroll, I really like them and think they would be lovely in the back of my boarder. I feel sure I should know what they are but I'm not too proud to fess up. There were also some yellow ones, just visible in the background.

P8160009 1.jpg (321.3 KiB) Viewed 2600 times

Thanks.