Gardening resources and tips, etc.

[Suffs Profile]

Mine crashed and burned overnight about a week ago ... all 20 plants gone and in the bin. The best crop we'd ever had

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

Mine will be going the same way this weekend

[Suffs Profile]

Mine will be going the same way this weekend

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

We went out for tea this afternoon and, in the absence of a suitable gift, I took all parties some tomatoes. Fingers crossed here

Others in N wales also have healthy crops (to date), but who is to say we won't be next?

[slimpersoninside Profile]

I usually grow a couple of "edibles" on my small patio, mostly tomatoes. As I couldn't guarantee being able to care for them properly this year I gave it a miss. I have really missed growing something and am now looking ahead to next year.

I'm getting together a small list of seeds to buy and have decided I would like to grow a cucumber plant (of the small outside cucumber variety). Would it be possible to grow one as a trailing plant rather than stake it up?

Thanks for any help .

[ZeroCook Profile]

.
Won't be a problem - all cucurbita vines trail unless made to do otherwise.

[liketocook Profile]

Would it be possible to grow one as a trailing plant rather than stake it up?

Thanks for any help .

I grow (usually the indoor burpless variety) mine as trailing plants over the frame of an old mini greenhouse.

[herbidacious Profile]

I don't know if my putting ripe tomatoes amongst the green ones helped, or it's just coincidence, but just found these two lovely specimens in my greenhouse (attached to the plant ) Summerlast, they are called.

IMG_9084.JPG (69.18 KiB) Viewed 2728 times

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Cheers ZeroCook and LTC . I think I'd really like some home grown cucumbers next year .

Those tomatoes look very red and shiny Herbi, if I liked tomatoes I'd find them very appealing.

[herbidacious Profile]

Well tomatoes are supposed to look red and shiny...! But seem to be mostly green this year

These ones are turning, and the plant is laden with them, but I it looks like the plant has blight, so it's a race against time regarding what sort of crop I get.

IMG_9085.JPG (103.17 KiB) Viewed 2706 times

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

Just picked not far short of another 2 kg. As we had such short notice to neighbour yesterday, our contributions were a kilo of red bounty and a bottle of red vino.
The toms are doing spectacularly well this year

nearly 2 kg.jpg (105.42 KiB) Viewed 2705 times

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Has anyone used a company called D.T. Brown for seeds?

Any positive or negative comments re the service please?

They have all the seeds I'm after for next year. Not that many and probably won't miss my custom if I go elsewhere .

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

I have used them. Seem cheaper than many and good service

[herbidacious Profile]

Yes I use them. They used-to be my go-to for veg seeds.

[liketocook Profile]

Has anyone used a company called D.T. Brown for seeds?

Any positive or negative comments re the service please?

They have all the seeds I'm after for next year. Not that many and probably won't miss my custom if I go elsewhere .

Used them often and always been happy with the seeds. I also like "Just Seeds" https://justseed.com/.

Fab looking tomatoes SG and herbi, I seem to have a mildew problem this year so have lost a fair few just as they are beginning to ripen. Will keep an eye and see if I need to pick and ripen indoors.
My solitary cucumber plant that I thought had finished as two very small babies.

[herbidacious Profile]

Good news re your cucumbers! I always seem to have too few or too many. Too few this year. My one main plant has succumbed to mildew and slugs, I've only had two off it. I have some back ups in the greenhouse which I suppose might fruit, but they are still very small. They've not grown as fast as I thought they would.

I had poor germination rate with dwarf French beans (various types) from DT Brown this year, but this is the first time and I gather they are generally trickier to grow than other types.

I have used Seeds of Distinction too for more unusual things (both flowers and veg).

Suttons are fine too. T&M deliver quickly. I've not had any problem with their seeds and they often have flash sales with bargains.

I too am already looking ahead. I think part of me has rather given up on this year and I am thinking about how to do this better next year. But there's still a lot going on in the garden and lots of lovely things both edible and visually. It will soon be spring blub planting time though

I have grown several varieties of aubergine from seed this year. I sowed in Feb and they did really well but are only really just starting to fruit. I have just picked my 6th or 7th from the one grafted plant I bought from Suttons. So not sure whether to bother growing from seed again next year, but it's nice to try more unusual varieties. I am growing a white one (which actually was not very nice...) prosperosa, which is so beautiful, some little red and yellow ones (still only tiny) and a couple of other purple ones.

I do really love growing things from seed though... so satisfying.

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Thanks all for your help with seed suppliers.

I'm never going to go for major veg/salad growing (in no way am I much of a gardener) but I do like to have a couple of bits on the go each year. Only one plant of each as a rule.

Next year I'm going for
Tomatoes - after seeing SG's endorsement of Bloody Butcher it might be those.
Peppers - can't remember the variety but they were small and good for hanging baskets.
Cucumber - some sort of small outdoor ones. Maybe try in a hanging basket.
Little Gem lettuces - plant a few every 1-2 week(s).

Just had a thought. I remember seeing some alpine strawberry plants in a discarded planter up the back of the garden (planted some years ago but obviously very hardy). I think I'll try and rescue them and plant in one of those terracotta herb/strawberry planters with pockets, I have a couple of smallish ones hanging about somewhere.

[herbidacious Profile]

I really would suggest a blight resistant tomato...

re peppers, do other people grown them? Whenever I have grown red ones, they have tasted weird. So much so that I now only grow orange and yellow ones. Have other people had this? Not sure if it's to do with not having enough sunshine (even in good years).

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

Bush tomatoes usually grown in hanging baskets seem to be blight resistant. No sign of it on my 2 baskets, which are alongside my cordon toms that are suffering, albeit slowly

[slimpersoninside Profile]

Ah, thanks. Might need to rethink the tomatoes.

Are there any full size tomatoes that can be grown as trailing? I'm only aware of the cherry type but don't want those.

Thanks.

Sorry so many seem to have blight this year .