Gardening resources and tips, etc.

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

I have made great progress.
Lots of stuff has been moved to the new cold frame, leaving space in the greenhouse.
All tomatoes now in intermediate pots, except the ones I'm giving away.
I have 10 chillies (not all keepers, as destined for DS) and several sweet peppers.
I am keeping stuff I think has more bang for my buck.
I will sow my cucumber this weekend.
Flowers on some strawberries and pear blossom appearing.

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

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Assortment of 14 of:
Bloody butcher
Brandy wine
Nimbus
San Marzano
Tigrella

Principe Borghese still very small

[herbidacious Profile]

I have been doing a lot of research on my tomato leaf curl and I am increasinly concerned that my compost was contaminated...

[herbidacious Profile]

Or maybe not...
I saw it was forecast to rain so went out and potted on all my tomatoes (I still have too many!) in different compost. (Couldn't focus on work anyway, and it's just an hour out of my day.) Some really did need potting on (although this was not correlated with leaf curl. In fact, one of the healthiest specimens came under this category.) and some were way too wet. Similar re a sad looking Cosmos, so maybe that's the problem. I have been using a hygrometer but maybe not pushing it down far enough.
Perhaps young seedlings are not the thing to experiment with peat free on. Dare i use it for potatoes?! (Still worried about possible contamination.)

It strikes me that while peat free can be good enough, none of the stuff I have bought so far has been as good as peaty compost. I am sure it is possible to make it thus, though. Improvements need to be made. I get through so much of it that the more reputable brands - Melrose and the like - are beyond my budget. Or at least it gets to the point where I might as well be buying my fancy tomatoes from Harrods.

I am not sure now whether to water potted-on soggy tomatoes...

Of course in the process of potting on i forgot to put labels back in three pots. If the survive and thrive, they will be lucky dip tomatoes.

[Suffs Profile]

I'm finding that mixing some appropriate John Innes loam-based compost with the peat free is a good solution ... or even loam from our veg patch (we're on quite gritty loam here). Some of the peat free composts do seem to 'set', rather like cardboard.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

My camellia seems to have black fly on the new growth - it's a very early flowering one and only has a couple of flowers left now.
What should I do?

[Suffs Profile]

Wash the little bu$$ers off with a strong jet from a hosepipe and do your best to attract bluetits in the direction of your camellia. Fledgling buetits love them.

[KeenCook2 Profile]

Thanks, Suffs, will try that Not sure where to find the bluetits tho'

[Suffs Profile]

'Ours' perch on top of the ash tree and shout at us if we're too close to one of the nest boxes in the garden, so we assume they've laid claim to it ...

[herbidacious Profile]

I'm finding that mixing some appropriate John Innes loam-based compost with the peat free is a good solution ... or even loam from our veg patch (we're on quite gritty loam here). Some of the peat free composts do seem to 'set', rather like cardboard.

Yes to all of that! I really want to switch to peat free entirely but for the moment a mix seems like a reasonable compromise. The Wickes stuff sets to a cardboard crust...

I just took delivery of some Miller's Crimson primula Japonica (and another 5 plants.) Potted them up, went to the door and another plant order from SR. My heart sank. I had just got out of garden togs and washed. However they turned out to be in pots, so i think can go straight outside and put somewhere out of reach of slugs. Some Heleniums and something else. Alas there are more plants to come in the coming week. I have over done it now. Shattered.

Back to the primula, they were inspired by drifts of them seen on the edge of the enchanted wood we stayed in in Pembrokeshire last May:

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[herbidacious Profile]

Thanks, Suffs, will try that Not sure where to find the bluetits tho'

I have a nest of them, but sorry, not sharing...

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

All the keeping tomatoes have been moved to their intermediate pots outside the heated trays. All chillies and peppers have been moved into the tray with growlights.
I am using a mix of PF, soil conditioner and some peat based compost.
I feel like someone spinning plates, keeping them all growing, warm, light and watered.

[herbidacious Profile]

I have had to put plants on top of the washing machine, now... I imagine/hope when I get back from Norfolk I can start hardening hardy annuals off/putting things in the greenhouse. Could probably do it now, tbh, looking at the forecast, but I can't expect husband to open and shut the greenhouse door on a daily basis.
Not sure whether to leave grow lights to come on while away this weekend... I think on balance, not.

[scullion Profile]

i need to start thinking about earthing up the earlies - they are peeking through and prepping the ground for a row of peas to go in - they have come to the limit of their time in the modules and are hardened off. the brassicas, too, are hardened off and need to go in but with a bit of pigeon protection.
i may also plant out the little squash plants that have germinated and been growing outside in the module tray with the brassicas just to see what they do - i have plenty more seed if they fail.
and i may put out the tomatoes for a little while today.

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

My jobs for today:
sow the cucumbers and sunflowers
Plant out some candy stripe beetroot I've been given
Plant the last of the sweet peas
Pot on the courgettes

[Renee Profile]

Sloe-Gin, I'm impressed by your choice of tomato plants! I haven't grown any properly since I moved here about 18 years ago. I remember the Brandy Wine variety, Tigrella and San Marzano, but not the other two. Gardeners Delight was one that I grew every year. I did try growing three plants in an extra large gro-bag, but they were wiped out by blight.

[Sloe-Gin Profile]

Thank you Renee.
It's most odd, but all varieties are romping away, bar Principe Borghese.
they are healthy, but petit. Exactly the same growing conditions.
I will be looking to deploy the first Quadgrow in 2 weeks.
I planted some maincrop today, Pink fir apple. Also my last first earlies. Swift.
Farmer Gravy order potted up, too.

[scullion Profile]

earlies earthed up with well composted bark chippings (should make them easy clean!) and a (double) row of peas planted - they were more than ready.
another flush of rabe picked.
i should get the perpetual cauliflower, romanesco and chard potted on tomorrow - they are possibly as desperate as the peas were - unless i plant them out and find some netting for them.

[herbidacious Profile]

I have a huge list of gardening things to do. Mostly pricking out and potting on or up, but also some planting out. (I bought a few plants in Norfolk.) I did some pricking out and a bit of potting on today. I didn't mean to but next door's stop-start lawn mowing put the kibosh on the intended and needed nap. I have put some of my hardy seedlings in the greenhouse as it seems quite warm in there at night now. Certainly warm enough. But will keep an eye on forecasts.
I also prepared labels for more flower and pea sowings, which hopefully I will do tomorrow. I really need to do some herbs too. I sowed Basil ages ago but although it came up, weirdly it's not grown.

I think I am going to rip out the autumn sown peas. I still suspect my compost was contaminated. They are not happy at all. I can scoop out the suspect stuff (I only used a little when planting them out. The bed is not full of it.)

I am still mulling over peat free compost. It is so hard to get the watering right. I have been watering from the bottom and it seems like moisture is only going a little way up the pot - a centimetre or two and the rest stays dry. I don't think this is good? If I water it more then the bottom gets soggy but the rest is barely moist. This seems true with both the expensive seed compost and the dodgy multipurpose. My seedlings are definitely not as happy as they were last year and I've had a few deaths, which I didn't last year. Maybe I just need to try other brands but I have tried several now. It's so frustrating. I think watering from above, as soon as the seedlings are strong enough, is probably the way to go in the meantime.

So the plan for tomorrow is to do some sowing, pot up some dahlias and do the potatoes. Dare I used the suspect compost though... (No.) If I have any energy left I will re-arrange seedlings. The tomatoes are too big for the Vitapod now but I could put the Ipomoeas in there, and possibly some other half hardy annuals.
I might risk putting some calendula in the greenhouse. I desperately need more room in the lean to. I saw a lot of marigolds in flower in Norfolk!

[herbidacious Profile]

With husband's help have been somewhat productive. He took all the finished spring bulb pots (many) down the garden where they are out of sight, until I can remove the bulbs for storage. He also mended one of my cold frames.
I pottted up lots (too many) dahlias to start them off. Also had a little tidy in the greenhouse - rolled up all the bubble wrap and brought an end to a lot of snails' and slugs' winter holiday in the warm.
Have given a gravel tray's worth of tomato plants and a couple of aubergine plants to a neighbour. (She's Italian and was excited about the San Marzano.)
There will be one more mini cull at some point down the line. I still have about 21 large plants and quite a few smaller ones. Wish I hadn't panicked re my ones with leaf curl (which are still curly leaved, yet growing) and ordered some more plants...

I am really tired now. I may do some pricking out or sowing later on, or do some after work/at lunch time tomorrow, depending on how productive I am workwise and energy levels.