Gardening Resources & Tips

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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

I really need to pick mine before the snails eat them all.
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scullion
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by scullion »

for those who are interested, thompson and morgan have their bulbs for £3 again (including saffron crocuses).
https://www.thompson-morgan.com/newslet ... cq_source=
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

My saffron crocuses have not come up. I assume they should have. I think I had better not order any more bulbs... but you are tempting me, Scully!

I need to start planting some. I have delayed it because it's been so warm and don't want them to start coming up yet. The last two years there have been daffodil sightings in November. I have bought the grit though and have compost (possibly not enough) so ready to get going with the ones destined for pots.
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scullion
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by scullion »

the saffron is only just starting to sprout so you won't see anything until next month.
the corms i bought recently (arrived last week) were planted yesterday and some had tiny white shoots starting to show.

i am tempted to buy some more bulbs but they use yodel - who never put them where i ask them to but leave them by the post box to get soaked if it rains (which happened over the weekend we were away, recently, and so they replaced the saffron and freesias i bought because they were wet - so they worked out at £1.50 a pack!).
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

I think Pippi might have been using the pots it's in (round the front of the house!) as toilets.
KeenCook
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by KeenCook »

Does anyone have any advice for me, please, on my James Grieve apple tree?

It has grown into a "weeping" tree, and the bottom two-thirds of the branches had no leaves. The branches are thin and spindly - which is why it's weeping, presumably.

I think it has suffered in the past, a) because its light was restricted by tall greenery on the fence behind it; and b) because it got very dry last year; I didn't really realise it needed to be watered, and I recall we had a lot of hot, dry weather. This year we have had less of that, and also, I remembered to water it from time to time.

It will obviously need a good prune; I have read that you shouldn't take more than 10-20% off; I had also heard that you should never prune more than a third off. However, if I do that, I won't go down to the leafless bits of the branches.
I also have a feeling that if I want it to grow upright, I probably need to take more off?

The advantage of it in this shape meant that I could easily reach the apples, although they refused to be picked and fell off. Again, the advantage of the weepingness was that they didn't have very far to fall ...

My instinct tells me that as it's a bit sad, I should wait and prune it later, rather than earlier - Feb or March next year. If I cut it back and then there's a hard winter, it might finish it off?

I would love to be able to take a pic of it to show you, but as it's against a backdrop of ivy and Virginia creeper, it's hard to see its shape.

Thank you! Sorry this is a bit convoluted ... It's about 7 years old, I think. I can't quite remember when I put it in.
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

I'm afraid if it were me I'd just get an expert tree person in :?

It was the year before last that we had really hot weather followed by rain then cold and this killed three large shrubs/small trees in my garden. Another two died this year which may yet be a knock on affect. Don't know.

I don't think you should really need to water it once it's established... But maybe the James Grieve is a special case.

Hopefully someone else will have more knowledge of this.

edit: such as Scully! It seems she has one.
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Suffs
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by Suffs »

Formative pruning for apples and pears (not cherries and plums) is done in the winter.

If it were mine, this winter I would remove any weak looking growth and crossing branches etc to keep the tree open and airy. Then cut back each long branch by a third.

Most fruit trees shed some immature fruit in June, this is called the June drop… After this has happened I would check over and if necessary thin the fruit again so that there’s only one fruit per little branch.

Then in the early july I would reduce every side branch to 3 shoots. This might involve removing some which have fruit on but that can’t be helped.

Seven years is still a very young tree. Make sure the tree has plenty of water through the spring and summer two buckets full of water twice a week every week… Three times a week if it’s a very dry spell.

Oh, and a generous sprinkling of Fish, Blood & Bone feed over the root area in early March will be good.

Don’t let grass or other plants cover the ground around the trunk … a bare area around 3’ in diameter will lessen competition for nutrients and moisture. It also avoids giving any overwintering codlin moth etc a snug hiding place. Mulching with well rotted manure will help but don’t let it actually touch the trunk.

Hope that helps.
KeenCook
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by KeenCook »

Thank you Suffs! Yes, that is indeed very helpful :thumbsup
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scullion
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by scullion »

james grieve is a spur bearing apple so can be pruned harder than tip bearing but not so hard that they produce 'water sprouts' (non fruit bearing) the next year.
i think the best bet is to read something like this https://gardenfocused.co.uk/fruitarticl ... /prune.php.
KeenCook
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by KeenCook »

Thank you scullion, useful article :thumbsup
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Suffs
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by Suffs »

I know my runner beans were slow to get going this year, what with a cold wet spring and the depredations by slugs, but I’m still picking them … just picked enough for six healthy portions … :thumbsup
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scullion
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by scullion »

i'm still picking sweet peas, too.
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

Goodness. Mine succumbed to mildew months ago. Beans long dead too.
I have got lots of other flowers still going strong, though, and a couple of new things have come out.
Aubergines, tomatoes and courgettes are still fruiting.
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Earthmaiden
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by Earthmaiden »

A friend's neighbour offered her runner beans from the garden this week.She expected enough for one meal but was presented with a huge box and has frozen enough to last all winter! They didn't seem stringy or past it either.
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Uschi
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by Uschi »

scullion wrote: Thu Oct 10, 2024 12:49 pm i'm still picking sweet peas, too.
We are still harvesting raspberries and still have tiny new buds on some ... :shock: :?
When I talk of harvest ... two or three for each of us every couple of days at the moment ...
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

I have not been doing much gardening of late, but all the med veg plants have now been decommissioned, at last.
I just buried my first bucket of bokashi - fermented kitchen waste, with a handful of lime, in the bean bed.
It's hard to imagine it decomposing further at the rate they promise. It was very very smelly... as anaerobic things are. I got some on my hands and struggling to get the smell of even after washing them several times (including with lemon soap).
I hope foxes don't dig it up. Hopefully not as no meat (cat food) in there.
One thing I have doubts about is that the lid was not tightly sealable. Need to look it up to see if I am missing something.
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

A fox dug up my bokashi material and pooped on top of the mound it created insodoing.
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Uschi
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by Uschi »

herbidacious wrote: Fri Nov 01, 2024 11:21 am A fox dug up my bokashi material and pooped on top of the mound it created insodoing.
Get rid of that, they often have nasty worms.
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herbidacious
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Re: Gardening Resources & Tips

Post by herbidacious »

I did, don't worry. I don't want any poo other than worm poo in my veg bed!

Next lot of bokashi ferment either goes in the compost bin or I put chicken wire over the area where I buried it.
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