How Does Your Garden Grow?

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

My Horse Chestnut is coming along nicely. It's roughly doubled in height since it started sprouting again.

View attachment 495850

Did have me a bit worried at one point, as the leaves drooped for a week or two, so popped it into that tub just so I didn't risk it becoming root bound, & I think it prefers being in the shade of the Yew tree, for the time being, rather than unshaded.

Also trying to see if I can get a Rowan cutting to take.

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That's a small branch which had been snapped on a tree on a site, so I cut it off & thought I'd see if I could get it to take. I've used pure leaf mould as a compost for it, to start it off.

Gave it a few days in a pot of water, then dipped it in some rooting compound & popped it in there.

It'll be around 3 week or so since I brought it home, so I'm hoping the fact it still looks green is a good sign.

If you are growing small tress, do you need a small dog?

 

[MattF]

No.

 

[redlig]

My Horse Chestnut is coming along nicely. It's roughly doubled in height since it started sprouting again.

View attachment 495850

Did have me a bit worried at one point, as the leaves drooped for a week or two, so popped it into that tub just so I didn't risk it becoming root bound, & I think it prefers being in the shade of the Yew tree, for the time being, rather than unshaded.

Word of warning ! If you intend to stay there for a long period be careful where you plant it as they don't hang about once comfortable and grow at an fast pace . 10 years and you will be thinking of oiking it out . Keep clear of buildings etc

 

[MattF]

Word of warning ! If you intend to stay there for a long period be careful where you plant it as they don't hang about once comfortable and grow at an fast pace . 10 years and you will be thinking of oiking it out . Keep clear of buildings etc

I'm sure we had this same conversation a few week ago. It'll be going in the wood, once it reaches a suitable size.

 

[droopsnoot]

I've been putting some tomatoes and chilli plants into the lean-to greenhouse to try to get them used to not being in the house, but bringing them back in overnight. I have some more tomatoes that need to be in bigger pots, and when I do that, they'll have to start staying out there overnight because there won't be room inside the house. Hoping that won't kill them off.

 

[Windy Miller]

Chillis are in the greenhouse & growing well, Garlic & Shallots growing well in the garden. Tomatoes & Courgettes were planted out today all south facing & sheltered so should be ok.
A few years ago i planted a Schezhaun pepper tree, its now growing really well, It has the most vicious thorns in pairs all over it. They are fully hardy down to minus 20 so should be fine. Be interesting to see if & when it flowers.
About the same time my wife rescued a neglected Hoya, its a vine type plant with leathery shiny leaves, It was repotted & likes it in the conservatory.
It flowered last year just a few but this year is covered in flower buds, Interesting thing about these is that in the evening each flower in a cluster exudes a drop of nectar like a tiny diamond. The smell will be spectacular when they appear this time, Will put a photo up when it happens.

My old Dad had a Hoya Carnosa in his conservatory years back. He trained it all over the ceiling and it had beautiful wax like flowers. As you rightly say, the smell every day after nightfall was spectacular.

 

[Keith 66]

It likes being in the shade so ceiling is where ours is going too. Pity we dont have smell o vision!

 

[Dapph2]

Also trying to see if I can get a Rowan cutting to take.

View attachment 495853

That's a small branch which had been snapped on a tree on a site, so I cut it off & thought I'd see if I could get it to take. I've used pure leaf mould as a compost for it, to start it off.

Gave it a few days in a pot of water, then dipped it in some rooting compound & popped it in there.

It'll be around 3 week or so since I brought it home, so I'm hoping the fact it still looks green is a good sign.

Snip about half of the leaves in half to reduce transpiration ( water loss ) it usually done with all woody cuttings . Put it a the foot of a north facing wall too so the sun does not bake it dry .

 

[Dapph2]

Word of warning ! If you intend to stay there for a long period be careful where you plant it as they don't hang about once comfortable and grow at an fast pace . 10 years and you will be thinking of oiking it out . Keep clear of buildings etc

60 foot clear at least , as it will drink the soil dry when it is about 10 yrs old causing foundations to move /crack if too close .

 

[Dapph2]

I've been putting some tomatoes and chilli plants into the lean-to greenhouse to try to get them used to not being in the house, but bringing them back in overnight. I have some more tomatoes that need to be in bigger pots, and when I do that, they'll have to start staying out there overnight because there won't be room inside the house. Hoping that won't kill them off.

Cover them in a garden fleece at night and weight it down the heat from the ground will be trapped under the weighted down fleece enough to protect them .

Late May frosts can be a bugger for tender plants , IIRC 3 hrs at 8 oC and they are usually killed

 

[Onoff]

I'm always finding potatoes in the bottom of the fridge gone to seed where they've not been used. They get slung into the compost bin. Most years we then get potato plants grow in the compost bin though we don't use them.

I presume I could just plant these in the ground?

No idea of the variety.

 

[bigegg]

I'm always finding potatoes in the bottom of the fridge gone to seed where they've not been used. They get slung into the compost bin. Most years we then get potato plants grow in the compost bin though we don't use them.

I presume I could just plant these in the ground?

No idea of the variety.

View attachment 495990

Yes.

That's how I always grow my taters.

 

[Onoff]

Yes.

That's how I always grow my taters.

Thanks. Do you prepare the ground in any way?

 

[bigegg]

Thanks. Do you prepare the ground in any way?

I chuck one tatie in a 15L bucket, filled with compost - buried about 6in.

Traditional way is in rows, about 1ft apart, just under the surface, then pile soil from between rows onto the plants as they grow.

The taters will grow on the surface - but exposure to daylight turns them green, and toxic.

No "prep" beyond rotavating/loosening the soil, and compost at end of year.

 

[Dapph2]

I'm always finding potatoes in the bottom of the fridge gone to seed where they've not been used. They get slung into the compost bin. Most years we then get potato plants grow in the compost bin though we don't use them.

I presume I could just plant these in the ground?

No idea of the variety.

View attachment 495990

Yes , if you want double the number of spuds cut them in half ensuring there is at least one well chitted eye on each half and dip the cut in lime to cause it to scar over & heal before it rots . plant as normal in well manured ground

 

[Dapph2]

I chuck one tatie in a 15L bucket, filled with compost - buried about 6in.

Traditional way is in rows, about 1ft apart, just under the surface, then pile soil from between rows onto the plants as they grow.

The taters will grow on the surface - but exposure to daylight turns them green, and toxic.

If growing in rows run your rows north to south so you get the maximum sun heat & rain on both sides of the row , the difference in cropping is amazing according to my farming friend .

He also has an old fridge body lined in reflective plastic mirrors and loads of UV lights that get switched on when it is loaded up with crates of potatoes , the UV brings on the chitting & the gentle heat turns the spuds greenish and a tiny bit shrivelled , this brings on the growing time by several weeks ..so you could chit them in a bright but not too hot & sunny room / window cill .

You can also grow spuds on the flat at a spade depth, this saves hours of single session continual gut busting earth moving . Set them out at 30 inches between rows and spuds a foot apart , carefully hoe up the in betwen soil equally on the rows of spuds every time you get three inches of green showing

 

[Onoff]

My plans to enlarge the growing area (last year?) stalled for various reasons. Started this morning to clear the tiny patch I began before. Last year I had my butternut squash "tower" on it. I'll end up with an 8'x4' bit running lengthways WNW/ESE.

https://flic.kr/p/2r42quv

https://flic.kr/p/2r3VD4p

Spuds in here maybe? It's virgin ground. Never done anything with it.

 

[premmington]

I'm always finding potatoes in the bottom of the fridge gone to seed where they've not been used. They get slung into the compost bin. Most years we then get potato plants grow in the compost bin though we don't use them.

I presume I could just plant these in the ground?

No idea of the variety.

View attachment 495990

If you are "really poor" and trust me I was as a kid.

You can cut the sprouting spuds up with a knife - into bits with big sprouting new growths. You can get two or three new potato plants out of one sprouting spud.

And while not poor now - I will take sprouting spuds from the bottom of a bag or a compost heap and take a knife to them and replant them.

I also let grow and dry out end of year - runner beans/French low beans/broad beans - on news paper in the greenhouse over winter to replant.

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The humble potato "is the gift that keeps giving"

 

[MattF]

And while not poor now - I will take sprouting spuds from the bottom of a bag or a compost heap and take a knife to them and replant them.

Old habits tend to die hard, don't they.

 

[premmington]

Old habits tend to die hard, don't they.

Row of free potatoes - is a gift of nature - whether you rich or poor kid.