The Science Bit

 

We received, as gifts, these two veg kits (thanx gift Monkey) so have decided to grow some of the interesting salad crops, despite shortage of space.

 

Details of what's included:



 

 

The blurb declares:

Everything you need to start growing your own range of funky vegetables/stunning array of colourful psychedelic salad items (insert as appropriate)

 

If you'd like to have a go at some of your own, they're available from www.amazon.co.uk search Plant Theatre.

 

 

They do look fun, but as there’s simply not space for everything we've had to be selective and so have started the chard and the lettuce in the hope that we can set up a follow-on cut and come again type system which is a popular way to keep lettuce cropping all season. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we have some deep pots planted with lilies which were intended as fillers, to be moved around, as and when required to disguise any bare areas so it makes sense to utilise the depth that these pots provide, so these are planted three each with carrots, radish and spring onions. 

 

They'll have plenty of space for development and to establish a deep root system and that way even if the lilies fail (which is looking likely) we should at least be able to enjoy a secondary veg crop.

    

 

 

 

 

THOMPSON & MORGAN

Experimental Tomato 2016

 

We’ve also been invited to participate in the Thompson & Morgan/Gardeners' World Tomato Trial this year. 

 

 

 

This is an as yet unnamed, blight resistant variety that they are trialing - awaiting results.

 

Six seeds provided

 

 

So tiny. 

 

Funny to think that an entire plant with full sized crop will be produced from something so mini.

 

Monty Dom presented a feature on this trial and you can read more about it on the Gardeners' World website.

 

 

Of the original six seeds planted only three decided to germinate - 50% success ratio - not very promising for the trial so far.

 

We'll keep you up to date with how these get on, together with everything else in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

You can leave your messages and let us know how your own crops and produce are getting on.

How Grows It? (May)

 

Hello again from the USG-Plot and one month in and so far all is proceeding well.  A quick recap on what’s underway and how they’re all doing.

 

 

We've dug the beds, enriched the soil and the herbaceous border is now all planted up and the perennials are quickly acclimatising and putting on some good growth.

 

 

The sunflowers and annuals plus the few veggies that were started from seed have all been potted on and hardened off and we’ll be ready to begin on planting those out into containers and the summer border in another week or two once all risk of frost is passed and the ground is sufficiently warmed.  

 

 

While even some of the late summer bulbs, after only two weeks, are beginning to peak above the ground.

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The Dahlias (from tubers) are showing signs of life together with the Begonias both of which were started off directly outside, due to lack of space under cover.  A bit of a risky strategy as there were some  frosty nights where temps fell below zero and while they’ve managed to pull through, will probably be a bit slower to develop as a result.   

 

 

 

This depends largely on the amount of prolonged sunshine they'll enjoy in the coming weeks.

 

 

Not looking too hopeful so far!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A quick reminder of what's to come:

 

For vegetables we have the early sown tomatoes, 2 different cucumber derivatives, runner beans, courgettes and some later addition salad crops (see next post).

 

 

 

 

Herbaceous perennials include Peonys, Dicentra, Penstemmons, Oriental Poppies, Heuchera and a deliciously irresistible little Lupin we found locally www.beckwithemporium.com  

 

The perennials are interspersed with various late flowering bulbs including Gladdies, Lilies and some Nerines which we always forget about but managed to get hold of some for this year.  These are late flowering and produce a bright and welcome show when everything else is beginning to get tired and raggedy.

 

 

 

Climbers:  All Clematis in several different varieties which once established should weave together nicely in a continuous display of awesomeosity spanning the back fence.

One is looking dangerously sad.  It started to appear sickly within a day or two of arrival at home.  It has not been transplanted out of its pot to discourage any inclination to 'wilt'.

Current diagnosis:  in a poor but stable condition.

We'll give regular updates on it's progress and let you know of any improvement.

We know you're all rooting for it (LOL)






 

Come and see us again soon and keep sending us messages and pictures of your own projects.

 

By the Pricking of my Thumbs

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

 

 

 

 

It’s certainly true that the TV Gardeners encourage you to grow your own veg.  Not totally sure why, in the light of the crazy supermarket surpluses being dumped or converted into biofuel, but sure enough no presenter worth his onions would miss an opportunity to extoll the virtues of enjoying your own home grown produce.  During the spring time they can always be seen happily clattering about in the potting shed, keen to demonstrate in finite detail just how easy it is to propagate plants from seeds, which are indeed exceptionally reliable.  And then >>FF>> a few months and they have a lovely crop all ready to harvest which they pick and enjoy, right there in full camera. 

 

Yummy

 

That’s all very scrummy and lovely but I’m always a bit bewildered that they don’t reinforce more the bit in the middle.  The bit they gloss over.  What they fail to underline is that the moment your tender plants are outside you’re on HIGH ALERT as you begin to wage a futile war of attrition against all the things that go munch in the night. 

 

I

Its’ time to pitch your wits against legions of every single beast and bug known to man and no doubt a fair few blighters as yet undiscovered and they're all a'coming; creeping, crawling, slithering on their bellies, flying in or turning up on skateboards, they don't care.  Some of them are living in the soil out of sight and (get this) some set up home right there inside your trophy veg and scoff their way out.

They’re voracious and are programmed to outsmart you. 

You’re no match for their ingenuity, what chance have you got, you can’t post a guard daytime and night-time.  But no matter what the time they’re determined to feast on your precious harvest long before you’ll ever get to enjoy any of it yourself. 

 

 

 

We’ve started off a marginal crop of runner beans this year, partly to demonstrate the many options of flowers and produce that it’s easy to achieve even from our USG-Plot or ‘starter garden’ but also partly to document the heavy losses always sustained with these beans. 

They seem to be under constant attack by tiny pin prick black beetles which eat away the sweet nub behind the flower from which the bean should develop, thereby causing the flower to drop off and ensuring that no bean will form from that node point. 

Each morning on checking the plants up to 80% of the flowers will be scattered on the ground thereby guaranteeing that 80% of your crop is effectively eradicated.   

This is beyond frustrating but an internet search revealed that this problem is not at all well documented.  In trying to ascertain more information on this tiny tyke it was astonishing to see on forum posts that people seem largely oblivious to it.  This could be because these bugs are more destructive in certain geographical areas, but repeatedly they were confused with an entirely different and significantly larger insect.  Strange because this was the reason we abandoned runners a few years ago, but it will be interesting to see how we fare this year.

THE GREAT TOMATO HEIST OF 2013

A couple of years ago we had a very soggy summer and the slugs and snails not usually known to favour tomatoes, probably because of their pungent foliage, were feasting on the tomatoes as there were scant other delicacies available due to an absence of any appreciable sunshine restricting the development of normal garden varieties.  At first it was a mystery as to what was decimating the tomato crop and when I Sherlocked the slug/snail theory, some people (and you know who you are), derided this as a possibility.   However, as the ravages continued unabated it gradually became clear that though uncharacteristic territory, that year, by necessity, their resourcefulness had sent them slithering among the tommies for a juicy nosh.  Lying dormant in the soil during the day to avoid detection.

 

They say a villain returns to the scene of the crime and here proof if proof were needed the varmint returns to launch a secondary nibbling invasion on the already destroyed tomato crop

Yes indeedy, (depending on your point of view) there truly are no end of pests and scallies willing and eager to invade your garden.

Remedies abound, be it Vaseline coated pots or copper devices and infused unguents to deter hermaphrodites (slugs), or maybe they'd enjoy some citrus peel or nice a free beer.  Or for other pests there are Nematodes and/or companion planting.  Or you could always try a politely worded letter left beside the veg patch awaiting their arrival:

 

        Dear Beastie Parasite,

        Kindly desist from devouring these toms, cukes & zukes.

It’d probably be about as effective

There are of course many possible options and proprietary deterrents for dealing with the myriad unwelcome diners and we’ll leave it up to you to decide which is potentially the most ecological, affordable and dependable.  But the truth is, no matter what your weapon of choice, it’s a safe bet that they’ll be back to do their worst.

C O M I N G   S O O N
to a veg patch near you 

 

 

Cheap as Chips

If you’ve got a proper shed load of dosh to chuck about on plants and such, you’re excused from this one……….  Just mark yourself present in the register and then skip ahead to the next post.

 

If however you have an eye for a bargain there are plenty of ways to eek your pennies out to make them go that bit further among the foliage. 

 

 

I know you know that clump forming plants such as irises and many herbaceous varieties can, in fact must, be dug up and divided periodically to keep them happy and make them more productive.  You can use the new additions that you’ve created in different areas round the garden, depending on your space, or swap them around the neighbourhood thereby acquiring new additions for free. 

 

All’s fair in love and gardening and any plants that you can beg borrow or steal are fair booty.

 

If you flatter friends and neighbours they’ll no doubt be more than likely to give you cuttings of anything you’ve praised and admired. 

 

 

 

 

 

If all else fails you could always source your own cutting by snapping a crafty bit off from someone’s front garden as you able along. 

 

 

Of course we’ll always deny advocating that but it’s not entirely anti-social as you could argue that you were only doing your bit to assist with their pruning in this time-poor social media dominated age. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sharing ethic is also a failsafe option to extend your budget.  The chances are if you buy a packet of seeds you don’t need anything like the entire amount in the pack so if you and a friend choose a packet each and split the contents then you end up with two varieties.  Hey presto:  instant BOGOF.

 

But the real magic is lurking on the High Street because the current glut of supermarket squabbling has affected more than just their BBQ packs, it’s also tipped over into attempting to entice you into the gardening isle. 

 

Prices are rocketing in the garden centres but the supermarkets are keen to try and lure you in at this time of year by displaying ridiculously cheap deals all along their forecourts. 

 

In fact the desperately tedious weekly shopping foray into town used to be all about groceries, toiletries and cleaning products.  Not so now.  Now, I feel like one of those intrepid Victorian plant hunters of yesteryear as I lurk around and compare quality and prices, stalk and pounce, snapping up bargains hither and thither. 

 

OK hither and thither might be stretching it a bit but, @@  keep ‘em peeled because every time you spot an awesome deal, walk a few paces along to the next frontage and there it is again even cheaper with no compromise on size and quality.  This is in stark contrast to what we're used to from the former premier league big hitters.  Not forgetting of course to pick up some beans on toast or something for tea among all this frenzied horticultural excitement. 

 

We cannot stress enough that this applies also to seeds, with leading brands going for anything up to £2.89, and round about £4.50 with celebrity endorsement, if you plan on buying multiple packs, at those prices, the cost soon spirals. 

Although vegetables are almost always started off from seed there's still a likelihood, even among established gardeners, that they’ll opt for buying bedding in packs rather than starting off immature plants themselves, thereby significantly and unnecessarily increasing their spend.  Yes, there is some initial fiddling about but it does pay dividends in the long run.

Check out Wilko’s own brand at 60-80p - or - Aldi at just 39p, not saying they have an enormous range at this tiny price but they do have a selection if you’re not too picky and keen to specialise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, you want to know what we’ve spotted out and about: 

Poundstretcher ( www.poundstretcher.co.uk ) was up there with early stocks of fledgling shrubs and fruit bushes for £2.00 each, coming in even below Wilko's ( www.wilko.com ) but Aldi ( www.aldi.co.uk ) are consistently leading the charge in bringing us more for less.  It kicked off with immature climbers including jasmine, honeysuckle and clematis at £1.79 – that can’t be beaten - but would stress 'immature' as when larger pot sizes arrived a few weeks later so the prices stepped up accordingly. 

Wilko have really got their act together and are a front runner with quality and a good range and Sainsburys ( www.sainsburys.co.uk ) haven’t failed to quickly wise up and had early bedding, ie pansies and primulas showing promise at £2.00 a pack, so keep an eye on developments there as the season proper gets under way. 

Very happy with this young Broom  (Cystus) bargain snatched up from Homebase ( www.homebase.co,uk ) for a mere £3.00. 

So well worth checking what's on offer where, that you can get your mitts on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget about local markets too.

 

 

 

But, better yet,

cells packs,

again from Aldi @ £1.79.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know, right.

 

 

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut

wait for it,

wait for it……..............…. 

The Sainsburys (previously mentioned) @ £2.00 was for a pack of 6 plants,

meanwhile back over at Aldi and 

BISH BASH BOSH 

we have a winner it’s £1.79 for 10.