The "Grow Your Own" Thread

[Loki]

went away for a week and it meant everything grew, and loads of jobs didn't get done. Always love returning to see how things have changed though.
Sprouts and cauliflowers belatedly planted out. Lost last years caulis in the heatwave, and that was my 1st attempt so having another go. sprouts will be for xmas dinner.
started planting out marigolds into planters. have a few chimney pots in the garden that we're filling.
planted out a few sunflowers, also belatedly.
The Iris flowers are done, and some other flowers, so moving those pots. Dahlias starting to appear though.
Potted up the toms. There will be 1 more potting up this year in july.
the foxgloves and sweet peas are flowering.
the raspberry buses are mental this year. went out picking the other evening and filled 2.5 tubs for the freezer! the blueberry plant also looks good. we got a few blackcurrants, and the cuttings i took and planted out are settling down, so in a year or 2 can make me own ribena!
verbenas and sunset boulevard are starting to flower.

On returning from holiday, somehow, 80 large plant pots had appeared in our garage in a big stack, alongside another stack of smaller pots. Turns out stepdaughters neighbour was running a grow house. Someone reported it to the po-po, who raided it. Po-po set up a skip outside and dumped all the grow kits etc, including all the pots. Stepdaughters partner climbed in and recovered all the pots and distributed them around the family. Quite a result! I shouldn't need to buy a pot for a few years.

It`s a pity they don`t make pots out of recyclable plastic. I throw pots away every year practically. the local council will not accept them in the recycling bin. Wrong type of plastic apparently. I heard somewhere that the spent compost from these grow houses is good for mixing with new compost. Allegedly your honour.

 

[Doctor Doog]

Most garden centres now accept used pots back and have a stack outside you can pick up for free. At least they do round here.

 

[b3h]

Got a massive pot with 5 sweet peas in. They've trailed all the way up a tall frame and seemed to be thriving. Now going yellow and haven't flowered. Bit stumped as they've been watered when no rain, in full sun, the pot is large and they're massive

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Got a massive pot with 5 sweet peas in. They've trailed all the way up a tall frame and seemed to be thriving. Now going yellow and haven't flowered. Bit stumped as they've been watered when no rain, in full sun, the pot is large and they're massive

You have to keep picking off lots of the new little straggly bits that it grows to climb up things as they have a tendency to cling onto other parts of the plant and strangle them, preventing the development of flowers. Little trick my other half picked up from somewhere this year and we've had tons more flowers than any previous year. Always turn yellow eventually through from our experience.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

Having just cleared out a 30 foot long 8 foot deep hedge, I now have a decent patch of earth to fill.
Now I have to fork it over completely and carefully pull out all the weeds and (30 year old ) ivy and bramble stumps.
Once i have a reasonably clear piece of ground, I want to fill it with foliage.
Hopefully some nice ferns and grasses/sea grasses with just a few splashes of colour.
I read if you ignore general planting instructions and squeeze them in tightly it limits the growth of weeds.
Anything up to 4 to 6 feet high.
Any suggestions please?

 

[b3h]

Turned the border over about a week and a half ago and pulled out the odd dandelion. The entire border is now plastered with tiny weeds, they kinda look like 2 leaved clovers. Not really sure what was in that rain but bladdy hell

 

[lemonjelly]

The weeds will either have wind blown or similar, or were already in the soil & turning it exposed them to the sun for germination.

 

[b3h]

The weeds will either have wind blown or similar, or were already in the soil & turning it exposed them to the sun for germination.

I was shocked seeing them. Not exaggerating when I say it's the whole border (we only have a few plants/bushes). I'm going to turn it over again and hope for the best or it'll take me a year to pick them out ha

 

[lemonjelly]

I was shocked seeing them. Not exaggerating when I say it's the whole border (we only have a few plants/bushes). I'm going to turn it over again and hope for the best or it'll take me a year to pick them out ha

Turn it over again. Then cover it with cardboard boxes. Then add a very thick 6 inches or more) of a mulch.
A lot of people engage in no-dig gardening for this reason.

 

[b3h]

Turn it over again. Then cover it with cardboard boxes. Then add a very thick 6 inches or more) of a mulch.
A lot of people engage in no-dig gardening for this reason.

Actually saw something like that on reddit when I was trying to google it. I'll look into it, cheers. I have wondered if I could sort of cover up some of the border before but was thinking some shed lining with stones on. The border is massive and there's tonnes of bare soil compared to plants/bushes. I've added 6 different campanulas in one section as once they get going they seem to stop weeds growing anywhere near and hoping they'll spread and fill out that area as a weed free zone

 

[lemonjelly]

Cardboard boxes act as a weed suppressant, but also compost down.
Don't aim for a weed free garden though. It's an impossible aim. Better to hoe regularly in gaps, or have less gaps!
A weed is just a plant in a place you don't want it. But it does suggest decent soil.
I always let forget me not run riot in April because they look nice/ add colour.

 

[b3h]

Cardboard boxes act as a weed suppressant, but also compost down.
Don't aim for a weed free garden though. It's an impossible aim. Better to hoe regularly in gaps, or have less gaps!
A weed is just a plant in a place you don't want it. But it does suggest decent soil.
I always let forget me not run riot in April because they look nice/ add colour.

Yeah I know what you mean, always going to get some weeds. I was just kinda confused when I looked at the border. Before I turned it all over there were only a few bigger weeds which I took out. Pretty sure it was just under 2 weeks ago, then suddenly it's like I've sprinkled a pack of weed seeds over the whole thing and the rain has done it's job on them!

I've just turned over 2/3 and tried to grab as much as I can out as well. Tempted to leave a small patch just to see what the hell they grow in to

 

[lemonjelly]

Well, gave up on both the beans & peas. Couple of years now where they've both done badly.
The first tomato got eaten today! The rest are green & hoping the warm sunny weather they've forecast for the beginning of September will ripen the crop.
The cucumbers are ready to start being picked.
The thyme is doing really well. Going to chop some this week to dry out for Christmas.
Been potting up balloon plants and a few dahlias into bigger pots.
I split & potted up calla lilies.
Changed the compost in the Asian lilies.
The fuscias after spending most spring looking the worse for wear are now amazing & covered in flowers.
Sweet peas are odd. Some are done & I was collecting seed pods . Others are really kicking in!
Have realised that the shed is giving up the ghost. Too many repairs now, & the roof is fucked. Going to have to replace it. Which has got me wondering how to make a cold frame out of the old wood (or some of it, if it is usable).
Cauliflowers & sprouts doing well.
Had tons of raspberries, & still finding blueberries.
Many flowers looking great- dahlias, lavatera, cosmos, & some gladioli (feels late for them).
The wisteria has taken to growing up the pergola nicely. We also acquired a passion flower (think we got one before but it died).
Sunflowers got shredded by slugs this year!

 

[Wolf Hunting]

Repotted a tiny little wisteria shoot and recently repotted it again. The thing is rampant! Ive put 2 long canes into it and within a week in our sunny front porch its rocketed to about 5 foot tall. Another few weeks and I'm gonna have to plant it and train the climbers against the fence. Trouble is it's only 6 foot high...
Question, I can train it to run along the top of the fence, but can I train it to go down or is it always gonna grow UPWARDS?

 

[lemonjelly]

It will grow upwards & towards the sun. Don't know if it can be trained down, but unsure why you'd want a wisteria to go down. You want them to go up & across, so the flora dangles.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

It will grow upwards & towards the sun. Don't know if it can be trained down, but unsure why you'd want a wisteria to go down. You want them to go up & across, so the flora dangles.

Well.... the active little feely things that climb and grip are both at the top of the sticks I've put in so they're about 5 foot long.
If I clear a space and plant it, the tips of those little climbers will be about a foot from the top of the fence.
So yes, I can encourage it sideways, but I'm gonna run out of room pretty damn quick.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

That’s what wisteria does. It’s rampant. Hate the fucking stuff.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

It will grow upwards & towards the sun. Don't know if it can be trained down, but unsure why you'd want a wisteria to go down. You want them to go up & across, so the flora dangles.

Whilst there's still a bit of warmth around***, would it be safe to plant it out now (It'll get sun after midday anit'll be protected from East, South and North winds?

*** 23 degrees to day but forecast to go down to mid teens within a week.

 

[lemonjelly]

Whilst there's still a bit of warmth around***, would it be safe to plant it out now (It'll get sun after midday anit'll be protected from East, South and North winds?

*** 23 degrees to day but forecast to go down to mid teens within a week.

Anytime across the next couple of months is good to plant out wisteria.

 

[lemonjelly]

Loving the gradual supply of tomatoes as they ripen in the late September warmth.
Cut some thyme to dry out for cooking. Plenty still growing tho.
Got a steady stream of spring onions to harvest across the autumn months that I staggered the planting of.
Harvested the cauliflower to make cauliflower cheese the other day.
Dahlias still producing new flowers this late in the year.
Been watching the trees which really seem unsure whether they should be shedding their leaves. & how the grass is still growing strongly this late in the year is amazing.
Have a fair few winter jobs to do - mainly hedge pruning or digging up in some cases. Chopped down one big hedge to relocate a dalek composted.
Potted up several balloon plants for next year & have a series of plants that need splitting in spring.