Anyone for Gardening?

applerose

Kath, there are many different types of clematis. Some have small flowers, some have large flowers, some grow a little and some will take over the garden. I usually go and have a look at what's available locally, read all the instructions, especially about how tall they will grow and decide from that.

Any salad, or anything else for that matter, that I grow on the kitchen windowsill soon becomes covered in tiny flies. Not greenfly. They are bigger and black. I use a tiny bit of washing up liquid in water and spray the leaves. It works fairly well and means I'm not using chemicals (well apart from what's in the washing up liquid).

I bought a pot of mini chives last summer and kept it in the pot. When the weather got bad, I put it in my porch and forgot about it so it didn't get watered. It's still alive and doesn't look too bad. I'll plant it in a bigger pot sometime over the weekend.

daffy2

Hi Toady
I've found that seed from the onion family doesn't seem to last for very long once the packet has been opened so that may be the reason for your chive problem. An alternative would be to find a nice looking pot from the supermarket and split the clump up and grow on in fresh compost. They will take a little while to recover from the upheaval but should then get away well. As Toni says they do well outside. I do this for basil in the summer, which will then usually see me through until the weather becomes too cold.
Lettuces indoors can still get greenfly sadly! The trays from the supermarket are cut and come again which only need small containers, as the plants don't stay in them for long, and you can do the same yourself for windowsill or other small scale growing.This will reduce the chance of greenfly getting established as well. If you grow lettuce on to full size they will need more space and compost.

applerose

Daffy, do you grow your basil outside? Do you put them in the ground or in pots? I keep a small pot on the windowsill. I'm thinking of splitting the one I've got now in to 2 pots.

coco67

I have just put some spring onion seeds into a tray to see what happens, think i will cheat with the tommatos and buy a couple of plants already started as well as some from seed. that way i will definattly have a couple of plants , has anyone tried the hanging tomato bags for growing them in and if so what did you think,

frogmorton

Any salad, or anything else for that matter, that I grow on the kitchen windowsill soon becomes covered in tiny flies. Not greenfly. They are bigger and black. I use a tiny bit of washing up liquid in water and spray the leaves. It works fairly well and means I'm not using chemicals (well apart from what's in the washing up liquid).

Is it mouldfly Christine?

I had a LOT of trouble with them last year Grrrr!!!!

Daffy has a point about those seeds of Toady's chives they could be too old yes.

Coco don't worry about 'cheating' with your tomatoes and no I haven't tried teh upside dwon growbags. If you give them a god please do let us know how good/not they are.

kathbee

applerose wrote:

Kath, there are many different types of clematis. Some have small flowers, some have large flowers, some grow a little and some will take over the garden. I usually go and have a look at what's available locally, read all the instructions, especially about how tall they will grow and decide from that.
************************

Thank you Christine, I love going to the garden centre, but in my case usually for a coffee and cake and to look around the lovely gifts and homeware they have, so will go into the 'proper' garden centre and start looking.

toady

Firstly thanks for the advice.

As far as the chives go, it's not quite the 3 week mark but nearly (packet said approx 14 days so I was going by that), and my growing conditions seemed ok - & seeing as my parsley in the same conditions was up in no time, I am doubting my seeds, thank you daffy. They are last year's & even though they say sow by May '14, I think new ones would be worth a go. I did vaguely know onion seeds don't keep well but hadn't made the logical connection with chives at all, so thanks for that. :oops:

Salad-wise, yes I am only planning on baby leaves/cut & come again so I will go ahead with mini-sizes for successional pots. I get those black 'twinkly' little flies as well (on other things) indoors, have never known what they are. Googling 'mouldfly' doesn't bring much up?

frogmorton wrote:

AS for your chives.....mine are outside and just come back year after year (great aren't they for cooking ) if you lived near enough l could give you a clump

That's very kind it's the growing from scratch more than the actually having some that I'm after, if you see what I mean, just to see if I can get the hang of it. Same goes for buying a pot and splitting/growing on as daffy suggested. Snails ate my outdoor ones last year so I'm hoping to get somewhere with starting off indoors and move some outside when they're established a bit - so some can go on & flower, for the bees' benefit.

My dwarf sweet pea seedlings have hopped up today so that's cheered me up

coco67 I am just putting in my spring onions too, good luck with yours.

applerose

Toni, it could be mold fly. Do you have a way of getting rid of them?

Coco, I often buy plug plants when I haven't got round to sowing seeds or they haven't come to much.

Kath, you're welcome. A cuppa and a cake are a must at the garden centre.

frogmorton

Mmmm...well that's wat my Dad used to call (he WAS Hungarian) them but I think they are called something like fungus-gnats really. Mellman and I both had this problem badly the year before last. He tried 'cooking' his compost if I remember, but I didn't...no idea how to.

I beleive it was mostly due to overwatering/wet conditions so since the I have added vermiculite to add drainage. A layer of it on top (or perlite) stops it going boggy and giving the yukky bugs a place to thrive and I try to water from the bottom not the top of the soil. You have to dry them out if you can at least the surface of the not the roots of course

TOady - you are like Tillytop and me - as soon as we plant something we want it UP There is still hope for your chives - I prefer to grow seeds too.

I love sweet peas Toady, but I had a terrible year last year with them....I take consolation from the fact that Montydon did too




Let's get gardening shall we? The sun's out

daffy2

Well the gardening season's really underway now isn't it, judging by all the posts here!
Applerose, yes the basil does go outside if the weather's warm enough(so not last year!) and once they've recovered from the splitting up, but they stay in pots, sometimes with a very dwarf tomato called Minibel, and come in again round about mid September.
The little flies I call fungus gnats, unfortunately they can be very bad on peatfree composts. Frogmorton's right about keeping the surface dry, and I also find that putting a layer of a John Innes compost(1 or 2 depending if seeds or plants) on top can help as it's loam(soil) based. They can cause failure of seedlings as they eat the roots, so that can be another reason for seeds not coming up.

applerose

I think that's why I have a problem with the flies then. I think I overwater my plants. Must be more careful with the watering.

I've got a basil plant so I think I'll split it and try it outside when it's warmed up a bit. I've also got a coriander plant so I'll try splitting that too. They always droop within a couple of days then die off. I'm guessing they don't like too much water where my basil always looks good standing in a puddle.

I've got a couple of patches of celandines. I love them. Does anyone else let the wild flowers grow rather than pulling them up or killing them off? I even cut the grass around them then people tell me I've missed a bit.

frogmorton

Daffy I am so glad you agree. I haven't ever tried the John innes compost....might try it in future though.

I grow minibell tomatoes too yummy

Christine I keep some wildflowers too - why not? people often say a weed is a plant growing in the 'wrong' place Anyway it helps with the bees doesn't it?

I helped my husband to put together a fruit cage yesterday and he covered it (under instruction and with some help from me), with plastic mesh because our pusskins, Daisycat, catches baby robins as they plop out of the nest and before they can fly. The cage is large enough for them to practise and when they are able to I will open the lid. With Daisycat inside of course

I must try to get a photo to show you. I have placed it right be the wigellia which contains the nest in question :roll:

applerose

Yes, Toni, they are a great help to the bees. I read recently that they have declined by 80% so need all the help they can get. We saw a bee in my son's garden the other day and we all cheered. A fruit cage? Brilliant. My son had one to keep the birds off his fruit and veg but they still managed to find their way in. It's a great idea. I'd love to see a picture. How lovely to have a robin's nest.

frogmorton

I heard that too Christine, but we can do our bit to help like you are with your wildflowers

I thought a fruit cage will keep them IN,but got different mesh so Daisycat's paws won't fit

She is a little monkey...we have TWO robin's nests one at either side of the large garden Am looking for the phone charger that converts to a USB so I can dowload a piccie - will ahve to wait till the culprits (kids) get up and give me it back :roll:

Airwave!

Please, please, please slow down on all this gardening, it makes me want to get out and do something, I can't be seen to be too enthusiastic otherwise I'll get the job full time!

Enough of the funny stuff, got to get the powerwasher out today so madam can sit on the balcony and look at the wonderful garden what I made (hahah).

Apart from shirt ripping muscles, has anyone got any ideas for getting rid of ivy? We are being overtaken.

frogmorton

Airwave! wrote:

Please, please, please slow down on all this gardening, it makes me want to get out and do something, I can't be seen to be too enthusiastic otherwise I'll get the job full time!

Brilliant Airwave

Good old Mrs Airwave - I hope she has a lovely garden now??

is this you by any chance?



Ivy??? Chop it down if you don't like it mind it's not easy to get rid of good and proper. I think the last person I knew who wanted rid proper-like used that stuff you put on tree stumps to kill 'em off.

Airwave!

Budgie smugglers! No, I wear my oldest most tatty clothes in the garden, I put my old jeans on the other day and grandson laughed at me, oh had cut a square out of the legs to patch my other jeans I had tipped bleach down. I'm sure I caused much mirth in the queue for fish and chips later!

I'll try the stump killer and get rid of some laurel as well.

applerose

I have a lot of ivy to get rid of. My neighbour and I have been talking about sharing the cost of a new fence (we've just been quoted £500 :shock: :shock: ) so I need to get rid of all the ivy climbing all over it, first. I usually just pull up as much as I can but it does go rather crazy. Might need to try the stump killer. Thanks for the idea Airwave.

daffy2

If it's not too late applerose I'd say don't bother splitting your coriander - It's an annual plant that runs to seed at the drop of a hat. Better to try growing new batches from seed every few weeks - the culinary seeds used in cooking will often germinate fine and are cheaper than from seed companies. I used to get it selfsowing on my allotment, which was a mixed blessing as I loathe the smell and taste of green coriander, but the flowers are very pretty and good for attracting insects, and the seed was easy to collect for kitchen use(and no chemicals)

frogmorton

Good advice there Daffy - thanks for that.

Christine - how much?? I hope that's the one you slot the panes into??? :shock:

My tomato plants are finally looking like they are trying!!! Minibell Daffy

At least it rained a bit today and still no sign of a frost.

Love

Toni xx

applerose

Thanks Daffy. I haven't had time to split it yet. Didn't think of using culinary seeds. I'll give that a go. I don't use a lot of it so sowing every few weeks sounds like a good idea. And I like the idea of the flowers in the garden for the insects.

Toni, the fence is 14 metres long and about 4 1/5 feet high. We asked for close board (planks of wood all joined so you can't see through), not panels. My son came round and had a look. To keep the price way down, he suggested he puts new posts and horizontal lats on and fastens the existing fence to that. Then at a later date, we can replace the rest of it (if that makes sense). He thought that would only cost around £80.

mig

Do any of you know should I dead head my hydrangea or wait a little longer.Mig

frogmorton

mig wrote:

Do any of you know should I dead head my hydrangea or wait a little longer.Mig

Mig don't they say to keep the heads on to provide frost protection??? If so I should think another 2 weeks or so should see that risk over.

Love

Toni xxx

toady

What's this pest, please..?
Not that easy to see from the photo or to describe well, but basically it's like little bumps or dimples in my radish leaves - some have the bump side on the top of the leaf & some under; either way there is a corresponding dent on the other side to the bump. I hoped it was something just about the leaves, like a blemish, but there are signs of chewing as well appearing so I imagine there are some some of tiny things hatching in the bumps though there are no pests to see.

Can't find anything like it on the net, just flea beetle.. & it doesn't seem to be that.. any help welcome.



ps at least I now know what fungus gnats are, thanks to posts on here

frogmorton

Oh Toady I was gong to suggest the flea beetle because oddly enough the ground is very dry here :?

Have you had your magnifying glass out to peep properly??