2015 Growing Season..

Planted mine last evening. First time planting though woven weed suppressing membrane. Not sure of the correct "form", but I cut X-holes at desired spacing, in a double row, and then used my bulb-planter to make planting holes, laid the membrane over the top - the two were close enough (bit fiddly but "think of the weeding time you will save" seemed to work for me!) and then planted through the membrane into the holes.

Thinking I should put some leaky hose (under the membrane) before I weigh the edges down ... slug pellets too I dare say?

Lost quite a few Brassica plants to slugs - the ones still in pots, ready for planting out, are getting murdered at the rate of a few each night (in greenhouse). Slug pellets down too ...

... I think I should put copper rings around the legs of the staging - would that help? I'll need an everything-out purge of the greenhouse first though, I reckon. They must have set up a Youth Hostel in there already ...

 

It's certainly worth a try Kristen..

After losing my Cucumbers to the snails,which makes a change from 'sudden cucumber death syndrome) I've bought a couple of plants that will be in pots in my blowaway,I'm going to rig up a salt moat to see if that will save them...

 

My experiment with salted vasaline had some success till the sun melted it away, but the salt residue stayed on the barrier, there was a dead snail on it yesterday.

 

Planted up another Cucumber complete with slug defence,lets see if those critters get by this

 

I think its safe loli x is that salt in the bottom?
ive put a sprinkle of rock salt round my courgettes,beans and butternut squash at the allotment x

 

Loli, it'd be easier to get into Fort Knox!

 

Wood pigeons will also eat young radishes.

My French beans (and lots of other stuff) are planted through Mypex this year. When T&M were giving away £10 gift vouchers for every suggestion for a new product, I suggested Mypex mulch mats made to fit their prefabricated raised beds, all nicely hemmed around perimeters and pre-formed holes (different spacings for different crops, just transfer/change the mat for crop rotation purposes).

 

This is what I got from 2 x Arran Pilots (Glad I waited!):


What's the white bits?

 

Lenticels?

 

Well, after a days rest from work yesterday, got cracking today.

Planted out all the Toms, Peppers and Chillies.

Sowed stuff for winter, Mizuna, PSB, Land Cress and Kale. Potted up the bulblets from the Elephant Garlic. Lifted and washed the last of last seasons Garlic, saving the biggest ones for replanting.

Did much hoeing and clearing, it's starting to look more like a veg garden than a rain forest now



Loli's Celeriac is doing great



They'm cutting the meadow behind for hay at the moment, getting covered in dust when they put the whoppers on it

 

Looks nice soil there Zigs - is it? Thems onions look good...
Is Loli's celeriac the tall plants with big leaves in piccie no. 1?
So, what tomatoes are you growing outdoors?
Jenny

 

No, them's the spuds, Mayan Glod.

Growin Manx Marvels and a few others, have to read the lables in the morning, I is drinking now

 

It's coming on nicely Ziggy. Looks like you could do with a drop or two of rain as well.

 

Celeriac is the row in pic 2 next to the Shallots I is growing Shirley, Totem, Gardener's Delight,Golden Sunrise and a few lost lable ones from Sis, possibly Marmande? Growing all as cordons and stopping them at 4 trusses due to the late start.

It's very dry Sheal, on a river flood plain so it drains very quickly, lots of organic stuff in the soil though

 

Gave my little veg patch a clear out today,got rid of the early and late carrots that were in containers seen as they'd become snail fodder...I have never seen so many slugs and snails trying to hide amongst the pots....hopefully that has got rid of a large part of the population


Strawberries are starting to ripen...


Still getting a few fruit from my early Red Cherries