So what have you learned this year?

Well I'm not going to bother growing tomatoes again, such a lot of effort for a few measly, eatable tomatoes!!

I also had plans to grow a lot more roses but have now decided against that idea purely because I don't find them that easy to maintain and I think they look ugly when pruned back.

 

I grew moneymakers from seed - and I had some plants which looked very promising from a neighbour until the dreaded blight got 'em. :dh: And the raised bed - I spent the mid autumn building it in the sun - thinking this'll be great only to be planting onions into it on a sunny day realising the house was in the way :lollol:

Driving home from work today in my suit I drove past a big sign saying Free horse manure. I zipped home, changed, threw bags and gloves in the car and went to collect. I also have a huge quantity of leaves to create leaf mold for next year.

My soil is bad at the moment - but it's not going to know what hit it this coming year !

Brian

 

I quite agree, I found it went mouldy and smelt musty, plus it didn't really suppress weeds, and ended up all over the lawn.

 

I had a good season with three different types of toms in growbags,
and I agree about roses, lovely flowers, but damn, these thorns.
I decided on lotsa dahlias, but have made the mistake of not labeling them legibly and permanently, now the flowers have gone, I don't know what they are, so I expect next year I'll have the wrong ones in the wrong place, again!

 

Not to put tomatos with any seeds on the compost heap, year before last I had tomatos popping up everywhere.

 

Tell me about it-just been out retying my climber after some unmentionable kids brushed into them on bommie night and knelt on one-ouch!!!

 

Brian, get lots of bags of lime also for your soil, Put it on last, on top and let the rains leach it into the soil.

 

I agree with these :lollol:

 

I have learnt that my indoor cactii benefit from a spell in the green house during summer. the Christmas cactii are back indoors and splendid, the money plant has quadrupled in size as a result.
I am not going to save all my dahlia tubers - just the really pretty ones.
Next year I will grow more leeks as they have been a wow.

 

When developing a new garden (like I am), you have to be prepared to admit that despite careful planning, you sometimes put a plant in the wrong place. If you recognise the mistake before the plant has got too big, you can move it when it's dormant - like I'll be doing with a couple of mine probably in late December!

Oh and the bergamot I bought with such high hopes in the summer turned out to be a floppy,invasive, mildewy mess. It had to go....

 

What have I learnt?
To look after my pond and and my resident frogs, they have saved me a lot of hassle by tackling every slug for miles around and preserved plenty of veg for me.. luv them..

 

Hope the kids got a few where it hurt, [Mrs Nasty]

 

Well you're lucky, either I haven't got enough frogs got one under every flower pot, or they've not got a 'slug' apetite, or maybe they're all princes in disguise.

 

Here's some of the stuff I've learned this year:

1. Rabbits will destroy pretty much everything they have access to, except Foxglove.
2. Ground preparation is of paramount importance, and plant selection is important to. You can't just whack something in the ground and expect it to thrive.
3. Sometimes, seemingly brutal pruning actually results in healthier, faster regrowth.
4. Timing is important. When more experienced gardeners shake their head and ask accusingly "you're not going to do that this month are you?", don't boldly answer "yes", instead ask them why they say that, and listen to their answer.
5. Don't let my mate Paul help you plant your tatties, the ones he puts in don't grow.