How does your garden grow? (Fruit & Veg)

Well over the last few days i've been up to my eyes in sand, gravel, paving slabs, bricks and more wood than Noah's Ark but I'm over the moon with the (near) finished raised beds and pathway.

Also managed to plant some more too;

* Asparagus Crowns - Gijnlim
* Nasturtiums - Mixed Trailing. Will pick these flowers and eat them with salad.
* Borage
* Fennel
* Swiss Chard - Bright Lights (on horusd's recommendations)
* Courgette - Tristan F1 Hybrid.
 
horusd said:
Well done! BTW where did ye get the Borage RonanC?
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Got it in seed from Mr Middleton's on Mary Street, Dublin. Its a Thompson & Morgan so you should be able to pick it up from any decent garden centre.
 
This year I've been a bit slack since we hope to buy the neighbours house in the next couple of months so it's mainly flowers and herbs

In the garden we have Coriander, Basil & Chives (all to feed my Indian/Italian food addiction) On the flower side we have Petunias, Primrose, Roses, Hollyhocks (which I'm definitely going to dig out and take with us).

In the garden of the holiday home I have what we need for salads when in residence i.e. cucumber, radish, onion, tomatoes, lettuce and red pepper. I also put some chilli plants which seem to especially like the soil there. We pickle them in late summer and keep them for the rest of the year.

I have another few acres of land which I own with a friend of mine and we've planted red potatoes. Couldn't tell you what they are and the projected yield is daft. We'll end up giving them away! His tribe and mine number 10 people and we'll probably have tatties for 30.

Never happier than in the garden!!!
 
Ancutza the red tatties are probably roosters. Do ye grow the chillies & peppers outdoors? If so, any idea of varieties?

BTW the line about being "in residence" in the holiday home gave me a chuckle. Do ye raise the flag ?Ye needn't start puttin on airs & graces just cause Lizzie's on her way. ... only kiddin.

@RonanC. Thanks Ronan, I was in Middletons the other day. Saw Hugh Fernley ... whatever on River Cottage using borage flowers on a salad. Flowers looked lovely.
 
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Why pay for it if there are natural ways to keep them away?
 
Thanks a mil, I'll try the garlic and chilies to start using the info you have given me fingers crossed
 
I have really only started this year but am absolutely loving it...

So far...

Lettuce 3 types from plugs with sucessional planting of seed in rows every 2-3 weeks
Spinach from seed planted again in rows every 2-3 weeks
Peas
Broad Beans
Sweetcorn, now a good 8" tall (REALLY looking forward to that)
more peas and beans in greenhouse ready to go
Carrots in ground and in bags also...all started off in toilet roll inners
Potatoes jersey royals
Red onions
Summer leeks
Beetroot
Scorzonera...really don't know what's happening there
Fig tree to train against fence
Passion Flower to train against fence
Tomatoe plants from seed still indoors ( bloody hard to grow, daughter says I treat them like babies)
Squash started off great in greenhouse, then rapidly died
Cucumber same great in greenhouse then died

Searched and searched for artichoke got one planted it then died, so recently bought bulb in atlantic, watching with anticipation

Other usuals, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsely, sweet pepper, gojiberry ( yet to bear fruit) blueberry.

Best book I got as a present was River Cottage handbook no 4...now dog eared.

Love pottering
 
Slurryslump - is the asparagus still available in Aldi? Was it ready to plant out and crop this year?[/QUOTE said:
Hi Guys

Asparagus is something that'll take a longer term investment. Might take 2 years before you get a crop you can take. The crowns need to settle in mature a bit before they can be cropped without draining them.

The FatMan
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Determined, your cucumbers might need some time adjusting to outside greenhouse. Leave out in daytime, back to greenhouse in the evening, This should harden them up. You might also mulch them or cover around with some straw.
 
In today:

Kohl Rabi F1 Hybrid

Leek Autmn Giant 2 Argenta.

Dwarf French Bean - Tendergreen from B&Q. dotted these around the garden, and some pots.
Basil (Lime). Citrus flavoured Basil from Thompson & Morgan. Never grown this before.
Coriander Calypso ( Cut & Come again). Pots.
Dill (Bouquet).
 
Got potato bags from Homebase and trying three new varieties:

Pentland Javelin
Nadine
Desiree.

Also picked up an oriental salad bar "lettuce"called Mizuna. It's a cut and come again variety. Looks like an attractive plant too. Can be grown in pots or garden.
 
I have this fear of putting small bamboo or stakes in the ground to support plants. My fear is that someone might lose an eye if the bend over and one catches them. I have been trying to get hold of these rubber caps that you put on top on the sticks but I cannot find them anywhere. I saw them on Amazon but I am looking for somewhere local to get them. I used to use wine corks but they keep falling off. Anyone able to help?
 
Wrap some wool around them, cover with a bit of coloured plastic, and bob's yer Auntie.
 
I planted some onion sets. They all have spectacular greenery growing from the onion but nothing else. This is my first time growing these. Is this to be expected?
 
* Nasturtiums - Mixed Trailing. Will pick these flowers and eat them with salad.
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Showed my 4 year old that trick and I now have only little stumps left. The old Barbie scissors have been very busy! She tells me that, "the baby flowers taste like orange juice daddy" GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
 
Ancutza the red tatties are probably roosters. Do ye grow the chillies & peppers outdoors? If so, any idea of varieties?
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Given that I live in Romania our climate is a little bit different. In Ireland I'd say you might get away with chilli plants if planted near a 'sunny' wall They are very hardy. When I worked in Africa we grew them quite successfully where it was -5 at night and by 10 o'clock in the morning up to 25 degrees. They thrived and we had lovely spicy omlettes for breakfast! You might stuggle with the peppers since (from experience of a few 'soft' summers here) they don't like too much damp. They tend to catch a black spot mould which rapidly destroys them. That said you could probably raise them in grow-bags in the greenhouse.

I have everything labelled but since I'm abroad until the 23rd I won't be able to tell you until then exactly what I put. I can't remember off hand.
 
BOXtheFOX said:
I planted some onion sets. They all have spectacular greenery growing from the onion but nothing else. This is my first time growing these. Is this to be expected?
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Yes. The bulb will expand at the end of the growing season to complete the cycle. Should be around August/September or so. Keep well watered but not sodden, and weed-free. Onions have shallow roots, so take care weeding.
 
Thanks Horusd. I was concerned because I planted an Aldi plum tree early last year. We have a spectacular growth of greenery but nothing else. I also planted a small Aldi apple tree this year. There are about 6 or 7 small apples already growing from the flowers on each little twig, should I thin these out?
 
Aldi & Lidl do great deals, but often they don't give varieties on trees, so it can be hard to know what to expect. Plums come in several varieties, Opal and Victoria being the most popular. Plums should flower in spring. Your tree might need a general fertiliser, OR if you did already feed it, DON'T feed it again (as the feed may be causing the excess greenery) , and thin out the branches. Ideally keep a relatively open heart (centre) to the tree to allow light and air. Remove about a 1/3 of growth on branches in the Autumn as leaves fall. Cut at a sharp angle, about 1/2 inch beyond a bud.

Remove excess apples on twigs so that the tree is not over-burdened ( it should BTW have a staked support) and avoid branch damage. Too much energy going into fruit saps the trees strenagth and you get smaller apples.
 
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