THIS WEEK I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN GROWING...

[pencilface]

Coem on Treeboy! Start it!


I have mostly been growing nothing this week (just watching my Broccoli and Kale slowly reach the and of their lives!), but plan on building a hot bed on my allotment and sowing some Onion and Leek seeds in it at the weekend

Post some pictures of allotments, veg patches, interesting growing ideas, records in the garden, or simply make a fuss about there being plenty of other forums out there about this stuff...

[treeboy]

I've always worked with plants. Before I got into arb, I was a gardener. Even spent a few years in the city looking after those ridiculous atriums full of tropical trees, while trying not to poison myself with the noxious cocktails of chemicals I had to use to control the inherent pest problem. That's the only time I've worked indoors!
Chitting my King Edwards & Pentland Javelins at the moment.Bit late with the broad beans, so I'm starting them in pots, hoping they'll catch up. Looking forward to a bit of fine weather, and I'll fire up the Howard Gem. Haha Boys got to have a toy.

I've got one like that with the tank at the front, 3 forward gears and reverse, it's an absolute beast. First time I used one, I got the tines engaged, but couldn't get the hang of the gears, by the time I did it had nearly buried itself.
I've got a bit of a shed building project to fit in sometime too. Got to have somewhere to fire up the portable turntable. And somewhere to shelter from the incoming shitstorm (sorry guys, he made me do it)
Oh the joys of the rock'n'roll lifestyle eh?

[pencilface]

I mostly try and do my plot with a no-dig system which works well for me i reckon (though should really have a couple of dug beds to compare/contrast). .... I bet buggering about with that mechanical monsterosity is fun though!

[treeboy]

So with the no-dig system, do you just keep layering up/mulching? Is it to do with soil structure or mychorhizal activity? I've never done it, our plot has always been completely turned over every year, which I realise is very old school.Physically, I can see the benefits of not having to do that. Maybe I should leave a bit too to compare. It can be a bit of a wrestling match with The Howard, got to have your wits about you. Its noisy, smelly, but gets the whole plot to a foot deep tilth in about an hour. Its a big plot too.

[amidar]

My wife runs our garden/veg patch/greenhouse but happy to post some pics when its planted. A few weeks off yet I think.

[pencilface]

My wife runs our garden/veg patch/greenhouse but happy to post some pics when its planted. A few weeks off yet I think.

Do it! Veg porn!

[pencilface]

So with the no-dig system, do you just keep layering up/mulching? Is it to do with soil structure or mychorhizal activity? I've never done it, our plot has always been completely turned over every year, which I realise is very old school.Physically, I can see the benefits of not having to do that. Maybe I should leave a bit too to compare. It can be a bit of a wrestling match with The Howard, got to have your wits about you. Its noisy, smelly, but gets the whole plot to a foot deep tilth in about an hour. Its a big plot too.

Yeah, mainly to conserve the structure - but also because turning/digging will expose the microorganisms to desicating winds which can't be too good for them...

I stick loads of mulches of organic matter on top (trying to alternate between manure, homemade compost and spent hops i steal from the brewery i work at - not sure if this alternating helps really, but i do it anyway!) and it seems to work well for me. Things grow well, soil isn't compacted and amount bindweed popping up has greatly reduced.

Having said this, i do actually miss digging, as it's quite fun and satisfying!

[babycart]

I´ve got four kumquat pips on the go. No sign of sproutage yet but I´ll keep you posted.

[emperor tomato ketchup]

I've been growing stealth fennel. Not an exciting guerilla gardening adventure but I planted some last summer and made a balls of it. I hadn't realised how spindly it would be when I needed to start piling the earth around it. By the time I realised this it was too late to start and basically there was nothing edible grown. No problem I thought at least the seeds can be used for tea or cooking. No dice there. They never seemed to mature to the brownish colour they are meant to. Or if they did it was when I wasn't looking and they'd been blown away. As a result more has grown over the winter.

[pencilface]

Fennel self seeds a lot I think - I have quite a lot dotted around my plot. Beautiful plant when it gets to a decent size!

[babycart]

Beautiful plant when it gets to a decent size!

Agreed. Theres a giant local species here that covers the clifftops this time of year. You often see a grey shrike perched on top.

[treeboy]

Dammit Babycart. You've made me want to go on holiday somewhere warm now. That looks a bit Dr Seuss that fennel you get over there. One of the things I love about going abroad is getting out in the wilds and admiring the native flora. Butterflies always seem to be friendlier too. Either that or I look like the sexy bits of a flower to them

[amidar]

Always end up with a ruck of those yellow courgettes, not quite that big but sometimes marrow size if we leave them. Never know what to do with them apart from thickening curries.

Do it! Veg porn!

[babycart]

That looks a bit Dr Seuss that fennel you get over there.

A lot of it is more horror film than children's book. I had to deal with an agave a few years back. Basically, it won and left me traumatised.
there´s a massive impenetrable clump of fleshy needle sharp poison spikes that leave a really painful blue mark for a month if you get stabbed. Suddenly it shoots up a stalk that reaches 20 feet fast - you can actually see it growing from one day to the next. Then the top sprouts loads of little bastard agaves and starts spawning them all around, where they take root immediately. My armour and weaponry were no match for it.

[treeboy]

Evolution in a nutshell