The Mock Turtle

That's what DadBaa says MumBaa is up to when she's out at the allotment/in the garden. This can be the gardening thread!

I've sown some chillies, luffa, and onions. I know it's early, but I have heated beds for them, so fingers crossed. I pruned my apple tree really badly at some point, so it was either spend 3 years coaxing it back, or chop it down and buy a new nicer one. I ordered a sunset apple, it should stay smallish, with tasty tasty apples - a bit like Cox, but fewer diseases and pests.

I dug up my oca the other day. They taste like lemony new potatoes, and look like grubs. What's everyone's grand plans this year? I am going to finish off my pond (buy plants, entice frogs etc).

Those oca look amazing. Nobbly!

They're very wierd and pretty. I got a mix pack, and they're pink, yellow and orange.

Nothing grand but I did buy a 3-delivery set of plants for the year. The first lot are in, so if they survive the winter we’ll have mainly cruciferous veg with some spinach, salad leaves and broad beans. And turnips.

I need to look after our apple tree better. It’s on the edge of a patch we leave unmown and ‘wild’, but it’s possibly not getting what it needs. There was greenfly last year as well.

I have a couple of fruit plants coming when the time is right too - strawberry and raspberry.

Mmm turnips I bought new raspberry canes this year, a mix of early, mid and late fruiting. The Bf dislikes them, so it looks like I'll be full of them!

I have planted some ginger. I tried it last year but it just rotted quietly in a pot I didn't soak it this time, so who knows.

That oca looks brilliant, I’ve never heard of it before!

Our sunflowers last year were a complete disaster so I need to rethink whether that was location/the “summer” and where to potentially relocate this year.

We did loads of hanging baskets and pots so we will do those again too.

The rest of the garden is mostly lawn (which we are trying to level now that we’ve taken out the dividing fence in the middle of the garden) so we want to start thinking how we can inject a bit of personality in but not create insanity maintenance. Maybe more pots

Princess Morripov wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 8:38 am That oca looks brilliant, I’ve never heard of it before!

This!

Turns out I have a pond I didn't clock on previous viewings - who knew?? I have no idea where to start on mine, but thank fuck a friend's partner is a gardener and they're coming round for drinks next week. I suspect I'll be employing him to visit every couple of weeks to chip away at the major stuff, and will obediently follow his direction on minor projects in the meantime.

Pots are probably more maintenance than some low maintenance perennials planted in the ground. They need watering, and redoing if you're using annuals, and freeze more.

Oh! A pond! That's a surprise

I saw the oca in gardening Instagram and thought they looked pretty. I'm going to replant some of the tubers, so hopefully I'll have oca foreverrrr.

baargain wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:22 am Pots are probably more maintenance than some low maintenance perennials planted in the ground. They need watering, and redoing if you're using annuals, and freeze more.

Yes. Less weeding but more watering and swapping.

A suprise pond sounds fab!

I need to look at the various seeds I have as I think I can start some of them off and I now have some cloches to protect from cats. The borlotti (not broad) beans that are growing are nowhere near their supports as they were dug up and started growing from their new location, not where they were planted.

I've applied for an allotment, because that's what I need, more garden

baa! What are your plans for the allotment? Is there anything in particular you want to use it for or is it just for more space?

A pond, Derek! So rural!

I have a greenhouse in my new place. It's not a very good one but it's been useful already in protecting the plants from frost, of which we get a lot of down here. I need to do some reading on how to use it properly, like when to open the doors, etc. Also, there is a mirror in there. Is that for the plants or is it just decorative?

The garden generally is in reasonable shape but it's your standard square of grass with two beds either side. The beds are actually raised planters which I like but one of them has been built about two foot from the fence so there's a big gap which seems like a waste. It doesn't have anything interesting planted in it so I might take it out or make it smaller. I have a lot of pots (plus I inherited two Belfast style sinks) and I find container gardening much easier so think I'll do a mix of the two.

There's a good market here and I had a quick look at the plants yesterday. They have a big selection and are reasonably priced so that's going to be useful. I don't think we'll do much in the way of planting yet but will get started on the clearing pretty soon.

The mirror is probably decorative. Does your greenhouse have an auto-opener on the roof window? That's handy for ventilation, if it doesn't have one, they're pretty cheap and easy to fit.

I want to grow space hungry plants on it, so broad beans, pumpkins/squash, potatoes, onions, sweetcorn. Anything that needs big patches of land for decent yield, and doesn't need daily attention. There are 12 people on the list (and three plots have just been allocated), so it might be a bit of a wait, but I have a mental idea about 2 years, so anything sooner is a bonus! There are two sites near me, and I'm happy wherever, which should make it go faster as some people have strict preferences for the one closer to me.

I'm not sure but the door is easy enough to open and close, I just need to figure out how often to do it. I will Google, I don't expect you to hold my hand through the entire thing! Thanks for the comment on the mirror though, the previous owners were very fond of mirrors - they're everywhere! There are two garden ones that need to go so I'll add the greenhouse one to the pile.

That makes sense about the allotment. I bet it will be a lovely little community too.

We need smal to come back and chat gardens with us.

Oh, don't worry, it's nice to talk gardens with people. I remember when I started and didn't know what I was doing! It's nice to be able answer questions, makes me feel like I know stuff.

We do need smal back, I like chatting gardens with herrr.

I am happy to help you feel knowledgable! I just looked out the window and there is a vent so I'll go out a bit later and see how it opens.

I've got what I think is a really pretty trailing camellia outside my back door, I'll take a picture of it when I go out. I hope it is because I left my camellia in London and I miss it.

https://www.harvst.co.uk/how-do-automat ... e%20window.

Here's some pictures for identification assistance! They're very handy to have.

Thank you!