[telecom69]

Hi Farmgirl, I havent seen the upside down Tomatos Im afraid,but will so a search and see what I find,not likely to change though,as I prefer the tried and tested method

I think you have possibly overwatered your Aloe Vera,its a succulent as as such stores its water in its leaves and roots it only needs watering when it has completely dried out.its really an indoor plant but can be moved outside in the summertime if necessary.the browning is usually a sign of overwatering although it might have some sort of disease I suppose ? if you decide to repot it, go for a wider pot as opposed to a deeper bigger one as the roots grow outwards instead of downwards it seems ...is it showing any signs of small offshoots at the base of the plant,or is it too young for that ? if it is then I would pot them up and dump the mother plant and start again and keep watering to a minimum ....this applies to any members f the succulent family by the way,other than that I can't help I'm afraid

OOps just seen I posted the same time as Myrna ....apologies ....

[Tuppence2]

Hello, everyone.

Thanks, Myrna and Bob for the advice about growing tomatoes on strings in the greenhouse.

I have four big courgette seedlings in a large pot, is it all right to put them outside during the day to harden off like the marigold seedlings. They will be put in the garden sometime during May. The tomato seedlings will stay in the greenhouse so I presume they don't need hardening off.

I've been busy in the vegetable garden, carrots, potatoes, onions, broad beans, spinach all showing through and needing watering a couple of times a day, though it rained in the night and is damp o ut this morning, saving watering.

I've a grotty border full of grass and weeds that I keep promising myself to work on it and I've started that, will have big clumps of turf to get rid of.

Are you starting your runner beans this weekend, Bob? I think I'll wait and put mine straight into the garden so will be to be patient for a little longer.

Hope you've got rain down there, Yvonne.

[telecom69]

Hi Penny,Yes you can harden anything from now on outside,especially in the part of Country you live ....you can also sow your Runner Beans in the garden if you like next week the only thing you will have to keep your eye on apart from any late frosts are the slugs because they will eat them right down to ground level,they love the emerging new shoots...yes Im sowing mine into large pots 6 to a pot,today or tomorrow, and in 3 weeks time they will be about 10 inches tall and planted in the ground,the best thing about sowing them direct into the ground is that there is no root disturbance of course,but do watch out for the slugs as they wont recover from them eating the emerging shoots .... Im emphasizing about the slugs because I know you dont like using slug pellets ... You are right about the Tomatos they will not need hardening off,because they will live inside ..

The day started off brightly enough this morning,but by 8.30 it had clouded over and we now have rain its in showers at the moment but they are quite heavy,thats ok by me because we do need this rain and all my work this weekend will be in the greenhouse,like setting up the hanging baskets,and filling the bucket containers all this can be done inside so I wont be getting wet ...all my basket plants are almost pot bound with roots now so they need to go into the baskets which will sit outside by day and brought inside at nights,by the middle of May they will be left out all the time of course ...I will give my Tomatos another week before I put them into the growbags,they are just not quite big enough really ... have a good weekend

[Tuppence2]

Thanks, Bob. I've put the courgettes outside this morning. The rain was very welcome. It was sunny first thing but is beginning to cloud over. I want to watch the Grand Prix qualifying so will make a cup of tea and settle to that.

Here are some photos of the dogs and the garden I took over the past few days.



You sound very busy in your greenhouse. Hope you get the hanging basket plants sorted.
I'll plant the runner beans next week - have to get canes as I've put the mange tout and peas against the canes I had set up. I'll cover them with netting to stop birds and keep an eye out for slugs. I don't like using pellets and may have to make a beer trap.

[oil painter]

http://www.eartheasy.com/grow_nat_slug_cntrl.htm

Bob and penny: some interesting reading for natural slug control

[oil painter]

Originally Posted by telecom69

Hi Farmgirl, I havent seen the upside down Tomatos Im afraid,but will so a search and see what I find,not likely to change though,as I prefer the tried and tested method

I think you have possibly overwatered your Aloe Vera,its a succulent as as such stores its water in its leaves and roots it only needs watering when it has completely dried out.its really an indoor plant but can be moved outside in the summertime if necessary.the browning is usually a sign of overwatering although it might have some sort of disease I suppose ? if you decide to repot it, go for a wider pot as opposed to a deeper bigger one as the roots grow outwards instead of downwards it seems ...is it showing any signs of small offshoots at the base of the plant,or is it too young for that ? if it is then I would pot them up and dump the mother plant and start again and keep watering to a minimum ....this applies to any members f the succulent family by the way,other than that I can't help I'm afraid

OOps just seen I posted the same time as Myrna ....apologies ....

No apologies needed Bob--we said some of the same things and you gave her a little extra info. It's good to get advice from all quarters.

Hi all;
It rained a bit last night and this morning, now it's overcast and humid and itlooks like more rain coming.
I cleaned out my herb garden this morning--not too many herbs like you Penny, but I like it anyway and it is a nice place to grow the odd perennial until the next year when it will bloom. I have sage, chives, parsley, and I will put some basil in. I grow rosemary in a tall pot in the center with some flowers. My lavender died this winter, so I won't have that this year. It took a lot of babying to get it to last this long. It's not really a plant for this climate.

I was out in the greenhouse this morning too and all my seeds I planted before have sprouted. It will soon be time to start my tomatoes and other flowers. I don't plant many other veggies in the greenhouse. I used to do cucumbers and peppers, but we found there was no advantage to starting cucumbers early. Ones started in the garden always catch up to the greenhouse ones within the month. We only grow about a dozen peppers and our local greenhouse always has beautiful ones so we buy them instead.

Take care ----- Myrna

[Tuppence2]

Thanks, Myrna. The idea of propping a lid over the beer is a good one, so it doesn't dilute.

The wind got up this afternoon and it's colder so I've taken in the seedlings.

I find lavender difficult, too. It doesn't like the clay. I have one or two plants in the garden but they don't do well. It's a pity because it's one of my favourite scents. I bought some hand-made lavender soap the other day. I can see that the plant wouldn't be happy in your climate as it's Mediterranean in origin.

[oil painter]

Penny:
My soil is clay underneath too, but over the years I have managed to get a good layer of top soil built up on top.
I managed to keep my lavender alive for about 10 years or so. The secret is to mulch it with leaves. I put some around the roots when the leaves were falling and kept a bag of dry ones for later. You don't want to put too much down early or it makes a nice place for mice to hang out for the winter. After the ground was frozen I piled on the leaves about 3or 4 inches thick over the roots and some in between the branches. The thing that kills most plants here, is not the cold winters when the snow insulates the plants, but the freeze thaw cycle of spring and fall. I didn't take the leaves off until my daffodils were almost ready to bloom.

[telecom69]

Hi Ladies , We never got the promised rain unfortunately,it tried for about an hour,a couple of showers but then continual sunshine again all day ...I did get the baskets done and planted the Runner Beans,it gave me a bit more room in the greenhouse by putting the basket plants in the baskets,which is a big help ...had to water a lot of the pots,each one having to be checked because you cant see the compost for foliage, you can usually tell when you pick them up though as they are light ...

Not sure yet how much will get done today in the garden,because apart from needing a short break from continual activity these last few weeks,there is the London Marathon, Formula1 racing, and also some football on the telly almost non stop entertainment all day today if you like sport,so we will see how it goes .....I really do need a short break,have quite a few nagging muscle aches

Thanks for posting the photos Penny always glad to see them,everything is looking good for you,the plants look very healthy,the dogs looked like they were enjoying it too,basking in the sun,Buster continually goes outside for a spot of sunbathing in spells,they certainly enjoy the heat,I have to keep an eye on him though if it gets too hot because he is almost completely black,attracts the sun,and gets a bit too hot ...the couple of weeks difference in your season shows,particularly by the Clematis Montana being in full bloom,mine is just still in bud at the moment ...

Interesting article on slug control Myrna, I get both slugs and snails, but dont suffer too much harm from them because of the way I manage things,but the ones I do have to keep an eye on are the odd ones that get in the greenhouse and hide in nooks and crannies,a favourite place is in between the trays (flats I think you call them?) if you dont watch for them they will eat a tray of seedlings back to the compost overnight Ive had it happen especially with the French Marigolds,they have been safe this year though as they have grown up in my portable greenhouse,never seen one in there ...a few slug pellets scattered in the greenhouse,especially on the benches usually takes care of the problem for me ...

Some more showers promised for today,but after yesterday will believe that when I see it if it rains then that will solve the watch telly, or garden problem,if it doesn't then I will probably have an hour or so out there,so take care Ladies and happy gardening

[Farmgirl22]

I've never had one before, are you supposed to "dead-head" a Gaillardia? I've a couple of blooms that seem spent, and wanted to know if I should remove them or not. I'm hoping to take a picture of it tomorrow so that you can see it.

Also, when are my Coral Bells supposed to flower? The ones in the store seem to already be starting, but mine don't even have any buds on them yet...do you suppose they are unhappy in their current location?

[telecom69]

Originally Posted by Farmgirl22

I've never had one before, are you supposed to "dead-head" a Gaillardia? I've a couple of blooms that seem spent, and wanted to know if I should remove them or not. I'm hoping to take a picture of it tomorrow so that you can see it.

Also, when are my Coral Bells supposed to flower? The ones in the store seem to already be starting, but mine don't even have any buds on them yet...do you suppose they are unhappy in their current location?

Dead heading any plant will prolong the flowering period,the main aim in a plants life is to flower and produce seedsso if you remove any spent flowers it will do its best to keep flowering until it runs out of patience take off any spent flowers as soon as you see them withering a bit...I dont know about Coral Bells in particular but ant store plants are usually encouraged to bloom quickly, because people tend to buy plants when they see the flowers,not really a good idea because they have been forced to flower quickly,I would say your plants will be ok and flower naturally when they feel like it

[oil painter]

Hi Farmgirl
Yes I agree with Bob about deadheading. As for your coral bells-- Mine are usually starting to send up flower stems about the time I'm planting my annuals--the end of may-first of June and they bloom until the middle to the end of August. Yours may be a little earlier because your climate is a bit warmer than mine. You will see a stem that is a little curved at first, just above the leaves. It will straighten and grow like a thick blade of grass until it is about 1 1/2 feet above the foliage and lots of others will join it. or you may only have a few since this is your first year. Last year mine must have had about 30 last year so don't lose heart. every year it will be better.
Never compare what you see in a store to what's in your garden except if it's to see the color and flower. As Bob says they are forced into bloom early for sale.

Bob --
Isn't it the truth about slugs and marigolds, I think that they are slugs favorite food, because they seem to go for them before anything else.

[oil painter]

Farmgirl I forgot to tell you that when the flowers fall off the stem of the coral bells, and you have this stem with little skeleton arms coming off it , pull the stem out--they come out quite easily and you will get some more stems come up. Just like deadheading it promotes more flowers.

[Tuppence2]

Hello, everyone.

You did well, Myrna, keeping the lavender for 10 years. There was a programme on the other day about them. I love the deep coloured ones, not so taken with the paler pink.

I watched the Grand Prix, Bob. On what channel do you watch football? I couldn't see any on my Virgin Media cable programmes. Do you have Sky or Santana Sports?

Yes, everything is well advanced here. It was sunny sto begin with but it's colder now the cloud cover has arrived. I'm very pleased my "Atlantic Giant" pumpkin has germinated. Waiting now to start off the squash in the little heated propagator, but I'll wait a while for that.

I have some teenie-tiny leeks germinating in the greenhouse and the mange-tout and peas in the peat-pots are beginning to grow. I watered the young vegetables first thing.
Must remember to get canes for the beans. I plan to use a new bed for them as I put the peas and mange-tout where they were to go, and must add some fertilizer as beans like a rich soil, I believe.

[telecom69]

Hi everyone, Tha last week in April is upon us now and a lot of my bedding plants are ready to go out into the garden,due to the best start for years but I have to be patient for about another fortnight yet,as a late frost could put paid to all that good start,its just a matter of waiting and trying to keep down all the weeds that keep appearing,especially the dreaded horsetail,I get it all over my garden back and front as far as I know no weedkillers are effective on it,the roots go so deep,not like roots really,just like dead pieces of twigs laced through the ground, nothing stops it at all,digging/pulling it out,weedkillers systemic or otherwise and it still comes back,its just bad luck if you have it...did nothing in the garden yesterday except for watering,that too never goes away oh for a couple of days of heavy rain ....no sign of the Spring Onions I sowed almost 3 weeks ago,have almost given up on them now as a failed batch of seeds,well persevere for another few days.....

I watched the main parts of the Marathon Penny,beginning and end and also the F1 Grand prix,sharing that with football,lots of sport around yesterday We did great in the F1 of course,good weather for them for a change and Jensen was at his best,so glad he has got a decent car at last we didnt do too bad in the Womens Marathon either by coming second,with Paula not around anymore,dont see any good prospects really,but Mara did ok in coming second,all we could expect really ....yes I watch my football on Sky Sports one Penny,you have to pay extra for that channel of course but it gives great value if you like sports.I also have a package from Virgin that gives you Setanta for free,ie no monthly payment,but that only has occasional top English football on it ....

And so we wait,water and weed now till planting out time,when another bout of activity will take place , a bright spot for us the coming weekend is that our Grandson comes back from his tour of duty in Afghanistan,will be good to see him again after 6 months out there ...thats it for now, more soon ...take care all and happy gardening

PS Just checked the Met Office forecast for the coming week and looks a big change is coming lots of rain,cloud and no sun ...we shall see ...