| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family 09:44 - Mar 31 with 3783 views | Mullet |
My garden was an utter state when I got the place. 5 years on, it's slipping back again. Any advice on the following?
Easy plants to grow, veg and herbs especially that we can feed the little man. I'm going to dig a couple of beds this Easter and see what I can cultivate this year. Suttons seem to sell stuff based on what to sow each month which is quite handy.
Mare's tail. Next door's is an uncared for bomb site. They nearly burnt down our house and their's because the 3 foot high brambles went up in the summer thanks to their decision to have a bin fire when everything was bone dry.
After the scorched earth, they've got some grass back but the last three years our lawns, (especially out front) has been infested with the stuff as has theirs. Any tips on stopping it coming back? I want to put some hedging out front, grass it and maybe a nice tree, but since having it all redone it's just reduced to weeds and moss out there because of this stuff.
We've redone the patio but there's a 2 foot patch of mud and stuff at the end of it full of weeds, decorative gravel and all sorts. I plan to turn over and cover with compost/top soil today. The plan is to stick a load of hedging there to break up the garden a bit - any decent stuff to put there in the autumn?
Also for some plants is it better to get windowsill propagators or buy a mini plastic greenhouse for the patio? Or am I talking different things here?
I thought gardening was fairly simple, but googling suggests if one person says black another says white in answer to almost every question. My butts are all fine by the way, I just need to re erect them after a recent storm. |  |
| |  |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 09:52 - Mar 31 with 3755 views | Dubtractor |
Carrots, tomatoes, strawberries, onions (from sets), spinach, all pretty easy to grow for a beginner.
Don't try and grow too much in a small space is probably the best advice you'll get.
Will give some more detail in a bit! |  |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 10:13 - Mar 31 with 3726 views | Guthrum |
Those mini upright plastic greenhouse things are pretty good, as long as you can put them in a fairly sheltered spot and tie/weight down well.
Other things to consider: Growing (early crop/new) potatoes in large pots. Also, my mother has a couple of rectangular tubs together, with a superstructure of canes, in which she grows runner beans very successfully. The pots allow the soil quality to be managed easier (don't require serious digging and can live on the patio). |  |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 10:24 - Mar 31 with 3706 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
Re raised beds....moles love them so maybe put some wire mesh at the very bottom. Veg...plant stuff that can be picked and eaten raw(kids love it)....beetroot, mange tout/sugar snap peas, carrots.Grow some new potatoes in sacks/containers if space is short as kids love digging them up. Fruit ...raspberry canes and strawberries take care of themselves and treat yourself to a couple of blue berry plants (pots/ericaceous soil).
Mare's tail is a mare! Weed killer runs off it so bruise it first and it will have more impact but it will come back. Maybe artificial grass but it will probably find a way through this too!
Dogwood doesn't mind soggy ground and looks great in Autumn and Winter.
If starting tomatoes, peppers and some flowers then a propogator is useful but it may be easier to buy plants from a nursery. The mini plastic greenhouse would be for hardening off plants between being indoors and planting out. |  |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:10 - Mar 31 with 3660 views | Ryorry |
Grow what you (and he!) like to eat most, and what goes off quickest when shop-bought, esp if you dislike shopping or it's inconvenient! Most veg are very easy except asparagus, which takes 3 years to establish from planting before you can eat it.
Also completely endorse previous comment re picking a few & eating raw - runner beans, lettuce, spring onions, sugar snap peas all easy & particularly good for that. Lettuces - just pick a few leaves off the outer & let em continue growing, and only sow a few at a time in succession for cropping throughout spring/summer/autumn. Courgettes are easy but need a metre of space per plant. Herbs - parsley and chives are easy, as are sage, rosemary, thyme and mint - but watch out with the latter & confine it to a pot, as it'll spread like a weed given half a chance!
I had a mini-greenhouse in the conservatory and wouldn't recommend - they are v. flimsy construction (mine was the slot-in pole type) & prone to collapse when your baby plants grow & need more water, causing multiple seed trays & plants scattered all over the floor and a great deal of heartache! Window propagators are OK but expensive and a bit of a flaff. You could go for chillies & tomatoes in growbags in a conservatory or light warm room, but baby plant plugs from garden centres are much easier, time-saving & don't break the bank, altho obvs not quite as cheap and satisfying as growing from seed. Wait till all danger of frost is past before planting out, but don't leave it too late to buy, as the popular and good quality plugs will sell quickly.
Your weed & mud-patches - I'd knock em out with some weed-killer first (not exactly environmentally friendly, but needs must), cover with black weed suppressant for the following month, and only then sow your desired plants on top - make holes in the covers & plant the plugs through. Potatoes are a good crop to break up the ground, you could follow them in Sept with grass & saplings.
Have a great time both gardening and eating :) [Post edited 31 Mar 2019 11:13]
|  |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:31 - Mar 31 with 3638 views | GunnsAirkick |
I'm no expert but have dabbled, I've found the following always seem to produce good crops even though I don't know what I'm doing!
- Tomatoes (especially Tumbling Toms in baskets).
- Courgettes.
- Runner beans.
- Potatoes (in sacks, use seed potatoes though not old ones from the supermarket).
- Broad beans.
- Lettuce.
- Chard.
- Chives.
- Mint.
- Parsley.
- Strawberries (you have to keep an eye on them though as various creatures snaffle them rather quickly).
- Garlic.
I always plant some sweetcorn too, but they never seem to do well. Same with pumokins, don't think I have the right soil for either. |  | | |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:37 - Mar 31 with 3627 views | BanksterDebtSlave |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:31 - Mar 31 by GunnsAirkick |
I'm no expert but have dabbled, I've found the following always seem to produce good crops even though I don't know what I'm doing!
- Tomatoes (especially Tumbling Toms in baskets).
- Courgettes.
- Runner beans.
- Potatoes (in sacks, use seed potatoes though not old ones from the supermarket).
- Broad beans.
- Lettuce.
- Chard.
- Chives.
- Mint.
- Parsley.
- Strawberries (you have to keep an eye on them though as various creatures snaffle them rather quickly).
- Garlic.
I always plant some sweetcorn too, but they never seem to do well. Same with pumokins, don't think I have the right soil for either. |
Do you plant your sweetcorn in blocks not lines? Polinate them by hand if necessary. | |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:38 - Mar 31 with 3622 views | sparks |
River cottage handbooks are very useful for growing veg and stuff. |  |
| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
(Sir Terry Pratchett) | | Poll: | Is Fred drunk this morning? |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:47 - Mar 31 with 3606 views | BackToRussia |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:10 - Mar 31 by Ryorry |
Grow what you (and he!) like to eat most, and what goes off quickest when shop-bought, esp if you dislike shopping or it's inconvenient! Most veg are very easy except asparagus, which takes 3 years to establish from planting before you can eat it.
Also completely endorse previous comment re picking a few & eating raw - runner beans, lettuce, spring onions, sugar snap peas all easy & particularly good for that. Lettuces - just pick a few leaves off the outer & let em continue growing, and only sow a few at a time in succession for cropping throughout spring/summer/autumn. Courgettes are easy but need a metre of space per plant. Herbs - parsley and chives are easy, as are sage, rosemary, thyme and mint - but watch out with the latter & confine it to a pot, as it'll spread like a weed given half a chance!
I had a mini-greenhouse in the conservatory and wouldn't recommend - they are v. flimsy construction (mine was the slot-in pole type) & prone to collapse when your baby plants grow & need more water, causing multiple seed trays & plants scattered all over the floor and a great deal of heartache! Window propagators are OK but expensive and a bit of a flaff. You could go for chillies & tomatoes in growbags in a conservatory or light warm room, but baby plant plugs from garden centres are much easier, time-saving & don't break the bank, altho obvs not quite as cheap and satisfying as growing from seed. Wait till all danger of frost is past before planting out, but don't leave it too late to buy, as the popular and good quality plugs will sell quickly.
Your weed & mud-patches - I'd knock em out with some weed-killer first (not exactly environmentally friendly, but needs must), cover with black weed suppressant for the following month, and only then sow your desired plants on top - make holes in the covers & plant the plugs through. Potatoes are a good crop to break up the ground, you could follow them in Sept with grass & saplings.
Have a great time both gardening and eating :) [Post edited 31 Mar 2019 11:13]
|
don't use weedkiller |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:55 - Mar 31 with 3593 views | Ryorry |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:47 - Mar 31 by BackToRussia |
don't use weedkiller |
I agree & don't normally, but Mares Tail ain't called 'mares tail for nowt! How do you get rid of by other means? | |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:56 - Mar 31 with 3590 views | ballycastle |
Grow stuff that is relatively expensive to buy, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries etc
I really do not see the point of growing carrots, onions etc as so cheap to buy.
A plum and Cherry tree are also very good. |  | | |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 12:00 - Mar 31 with 3585 views | Ryorry |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:56 - Mar 31 by ballycastle |
Grow stuff that is relatively expensive to buy, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries etc
I really do not see the point of growing carrots, onions etc as so cheap to buy.
A plum and Cherry tree are also very good. |
"I really do not see the point of growing carrots, onions etc as so cheap to buy. "
Freshness! and reducing carbon footprint, esp if you live a long way from the shops (5 miles round trip to local shop, and 25 miles round trip to nearest supermarket for me). | |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 12:02 - Mar 31 with 3583 views | BackToRussia |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 11:55 - Mar 31 by Ryorry |
I agree & don't normally, but Mares Tail ain't called 'mares tail for nowt! How do you get rid of by other means? |
Depends how long you want to wait. If time is no factor, I would strim and then mow the area down to soil level, then cover with black plastic or cardboard, anything that will block out light and leave for 3-6 months. 6 months will kill off all but the most aggressive perennial root, as well as everything above ground of course. Anything that grows back after then can be easily removed as it sprouts again.
If you have less time I would selectively fork and remove as much mare's tail as possible, then strim and mow, and then cover as above for as much time as you can. Then prepare small beds in the area you want to use, forking over it and removing any weeds to give yourself a clean bed to plant/sow into.
Then woodchip the paths in between. Any weeds that come up in the paths, remove or just add more woodchip. Then for the beds, weed as usual. Over time you will remove it all.
Cover it all back up in the autumn when you're done so nothing can takeover.
If you use weedkiller, you'll be eating weedkiller. | |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 13:48 - Mar 31 with 3533 views | Ryorry |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 12:02 - Mar 31 by BackToRussia |
Depends how long you want to wait. If time is no factor, I would strim and then mow the area down to soil level, then cover with black plastic or cardboard, anything that will block out light and leave for 3-6 months. 6 months will kill off all but the most aggressive perennial root, as well as everything above ground of course. Anything that grows back after then can be easily removed as it sprouts again.
If you have less time I would selectively fork and remove as much mare's tail as possible, then strim and mow, and then cover as above for as much time as you can. Then prepare small beds in the area you want to use, forking over it and removing any weeds to give yourself a clean bed to plant/sow into.
Then woodchip the paths in between. Any weeds that come up in the paths, remove or just add more woodchip. Then for the beds, weed as usual. Over time you will remove it all.
Cover it all back up in the autumn when you're done so nothing can takeover.
If you use weedkiller, you'll be eating weedkiller. |
Good answer, but sounded like Mullet wants to grow this season. True of course that "If you use weedkiller, you'll be eating weedkiller" but I guess one answer to that would be to construct deep raised beds on that area afterwards and fill with soil/compost to suit, so you could then also ensure you have the light sandy soil needed for carrots and parsnips; rich moist loam for courgettes etc.
Heard one questioner on GQT years ago say he'd tried to dig out from very deep, his Mares Tail patch for years without success. Even the panellists were gloomy about the chances of completely eliminating it! | |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 14:17 - Mar 31 with 3506 views | brogansnose |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 13:48 - Mar 31 by Ryorry |
Good answer, but sounded like Mullet wants to grow this season. True of course that "If you use weedkiller, you'll be eating weedkiller" but I guess one answer to that would be to construct deep raised beds on that area afterwards and fill with soil/compost to suit, so you could then also ensure you have the light sandy soil needed for carrots and parsnips; rich moist loam for courgettes etc.
Heard one questioner on GQT years ago say he'd tried to dig out from very deep, his Mares Tail patch for years without success. Even the panellists were gloomy about the chances of completely eliminating it! |
Mares Tail or Horses Tail has been on the planet since pre-historic times and fossil traces of it has been found so its pretty much indestructible unless you use Agent Orange.
I think what Ruskie posted is about right with containers growing stuff that you fancy. |  | | |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 14:37 - Mar 31 with 3481 views | jeera |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 12:02 - Mar 31 by BackToRussia |
Depends how long you want to wait. If time is no factor, I would strim and then mow the area down to soil level, then cover with black plastic or cardboard, anything that will block out light and leave for 3-6 months. 6 months will kill off all but the most aggressive perennial root, as well as everything above ground of course. Anything that grows back after then can be easily removed as it sprouts again.
If you have less time I would selectively fork and remove as much mare's tail as possible, then strim and mow, and then cover as above for as much time as you can. Then prepare small beds in the area you want to use, forking over it and removing any weeds to give yourself a clean bed to plant/sow into.
Then woodchip the paths in between. Any weeds that come up in the paths, remove or just add more woodchip. Then for the beds, weed as usual. Over time you will remove it all.
Cover it all back up in the autumn when you're done so nothing can takeover.
If you use weedkiller, you'll be eating weedkiller. |
Although this article has a piece promoting a total weed killer it also suggests changing the soil PH over time to make it more hostile to horsetail. Mind you that's through liming but you'd know more than me on that stuff.
https://www.progreen.co.uk/content/kill-horsetail-marestail/
I do understand you need to be particularly vigilant and persistent attacking the stuff though. A weed burner may be helpful to help keep surface growth at bay I guess.
Edit: If you see this B2R, I was kinda interested in your opinion on the PH suggestion. Or is it nonsense? [Post edited 31 Mar 2019 19:20]
|  |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 14:53 - Mar 31 with 3466 views | jeera |
Another vote here for:
Runners
Mange tout
French beans
Tomatoes
Potatoes in tubs (Actually I've used those pop-up garden bags - really good as you can gradually raise them along with the growth. You can also line up a few so you have different stages of growth going at once for continuous supply).
Chard always a great thing and simple to grow. Do yourself a favour and keep it simple until you know what you're doing and don't go mad with brassica as there's little more disappointing than going out one morning to see the lot wiped out by flea beetle.
Courgette easy to grow in tubs. Same for cucumbers.
Lettuces easy and always nice to have around.
I have a long line of herbs in terracotta pots. They look good and are great to have close by for dinner! Cannot go wrong with bay, rosemary, thyme.
Stick some lavender around the garden to keep the bees onside and add colour.
In fact several items are great in tubs really as you know exactly what's in the soil and can control the bugs/slugs etc much easier.
Try not to use slug pellets - picking is a pain to start with but once you're on top of it, it's not so bad.
Slug barriers can be built. I find a line of sharp sand useful.
A cheap vinegar solution can deter ants and they can even be rerouted with a little persistence. Keep away from your plants though. Ants are not particularly helpful at all.
Friends, apart from bees, include ladybirds, hover flies (even wasps) and earwigs. [Post edited 31 Mar 2019 19:21]
| |
| |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 15:23 - Mar 31 with 3436 views | ballycastle |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 12:00 - Mar 31 by Ryorry |
"I really do not see the point of growing carrots, onions etc as so cheap to buy. "
Freshness! and reducing carbon footprint, esp if you live a long way from the shops (5 miles round trip to local shop, and 25 miles round trip to nearest supermarket for me). |
I live in Suffolk, I'm never more than half a mile from a fresh carrot or onion! | | | |
| Gardeners of TWTD - I didn't get the green fingers in the family on 15:34 - Mar 31 with 3422 views | Meadowlark |
Some good advice already given, so I won't repeat any of that, but I would like to warn against buying plastic, be it mini "greenhouses," propagators etc. All goes to landfill after falling to pieces inside a couple of months.
I have saved old coke and lemonade bottles that I cut in half and use (and re-use) to cover new shoots. |  | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
