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Winter Potting Shed – 2010/11
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Message 1.Â
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Monday, 1st November 2010
Hello gardeners, welcome to our winter Potting Shed.
Not much to report from here, except that my sweet peas sown 12 days ago have started to pop though and the fact that I’m sweeping-up what seems to be mountains of leaves.
Weather permitting; I’m hoping to prune back both my buddleia & roses during the coming week. I like to do this in November and again in the spring, as I find the November pruning helps minimize rocking about during winter storms.
Link to previous thread: -
Message 2
Posted by Miftrefs Laura in Lothian bufily ftitching (U2587870) on Monday, 1st November 2010
Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:44 GMT, in reply to David K in message 1
Here you are, everyone, I've knitted you all cosy welly-socks for the winter, with mustard patterning on the turnover naturally!
Can't stop now, but I'll leave them hanging on this line well above the little oil-heater so they're warm as well as dry - I saw David had unlocked the shed so thought I'd just pop in. No doubt the thermoses and biscuit-tins will be along shortly!
laura -
Message 3
Posted by U14639670 (U14639670) on Monday, 1st November 2010
just waiting for a drier day in order to empty all the containers, sort out the drainage crocks and rocks, put soil in big blue barrel to keep slugs away and then sweep up.
Some garlic peeping out between the half buried conkers and the horse chestnut 'tree' that appeared this year from last year's 12 conkers.
Hoping for a better retun this time - two would be a nice start. -
Message 4
Posted by Leaping Badger (U3587940) on Monday, 1st November 2010
Morning all. Not much going on in my garden at the moment, apart from some more tidying up to do, eg removing the tomato root systems. I'd like to sow some green manure over winter, but I don't have anything specifically for that and I think I might have left it too late. Might sprinkle some old cress seed I have about to see if anything happens, as it'll just go to waste otherwise.
'Ö' -
Message 5
Posted by sagethyme (U5272261) on Monday, 1st November 2010
Hi David and all.
Last week the neighbours 2 doors up finally had their leylandii trimmed after requests involving several neighbours. Tall enough to overshadow part of our garden as well as others for a long distance. Result!
Would have preferred them all felled rather than halved, but thankful for what we have achieved without lawyers and bad feeling.
Now can plan a better range of veg and flowers for next year. -
Message 6
Posted by halftidy (U8567554) on Monday, 1st November 2010
Hi all
well done sagethyme - I have a similar problem with a tree on neighbours side of fence which overshadows a good bit of my veggie patch - they never go to that part of their garden and indeed it is where they bung their rubbish (lovely) - if I felled it they would never know but I have asked if I can lop it but they never get back to me - suggestions please??? (do copper nails work?)
beautiful day here and I am stuck in an office grrrrrr. -
Message 7
Posted by Gayer-Anderson Cat (U13637930) on Monday, 1st November 2010
replying to 600lbs of Samoan dynamite
in message 3:
"put soil in big blue barrel to keep slugs away"
Do slugs not like the colour blue, then? And are snails of similar mind?
G-AC -
Message 8
Posted by sue (U8059472) on Monday, 1st November 2010
I have just trasplanted some spring cabbage
Sweet peas done
Onion and garlic sets in
In the ditch in my waders clearing out the reeds fortunatly rain stopped play and I have run inside and lit the fire -
Message 9
Posted by SussexCornflower InTheFinalCountdown (U13833966) on Monday, 1st November 2010
Hello everyone !
Bookmarking really.
But have three days off this week so will hopefully get into the garden for part of that.
I will bring some soup with me.. -
Message 10
Posted by carrick-bend (U2288869) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:16 GMT, in reply to halftidy in message 6
Obviously it is illegal to damage someone else's tree, but I have heard of someone killing their own tree deliberately by drilling a hole below ground level and filling it full of glyphosphate. -
Message 11
Posted by Mother of Grendel (U10657865) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
Carrick, I think I'm right in saying you can cut back branches that overhang your garden but you have to offer the branches back to them...
I'm tempted by the glyphosate hole idea - my neighbour has a thirty foot Lawson's Cypress - my asparagus plants lean away from the shade.
I'm harvesting my last bunches of grapes this afternoon! And also disposing of my beautiful Cotinus that has finally succumbed to verticillium wilt
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Message 12
Posted by Flakey (U14259784) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
Hello David, Hello everyone
How are you David ?
I have two huge clumps of red hot pokers.
I would like to move, split and re-plant them, any tips, the split bit is what concerns me most.
Best wishes
Flakes x -
Message 13
Posted by mince pie anyone (U14670335) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
Turns up with kag-sack...finds trowel, and digs for worms.
It is ok wormies. the big dig will start soon, and you guys will be safe, I'm going to find hundreds there, and I wont need to come back here this corner of my allotment for a while. -
Message 14
Posted by dens canis (U1983532) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
Now that the clocks have gone back it really feels autumnal. I took down the tomato plants and the French beans at the weekend, set out all the potted-up strawberry runners and raked and shredded the first lawnful of leaves. The flowering cherry always colours beautifully - yellow at the top, red in the middle and the lower leaves are still green. It looks like a firework.
Any suggestions for a small tree or decent-sized shrub to replace my scraggy old ceonothus? It needs to be happy in the back corner of the garden, facing north and west. I rather liked the look of some of the dogwoods but the nicest ones said that they wanted full sun. -
Message 15
Posted by U14639670 (U14639670) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
replying to 600lbs of Samoan dynamite
in message 3:
"put soil in big blue barrel to keep slugs away"
Do slugs not like the colour blue, then? And are snails of similar mind?
³Ò-´¡°äÌý
they don't like it with a lid tightly sealed on it for about four months. -
Message 16
Posted by SussexCornflower InTheFinalCountdown (U13833966) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
How about a Daphne, dens canis? Lovely scent in very early March, evergreen and not too large. Mine is in semi-shade and seems very happy.
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Message 17
Posted by GuzziNut (U6364582) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
I love daphne plants but they can be a bit frost prone / tender, I lost mine two winters ago when we went down to -12C :-0 it was at the end of the garden
and I also think we need a wood stove in the potting shed, not an oil one
I'm slowly clearing the garden of summer stuff thats now dead, the cold snap finished orf the geraniums and the beans
but I'm enjoying the colours the cold snap triggered tho, my ko jo cherry is so red this year
need to cut the lawns once more (I hope that'll be it) if its dry enough -
Message 18
Posted by dens canis (U1983532) on Tuesday, 2nd November 2010
A Daphne would like the conditions, Sussex, and I might well think of one for the front of that border. I really need someting a bit taller, though - it needs to get up to about 15 feet to hide the back fance. It's solid wall to about 6 feet and that mesh stuff for the rest: we back onto a school.
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Message 19
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Sorry to bother you with this folks (it is relevant). I would just like to say that after the most carp year of my life (from a health point of view); attending my bi-annual eyesight test yesterday I was informed that I had cataracts in both eyes.
Although they are at a very early stage and far from being operable, it does help to explain a few things to me i.e. I’ve noticed more than a few discrepancies in the messages I post here (inappropriate & missed- out words etc).
Anyway, in another week or so I should have new glasses which will hopefully help improve matters…mean time, please bear with me. -
Message 20
Posted by Miftrefs Laura in Lothian bufily ftitching (U2587870) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:20 GMT, in reply to David K in message 19
David, my very dere hert, we - ALL of us, I know - don't particularly mind anything as long as you are here.
Very best wishes for successful treatment.
{{{hugs}}}
laura -
Message 21
Posted by GuzziNut (U6364582) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Denis, I thought the Daphne would like the conditions, I'm in Sussex too, but it didnt like the minus 12 temps.
I guess it was not a well established plant when the cold snap came! A very well established bottle brush plant that is near to the house so protected I guess survived, however.
David I'm prone to typos, totally nonsensical posts and spooling mistukes and I have no excuse at all!
So long as you are here, thats fine by me -
Message 22
Posted by SussexCornflower InTheFinalCountdown (U13833966) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
David: It is good that you know the problem. And cataracts are successfully dealt with although I note that yours are not too bad at this stage.
As for typos - we all make them and it matters not!
Certainly my Daphne was well established during last winter's freezing weather. It looked a bit sad for a while but picked up immediately the snow went and the temperatures lifted. -
Message 23
Posted by SussexCornflower InTheFinalCountdown (U13833966) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
David, it's just occurred to me - you do know that you can increase the size of the page on the computer don't you? I found out fairly recently and now have it on 140% which means I don't have to wear my reading specs!
I think it's different depending on which browser you are using. I am using IE and there is a button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen with a % on it. You can just click on the arrow and choose a %. Or, you can press CTRL and use the wheel on the mouse.
Apologies if you know all this! -
Message 24
Posted by dens canis (U1983532) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Sorry to hear about the cataracts, David, but the good news is that they're very fixable these days. As for the tyops - who doesn't?
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Message 25
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Thanks everyone, I wasn't so much looking for sympathy as much as sparing my blushes....I used to be so fastidious about these things….not to say that I mind about other peoples typos.
Suss, re text size, I did know about 'text sizes', I have mine on 'larger' at the mo.
Btw, it may be worth noting that the main problem at the mo is inadequate glasses, rather than the underlying problem. -
Message 26
Posted by hypercharleyfarley (U7444019) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Hello DK - so sorry about the probs you've had - though the new specs will be a huge help &, as somebody's already said, the op for cataract (when it's finally necessary) seems fairly routine these days. You're lucky to have a valid excuse for any typos - I've only anno domini to blame! However, my theory is that every new grey hair = 10,000 more brain cells defunct! My excuse, anyway, & I'm sticking to it for now............. & no, (in case you were wondering) my hair's still mostly the original colour even tho I could have applied for a bus pass a long time ago.
No gardening here apart from swearing at the rabbits & filling the odd bolt-hole. Am wondering whether I should venture out & start to pull off the falling leaves from the wisteria - the leaves themselves aren't so bad to deal with - it's those stems which get left on the branches which annoy me cos I can't easily rake them up. A hug from here. Ma. -
Message 27
Posted by SussexCornflower InTheFinalCountdown (U13833966) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Three days off so I have spent the morning in the garden. Lovely out there in the sun.
Bought a new blade for the mower so the grass will get a clean cut this p.m. At present it is rather long and very muddy thanks to the worms. -
Message 28
Posted by Flakey (U14259784) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Sorry about your peepers David I hope the specs help.
Flakes x -
Message 29
Posted by Leaping Badger (U3587940) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Oh dear, David. Sorry to hear you're having yet another health issue to contend with. Hope a new lens prescription will help and that the cateracts can be sorted out easily. Best wishes.
I have some lovely sweet romano peppers for you as a cheer-up present.
'Ö' -
Message 30
Posted by Lady Trudie Tilney Glorfindel Maldini (U2222312) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
Bookmarking and intending to actually keep up with the thread this time.
We put most of the veg-growing bits to bed last weekend - the weekend before we came back after a couple of days away to find the thermometer had registered minus 4, and the remaining tomato, pepper, cucmber and aubergine plants were looking somewhat dead. I'm not sure it's worth heating the greenhouse over the winter just for salady stuff so I will see if I can organise a windowsill.
The rest of the garden is looking as if it needs a good prune, I will have to tackle it bit by bit. I have no idea what to do when, so I'm working on the principle that if it's a pretty colour leave it as long as possible.
David hope you get the glasses sorted, I'm sure the optician can advise - sometimes things like tinted lenses can help before they're bad enough to need 'doing'. -
Message 31
Posted by SussexCornflower InTheFinalCountdown (U13833966) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
I think the basic rule for pruning, Erms, is that if it flowers early in the year then it is probably on last year's growth. So don't prune now as it won't bloom next Spring.
If it flowers in Summer or later then it is probably on this year's growth. So you can prune now (once the flowers are finished or in some cases in early Spring). -
Message 32
Posted by halftidy (U8567554) on Wednesday, 3rd November 2010
ermintrude I grow salads all winter in an unheated polytunnel very successfully. Mostly in the form of salad leaves (mesclun seeds from France as I work there a bit) but any leaves should be fine. I was on a River Cottage course recently and his big tunnel is unheated with loads of leaves going great guns in guttering.
-
Message 33
Posted by Gayer-Anderson Cat (U13637930) on Thursday, 4th November 2010
"going great guns in guttering."
love your alliteration there, halftidy!
G-AC -
Message 34
Posted by sue (U8059472) on Friday, 5th November 2010
Creeping buttercups
Any thoughts
3 acres of clayish silt gettng waterlogged in parts. But I am dealing with the drainage and I have enearthed some wonderful old slate lined drains which I have cleared out so that will probably solve the waterlogging
Going back I'm the one that weaves her own willow compost bins so poisoning the jiggers is not an option
I am aimimg for a forest garden which means designing groups of plants to mutually benefit each other
Bob Flowerdew/Alys Fowler style of gardening
Experiences with the yellow creeper much appreciated -
Message 35
Posted by Miftrefs Laura in Lothian bufily ftitching (U2587870) on Friday, 5th November 2010
Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:10 GMT, in reply to sue in message 34
sue, my experience of getting very old stone-slab (ie slate) lined drains working again is from a dig of an Iron Age site on Skye - when we reached the original 2,000-year-old drains and cleared the silt out and put fresh heather stems in and replaced the top-slabs, suddenly we had no more bucketing to do in the mornings on arrival because suddenly our site was no longer waterlogged! I hope yours do the same...
We've had buttercups creeping in our tiny city garden for 30 years and my experience is that once established in a sodden patch they will rampage into nearby well-drained patches from their established soggy base, BUT if you un-sog the base-camp, so to speak, they no longer bother and they just sort of stop being around.
I'm another one who tries never to use any chemical except Ecover washing-up liquid in David's rhubarb-leaf insect-spray, and there are others here too!
I would love to knit my own compost-bins from willow, but have no large amounts of willow so will have to wait... Got any pics you could post? I'd love to see woven-willow bins.
laura -
Message 36
Posted by Soozi Quattro (U2277886) on Saturday, 6th November 2010
hello, I've been directed here from The Bull!! Just wondering if anyone else's Purple Sprouting Broccoli has been doing its thing, as mine has been doing for the past few weeks, well in advance of when I was expecting it to do so!
Last year my early purple sprouting broccoli produced its sprouting bits in Januray, with the late variety following on in February/March. This year I've got both together, starting in October, and having been harvesting them, but aware that come January, there's not likely to be any left.
One other person in TB had the same experience. I though all Early Purple and Late Purple sprouting broccoli was more or less the same, but perhaps it varies, or is it somehting to do with the weather? Confess would've preferred it to wait till January as am snowed under with cauiliflowers which need eating up (have frozen some of them), -
Message 37
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Saturday, 6th November 2010
Hi, soozi
A few things to ponder here and perhaps you should retrace your steps. I don’t think it has anything to do with the weather.
First of all, I must say that the severe weather we had last winter was ideal for growing (what I call) proper purple sprouting.
The seed should be sown in open seedbeds in mid-April, and planted into their final position from August to September.
Nowadays there are some varieties sold specifically for harvesting at this time of year; did you buy the appropriate seed?
One last point (unlikely I think) have the plants been under any sort of stress? Lack of water, for instance. -
Message 38
Posted by Soozi Quattro (U2277886) on Saturday, 6th November 2010
Thanks very much, David. I think it must have been the variety in that case, because they haven't been short of water. I didn't realise that some varieties sprouted that much earlier than others, I imagined them to be all more or less the same. I shall pay more attention next time!!
-
Message 39
Posted by dens canis (U1983532) on Monday, 8th November 2010
Some of my PSB decided to do this last year. It was all from the same seed packet so variety ought not to have been an issue. Those plants did manage to crop in the spring as well so all is not lost. I thought that the flavour and quality of the accidental autumn crop was nothing like as good, though.
-
Message 40
Posted by halftidy (U8567554) on Monday, 8th November 2010
Glad to see you made it here soozi!
MY PSB is looking amazing, much better than the brussel sprouts alongside them. They are being grown under a net cage to avoid pigeon damage and one plant has reached the top and is now complaining! Luckily not actually producing PSB yet. it is such a fabulous veg and the only thing in the garden come May.
Sweet peas - just starting to show - 14 days from sowing and just a few (20) are up - I am always frightened of them drying out, but presume over watering just as bad?
Wonderful weeding weather this weekend, but now really horrid so back to the office ...... -
Message 41
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Monday, 8th November 2010
I agree about purple sprouting, along with runner beans probably the best crop (in terms of nutrition) we can grow.
Halftidy - Best to keep those sweet peas moist at this stage....overwatering caution applies to later, when we are getting sharp frosts. -
Message 42
Posted by Staddlestone (U6618327) on Monday, 8th November 2010
I'm a potterer in the garden- IYKWIM.
I'm just putting my head round the potting shed door ask advice.
Today I noticed that the magnolia tree in the garden had some bright red small fruit/seeds, so have "harvested" them. I understand for them to germinate I have to de-flesh them and store the seeds in sand(?) in the fridge for a couple of months.
Has anyone had any success in germinating magnolia seeds? Any advice on how to proceed.
Thanks. -
Message 43
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
Always the credible gardener, I would recommend watching Alan Titchmarsh's new series 'Garden Secrets' starting on Ö÷²¥´óÐã2 at 8pm tonight.
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Message 44
Posted by halftidy (U8567554) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
thanks for the heads up David - I have Pilates tonight but will watch on line later.
Any advice out there on gathering, drying and keeping pumpkin seeds for maximum chance of goodies next year?
2 more sweet peas appeared this am, but will check moisture - would a hydrometer be a good idea or are fingers shoved in OK - I dont want to damage the babies lurking underneath! -
Message 45
Posted by Miftrefs Laura in Lothian bufily ftitching (U2587870) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:15 GMT, in reply to halftidy in message 44
Any advice out there on gathering, drying and keeping pumpkin seeds for maximum chance of goodies next year?Â
If you spread them on a baking-sheet which you brushed with oil and toss them a few times and roast gently sprinkled very lightly with sea-salt they are GORGEOUS; they kind of puff up and have an amazing taste and...
Oh.
Well, if you eat them all, it might give you the energy to go out to buy seeds for next year?
laura -
Message 46
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
would a hydrometer be a good idea or are fingers shoved in OK - I don’t want to damage the babies lurking underneath!Â
Sounds a bit like coddling to me, just make sure that their little feet aren’t standing in a sump of cold icy water during frosty weather.
Btw, isn’t a hydrometer used for measuring the "specific gravity" of liquids--that is, determining whether a liquid is more or less dense than water? -
Message 47
Posted by GuzziNut (U6364582) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
squashes are really promiscuous and will mate with any other squash going, they are not bothered they just want pollen, so unless these are seeds that you know what's dun the pollinating, by doing it yourself and protecting the flower from other pollen, you may get some odd results
you could take a look at the Real Seeds website, there is advice on there
tidying continues outside, I scrubbed the side patio (where a bike has been lurking for months whilst the bloke alternately tries to fix or threatens to torch it) and the uppper front patio
boy, my arms objected to that one but they look much better now...
I also tidied and emptied more pots of annuals
I know nothing about germinating magnolia seeds so will stop now -
Message 48
Posted by sagethyme (U5272261) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
Stadders, message 42, if you seem to have been ignored that may mean that no-one has any magnolia seed expertise.
Would suggest drying, then planting in small pots on a frost-free shady windowsill and see what happens. That's what I do with seeds not sure about.
Here at Thyme Towers we have a lovely magnolia which our predecessors planted, rather closer to the house and shadier than we would have chosen so it was sulking. We chucked home-knitted compost at it when there was some spare, and now it flourishes. -
Message 49
Posted by Staddlestone (U6618327) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
No I don't feel ignored about the magnolia query.
I intend to try a few different ways to try and get them to germinate.
I'll pop in again sometime to see if there there are any experts. -
Message 50
Posted by David K (U14115317) on Tuesday, 9th November 2010
Staddlestone, pleased you wasn't feeling ignored.
In the absence of firsthand knowledge, I have found out the following for you.
1) Gather seeds from magnolia pods just before the pods open. Seeds will be covered with a reddish orange coating. Soak in tepid water for 24 hours to remove the coating. Remove from water and squeeze the pulp in your hands to force the glossy black seeds out of the pulp. Wash in warm water to remove any flesh or residue from the coating.
2) Plant seeds to a depth of 1/2 inch in tray of potting mixture of two parts peat moss, one part all-purpose potting soil and one part sand. Water thoroughly and cover the container with plastic wrap to maintain moisture.
3) Set in a warm location to germinate. Monitor closely. Keeping the soil evenly moist, but avoiding soggy soil. Open the plastic daily to provide air circulation and to stabilize moisture. Seedlings emerge in 4 to 6 weeks.
4)Remove the plastic wrap and place seedlings in a sunny window. Plant in individual pots once seedlings have developed the second set of leaves.
5) Plant outside in the spring after all danger of frost has passed. Magnolias like full sun and well-drained soil.
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