Topic: The RAWK Gardening Thread. (All Questions Answered)

[royhendo]

I'm about to do the same with spuds and beetroot I think Debs (as well as a few other things - we're just starting out really so only gonna try a few things extra - spuds, beetroot, kale, spinach, and I can't remember the others - oh, and beans).

The polythene's been an incredible success - I've cleared a massive area now and there's nothing there any more - just a clean slate to do the cardboard and mulch over (I think - I'll maybe still have a 'moat' of weed membrane to make sure the nasties don't creep back into the big centre bit that was clear from last year).

The only problem is I'm now making about four new beds, but stuff it - we'll figure it out. Really do recommend that Charles Dowding approach though for anybody who's got ground ridden with the real horrible weeds that creep and infest the place.

Composting side isn't going so well yet though - that'll be my other big job this year - to make a space to do that properly.

[reddebs]

I'm not really doing much now, just pottering round seeing what's appearing. 

We're in that weird faze where it's theoretically too early to start stuff but the temperatures are mild enough to do so.  You just know that as soon as you do we'll get a month of frozen ground 😂

My composting has done really well considering I thought it was failing miserably last summer.  The only bit that hasn't worked is the hot compost but it was never a must have as I've got 3 others on the go.

I've already emptied the small one and half the 2nd one onto the veg plots and borders in September which was surprising as they were only started probably late April/May and it was beautiful black, loamy compost.

I can't wait to get going again though but I'm really suffering with back, hip and pelvic pain so although the mind is willing the body isn't capable.  I've got a physio appointment on the 21st so once I've got a diagnosis and some excersises to do hopefully I can get stuck in.

[royhendo]

Hope that eases Debs, what a nightmare!

[Filler.]

I'm about to do the same with spuds and beetroot I think Debs (as well as a few other things - we're just starting out really so only gonna try a few things extra - spuds, beetroot, kale, spinach, and I can't remember the others - oh, and beans).

Asparagus. Give that a go this year. 2 ft x 2ft. Just a small patch. Yes, you won't eat any asparagus for a few years but it'll be so worth it in the end. That's what I keep telling myself anyway... 4th year in a row where I try and get an established patch going Home grown spinach I could eat every day. Hoping to grow purple sprouting broccoli this year... that's another veg (like asparagus) that really benefits from being cut down and thrown into the pot quickly apparently. Here's hoping I can review this at some stage!

[Sarge]

Wont be doing much this weekend, needs a pre Spring going over but its a bit windy here in Dublin.

[reddebs]

Wont be doing much this weekend, needs a pre Spring going over but its a bit windy here in Dublin.

Understatement of the year 😂

[Slippers]

It's pissing down here,the long awaited (and much needed) tidy up will have to wait.

[ToneLa]

Need to do my dad's garden up a bit.

Anything evergreen that would suit a garden border? We have a couple conifers but the sides of the garden are a bit bare. Ideally not trees that take years to look good 

[reddebs]

Need to do my dad's garden up a bit.

Anything evergreen that would suit a garden border? We have a couple conifers but the sides of the garden are a bit bare. Ideally not trees that take years to look good 

Escelonia are dead easy to grow.
They're evergreen with white or pink flowers from around June to October.  Are mainly grown as hedging but also as specimen plants in a border and will grow upto 40/50cms per year.

Any evergreen Pyracantha will flower March/April time then have masses of  either orange or red berries from autumn.  The blackbirds absolutely love them.

If you've got acidic soil then Camelia, Azalea and Rhododendrums will all do well.

Hebes, Skimmia Japonica and some Pieris are also evergreen.

Best of luck mate 👍

Forgot about Euonimous too.  They don't grow massive and the gold/green leafed one really stands out in a border.

[ToneLa]

Cheers! Plenty to crack on with. Nice one 

[royhendo]

Asparagus. Give that a go this year. 2 ft x 2ft. Just a small patch. Yes, you won't eat any asparagus for a few years but it'll be so worth it in the end. That's what I keep telling myself anyway... 4th year in a row where I try and get an established patch going Home grown spinach I could eat every day. Hoping to grow purple sprouting broccoli this year... that's another veg (like asparagus) that really benefits from being cut down and thrown into the pot quickly apparently. Here's hoping I can review this at some stage!

That is sheer class. It's a perennial?

[Red-Soldier]

Cheers! Plenty to crack on with. Nice one 

Euonymus (spindle tree) are really nice.  Varigated leaves, tiny flowers that are loved by pollinators during the summer, and berries for birds in the winter.   

I always garden with wildlife in mind - anything I plant has to be beneficial.

[Sarge]

Cheers! Plenty to crack on with. Nice one 

Lots of great shrubs you can use just depends on what you want from it, colour, blossoms, wildlife, height, width and so on.

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

It's not good to introduce anything like that.  All you need to do is create the pond and put the plants in - everything else will happen naturally.  Whatever is in your area will find it 

You were right.
Had a look in the pond for the first time in ages and there was a huge clump of frogspawn. No idea how they found it but they did.

We missed the spawning season last year having only built the pond in May, but we got a fair bit of wildlife, albeit a few too many mosquito larvae for our liking! Hopefully now there'll be a frog or 2 to balance it all off a bit.

What a day yesterday, finding frogspawn in the pond and winning a cup 

[reddebs]

I know we've had a relatively warm winter so far and certainly I've got many plants flowering that are a good month or two early but whilst I was clearing some borders yesterday I saw a ladybird.

Surely that's a bit too early?

[Red-Soldier]

You were right.
Had a look in the pond for the first time in ages and there was a huge clump of frogspawn. No idea how they found it but they did.

We missed the spawning season last year having only built the pond in May, but we got a fair bit of wildlife, albeit a few too many mosquito larvae for our liking! Hopefully now there'll be a frog or 2 to balance it all off a bit.

What a day yesterday, finding frogspawn in the pond and winning a cup 

This is great!  I'm delighted that something found it - what an awesome find! 

I was in my pond on Saturday and found a newt hiding in a clump of vegetation.

Nature is incredible, if you create a habitat, you can guarantee it will be used.  It just needs to be left to do it's thing.

Don't fret about the midges too much, they are important food sources for frogs and other insects. 

[Charlie Adams fried egg]

This is great!  I'm delighted that something found it - what an awesome find! 

I was in my pond on Saturday and found a newt hiding in a clump of vegetation.

Nature is incredible, if you create a habitat, you can guarantee it will be used.  It just needs to be left to do it's thing.

Don't fret about the midges too much, they are important food sources for frogs and other insects. 

A newt is a cracking find.
Less worried about midges this year now there’s hopefully some frogs to eat the larvae.
Do you clear the vegetation out or let it just decompose naturally?

[Filler.]

That is sheer class. It's a perennial?

It'll give you beautiful asparagus every year for about 20 years. It's an absolute must.

[pw1008]

Bit of a random one but I want to put a folding wooden table onto the outside  a brick shed - so it can be used as a spare table for bbqs, pizza oven. Garden is pretty much all grass so not space to have a table permanently down and not a lot of space for storage as shed is already fairly packed. 

Has anyone done this - looking to find a table - fitting it I can do but wouldn't  the skill & patience to after watching a few youtube videos - tried the obvious places and likes of Etsy and Ebay - or do you think best looking for a joiner\handyman to make one?

[reddebs]

Bit of a random one but I want to put a folding wooden table onto the outside  a brick shed - so it can be used as a spare table for bbqs, pizza oven. Garden is pretty much all grass so not space to have a table permanently down and not a lot of space for storage as shed is already fairly packed. 

Has anyone done this - looking to find a table - fitting it I can do but wouldn't  the skill & patience to after watching a few youtube videos - tried the obvious places and likes of Etsy and Ebay - or do you think best looking for a joiner\handyman to make one?

I would've thought it was a fairly simple DIY job mate if you're confident working with wood and plan it properly.

If not, a decent handyman would be able to do it if you've got a clear plan of how it'll fold away and how it'll be supported when down.

[pw1008]

Cheers for reply - not looking for anything fancy - I'm not he handiest with DIY - if there was something ready made I'd be able to attach it to wall ok but thats about my limit.

I've seen Murphy Bar kits but just wanted a simple table I'll check out local handymen

[reddebs]

Cheers for reply - not looking for anything fancy - I'm not he handiest with DIY - if there was something ready made I'd be able to attach it to wall ok but thats about my limit.

I've seen Murphy Bar kits but just wanted a simple table I'll check out local handymen

I wouldn't know about ready made kits but you clearly know what you want and need so if they don't fulfil that then a handyman making something is the way to go.

[Sarge]

Cracking day here in Dublin if a bit on the nippy side so got a lot of cutting back and tidying up done.

[reddebs]

Cracking day here in Dublin if a bit on the nippy side so got a lot of cutting back and tidying up done.

Been beaut here too so been doing some planting out of cuttings I took last year. 

Also sown some hardy annuals and perennial seeds and attempted to split some oriental poppies.

So much is in flower already and after the 4 or 5 days of sunshine we're expecting even more will be out by next weekend.

[harryc]

Brought out my ensete ventricosum and maurelli into the south facing kitchen to get them going.

Surprised at the amount of coleus that have germinated this year, New Guinea impatiens have been zilch.

Just started off some cuphea ignea on the heat mat alongside the ricinus communis

Always love this time of year with exotic plants - the balance of getting enough heat light and moisture without rotting is always tricky.

[Sarge]

Spring is the business.

[reddebs]

The poppies I split up and moved yesterday seem to have perked up today so hopefully they'll survive now.

I have a huge clump of acanthus but it's under the hedge so although the leaves are architecturally fabulous they didn't flower.  A few weeks ago after we'd taken the hedge right back I dug up some new shoots and moved them into one of the borders.

They're also looking established now too so fingers crossed they'll thrive and flower this year.

I've dug up and moved a delphinium that we bought last year as where we'd put it it got drowned out with the poppies and sweetpeas.  It's now with another one in a new border I created last summer.

As I've been tidying the borders up I keep finding small foxgloves that I'm guessing are from the seeds I sowed in a nursery bed last year, so I've moved them to an area where I've transplanted the other seedlings.

Lots of bulbs in flower too.  Crocus, daffs, grape hyacinth, iris, anemones and scillas and unbelievably I've got flower buds on one of the hardy fuschias.

I'm glad I put so much hard graft into digging over the borders that were basically just grass last year then emptied all the composts onto them as the soil is just beautiful to work with now, plus there's hardly any weeds either meaning it's just a quick flick over with a fork to keep them looking good.

I'm off to see my sister at the end of the month who has salvaged some hellebores from the nurseries she works at and we have the perfect place for them to go straight into.

Going to get the parsnips in tomorrow and sort out the strawberry plants and sow some more flower seeds along the edge of some pathways.

I really need to construct a wooden arbour soon for the climbing rose.  The metal archway we got last year didn't survive the November winds so hopefully a wooden one will be a bit more robust.

I love this time of year 🤗

[Sarge]

No stopping you Debs, RAWKs very own Monty Don

[reddebs]

No stopping you Debs, RAWKs very own Monty Don

Making up for not having a garden for 20yrs mate.

Plus they don't look after themselves 😁

[Sarge]

Making up for not having a garden for 20yrs mate.

Plus they don't look after themselves 😁

True oh so true.

[reddebs]

First grass cut today 

[Slippers]

First grass cut today 

Mr Slippers cut the top lawn last week,it's surprising how much tidier everything looks with just that done.

[reddebs]

Mr Slippers cut the top lawn last week,it's surprising how much tidier everything looks with just that done.

Definitely.

[royhendo]

Sounding good Debs!

I managed to finally get my coldframe up and it's the one worthwhile thing I've done in the pandemic, haha!

[reddebs]

Well I've spent the morning sowing seeds for indoor propagation so we'll have lots of colour, flowers and heights in the garden this summer.

My sister gave me a box full of packs of seeds that she's collected free off her gardening magazines and although I hate the faff of indoor growing, pricking out, growing on, hardening off before anything evens hits the garden I thought it only fair I make use of them.

As I've said before she works at a nurseries as a propagater so had also collected loads of seeds for me last autumn.  I've been googling the Latin names for info on where and when to sow, height etc and wow she's done amazing with the choices.

A lot of natural, wild, shade loving, late flowering, tall plants that will look fabulous along the fence line under the hedges we've spent the winter clearing and cutting back.

Well done and thank you Sis 😁

On my morning wander round the garden I've also noticed that one of the young gorse bushes I dug up from down the track last summer has got buds on 😯 I got 4 and it's the only one that's survived so I'm dead chuffed it's doing well.

Happy weekend gardening folks 👍

[Cruiser]

Best way to get rid off/deter foxes?

It keeps taking a dump in my garden. Other times it lies there under one of the bushes.

Need to get rid of this mofo in the most humane way possible.

[reddebs]

Best way to get rid off/deter foxes?

It keeps taking a dump in my garden. Other times it lies there under one of the bushes.

Need to get rid of this mofo in the most humane way possible.

Why get rid mate is it doing any damage or do you have kids or pets that you're worried it'll attack?

I'd love foxes in my garden especially ones that are chilled enough to lay under bushes.

[reddebs]

So happy today, my Solanum that I thought had been killed in the gales last November looks to have survived after all.

I've been checking it every few days the last month in the hope that it might pull through but had almost given up, then today I noticed some new growth.

One thing's for sure, if we get northerly gales forecast again this winter I'm wrapping it in fleece 😁

[Crosby Nick]

Why get rid mate is it doing any damage or do you have kids or pets that you're worried it'll attack?

I'd love foxes in my garden especially ones that are chilled enough to lay under bushes.

I quite like seeing foxes around, and you see them most nights here after dark. Not so keen on the one who destroyed my trainers after I left them outside though!

[reddebs]

I quite like seeing foxes around, and you see them most nights here after dark. Not so keen on the one who destroyed my trainers after I left them outside though!

They must have smelled tasty mate ☺️