Kitchen Garden Forum

I was given some and thought of the idea using them as shown, it worked so I bought some more, I might have bought more, but I have decided to buy no plastic items for the garden any more, slowly replacing all my pots with terracotta ones.

The green house seemed massive when I bought it, now seems too small

I can say that about the whole allotment!

I used the green rings last year but found it a pain to keep filling them as water did not seem to stay in them long.

Added a soak hose for the beds & will use drip line for hanging baskets.

Good to be able to get on with other work whilst hose is on and does not appear to wet the plants.

That looks a pretty good set up Colin and all your plants look very healthy. You seem to be growing your plants direct into the soil
Do yiu rotate them every year or change some of the soil to try and avoid disease built up?

Thanks Primrose. I don't do much rotating as this is all no dig, topped up with home made & council compost + manure.

Last year I had tomatoes growing to the roof on the right & bush toms on the left the far end was not a bed just had chilli/peppers in buckets.

This year growing toms to the roof on the left & chillies & peppers on the right, the far end has been turned into a bed which will have toms on left cucumbers (& celery if there is room) in middle & Jalapeños on the right.

Bush toms are growing outside on the plot as thought space better used for the chilli/peppers.

Looking really good Colin! Very tidy, and good strong plants. I am a bit green with envy, having given up the allotment, I am growing things at home Steptoe style! You have given me an idea, which was sort of bubbling anyway, I might get some more toms, as I have 2 unused hanging baskets.

I've never grown Tom's in hanging baskets I must give it a go ,this year I'm trying to grow them in used coke bottles ,I've cut the bottom out and fitted a wire to hang them with ,the other end I cut the cap off and made the hole a little larger I then put a cabbage collar around the tomato plant and fed it down the length of the bottle it would be a lot easier if my hands and arm was a bit smaller ,I made sure the stem of the tomato was protruding correctly then filled the bottle with compost and soil ,I hung it on a nail then watered after a couple of days the tomato starts to turn upwards ,I have six hanging at present I might try another couple I've only used bush tomatoes

Onl problem I found with growing Toms in hanging baskets was that they needed watering at least twice a day or they suffered, no good if you go away for a few days. Last year I grew peas and Sweetpeas in hanging baskets, that worked.

Finally managed to get some wild Sweet Cicely growing in my garden and those little seeds heads taste a bit like Aniseed, delicious.

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Finally - some sun.

Love your wee basket in the conservatory, that is well cuter than a trug (wooden or plastic)! Do you use it for harvesting or is it just for aesthetics? As you are my nearest neighbour on the forum did you get it locally? PM me if you remember where (or shove on here)- it is lovely - seen similar but more filled in toward the bottom & your's is open weaved right to the base!

Hi Westi - I was lucky and found it in one of our charity shops in Wimborne a few years ago. I use it mostly when I go to plant sales. It gives me a little buffer space when there's an extremely desirable plant on the stall and there's about half a dozen other keen gardeners trying to buy it. I'm not very tall but I am unstoppable at a plant sale

What a great armour! Practical as well as beautiful!

Diane wrote:IMG_20190528_102619645_HDR_0451.jpg

Finally - some sun.

This growing place must be one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen!

As well as the usual veg and flowers, I have been increasing the number of Wild flowers in the garden as part of the bio-diversity plan to encourage pollinators, here's a few from today, not all are perhaps everyone's choice.
Red poppy

Sow thistle

Red campion, but it's a white one...................