Early Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Shallot Man]

In Spain when it got really hot I retired to the village bar usually in early June and came out in September

A man after my own heart.

[Westi]

I tried the bottle & it is effective. I have those spike things you put in the end but they empty the bottle too quickly so when I saw the bottle thing I gave it a try. I got 2 days out of each bottle & am saving more bottles as the dripper things I have keep clogging up, so giving up on them for the time being as want a better guarantee that the plants are being watered in my absence. I shall dilute liquid feed into them as well so can kill 2 birds with one stone.

[Elmigo]

Thought about the bottle cap clogging too. Maybe we can use duct tape or glue a bottle to 2-3 sticks to hover it above the soil. We have a right to stressless gardening

[Westi]

My holes didn't clog up - or more accurately haven't yet; but I have seen a pic on one of the FB allotment sites that just hung up the large plastic milk bottles with the holes in the lid dripping down. The only thing I found difficult with that is it is well heavy! Maybe OK in a Poly as strong bars but wouldn't know how to support it in the greenhouse or outside.

[Primrose]

Picked and froze my gooseberries yesterday. . Disappointing crop this year and smaller in size than normal, possibly due to the dry weather. Could perhaps have left them in the bush for a little while longer but when you see wood pigeons balancing on the foliage that,s always a danger signal for me !

Incidentally, is it too late now to sow squash seeds and expect to get a viable crop? Am sure it probably is.

[Westi]

Primrose I would go for sowing of squash now. Summer is only just starting this year weatherise & although mine are in & standing they are not romping away like they normally would, which I put down to lack of sunshine. I had 2 small courgettes then a standstill, but noted a flower today, unfortunately it is a male, but I usually get a few of them first before the females follow, so I am optimistic they are kicking back into life foliage looks OK just not growing.

[Primrose]

Very humid here this evening with moisture in the air but can't make up its mind. Get nervous about my outdoor tomato plants when we have this kind of weather. We need more rain though.i had to water again today.

[Elmigo]

Very humid here too, though not as much as predicted. Today was our first heat wave day with 31°C and my balcony crossing the line of 34. It gets even hotter the next few days! Had to put all of the peppers outside because behind glass it's unbearable, even for them. And now the balcony is well, more of a jungle. You won't hear me and my tropicals complaining, so here it is and I am very proud to share with you: the jungle!

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[Primrose]

Elmigo - that looks a positive tropical jungle now and everything seems to be growing so well and healthily. You have your own little microclimate there but I imagine you're spending a lot of time watering now. You seem to suffer fewer bugs up there than we would experience in our gardens or allotments. I suppose a lot of insects which seem to be ground based just can't make it that high.

Do you suffer problems from slugs and snails? I know they're mostly ground based but are able to climb.

[Primrose]

Elmigo. Yiu have a lot of green foliage on your balcony now and with hot weather threatening I wonder whether spraying the leaves with water in the evening would help maintain a more healthy atmosphere for them. There are some large spray containers available which would make this job easier although i realise it will be just one more piece of equipment you have to store.

[Elmigo]

I haven't seen a single slug up here this year, but I know they hide somewhere because sometimes a few leaves get eaten. Though not as much as on ground level. Great tip by the way! I already spray my plants in the evening with this large 8 litres water sprayer. Storage is not really a problem, don't have a lot of other stuff and plants are my life. I can't ever use it during daytime out of fear for burning foliage.

Oh and, in a couple of months I am moving to a place with a tiny piece of land! Really excited for that, but I'm going to miss my little balcony garden. Now comes the real deal.

[Primrose]

Elmigo. Am very excited for you for your potential new venture. There will no holding you back and you'll probably have the most productive patch for miles around (or kilometres as you say over there). Our first two gardens were tiny but it's surprising what you can grow if you plan carefully and ahave the right growing conditions with plenty of sunshine on your plot. A really shady area with lots of surrounding trees will present a real struggle for many vegetables. .

So are you going take all your potted treasures with you? That's going take some organising!

I suspect you'll face some interesting new challenges such as the fertility of the soil, the amount of potential shade and sunshine you get which will bring its own challenges to what you can grow

Are you planning to eat/harvest what you can between now and moving date and not resow?

I can see we're going to have lots on this forum to keep us interested and intrigued as you embark on new challenges. What is growing on the land at the moment?

[retropants]

Absolutely fabulous Elmigo! Everything looks happy & healthy on your little patch of paradise. I bet you can't wait to get your hands in the real soil, and hopefully your precious plants will be happy moving with you.

[Elmigo]

It's a small backyard for a man, but a huge backyard for a gardener! There are a couple of bushes on it that I have to dig out first. How do I get the roots out of the soil? What equipment to use for thick roots that can't be easily pulled out?

The great news is: This new backyard is on the south-east side, so even more sunlight than on my balcony where the early mornings are shaded untill 10:30. It's a huge improvement! And yes I want to take most of my potted treasures with me, like the apple, pear and peach tree and all the raspberries, blueberries and blackberries I love so much!

Perhaps I'm buying slightly bigger pots for the berry bushes and bury them in the ground, because I don't want the roots of my blackberries to spread through the entire garden. The potted trees will be on the terrace or something, don't know yet. Oh and I'm placing an arch where grapes climb onto!

This is opening so much possibilities!

Oh by the way, I checked the soil and it is definitely some sort of clay/dirt mixture that plants will love. It's amazing!

[Primrose]

Depending on how big the bushes are the roots may be surprising tough as they get bigger and thicker with age. A good strong spade will be needed, and if removing the roots really defeats you, may need a hacksaw of some kind to saw them off as low down in the hole as possible. Obviously they'd will have taken a lot of nutrients out of the soil over the years so these will have to be replaced. The arch for the grapevine sounds a lovely idea

Do show us a photo of the new plot in due course.

The raspberry roots will spread quickly if they're in the open soil, as will the blackberries so if yiu don't want them taking over the garden bigger pots are a good idea.