Planting Flowers, Fruit & Veg

[50sGirl]

I’ve been having a terrible time with tomatoes this year! Several plants have got blossom end rot and others are just refusing to ripen. One is producing absolutely nothing and looks like a weedy little thing despite being sown and cared for in exactly the same way as all the others.

Yes we’ve had a few fruits with blossom end rot. Also loads of green fruit still not ripened. I’d have thought in this weather they’d ripen quicker.
Cucumbers aren’t doing too well either. The new tiny cucumbers are drying up and falling off in this heat before they can be established.
Also my lettuce are rubbish. Even though they are watered every day they are wilting due to the heat and not growing much.
It’s such a shame because homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers have such a great flavour compared to supermarket ones.

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Yes we’ve had a few fruits with blossom end rot. Also loads of green fruit still not ripened. I’d have thought in this weather they’d ripen quicker.
Cucumbers aren’t doing too well either. The new tiny cucumbers are drying up and falling off in this heat before they can be established.
Also my lettuce are rubbish. Even though they are watered every day they are wilting due to the heat and not growing much.
It’s such a shame because homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers have such a great flavour compared to supermarket ones.

We’ve got one piddly little cucumber that’s not doing anything really. My gherkin plant has sadly only put out about 15 male flowers so won’t get anything off there either. My beans all got ravaged by black fly in May. Poor show this year!

 

[Moongirl69]

@50sGirl I wonder if its the heat that's killing my courgettes. I think I'll put them in a shadier spot for now.

 

[Tui]

So glad I found this thread! We have a large mature garden after moving house early 2021 but I had a baby not long after and basically haven’t had any time to figure this gardening lark out . But now feeing a bit green fingered. My mum is an avid gardener and brings us things in pots like nasturtium, sunflowers, tomatoes and they just all go yellow and Wilty although we did get a lovely crop of red tomatoes out of the plants and still ripening some before the plant carks it.
We have a small front garden with shrubs and hydrangeas in, in this weather should we be watering them? Looking crispy.
Is there any point in me growing or planting anything now it’s august? We have patches in our borders I’d like to clear and fill

 

[50sGirl]

So glad I found this thread! We have a large mature garden after moving house early 2021 but I had a baby not long after and basically haven’t had any time to figure this gardening lark out . But now feeing a bit green fingered. My mum is an avid gardener and brings us things in pots like nasturtium, sunflowers, tomatoes and they just all go yellow and Wilty although we did get a lovely crop of red tomatoes out of the plants and still ripening some before the plant carks it.
We have a small front garden with shrubs and hydrangeas in, in this weather should we be watering them? Looking crispy.
Is there any point in me growing or planting anything now it’s august? We have patches in our borders I’d like to clear and fill

Yes most plants will need watering in this weather. Hydrangeas especially need watering daily because they wilt like mad in this heat. I was ill for 2 days last week so didn’t water and my plants in my garden were all wilting but luckily after a good drink they bounced back.

 

[Tui]

Yes most plants will need watering in this weather. Hydrangeas especially need watering daily because they wilt like mad in this heat. I was ill for 2 days last week so didn’t water and my plants in my garden were all wilting but luckily after a good drink they bounced back.

Oops. We have tons of hydrangea! I did the back garden borders last night but keep forgetting about the front

I water the plants in pots every day but not sure if that’s too much…toddler also “waters” them lol

 

[50sGirl]

Oops. We have tons of hydrangea! I did the back garden borders last night but keep forgetting about the front

I water the plants in pots every day but not sure if that’s too much…toddler also “waters” them lol

Make sure you water at the bottom near where the roots start because, in this sun, if you get water on the leaves the sun will scorch them.

 

[unidentified]

I try and water when it’s dark too. My dogs go out for a wee about 5 so I water the plants then go back to bed and then water again around 10pm.

My seedlings seem to be doing well. I go on holiday for a week tomorrow and my auntie is going to come water them all for me. I feel nervous.

Shall I wait for the heat to subside before planting these out? My tomato plant has grown loads but no tomatoes. Cucumber and pepper isn’t doing much. I think something has maybe got to the cucumber because there’s holes in the leaves

 

[WotsitG1]

We’ve just been picking ours when they’re green I didn’t even know they would change colour oops!

they show red on the packet so hoping they ripen to red!! Absoutely no sign of them doing that though!

 

[jaymie]

Have any of your ordered from Peter Nyssen or Farmer Gracy before?

 

[WeepingCassandra]

Have any of your ordered from Peter Nyssen or Farmer Gracy before?

I get all my dahlias from FG, great company

 

[Renegadedancer]

Have any of your ordered from Peter Nyssen or Farmer Gracy before?

Farmer Gracy here too. Used to fall for the beautiful Sarah Raven brochure but their customer service was dire. My fg bulbs this year were stunning. I need to order my spring ones soon

 

[Northern northener]

@50sGirl I wonder if its the heat that's killing my courgettes. I think I'll put them in a shadier spot for now.

My courgettes are not doing too well either. I am convinced it's the heat.

 

[jaymie]

Farmer Gracy here too. Used to fall for the beautiful Sarah Raven brochure but their customer service was dire. My fg bulbs this year were stunning. I need to order my spring ones soon

I am thinking of ordering some tulips for autumn.

 

[Tui]

70% off seeds in Wilkos. I’ve taken a flutter on them for next spring

 

[Xales]

My tomato plants are struggling with the weight. I keep having to tie them up. I have put some to sun dry as too many were ripe at the same time.

 

[Tui]

Does anyone have any good resources for learning about gardening? Any good websites or books? I’m looking for something which can walk me through month by month or similar, proper gardening for idiots really as I’m a total novice. Kill most houseplants.

 

[esoes]

Does anyone have any good resources for learning about gardening? Any good websites or books? I’m looking for something which can walk me through month by month or similar, proper gardening for idiots really as I’m a total novice. Kill most houseplants.

I really like the RHS Website and trusty old Gardeners World. Loads of good advice for getting started. Enjoy!

A beginner's guide to gardening / RHS Gardening

Read the basics in how to garden from choosing plants with punch, growing fruits and vegetables and learning essential gardening skills.

www.rhs.org.uk

Whilst I'm here - I've been trying to propagate some rosemary using cuttings in a little pot with a freezer bag over. I'd been making sure to keep the soil moist and it seemed to be going well but they have dried up the last few days in the heat and I hadn't been keeping an eye on them tbh. I've taken them out of the pot to see and each had it's own set of roots and so I repotted them individually and gave them a decent drink. Have I any chance of them surviving or no hope?

 

[Xales]

Does anyone have any good resources for learning about gardening? Any good websites or books? I’m looking for something which can walk me through month by month or similar, proper gardening for idiots really as I’m a total novice. Kill most houseplants.

Try Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month by Huw Richards.

Even better watch him on youtube and any others who take your fancy.

Edit to say he has just posted a new video of what to sow etc in August for autumn harvesting.

 

[WeepingCassandra]

For Gods sake. No rain at all for the best part of 6 weeks and now it's been absolutely down pouring since 4pm. My poor plants are going to be drowned out now