Planting Flowers, Fruit & Veg

[Saddlesoap]

 

[50sGirl]

Went to a garden centre today and, continuing the “buy a perennial/hardy shrub in flower each month of the year” theme, I bought a geum.
In the garden, I took some salvia cuttings. I also potted on some Nemesia cuttings that I had taken earlier this month.
I planted up 2 large pots with Nemesia, fuchsias and geranium/pelargonium so that they can become established before they go in my front garden.

April’s plant was a Glandora:

Plant for May: Geum

 

[50sGirl]

Yesterday I harvested my first strawberry! Just the one so far but it was delicious. Homegrown have so much more flavour than shop bought.
Yes, I’m the saddo who took a photo!

 

[bolimepipi]

first harvest of the year from our balcony garden

 

[Xales]

Visitor to the garden today.

 

[JoJo76]

Had my lovely little 11 year old helper around again tonight. I am recovering from a broken back so cannot bend much and she is so lovely. This is her 4th visit, she was so shy at first and now I can’t shut her up!

I gave her some planters for her own project a while ago with Spuds, Garlic and strawberries. She told me today that her Mum had cleared area for her to grow veg so sent home with a ton of seeds. So proud of her x

 

[grumpy_curry]

Thank you

Hey all, I’m after some help please. I have NO clue on what to do for veg growing but I would really like to start. Our most eaten veggies are lettuce, bell pepper, cucumber, onions (both red and brown), carrots, potatoes, courgettes, green beans and cherry tomatoes. Where do I start on what I buy and when is best to plant etc? I only have a small yarden so hoping I can grow them in pots but I’m open to buying a raised planter. I’m thinking I may need a mini greenhouse too?

I agree with @50sGirl , it's pretty late but! It will give you a great summer of just observing and learning! Get yourself some plants at the garden centre that are still available as she suggested. I would recommend herbs, too, as they are ready to harvest any time and it's a super lovely feeling to be able to add something to your meal that you have grown yourself.

Make it a summer of "getting to know plants" and not a summer of "I have to bring them to harvest". WatchYouTube or read gardening blogs if you're more of a reader. I do both. If you have someone around you that does garden, myabe they will let you help with pruning, mulching, weeding and other types of stuff? That's pretty great to get a feeling for the work and if you even like it.

You can also observe how different times of the day and different seasons affect your sunlight in your garden, which will give you a great advantage for next year. A lot of plants like full sun, but there are some which will do well in the less sunny parts - spinach is one such example which is just gorgeous in a salad eaten raw. You can map it out. Seed packets and plant cards will tell you what the plant likes the most.

There are plants like courgettes, squashes and cucumbers which you can pull up a trellis to save space. Get your creative juices flowing and have some fun with designing how you want your layout! While you're at it you can look into beneficial neighbouring of plants. This year for example I combined a new climbing rose, garlic and strawberries in a larger pot and all three of them are thriving as they're a perfect combination from a nutrient POV.

As you have a small garden, you could also take a look at square foot or sqare meter gardening.

It's great to learn what types of plants need a lot of nutrients and which ones don't. The aforementioned cucurbits (squash, cucumber, courgettes, melons etc are all part of the same plant family) need a lot of nutrients for example, so if you plan on building a compost heap, you can either plant them on top of it when the compost is mature, i. e. done with being broken down, or you need to fertilize them pretty heftily. Horse manure, compost or leaf mulch are all great fertilizers. There's tons more, like eggshells, rhubarb leaves, nettle leaves which have their specific applications.

Of course you can buy ready made fertilizer in the store but it will a) cost you a pretty penny and b) will in the long run degrade you soil as it contains too much of one or the other nutrient leading to unbalanced soil. Your soil health should be important to you if you plan to grow in beds.

Just be aware, it will never work out as you plan anyway, and the first couple years for me at least were a constant ah- ha moment of realising why something worked or didn't work. (Also, aphids, lots and lots of aphids, and slugs they're still the bane of my existence). But if you're not getting yourself down it will be super fun and rewarding. Plus, the veg from my own garden is extremely tasty and you can't beat the freshness. The first year, I had a few tomato plants only, and they weren't carrying that many fruit as I didn't know how to treat them yet, but the taste was still out of this world and I was a super proud tomato mum that year

You can also start setting up stuff for next year - maybe call around to friends and family if they have any gardening equipment like pots, a shovel, things like that they don't need / want any more? You don't have to spend a ton to get equipment. I find larger pots to be quite expensive, even the most ugly brown plastic ones, so I'm always glad to get them gifted from someone else. My mum uses those large cement mixing tubs for her tomatoes, so you can be creative if you don't care about the aestetics. You can also turn your milk jugs and any large plastic container into pot for growing or, if transparent, into cloches for protecting you plants from the cold weather or slugs. Just be careful that they didn't contain anything harmful before.

But of course, if you plan on keeping on gardening, investing in beautiful, quality pots, gardening gloves etc is not the worst idea either.

The most important part is definitely to have fun and to try new things!

 

[DanaScully]

I'm trying to do more in the garden too. Last year I did hanging baskets for the first time and I'm hoping to do them again this year.

I've also got some flower seeds to sow in the borders but I'm worried we might have another frost spell so I keep holding off!

When I've got my own place I'd like to have a little patch to grow vegetables ideally.

 

[Renegadedancer]

A local gardener sells things outside their house, today I got a gorgeous bunch of sweet peas and a hydrangea cutting for £1 each . All the money goes to a local charity .

 

[50sGirl]

Anyone know what these are? I planted some cheap "woodland" bulbs in this pot but can't remember what they are and no sign of any buds yet just constant leaf growing. I think one of them may be fritillary. If they're not going to flower I'd rather just turf them out now and re-purpose the pot

View attachment 1166976

No idea as I’ve never grown them but googling images the leaves do look like that. Don’t give up yet if you know there are bulbs in there. I’m still waiting for one variety of daffs and tulips to flower plus some alliums.

These were from 2 weeks ago…

 

[JoJo76]

spuds have gone a bit mad!

 

[Saddlesoap]

Is this actually a corn cob?? I didn't think I'd get any cos only 2 plants took

 

[JoJo76]

 

[Bobby Chariot]

I have what look like fruit coming on the b&m store apple tree, that I put in a large tub last year.
There must be a couple of dozen baby apples showing
It's already flowered a few weeks ago, which looked really nice, the growth in a year is incredible.

 

[aulty]

If you are interested, this is how my garden / raised beds turned out. Hope the weather turns soon so I can sew grass and flowers. And fingers crossed peppermint oil keeps the neighbourhood cat from shitting in my beds.
At the back is an acidic bed with blueberries and cranberries.

 

[50sGirl]

My parents didn't do or make anything but both my grandads were gardeners and I learnt a lot or inherited a lot from them

My Dad was an avid gardener, although he only grew veg when I was a child.
He loved his garden and his pots. He was disabled in his latter years and he had over 100 pots on his patio so he could access them more easily. I used to moan when I had to water his pots as it took over an hour each night but I lost him last year and inherited his pots. I’ve planted the majority of his plants in my garden borders and there were hundreds of bulbs under the plants too. I’m so grateful for them as I have a perpetual reminder of him in my garden. I always feel closer to him in my garden.

 

[Pesky Tarian]

Tiny toms ! And cucumber

Silly question how does broccoli come in to being? I've got lots in a raised bed, plenty of leaves but doesn't look to be flowering or doing anything interesting??

 

[ClockworkDolly]

@Bereb45 Gardening is certainly addictive and is a great confidence booster, as well as being so absorbing to get stuck into. Your garden looks fab and you will love having the fruit trees. Such a good feeling to harvest your own produce.

 

[Nolongerjustalurker]

Well today it didn’t rain so after all of our seedlings getting blown over in the flimsy plastic greenhouse thanks to the wind, we decided to just go and plant everything out and hope for the the best!
So green beans, courgettes and beetroot went in today, fingers crossed!!
also how jealous am I of our neighbours rhubarb, it’s massive!
*edit - just cropped my photo cos didn’t realise bf was half in it - not that you can probably identify someone from their leg but you never know

 

[Ginlover92]

I'm enjoying reading all of your gardening adventures. I have planted up one of my raised beds with carrots, parsnips, beetroot and runner bean seeds with some cornflowers and sunflowers. The other isn't fully planted yet but I have put a few varities of peas, sweet peas, french beans and left a space for courgettes. I love gardening but have to admit that I'm not very patient. When I put the seeds in I'm there looking every day hoping they'll sprout in front of my eyes.