So I just published my draft notes from May, June last year. This is because I wanted to keep an eye on running costs of trying (and failing) with a growing flowers and food in my garden.
To be honest, I had considered giving up but find myself strangely excited as the prospect of another year of abject agricultural failure awaits me.
Studies like this from Reading University and yet another talk by James Wong continue to inspire me when the reality is that my crop that cost a few hundred quid yielded a few fresh sweetpeas, daffodils and roses, some camomile flowers, 5 strawberries, 3 inca berries and the dahlias never flowered (and look really sad), the arrowroot just blackened its leaves so I don't know where to eat it or not, and generally all promise was switfly eaten by slugs.
So I find myself planning next year
UrbMat is intriguing and I almost ought it but my concern is that it is ideal for San Francisco weather and may not get through customs.
I really now want to continue with Inca Berries (I kept the seeds of one pod), camomile, bulbs and a large variety of herbs plus some greens (courgettes, rocket leaves and sorrel) and usual herbs. BBC series GetBritainGrowing made me anxious to start my herb pot. I hope strawberries do well this year as well.
Plus I want a couple of beds with either the UrbMats or of the same type of idea.
I am also thinking of making a polytunnel to keep things like lemons, or oranges slightly more likely.
Anyway, these are dreams for this year. Will keep posting re costs and whay happened next etc.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Planting into small bags, potting and shopping
Went to homebase and came back 45.10 (including 20% discount) quid worse off
Rough running total: 185+45.10 = 230
Yet more stuff to worry about
Cat poo - diseases
http://www.growveg.com/growblogpost.aspx?id=165
But with potatoes, garlics (so that we know it actually works in this country), hoops for the sweet peas, more compost, and of course more herbs (sadly only one season so destined not to last
- should read this http://herbgardens.about.com/od/troubleshooting/tp/10Mostcommonmistakes.htm
) and a bit of plant food/fertiliser (Jamie) - hopefully not bad for the plants.
Round carrots - http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Carrots-in-Pots
harvest in 12 weeks but from seeds would be better so I will put these in a bucket along with some carrot royal chantery and plant nasturtiums nearby so that aphids visit those instead
- but now I have to be super careful about not crushing the foilage as it would attract the carrot fly and cover up any roots that appear.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Veg-A-to-Z/Carrots
Weeding was the next chore on
as was sowing the seeds for
(striato d'italia) courgettes, and possibly white brocolli
Haven't thought this through
Next experiment co-planting some in large bags and consulting this list of companion plants
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=883901
Rough running total: 185+45.10 = 230
Yet more stuff to worry about
Cat poo - diseases
http://www.growveg.com/growblogpost.aspx?id=165
But with potatoes, garlics (so that we know it actually works in this country), hoops for the sweet peas, more compost, and of course more herbs (sadly only one season so destined not to last
- should read this http://herbgardens.about.com/od/troubleshooting/tp/10Mostcommonmistakes.htm
) and a bit of plant food/fertiliser (Jamie) - hopefully not bad for the plants.
Round carrots - http://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Carrots-in-Pots
harvest in 12 weeks but from seeds would be better so I will put these in a bucket along with some carrot royal chantery and plant nasturtiums nearby so that aphids visit those instead
- but now I have to be super careful about not crushing the foilage as it would attract the carrot fly and cover up any roots that appear.
http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Veg-A-to-Z/Carrots
Weeding was the next chore on
as was sowing the seeds for
(striato d'italia) courgettes, and possibly white brocolli
Haven't thought this through
Next experiment co-planting some in large bags and consulting this list of companion plants
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=883901
9 anda half weeks - due in first week of June
So it's nine and a half weeks and what has happened so far.
I no longer keep you posted about the minute details of daily events (but that doesn't mean I'm not a bore in real life)
New Zealand yams shot up
Mushrooms hopped from pot to pot
Herbs are thirsty and rocket trickier than I had hoped for
The visit to edible forest roof garden in Reading (up on RISC centre) inspired me to buy lemon balm plus mint (£3)
Planting two courgettes - one sprouted in propagator lidded pot outside (note: flourished and got eaten by whichever insect/slug got there)
Planning of cheap garden beds not so expensive - so ended up buying bags for life, and used the seeds to help retain moisture (note: this did actually seem to attract slugs even more - and nothing really survived)
Spanish garlic healthy - english garlic sprouted.
Slugs don't seem to like marigolds, and garlic
Cat seems to like digging up the beds including the garlic
Cat is not put off by coffee
Planted taytos, a bamboo holder for sweet peas, bedded one alpine strawberry, lots of garlic and some marigold strands from the lady
Everything out and planted
Learnt:
Try 6 things not thirty
resist urge to buy everything
Rose bush looked like it was going to bloom
Weeds doing well
Strawberry and alpine strawberry flowered (violets too)
So:
Rough costs: yet more pots, yet more compost, yet more 'erbs, mint, more garlic, some taytos, carrots (mini-carrots), water retentions capsules, jamie's natural fertiliser for food plants. = 40 quid
Rough running total: 185+ 40
I no longer keep you posted about the minute details of daily events (but that doesn't mean I'm not a bore in real life)
New Zealand yams shot up
Mushrooms hopped from pot to pot
Herbs are thirsty and rocket trickier than I had hoped for
The visit to edible forest roof garden in Reading (up on RISC centre) inspired me to buy lemon balm plus mint (£3)
Planting two courgettes - one sprouted in propagator lidded pot outside (note: flourished and got eaten by whichever insect/slug got there)
Planning of cheap garden beds not so expensive - so ended up buying bags for life, and used the seeds to help retain moisture (note: this did actually seem to attract slugs even more - and nothing really survived)
Spanish garlic healthy - english garlic sprouted.
Slugs don't seem to like marigolds, and garlic
Cat seems to like digging up the beds including the garlic
Cat is not put off by coffee
Planted taytos, a bamboo holder for sweet peas, bedded one alpine strawberry, lots of garlic and some marigold strands from the lady
Everything out and planted
Learnt:
Try 6 things not thirty
resist urge to buy everything
Rose bush looked like it was going to bloom
Weeds doing well
Strawberry and alpine strawberry flowered (violets too)
So:
- dahlias - eaten
- inca berries - eaten and stunted - of the seven plants 4 survived
- council plant - eaten
- new zealand yam - shot up
- nasturtiums - most shot up
- sweet peas - most shot up after long time
- potatoes - no news
- courgette seeds - sprouted
- wildflowers - nothing
- blackcurrants - dead
- alpine strawberries - flowering
- strawberries - flowering
- camomile teabag - growing well (one that I watered soil before adding bag and leaving to dry worked, the one that I watered immediately didn't)
- chillis - seem to be growing well
- garlic - sprouting
- rocket - seemed to do well then stunted
- coriander - doing well
- herbs - thyme (one season only),
- choc mint, (one season only)
- sage,(one season only)
- parsley (one season only)
- carrots
- mint - going crazy
- lemon balm
- marigolds (potted, seeds into seedling pots in mini-outdoor propagator, plus seed sticks into ground
- mushrooms
- spanish garlic
- wild garlic
- violets
- blue flowered things with the strawberries
Rough costs: yet more pots, yet more compost, yet more 'erbs, mint, more garlic, some taytos, carrots (mini-carrots), water retentions capsules, jamie's natural fertiliser for food plants. = 40 quid
Rough running total: 185+ 40
Daring to sit the plants out - this week (six)
Tentatively moved three potential co-planter plants out - they didn't die yet
Left them out overnight
On the 'sunny' bank holiday - took out batches of these and let them out
In other news
Camomile growing healthily
Chilli (Serrano) seems a bit waterlogged but growing fast - not enough to repot yet according to http://blog.wahaca.co.uk/2010/09/tips-from-the-chilli-expert-2-repotting-your-plants/.
The chillis also sprouted - had a parasol mushroom growing on it.
Outside the plants seem to be doing well. esp the nasturtiums (aphid magnets) and sweetpeas
Garlic - Spanish one from supermarket seems to have shot up wildly and bought English ones today
Left them out overnight
On the 'sunny' bank holiday - took out batches of these and let them out
In other news
Camomile growing healthily
Chilli (Serrano) seems a bit waterlogged but growing fast - not enough to repot yet according to http://blog.wahaca.co.uk/2010/09/tips-from-the-chilli-expert-2-repotting-your-plants/.
The chillis also sprouted - had a parasol mushroom growing on it.
Outside the plants seem to be doing well. esp the nasturtiums (aphid magnets) and sweetpeas
Garlic - Spanish one from supermarket seems to have shot up wildly and bought English ones today
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Learning at the Skip Garden
Firstly, camomile has sprouted - the lady in the video was right
Attended the Global Generation's Skip Garden's Twilight Session and got a few suggestions from Paul the head gardener
Being new to the garden it may be good to plant series of potatoes - they will take over from the weeds and provide crops well. He suggested that a choice of a few varieties should give us potatoes for longer periods.
Blackforest courgettes were options for the trellis as were runner beans which were nicer than beans and could be left over the holidays
Herbs
Ought to check out the applemint - the smell was amazing
Mint and Rocket go nuts so are best contained as are nasturtiums
A tip for mint is to take the bottom off a bucket and then dig this in to the bed, then plant mint so it stays in this area.
Now is a good time to plant cornflowers
An amusing way to scare birds away
Take a CD (of bird-themed films) and then tie a piece of string through this - tie this on to a hoop of bamboo so that it knocks against the cane and encourages the birds away.
Attended the Global Generation's Skip Garden's Twilight Session and got a few suggestions from Paul the head gardener
Being new to the garden it may be good to plant series of potatoes - they will take over from the weeds and provide crops well. He suggested that a choice of a few varieties should give us potatoes for longer periods.
Blackforest courgettes were options for the trellis as were runner beans which were nicer than beans and could be left over the holidays
Herbs
Ought to check out the applemint - the smell was amazing
Mint and Rocket go nuts so are best contained as are nasturtiums
A tip for mint is to take the bottom off a bucket and then dig this in to the bed, then plant mint so it stays in this area.
Now is a good time to plant cornflowers
An amusing way to scare birds away
Take a CD (of bird-themed films) and then tie a piece of string through this - tie this on to a hoop of bamboo so that it knocks against the cane and encourages the birds away.
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Weeks 4 and 5 - a fortnight of changes and drama
This past fortnight has had elements of joy, hope, loss and discovery.
 |
| look carefully and you shall find a violet. |
Week three - observations
General observations
The mini-greenhouse is finally showing signs of sprouting - but only the marigolds. This is the week that we hope to see the first signs of the nastursiums and sweet peas in the mini-greenhouse.
Fungus set in on the chilli sticks - may need to start again - the spray seems to have killed it on the stick but still. Wondering whether to ditch these.
The mini-greenhouse is finally showing signs of sprouting - but only the marigolds. This is the week that we hope to see the first signs of the nastursiums and sweet peas in the mini-greenhouse.
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