Fruit, Veg, Flowers and Slugs

We probably all have some plastic that we use in our gardens and gardening but with a little thought, and often simply returning to the good old practices used for hundreds of years before plastic was invented, we can greatly reduce the amount we use and hopefully one day eliminate all together. If you do have plastic, I have several plastic seed trays for example, please take good care of it so it can be used year after year. My seed trays are cleaned after every use and stored in a cupboard in the potting shed out of direct sunlight when not in use so as not to become brittle as some will if left in sunlight for too long. I have a plastic watering can that is equally cared for to insure it can be used for many years yet; a galvanised watering can is high on the wish list. Below is a list of a few things we can all do to cut down on plastic use in our gardens.   Biodegradable Fibre pots. I have been using fibre pots for a few years now and the benefits are multiple . I sow many of my

The  six  C hrysanthemum Silver Princess  bare roots have arrived and will be planted over the weekend into what is becoming, slowly but surely, the White Border.  I often have a fair few seeds sown by this time of year and it feels a little strange having clear window sills and space in the Conservatory, there is usually a number of pots dotted about indoors by late January. I have been a little surprised by the lack of fibre pots (I will not use peat pots anymore) available in the major DIY and Garden Centres. I had a delivery just this morning from B&Q of a couple of new terracotta pots and saucers plus four bags of Soil Improver Manure but they had not a single fibre pot option available online. The local Horticultural Guild Trading Huts don't open until later in February so I have ordered some off a company called Nutleys Kitchen Garden found online. It's a small online operation that  was founded in 2008 by grow-your-own enthusiast Jo Nutley apparently . They have so

Firstly, as we were rain free in my neck of the woods at the weekend, the  Lillum Casa Blanca  bulbs are in. I have placed one in front of the two bulbs that were already in-situ forming a nice little triangle of lilies with two new bulbs planted either side around a foot apart which will hopefully produce a lovely backdrop to the border come summer.  As mentioned in the original post a few days age I have been thinking of other plants to add and have ordered six C hrysanthemum Silver Princess bare roots which are  clump-forming herbaceous perennials that have single daisy like flowers that should bloom from early summer through autumn. I have also ordered a packet of  Chrysanthemum Polar Star seeds, completely new to me, they are an annual with  tricolour daisy flowers described as a  white bloom with an intriguing inner yellow halo surrounding a central darker cushion. The picture I have seen they look great and will sort the White Border perfectly.  As it was a nice sunny if chilly

I have decided to create a 'white border' in the garden, basically by making over one of the existing flower beds. It is a classic case of having a bit of time on my hands on a cold and wet January afternoon sitting in the conservatory and coming up with a great idea - all I have to do now is make it happen!  I already have two Lillum Casa Blanca lilies at the back of the border in front of an eight foot fence. I like these a lot so I have purchased five more bulbs from J Parkers which will be added to the back of the border. Lilies aren't everyone's cup of tea but I like them, Lillum Casa Blanca especially for their huge white blooms, and they certainly liven up a boring old garden fence when in full bloom. I have also purchased a new Myrtle (I mentioned in an early post I had consigned the old one to the compost heap) and all being well this specimen will be happier in the border than the old one was in a pot and I have learnt my lessons in regard pruning and care for

A totally self absorbed post I admit but the first of my monthly columns in the Romford Recorder has been published - www.romfordrecorder.co.uk  if you happen to live in this part of the world you can read mu musings once a month in your local newspaper.  I was also busy in the garden at the weekend for the brief moment the rain stopped as the C ornus  sanguinea  'Midwinter Fire' ,  Dogwood  plants arrived from Thompson and Morgan so were planted into the border without delay.  Cheers 🍺

The seed order for the year has arrived from Thompson & Morgan. As is often the case I have probably over order and will now spend a few hours mulling over plans of what to sow where . I have also been gifted a ‘sack of seeds’  at Christmas  containing all sorts of wonderful things  that I am now also trying to work out which to grow this year and where, hopefully, I can squeeze them in – in  short,  I need an extra half acre or so to the garden to fi t  it all in!    The vegetable seed order for the coming growing season consists of  Runner Bean  Benchmaster  a real success story in 2021 for me so on the list again ,  Tomato Buffalo  S teak , new to me   and  I am hoping for some nice juicy toms from this variety ,  Tomato  Gigantomo  another I have grown before ,   as the name suggests this plant can grow huge tomatoes of 2lb  - 3lb each  and   Tomato  L i moncito   that fruits lovely yellow  mini plum tomatoes and was   another big su cc ess for me in 2021 so back on the list. I

I took full advantage of the Bank Holiday and surprisingly mild weather to get out and do a bit on the plot on the Bank Holiday Monday following New Year.  The Autumn Fruiting Raspberry canes from last year were cut right down to ground level, actually later than I'd normally do this but still fine to be done in early January, and the canes added to the wood pile ready to be burnt in the Chimenea in the near future. I tidied up the bed and added Soil Improver Manure, which is mainly mushroom compost, and Chicken Manure pellets to the bed to give it a good feed. The Strawberry plants were all tidied up as well, any dead foliage removed, the beds weeded and again Soil Improver Manure and Chicken Manure pellets were added to the beds; luckily the British weather was kind and rained most of Tuesday morning helping it bed down and wash those nutrients into the soil.  I also chopped down the Green Manure on the main Veg Patch and will leave the leaves to wilt down for a few days before t