Gardening/Allotmenting 2024

[Drago]

I got a swanky new house with a moderate sized back garden neatly laid with turf. I'm unsure what to do with it - I don't want anything too fussy looking or hard to maintain. I'm considering building some cold frames, but I'm still unsure really.

 

[Drago]

I have often seen mice in the compost bin, and also a slow worm slithered out one day.

Slithered out of a mouse?

 

[Speicher]

How many of your plants have not survived the recent cold spell? I thought that Escallonia was a fairly tough plant, but all three are looking rather dead. I will give them time to recover, as they may regrow from the base.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

How many of your plants have not survived the recent cold spell? I thought that Escallonia was a fairly tough plant, but all three are looking rather dead. I will give them time to recover, as they may regrow from the base.

Escallonia is quite tough, but prolonged cold will see it off. It can withstand wind easily enough. I don't think it's been cold enough (at least where I am) so far to harm them. I suspect they'll come back in the spring.

 

[Tail End Charlie]

Last year's cold was much worse for my hebes, I lost around 12 of them. My escallonias all came through.

 

[Speicher]

Escallonia is quite tough, but prolonged cold will see it off. It can withstand wind easily enough. I don't think it's been cold enough (at least where I am) so far to harm them. I suspect they'll come back in the spring.

I grew them all from cuttings, so no great loss. I will see what they do in the spring.

 

[lazybloke]

My wife was digging at the allotment earlier (Sunday morning).
Quite warm compared to recent days, but about 3 inches down the ground was still frozen!

 

[fossyant]

I got a swanky new house with a moderate sized back garden neatly laid with turf. I'm unsure what to do with it - I don't want anything too fussy looking or hard to maintain. I'm considering building some cold frames, but I'm still unsure really.

Raised beds ? Need something to get rid of the monotony of just grass. Large planters/pots as well. Plenty you can do for low maintenance.

 

[fossyant]

When we moved there was one of those black bin type of composters…I’ve looked at the contents over the years and come to the conclusion it’s useless.
Are they…?

We've a plastic composter - does work. It keeps 'accepting' grass cuttings without ever completely filling, so something is working. We do need to dig it out at the bottom this year - should have some great compost for the greenhouse.

 

[PapaZita]

I got a swanky new house with a moderate sized back garden neatly laid with turf. I'm unsure what to do with it - I don't want anything too fussy looking or hard to maintain. I'm considering building some cold frames, but I'm still unsure really.

How about an area of wildflower meadow? It could be as simple as leaving some grass to grow and see what’s already there, or start from scratch with seed for native grasses and wild flowers. We did a small area from seed a couple of years ago and it’s been a great success. Attractive to bees, butterflies, etc., and doesn’t need much more than one or two cuts a year, so really easy. It may also be the excuse you need for buying that scythe you‘ve always wanted.

 

[iluvmybike]

We've a plastic composter - does work. It keeps 'accepting' grass cuttings without ever completely filling, so something is working. We do need to dig it out at the bottom this year - should have some great compost for the greenhouse.

We use a b;ack bin for all of our organic food waste anbd ir works a treat. We also have one of the plastic daleks type ones whoch we feel witgh leaves every year and leave them. 12 months on we have superb leaf mould compost which we then use to make our own potting compost along with the veg waste compost.

 

[iluvmybike]

We've a plastic composter - does work. It keeps 'accepting' grass cuttings without ever completely filling, so something is working. We do need to dig it out at the bottom this year - should have some great compost for the greenhouse.

be careful putting too much of your grass clippings into the compost pile/bin - you need a good mix of green and brown waste. Too much of the green grass clippings can make the compost become horribly soggy and not break down as well

 

[Hicky]

I've tried a wild flower section in our garden, once established it looks fantastic however until that point it looks awful and unless you're really accurate with seed distribution then flowers popped up in the surrounding area, some almost a handful of metres away depending on the weather conditions at the point of sowing. If you have the garden to suit, it can look great...for me it was a little 50/50. Horses for courses.
For the space I have available I've bought Roses and aimed for strong scented/cut flower varieties, minimal maintenance apart from deadheading and chopping back when winter comes, the positives are that if they're successful you have plenty of opportunity to fill the home with flowers, if that is your or your partners thing.

 

[biggs682]

Our spring purple broccoli is on its way

 

[Elybazza61]

First Rhubarb picked and scoffed (with meringue, pistachios and custard) yesterday.

Forced Timperley Early.