I was told to so I have.

A few of my roses are in full bloom already this year, though I've lost all the buds on one as they all had tiny holes in, I thought it best just to take them off completely.

Edited by moderator 20 May 2011 21:12:13(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Apparently strawberries are doing well...........http://bit.ly/h250Mi

I feel so guilty today, was checking when it would be ok to turn the compost as I have a slow worm family in mine, then I went and cut the grass which had gotten rather long since that rain we had, and I ran over at least one of the slow worms. :(. I also ran over the lead of the LED butterfly lights.

I`m growing Tomatoes in a lean to greenhouse, Potatoes in growsacks, Runner Beans, and Strawberries.

I often wonder whether it`s worth it though. The cost of all the stuff, plants, compost, growbags etc, probably exceeds the cost of just buying everything in the local supermarket.

And then I`ve got to get rid of the used compost and growbags afterwards.

Our estate has entered the Loughborough in bloom flower competition. New plants have been put in across the estate including annuals and perennials.

I managed to get wallflowers to grow in a rubbly dry area next to a wall.
They're about finished now and I wondered if they'd most likely make it to another year if I cut them back really hard or just nipped the seedheads off?
It's so dry there establishing anything else would be difficult.
Conventionally you put in new plants every autumn - sown about now - but I know they will sometimes go into a third year.

Edited by user 22 May 2011 16:41:24(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Just harvested the first crop from the potato sacks - bumper harvest of lovely looking potatoes, no splits, damage or bad bits  Variety was 'Swift' and as it seems only yesterday that I planted them, that's a good name

Originally Posted by: four

I hope you have some mint to boil them with.
To be honest we think the early varieties lack good 'new potato' taste usually, but the ones you lift minutes before cooking are always so much better than any you can buy which have probably been knocking around for a week or more.

Now I've grown up believing that you shouldn't boil the mint with the potatoes. When the potatoes have finished cooking you drain them, put a knob of butter and the mint into the pan, lid on tightly and leave for 5 minutes. That way the heat and steam encourages the mint flavour to infuse without 'cooking' it, which has a less pleasant taste.

How do you stop broccoli 'bolting'? Mine are looking very leggy and spindley, with the beginnings of the eaty bit starting to show. Should I have pinched them out?

And when do peas stop producing? Mine aren't exactly reaching for the sky up the frame and are only delivering a small number of pods. Do I need to keep picking the pods as they ripen to encourage more growth?

Finally, some good news on the winter damage. The callistemon is now sprouting from the bottom after all the existing growth was killed off last winter (despite a fleece wrap) and the robinia pseudoacacia is in leaf again from one area at the bottom; whether it'll survive though...