Advice for a hopeless gardener

[jennyjj01]

Hi Jen

Well if you have bindweed and i think most allotment sites do you do not want to try digging it out

Ah BEGGAR!
A google image search suggests that one of those things I was trying to identify is bindweed...Hard to tell with no leaves. It's not a big area. I'll mark it on my plot, tear out what I can and watch out for it sprouting in that area. Then probably do as you did. Train it: Nuke it.

Strawberries do need to be replaced every few years to get good crops so try and grow runners off your plants so you have fresh plants

Early days. I'll see if there,s viable rootballs to break up and transplant or take cuttings from.

..the bush you say could well be a gooseberry or may be a currant , the only way you will know is liek you say let it grow then see

It's only a square yard or so, so i'll let it be and try to identify it later,

, try and use black plastic membrane on areas not in use as that will kill all the top growing weeds.

That's in the plan.

do not be tempted to try and keep an area clear as just soil the weeds will beat you

Any cleared area will be covered till I sow it, which will be ASAP.

Ask others what spuds do good on site because as i say when i moved here i grew desiree and well terrible spuds , down south desiree we had monsters

I know what's grown locally, commercially. I've yet to see any fellow lotters, but I'll be trying to engage with them. Let them show me their superior knowledge. Maybe let them feel sorry for me

we had blight on our allotments but i think most years we got away with out getting hit may be 1 years out of 12 got us ,.... we had one guy was so far up is own exhaust pipe so to speak he would look down on us food growers and say allotments are for the show grower not so fool trying to feed themselves

It'll be a matter of buttering up all the neighbours. Those that don't want to help can go take a hike. No loss to me. I only need to find one neighbour with trade contacts for seeds and muck and with a helpful demeanour and a rotavator.

[GillyBee]

Do you have a Lidl nearby? If so, keep watch for when they get their seeds in. Most years they start at 29p and I have had good germination from them.

[jennyjj01]

Do you have a Lidl nearby? If so, keep watch for when they get their seeds in. Most years they start at 29p and I have had good germination from them.

Didn;t realised they started them with the low price.
In case you missed it, The Range and Home Bargain have started theirs at 49p

[jennyjj01]

Ok. As they are. Don’t peel etc. into a small pot of dampened compost or whatever you use. I popped mine in (/and yes some are small) . Just under the surface. Pretend it’s how they will fall and do it naturally later this year Try to keep them unfrozen,but it won’t hurt if they do. It just helps. Keep them JUST damp . They won’t take long to sprout. Simples.

An excellent,no work onion.

CALLING JANSMAN !!!

Helpppp!

My Tree onions have done their sprouting and some are a foot tall. A few have got top heavy and broken. The biggest bulb planted took forever to sprout and I think it's because that one was multiple cloves.

Is tomorrow a good time to plant them out? Have I left it a bit late? Have I sprouted them too soon?

The ones that broke under their own weight, I broke off and ate the droopy bit.

These are to go in my raised bed, along with my garlic, unless I'm instructed otherwise ( It was the one with peas and courgettes last year.)

Do I need to harden them off a bit first?

While in the window sill, they seem to have attracted little flies. Seem smaller than what I've researched as onion flies. Are they going to be a problem?

In other news....... One of my trays of Ailsa Craig onions has started to sprout.... Growing them up a few weeks in the same way before planting out.

Thanks in advance

[jansman]

Get em planted. They are tough. They will be fine.

[jennyjj01]

Get em planted. They are tough. They will be fine.

Thanks. I'm feeling optimistic about these beauties.

My garlic seems to be doing ok, though I think birds or other critters have disturbed some of them.

Need another good session on the lotment tomorrow, so I'll stand a chance of getting spuds in.

[jansman]

Mine are all poking through in the beds now.

[jennyjj01]

Mine are all poking through in the beds now.

Grrrrrrr,
So you keep telling me to hold my horses and now I hear that you've been sowing yours already
Just trying to get the drop on me eh? Can't stand a bit of competition!!!???

Anyhow, Today, I planted out eleven of the sprouted trifid bulblets into my raised bed. They had well established roots.
The soil I planted them in was wetter and colder than I would have liked, which is why I held a few back in reserve. Oh I do hope they don't catch a chill or rot. One of my garlic cloves rotted

That;s now freed up some windowsill, so tomorrow* is tomato seed day. My Precious, Expensive Crimson Crush, not to be confused with Crimson Crush marijuana. And I think a few moneymaker this time.
*[EDIT]. NO. NO. I WILL RESIST. I won't sow till March if it kills me.

Time for more weeding.... And I think it's time to seriously start thinking of chitting first early spuds? Don't tell me you already have.

Hey..... I found another tightwad tip for saving money: The Basal growth on my lime tree is about 5 feet tall, straight and sturdy..... I'm going to use that instead of investing in canes. Every little helps.

[jansman]

Mine are all poking through in the beds now.

Grrrrrrr,
So you keep telling me to hold my horses and now I hear that you've been sowing yours already
Just trying to get the drop on me eh? Can't stand a bit of competition!!!???

Anyhow, Today, I planted out eleven of the sprouted trifid bulblets into my raised bed. They had well established roots.
The soil I planted them in was wetter and colder than I would have liked, which is why I held a few back in reserve. Oh I do hope they don't catch a chill or rot. One of my garlic cloves rotted

That;s now freed up some windowsill, so tomorrow* is tomato seed day. My Precious, Expensive Crimson Crush, not to be confused with Crimson Crush marijuana. And I think a few moneymaker this time.
*[EDIT]. NO. NO. I WILL RESIST. I won't sow till March if it kills me.

Time for more weeding.... And I think it's time to seriously start thinking of chitting first early spuds? Don't tell me you already have.

Hey..... I found another tightwad tip for saving money: The Basal growth on my lime tree is about 5 feet tall, straight and sturdy..... I'm going to use that instead of investing in canes. Every little helps.

No I haven’t just planted them. In late Summer ,the long shoots fell over ( walked) and just lay on the soil. They sprouted before Chrimbo. It’s a good and tough plant. I don’t make hard work out of it. I’ve got some yellow cherry tomatoes seeds. My wife likes those. Sure ,I have heated propagation jobbies, but I won’t touch it for a month. Be ideal *work* when I am at hospital everyday to be honest. A little mooch in the poly tunnel will make me feel better. We are eating Jerusalem artichokes right now. I love ‘em! Lovely flavour. And the easiest crop going- fo- growing too.

[jennyjj01]

Mine are all poking through in the beds now.

Grrrrrrr,
So you keep telling me to hold my horses and now I hear that you've been sowing yours already
Just trying to get the drop on me eh? Can't stand a bit of competition!!!???

No I haven’t just planted them. In late Summer ,the long shoots fell over ( walked) and just lay on the soil. They sprouted before Chrimbo. It’s a good and tough plant. I don’t make hard work out of it. I’ve got some yellow cherry tomatoes seeds. My wife likes those. Sure ,I have heated propagation jobbies, but I won’t touch it for a month. Be ideal *work* when I am at hospital everyday to be honest. A little mooch in the poly tunnel will make me feel better. We are eating Jerusalem artichokes right now. I love ‘em! Lovely flavour. And the easiest crop going- fo- growing too.

I'm going to love those triffids if they are as tough as you say I, and they, woke up to a frost today. If they can survive that shock, they only have to fear my neglecting them. I doubt I'll eat anything of them this year or next, Just go for multiplication to the max.
I like Artichokes, but not often and it's only me, so I probably wont do them. They take a while to establish, don't they?
I will forgive you if you sow to suit your medical schedule And I hope you have good and steady recovery.