Gardening Advice

I was sick and tired of trailing a hose pipe around my house to the front garden. So earlier this year I installed another tap and hose reel out the front. I’m with Thames Water so no bans at present but the last time there were bans with Southern Water I had neighbours and passers by telling me about fines for using hosepipes. I expect the same soon. 

The rain battering down earlier did me a favour. I tend to use the water from the buts anyway as it 1) absolutely stinks if i leave it and 2) the plants seem to love it as does the pond. 

It will piss hard again soon, the UK is never dry for long but I get demand on the supply is up especially given the volume of new homes being built in the south east and frankly inadequate water infrastructure and utility companies reticence to invest in it or repair leaks doesn't help. 

Harvesting water is the way to go if you are into gardening. 

Anyway, the hydrangeas are finally flowering and the look wicked. My ganja has had to go back in the greenhouse as something is eating it, once that stuff really takes it is indestructible but getting it going cam be a challenge. 

The strawberries have done their thing for the year it seems which is sad as they are really nice. Got a bean stalk growing wild that I'd forgotten about or at least definitely dont remember planting where it is growing. The marigolds have mostly been eaten again, which is odd as some years they flourish and encourage the ladybirds and other predatory insects, this year they just seem to be attracting things that eat them. 

Dahlias flourishing, slug genocide by way if a couple of beer traps is giving the hostas a second chance. Seriously a metal dish with a can of Stella in is working wonders. I used a rancid cherry sour ale last week and the slugs were much keener on it that I was but Stella works fine 

Stig said:

Has anyone got any experience of growing Apricots?  We have a competition in our family. We've all got an Apricot stone, the winner is the first to get their 'tree' to be 12" high. Any hints or tips greatly appreciated. Cheers.

When in doubt Google 

Stig said:

Has anyone got any experience of growing Apricots?  We have a competition in our family. We've all got an Apricot stone, the winner is the first to get their 'tree' to be 12" high. Any hints or tips greatly appreciated. Cheers.

I was reading the Thames Water info on the hosepipe ban which, luckily, had exemptions for animal welfare. I will just train the hens to line up by the plants. 

Er_Be_Ab_Pl_Wo_Wo_Ch said:

Any parsnip growers on here?

This is the crop I'm keenest on getting right. Do you have any tips, success or failure stories?

I had a disastrous 23/24 - seeds didn't germinate despite best attempts.

24/25 - sowed seeds in ground in June - not a bad germination rate. But I didn't thin them well and size and quality wasn't great. But there was enough to eat from Jan to April.

For 25/26 I've gone with what's generally not recommended to do - plant out seedlings. Roughly 25cm apart. I've gone late, they had to wait a few weeks after the onions came out.

Thought I'd live on the edge and start a monthly time lapse of success or failure, whichever the case may be. This is where we're at 3 weeks after planting out.

The fact that you have got the seeds to germinate is fantastic, as they can be stubborn.  Try not to overwater so that the root goes down in search of it.  Otherwise you could end up with a beautiful top and no parsnip.

Arsenetatters said:

It was good to see Monty Don on Gardeners World showing some of the ‘failures’ in various parts of the garden. Shows how even the experts have problems - and he’s helping others by allowing us to see them. I was particularly pleased to see the blossom end rot on some of his tomatoes as some of mine have suffered too. 

I think its much harder to regulate watering with container grown tomatoes.  With the help of a moisture meter I have eliminated blossom end rot from this years crop, although there is some splitting of fruit occurring. 

I just watched a video (and backed it up with google research) about the best time to pick.  Apparently when a tomato is 30-50% ripe it switches off from the mother plant and ripens on its own.  Picking at this stage is beneficial in keeping the tomato away from the elements, bruising splitting etc.  I'll incorporate this in my regime now.



(From AI)

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

Arsenetatters said:

It was good to see Monty Don on Gardeners World showing some of the ‘failures’ in various parts of the garden. Shows how even the experts have problems - and he’s helping others by allowing us to see them. I was particularly pleased to see the blossom end rot on some of his tomatoes as some of mine have suffered too. 

I think its much harder to regulate watering with container grown tomatoes.  With the help of a moisture meter I have eliminated blossom end rot from this years crop, although there is some splitting of fruit occurring. 

I just watched a video (and backed it up with google research) about the best time to pick.  Apparently when a tomato is 30-50% ripe it switches off from the mother plant and ripens on its own.  Picking at this stage is beneficial in keeping the tomato away from the elements, bruising splitting etc.  I'll incorporate this in my regime now.



(From AI)

Is it true that tomatoes switch off from the mother plant during ripening?

Yes, it is largely true that tomatoes become increasingly independent of the mother plant during ripening

. 

Here's a breakdown of the process:

• Breaker Stage: When a tomato starts to show a slight blush of colour, it's considered to have reached the "breaker stage." At this point, it has developed most of the nutrients and compounds needed for ripening and no longer relies heavily on the plant for these resources.
• 
  
• Reduced Connection: The plant's connection to the tomato in the abscission zone (the point of detachment) gradually weakens during ripening.
• 
  
• Tomatoes picked at the breaker stage or later can continue to ripen to full colour and flavour off the vine.
• 
  
• Advantages of Picking Early: Harvesting tomatoes at the breaker stage can be beneficial in several ways:
  • Reduced Risk of Cracking: Leaving them on the vine longer can increase the chances of the fruit swelling and cracking, particularly with inconsistent watering.
  • Protection from Damage: Early harvesting can protect the fruits from sunscald, pests, and adverse weather conditions.
  • No Flavour Loss: It's a common misconception that tomatoes ripened on the vine taste better. In reality, harvesting at the breaker stage doesn't significantly impact the final flavour or nutritional value.

In essence, while the mother plant nurtures the tomato during its initial growth, the fruit develops the ability to complete the ripening process independently, making it a "climacteric" fruit, meaning it continues to ripen after being harvested. 

That’s good to know . I tend to pick them what I thought was ‘a bit too early’ but this sounds like a good time to pick.
What kind of moisture meter do you use? I will definitely get one for next year as it’s been a real problem this year. 

Raith_C_Chattonell said:

I got these two from Amazon ... not sure why I ordered two, but they do agree with each other so pretty sure they work.  I also think the probes are extra long for deeper pots.

Thank you. This might be a silly question but what moisture content should tomato plants be kept at?