Fruit and Vegetables

How to Identify a cherry tree

Richardv — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:09:43 GMT

I have recently moved into a new house and there is a small cherry tree in the garden , I was wondering if there is anyway to identify what type of tree it is and what the best way to prune it would be . Thanks Richard

Chillie pepper

Bill Spud — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:05:59 GMT

I wonder if anyone has try to immerse chillie peppers in olive oil to get a spiced taste in cooking. I tried and have enjoyed using the oil in cooking as the aroma and taste did really come through. In has been soaking in the oil in less than a week, only that I now found it fermanting! The oil is bubbling well in the bottle! I did put a lot of chillie in it, sliced and with seeds. I grew the chillie in the green house myself! Can anyone advise of what is going on with my oil? Would be much appreciated.

Apple Trees

Banana girl — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:16:19 GMT

I am an apple lover and sorry to say this but love to eat pink ladies, jazz and braeburn. i know that they are all foreign varieties... but could anyone suggest a small tree which i could grow which will emulate the sweet and crunchy dessert apple taste? any aspect possible

Thanks for taking the time to read my post

When to plant fruit trees?

EvaInNL — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:01:40 GMT

Hello everyone,

I'm new to this community and to gardening as well. Hopefully I can benefit from your experience and in turn I will share my gardening bloopers (and hopefully some successes as well).

I'm wating for my alotment to be cleared and cultivated, should be ready in about 2 weeks. I was wondering if I could already plant a couple of fruit trees (all half stems) and some soft fruit shrubs. I'm thinking of:

- apple tree (jona gold) - pear tree (giesser wildeman) - hazelnut tree (not sure which one yet) - plum (reine victoria)

- blackberries - raspberries - red currants

Unfortunately, I haven't a clue to when is the best time of year to plant them. Can anyone give some advice?

Eva

Very proud of my Crown Prince squash and my Butternut squash

Tammy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:04:27 GMT

This is the result of my hard work, I still have some more in the garden but these are the ones ready

Have a great day

http://cid-5de173ebfb06ab3e.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/My%20squash?nl=1&uc=2&isFromRichUpload=1

Courgette was fruiting OK , now female buds die & only male flowers open

Anca — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:17:50 GMT

Wonder if anyone can give me a clue to this problem. A courgette plant seems fine (diameter over 1 m, large leaves, has produced 4 very large courgettes which we've eaten already), but now all the female flowers yellow and die while still at the small bud stage, and never get to flower, while all the male flowers are vigurous and strong, and open without any problems... Have had 3 or 4 female buds die already, wonder if the plant has had it for the year and will not make any more courgettes? How does one know? Watering level seems fine (sticking a finger in the soild about one inch, it feels moist) and it has had oodles of home-made compost _and_ chicken manure when sown, couldn't possibly have run out of food already (?) It is growing in a very large glazed pot, with 1 little brother (a smaller courgette plant, slower to germinate, now just beginning to flower)

Basella Alba Rubra (aka Malay Spinach)

EvaInNL — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:23:00 GMT

I bought this plant early in the summer because it looked so unusual and pretty (purple climbing stems, pink berries, dark green leaves on top underneath purple again) and even in partial shade it grew like mad. I haven't dared tried to eat them, it could be a totally enidible variety of the original Malay spinach and besides the leaves are a bit slimey like okra, but I would love to try and grow some more plants just because it's so beautiful!

The berries are now dark purple, shriveled up and - I think - ready to harvest. But then what?

Logically speaking, as it's a plant from the tropics, I can imagine that I need to wait before planting out the seeds till late spring, to be safe under glass. I've tried to find information online but apart from some very generic info about the plants origins, there's nothing to help me.

So... is there anyone out there with experience on this very exotic and beautiful plant???

PS: Pictures on http://cid-8d112c42c24a0782.skydrive.live.com/browse.aspx/My%20Balcony%2009, 2nd, 4th and 5th picture, taken a week after I bought it at the garden center, it grew to about 3 times the size shown here.

Jerusalem Artichokes

catymck — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:23:23 GMT

You may remember I asked about removing the flowers from my artichioke plants - well I brought some inside and they were rather pretty but only lasted a couple of days!

But my real question is - how do you know when the artichikes are ready - some of the stems on mine have started to die - does that mean it's time to get digging?

May thanks

Mulching Sandy Soil

catymck — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:30:04 GMT

We have very dry sandy soil, so last spring we dug some composted manure into a new raised bed and put a 2-3" layer on top when the soil was really wet and planted through it. The stuff was from the local garden centre and we did this on their advice - they are normally very good. Things did not grow very well - tomato and bean plants didn't flourish and looked pretty poor in comparison to others in 'unimproved' beds. When the plants had finished we tidied up the bed and dug around a bit and it was as dry as a bone underneath! Everywhere was dry as well, but with a bit of judicial watering, we had managed to get decent crops.

What did we do wrong? Any thoughts would be mosg welcome.

Garlic

GardeningFin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:12:26 GMT

Hi there,

I've planted some garlic cloves in modules of compost following the guidance from a book I have.

I'm not quite sure what to do now - the book has left me hanging.. Should I just leave then cloves in their modules over winter in a coldframe and plant them out in Spring when their bud appear above ground? Should they be watered whilst dormant over winter or least keep the soil moist?

Thanks
Fin

Strawberries - your advice please

catymck — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 09:26:28 GMT

I hate strawberries, but himself loves them, so we got 10 plants a couple of months ago - knocked down at the garden centre! They're in a variety of pots and tubs at the moment and have produced a few strawbs, but they need a better home. Don't know whether to put them in the garden or for him to make a big trough/raised bed type thing with better soil/compost. Our soil is very sandy so gets extremely dry and from what I've read, strawbs need a fair amount to drink and quite decent soil. Do they they need full sun all day, or would they be happy with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon? Are these strawberry pots with little shelves in them any good - they look nice, but the shelf-type things seem so small and these plants are quite substantial. Any advice you can give would be most welcome.

Thanks

Scorzonera - any tips?

EvaInNL — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:56:04 GMT

Hello All,

I'm planning to grow scorzenara, some from seed and, if I'm lucky, also some I hope to get from the garden center. I've found a lot of information how to grow these perennials but am just wondering if anyone had some additional tips they want to share?

Also, one possibly very silly question, but forgive me I'm new to all this: what would the yield of one seed/plant be? One scorzonera root or more?

Eva

Improving the soil of my new alotment?

EvaInNL — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:27:23 GMT

Hello again,

In about 2 weeks time I will finally get my hands on my alotment! It's my first one and apart from armchair gardening (tv / online) and helping my mum every now and then I'm a complete gardening novice. My plot will be cleared, cultivated and generally will be handed over to me with a big ribbon on it, I know I'm very lucky with all the prep-work the landowner is putting into it for me! I'm just wondering if there s more I could do at this time of year to help improve the soil for spring next year.

This year all that was on the plot were different types of lettuce. The soil itself is amazing, great ph, loose, by the looks of my neighbours plots very nutrient rich, well drained. Should I just leave it as is for now and see what happens next year to the crops?

As I mentioned I'm new to all this and could do with some advice!

Strawbale coldframe

EvaInNL — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:09:11 GMT

Hello!

As a yet-to-start-alotmenteer (2 weeks until I get my hands on my plot!) I'm trawling the internet to find useful ideas on how to get started. I came across an idea for a very simple coldframe: the base is made of strawbales on top of which you would put your window panes to let the light in. The idea seems brilliant because of the obvious advantages: easy to build, cheap, the straw would generate it's own heat, the straw can be recycled as mulch or on the compost heap after use. It just seems to be too good to be true. Has anyone on here actually tried it? If so, was it a success?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this!

Windbreaker/hedge for my alotment

EvaInNL — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:33:52 GMT

Can anyone give me some ideas on what to plant on my new alotment that could act as a windbreaker? The plot is open to the elements on all sides and on a slight incline. I was wondering if shrubs like a blackberry would do the trick. The length of the plot is about 18 metres, and I'd like some alternatives that could stay in place all year...

Quinoa & Amaranth harvest

Roundelder — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:02:55 GMT

Does anyone have any experience of "harvesting" Quinoa and/or Amaranth seeds? In particular any effective way of separating the seed from the "chaff".

Cheers

Roundelder

Leeks

badchipper — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:30:04 GMT

The ends of the young growth on my later plantings of leeks are being neatly chisseled off by something overnight. The leaves are still upright and not bent over, so I don't see how a mouse could achieve the feat, and no evidence of insects. My earlier plantings, which are now quite big, have no such damage. Can anyone resolve the mystery? I write from Edinburgh, where the weather is still mild.

Re-using a used grow bag

GardeningFin — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:27:39 GMT

Hi there,

I have a grow bag I used for my tomatoes this season which are now finished and don't want to throw the grow bag/compost away. Can I still use it for growing something else in - I've got broadbeans and spinach which I'd like to plant in them. Is this a bad idea?

Kind regards
Fin

Raised vegetable beds

potterpip — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:23:05 GMT

Hi Questions from a novice vegetable gardener. We are planning to put in raised beds in an area of garden that is at present all lawn. My question is can we just put them straight onto the grass or should that all be dug up first? Also what is the best soil combination to use - we have plenty of our own compost but should we mix that with top soil?

First time Vegetable grower - feltham firsts already flowering?!

Claire's Patch — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:12:10 GMT

Hi.

I have just recently put in two raised beds for vegetables.

So far I have planted spinich, kale, spring cabbage, oriental salad and peas. I hope to sow my broad beans next month

It is all looking great and I am very pleased with my first time effort.

However I have a question about my peas. I have 6 feltham first all doing very well but some have started to flower already - Is this normal??

Any other advice about my new patch would be greatly recieved.

Thank you in advance.

Claire

Advice Please for a newcomer. How cold is cold?

ArthurS — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:09:28 GMT

I'm new to gardening this year and have three modest raised beds (stolen from the lawn) which at the moment contain a variety of plants (Curly Kale, Spring Cabbage, Round Cabbage and a few Cauliflowers) The seedlings were planted in the first half of September, they are currently around 6-8 inches high and seem to be doing well. We are however now moving into cooler weather and locally tonight (Bath) a temperature of 3 degrees is forecast with a ground frost. Should I be covering the plants now? If it is not yet sufficiently cold to yet do so, then how cold does it need to get before I cover them?

Advice appreciated.

Grafting fruit and roses.

Roger — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:14:20 GMT

I am becoming interested in grafting.

First Q. I have some young crab apple (malus Sylvestris) plants left over from some Hedgerows that I planted. Can I graft apple buds onto them? What woul be the results.

Second Q. I have bought in some rootstocks to have a go at grafting but I have become curious as to where thes rootstocks come from i.e. how are they grown? can I grow them myself? etc.

I would also like to have a go at grafting Roses. The same questions are intriguing me. In addition, does anyone know where I can buy the rootstocks for roses?

Thanking you in advance for your response to my questions. Roger

Strawberries and wood lice

mikeblake101 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:25:49 GMT

I have two pots of strawberries which are thriving, but as soon as the fruits ripen they are attacked by wood lice. The wood lice don't seem to be around until the fruits start to ripen. There is a chance that other animals or insects are starting things off and the wood lice are joining in, but I only ever see the wood lice. What measures can I take, which ideally don't involve killing the wood lice?

Many thanks

Mike

Storing Carrots

bellscott — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:51:41 GMT

I seemed to have done rather well with my carrots this year, and, would like to store them in a cool cupboard, in hesian sacks - similar to potatoes. I have started lifting them, of various shapes and sizes, topped them and washed them, checked for any sign of root fly or slug damage and found none (grown in raised beds and under envro mesh). They hyave dried in the sun today and are now ready to be stored. Any ideas on using hesian sacks? I have no access to sand.

All ideas welcome, storage will be short due to grand kids love them!

Thank you one and all.

Bellscott

Saving bean seeds

willowman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:49:26 GMT

I have had a great crop of runner beans Lady Di', the freezer is full and l was hoping to save some seed for next year. I am leaving a lot on the plant until they dry off and then thinking of just putting them in a jam jar in a cool dark place. Can anyone advise differently?