Fruit and veg growers of 2024

[borcy]

Been out today in the nice weather, got some peas, carrots, tomatoes, coriander, basil put out along with some flower seeds.

Just started last year with citrus fruits. One each of lemon, lime and orange.

I see there's someone on here with them, i might be on here for some advice

[The Three D Mucketeer]

borcy said:

Been out today in the nice weather, got some peas, carrots, tomatoes, coriander, basil put out along with some flower seeds.

Just started last year with citrus fruits. One each of lemon, lime and orange.

I see there's someone on here with them, i might be on here for some advice

I have found the limes (to some extent the lemons) to be the most affected by frost ... this time of year (unless in a greenhouse) watch out for cold nights in the forecast and have some large fleeces available if required ( bought a really big one from Amazon) . I think they suffer in the greenhouse and keep an eye out for mealy bugs. Limes are OK in a G&T , but the Oranges only go up a duck bum when cooking .

Can't resist a photo call with my newly planted Dicksonia Antartica Tree Fern

[borcy]

I bring mine inside into a sun room in the winter, i plan to take them out in maybe 4 weeks.

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The Three D Mucketeer said:

but the Oranges only go up a duck bum when cooking .

Can't resist a photo call with my newly planted Dicksonia Antartica Tree Fern

Oranges work perfectly with slightly "flamed" rosemary in a Mare & mediterranean tonic.

Loving the tree fern, it's great waiting for the surprise of the new fronds to come out.

Here are ours from a month ago after the patio was laid and the fleece was removed (grass and drainage being sorted)!

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Is global warming going crazy in Aberdeen , that's two photo from Aberdeen recently where it looks a month ahead of Lancashire ... looks like May. I don't expect the fern to open for another month. I would have thought the East coast of Scotland could still get snow and frosts. I know Ayr gets the gulf stream and can be "tropical" but Aberdeen ?
Nice garden room and ferns though

[WyrleyD]

Got 3 sprigs with blossom on our espalier pear, first blossom since it was planted 3 years ago (this is it's 4th year) so hope they get fertilised! I did read that it can take up to 5 years to get any fruit though.

[borcy]

When do you put your citrus fruit out? What sort of temperature and is it just during the day and put them back at night?

[The Three D Mucketeer]

borcy said:

When do you put your citrus fruit out? What sort of temperature and is it just during the day and put them back at night?

Mine have been out for a month now ... plenty of rain but not many frosts (and those we've had have been very light)....I keep an eye on the forecast ..If they say 2 degrees , then I cover them all with one huge fleece...i did try tailored fleece , but it damages the trees putting them on and taking them off .
if they get hit by frost the leaves turn brown and drop off . A few years ago my lime tree was completely bald after frost , I thought I'd killed it. Eventually new side shoots appears and after 2 years I cut off the original main stem. It's out of intensive care now and on the road to recovery .

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Started re-planting part of the strawberry bed with plants taken from last years runners, rain stopped play AGAIN !!!


Last week I managed one row of early spuds, but had to cover them compost because the soil was just a bog, and impossible to rake.

[d_a_n1979]

I've just got our back garden all sorted and planted up...

I had turned the raised beds over around 4 weeks ago; got them well broken down and sown with various veg seeds etc; we've had non stop rain with only one day of sunshine in 3 weeks. It all rotted

So popped to the local nursery gardens yesterday and collected seedlings to plant on, all done this morning

Cauliflower, spring cabbages, parsnips, leeks and beetroot gone into the raised beds. I've grown courgettes and tomatoes from seed; courgettes planted on, toms will get done tomorrow. A couple of cucumber plants in there too.

Chard in pots, will split them out when they grow more and the radishes have come through well (long, white planter)

The rhubarbs flourishing; that stuff would survive a nuclear attack! - It gets dug out every year; the patch turned over and replanted sometime late Feb! It grows like weeds!



















The 'fruit futures' are in pots (x2 raspberries, x2 gooseberries and a blueberry bush; strawbs still in the greenhouse for now) - they'll stay in pots as I can control their growth better and they won't take over if they're planted in the ground

We've hundreds of blackberry brambles in the woods at the back of the garden; the summer/autumn glut is superb :thumbsup:

The garden itself is a mess; the soakaway I dug has got clogged with silt over the last few months. It drains away within a few hours; but it has been overrun the last few months. I may re-dg it over summer and see if I can get it to flow better (won't be an easy job)

[Sticks.]

Excellent stuff, it looks like you're set up for a good year. Let's hope so. My garden is still very boggy but yes, the rhubarb seems happy. The crowns were old when I moved here 30 years ago!

Something I do in the greenhouse is to put slug pellets around the pots and on the ground rather than in them. They seem to go mouldy in the pots. Could be just me.

Some greenhouse action from me. The tomatoes are a bit leggy but I think they'll slow doen now they're in big pots. Otherwise, cucumbers, tomatoes for outside, basil and padrons. Mixed leaves to do this afternoon.

[borcy]

Grown on some Tom seeds, courgettes. Carrots, cabbage, cucumbers are all in a well.

Lemon tree has quite a few flowers, orange and lime nothing yet.

Apples trees are in full flower already. Bit early i think?

[d_a_n1979]

Sticks. said:

Excellent stuff, it looks like you're set up for a good year. Let's hope so. My garden is still very boggy but yes, the rhubarb seems happy. The crowns were old when I moved here 30 years ago!

Something I do in the greenhouse is to put slug pellets around the pots and on the ground rather than in them. They seem to go mouldy in the pots. Could be just me.

Some greenhouse action from me. The tomatoes are a bit leggy but I think they'll slow doen now they're in big pots. Otherwise, cucumbers, tomatoes for outside, basil and padrons. Mixed leaves to do this afternoon.

Thank you! Hoping we have a good year; poor health stopped me from doing a lot last year; managed to get toms and cucumbers going in the greenhouse and spuds in pots; but the raised beds yielded very little bar parsnips and plenty of herbs

Re slug pellets; I've had to cover everything as it's been so wet (and gotten warmer until today) they're voracious and I can't stop the bloody things! I do check the greenhouse daily for them and now the slug pellets are down, they've calmed right off...

I only use them when the plants are young; once they're up to speed they look after themselves and the slugs can't do enough damage to kill them thankfully

[Sticks.]

d_a_n1979 said:

Thank you! Hoping we have a good year; poor health stopped me from doing a lot last year; managed to get toms and cucumbers going in the greenhouse and spuds in pots; but the raised beds yielded very little bar parsnips and plenty of herbs

Re slug pellets; I've had to cover everything as it's been so wet (and gotten warmer until today) they're voracious and I can't stop the bloody things! I do check the greenhouse daily for them and now the slug pellets are down, they've calmed right off...

I only use them when the plants are young; once they're up to speed they look after themselves and the slugs can't do enough damage to kill them thankfully

Yes, me too, so keen to make a success of it this year. Maybe go out at night and look for them. I find they're attracted to any left over bird food. Beer traps have worked in the past, though not with snails. The hedgehog's back so hopefully he'll pull his weight with them. I've got to keep the foxes off the veg plot this year too.

[d_a_n1979]

Sticks. said:

d_a_n1979 said:

Thank you! Hoping we have a good year; poor health stopped me from doing a lot last year; managed to get toms and cucumbers going in the greenhouse and spuds in pots; but the raised beds yielded very little bar parsnips and plenty of herbs

Re slug pellets; I've had to cover everything as it's been so wet (and gotten warmer until today) they're voracious and I can't stop the bloody things! I do check the greenhouse daily for them and now the slug pellets are down, they've calmed right off...

I only use them when the plants are young; once they're up to speed they look after themselves and the slugs can't do enough damage to kill them thankfully

Yes, me too, so keen to make a success of it this year. Maybe go out at night and look for them. I find they're attracted to any left over bird food. Beer traps have worked in the past, though not with snails. The hedgehog's back so hopefully he'll pull his weight with them. I've got to keep the foxes off the veg plot this year too.

Haha I've been tempted to try the beer trick; only issue is I think I'll find my FiL in the back garden suppin it all

I've temporarily fenced the woods off for now; some shysters keep letting their dogs loose on the other sides of the woods and they've been getting into our gardens; so another job this year is to clear the section of the woods to put a proper fence in. We're the only house on the cul de sac that hasn't done it, but it's not an easy job either...

It'll take some planning and a bit of digging; but once I've cleared a path for the fence to follow it should be straight forward enough

I'll be using the fence post spikes etc; makes life much easier

[otolith]

I dosed the entire garden with nematodes. They’ve been effective keeping the slugs in check for us before.

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Greenhouses nearly planted up:-
Tomatoes

Aubergines, Sweet Peppers , Cucumbers (looking very sick, so new seeds in the propagator) , holding off planting out the melons




Put the rotavator through the veg plot, in the hope of drying it out, but resembled a cement mixer.



1st early spuds are in , but the main crop need to go in this weekend (chitting)



With a weeks dry weather forecast , I hoping to catch up and get my peas , cabbage and caulis planted .

Edited by The Three D Mucketeer on Wednesday 17th April 18:01

[Sticks.]

otolith said:

I dosed the entire garden with nematodes. They’ve been effective keeping the slugs in check for us before.

Any in particular you buy?

Blimey Three D, you've been busy. Re your claggy soil, I put a lot of horticultural grit in my raised beds years ago. It's the only thing I've found makes a difference..

Planted my Pentland Javelin at the weekend and picked rhubarb. Onions next (late) and strawberry patch needs redoing.

[otolith]

https://www.nematodesdirect.co.uk/

Be aware that they don't work on snails - which have done a number on some of my broad beans!

[The Three D Mucketeer]

Well finally 3 dryish days , although it's just started with hail stones and peeing down now . Got the maincrop (Desiree and Java) Spuds planted (in a fashion) still had to cover with compost. Early Peas , Pointy Cabbage and Caulis in aswell . After fighting the weather , it's time to take on the pests (Pigeons, Rabbits and Slugs/Snails). Early Spuds through and earthed up .




First Home Grown Asparagus pickings for Tea