The zombie army COVID-19 Gardening thread.
Discussion
Evoluzione said:
Saw this beauty whilst out having a good curry in Keighley:
It must be sheltered there from frost and wind by the buildings so was flourishing and covered in flowers as you can see.
Took a couple of cheeky cuttings
Is that a Magnolia? Looks fantastic. Makes that corner of Keighley look almost Mediterranean! It must be sheltered there from frost and wind by the buildings so was flourishing and covered in flowers as you can see.
Took a couple of cheeky cuttings
I’m getting impatient with my garden at the moment; got some great tulips out (finally), but it looks like none of the Dahlias I left in the raised beds have survived, and my Tetrapanax and Coloccasia both got severely damaged by the late frost/snow we had a few weeks ago. Also, not a single one of my ferns is showing any sign of unfurling yet. Need some warmth and sunshine in Sheffield!!!!
The tulips finally flowering - shame about the big gaps where the Dahlias were mean to be.
TeaNoSugar said:
Evoluzione said:
Saw this beauty whilst out having a good curry in Keighley:
It must be sheltered there from frost and wind by the buildings so was flourishing and covered in flowers as you can see.
Took a couple of cheeky cuttings
Is that a Magnolia? Looks fantastic. Makes that corner of Keighley look almost Mediterranean! It must be sheltered there from frost and wind by the buildings so was flourishing and covered in flowers as you can see.
Took a couple of cheeky cuttings
I’m getting impatient with my garden at the moment; got some great tulips out (finally), but it looks like none of the Dahlias I left in the raised beds have survived, and my Tetrapanax and Coloccasia both got severely damaged by the late frost/snow we had a few weeks ago. Also, not a single one of my ferns is showing any sign of unfurling yet. Need some warmth and sunshine in Sheffield!!!!
The tulips finally flowering - shame about the big gaps where the Dahlias were mean to be.
Aren't you supposed to bring Dahlia roots inside in Winter?
Evoluzione said:
Haha, yes sorry I should have said and yes it is, It was a nod to the frost hit ones on the previous pages.
[b]Aren't you supposed to bring Dahlia roots inside in Winter?[/]
Yes - I read somewhere though that the roots might survive in favourable conditions (raised beds, thick mulch, sunny spot). I thought I’d give it a go as I didn’t really have anywhere to store roots over the winter. [b]Aren't you supposed to bring Dahlia roots inside in Winter?[/]
It would seem they didn’t survive, although there is something coming back through which Might be a side-shoot from one of the Dahlias.
To be honest I thought it might happen and I’ve bought some new dahlia tubers and some canna tubers. Annoyingly out of the 6 tubers I potted up (and are currently on the window sill in the conservatory), only one canna tuber and one dahlia tuber have sprouted after about 5 weeks. No signs at all of the others sprouting. It’s not a great success rate so far.
We underplanted this plane tree with bulbs several years ago. Daffs, bluebells and snowdrops in their own individual ‘swathes’. Only the daffs have made any real progress so we’re going to fill the gaps left by the snowdrops and bluebells with more daffs this coming autumn. We’ll introduce a couple more varieties, about 1,000 bulbs needed in total. I’ve put in canes to mark the areas where bulbs are needed so I don’t have to guess in 6 months time! This time next year we’ll reassess the planting and split some of the existing daffs whilst ‘in the green’.
I used to mow regularly under the canopy area but it’s now just cut once a year, in November, and then left to the wild flowers and grasses. Of course it’ll be cut a couple of months earlier this year then we can get the new bulbs in.
I used to mow regularly under the canopy area but it’s now just cut once a year, in November, and then left to the wild flowers and grasses. Of course it’ll be cut a couple of months earlier this year then we can get the new bulbs in.
d tree rats had most of our new bulbs this year. 
We still have plenty from previous years but some of the trees have none at all still.
Complete beginner when it comes to gardening/growing plants - question regarding soil.
We built 2 raised planters last year, 90cm high, 80cm deep, one about 7m long and the other 4m long. I filled them with riddled soil (10mm riddle) that was dug up from the garden when levelling it off, the soil (dirt, really) is quite heavy and generally of poor quality. The planters were fine for pre-potted plants throughout last summer but veg pretty much failed to grow with the exception of some small beetroot.
I also filled a bunch of 50l pots with the soil which again failed to produce & also ended up retaining water to the point it pooled on top. Yesterday I emptied all the pots out, gave them a good wash then drilled some more drainage holes in the bottom, put a layer of weed proof membrane on the bottom, 2 inches of stones for better drainage then another layer of weed proof membrane. I then split a 50L bag of B&Q's Verve compost across the 10 pots, probably a couple of inches in each at the moment.
My question is, primarily aimed at the pots for the moment, should I fill the pots entirely with compost or should I be trying to create a mix of compost and the soil I have to hand? Or should I be buying another type of soil to fill the rest of the way now there's a bed of compost?
Long term for the planters I was thinking about getting a loan of a cement mixer then digging down 15 inches or so a meter at a time then create a mix of a third of the existing poor soil, a third compost and a third of a better quality of soil? I'm also composting down grass cuttings and waste fruit and veg in a bin at the side of the house that I plan to spread across the top of the beds once it's thoroughly rotten.
Cheers.
We built 2 raised planters last year, 90cm high, 80cm deep, one about 7m long and the other 4m long. I filled them with riddled soil (10mm riddle) that was dug up from the garden when levelling it off, the soil (dirt, really) is quite heavy and generally of poor quality. The planters were fine for pre-potted plants throughout last summer but veg pretty much failed to grow with the exception of some small beetroot.
I also filled a bunch of 50l pots with the soil which again failed to produce & also ended up retaining water to the point it pooled on top. Yesterday I emptied all the pots out, gave them a good wash then drilled some more drainage holes in the bottom, put a layer of weed proof membrane on the bottom, 2 inches of stones for better drainage then another layer of weed proof membrane. I then split a 50L bag of B&Q's Verve compost across the 10 pots, probably a couple of inches in each at the moment.
My question is, primarily aimed at the pots for the moment, should I fill the pots entirely with compost or should I be trying to create a mix of compost and the soil I have to hand? Or should I be buying another type of soil to fill the rest of the way now there's a bed of compost?
Long term for the planters I was thinking about getting a loan of a cement mixer then digging down 15 inches or so a meter at a time then create a mix of a third of the existing poor soil, a third compost and a third of a better quality of soil? I'm also composting down grass cuttings and waste fruit and veg in a bin at the side of the house that I plan to spread across the top of the beds once it's thoroughly rotten.
Cheers.
I buy well rotted manure and topsoil in bulk bags, and mix it for pots. Way cheaper, and works really well. I sometime mix perlite and clay balls in as required.
You get through a lot of compost when pots and planters get big, so bulk buying and preparing a load of containers works well. You can always use any leftovers elsewhere in the garden.
You get through a lot of compost when pots and planters get big, so bulk buying and preparing a load of containers works well. You can always use any leftovers elsewhere in the garden.
Agree, just use compost.
For something more organic (and free) it might also be worth checking the household recycling facility local to you. Where we stay, there is a scheme called Compost2Go, where the rotted down contents of everyone's brown bins is plonked in a huge pile in a covered shed and you can just turn up and collect as much as you want.
For something more organic (and free) it might also be worth checking the household recycling facility local to you. Where we stay, there is a scheme called Compost2Go, where the rotted down contents of everyone's brown bins is plonked in a huge pile in a covered shed and you can just turn up and collect as much as you want.
Soil is a funny one. At face value, my soil (both at home and the allotment) seems crap. Yet it grows stuff incredibly well!
If you want 'instant' good soil - then a mix of compost and decent topsoil changes things immediately.
If you're willing to gradually improve over a couple of years, look at things like 'no dig' and 'hugelkulture'.
Cheapest route is to provide the building blocks of good soil, and then letting nature do it's work. For my new allotment raised beds, that means filling them 3/4 full with 'compost materials', covering with plain packing cardboard, then a layer of manure over the top. I'll be able to grow 'some' stuff this year (filled them in October) - but next year the whole bed should be absolutely incredible and just needing an end of year top up with home made compost and a little manure.
If you want 'instant' good soil - then a mix of compost and decent topsoil changes things immediately.
If you're willing to gradually improve over a couple of years, look at things like 'no dig' and 'hugelkulture'.
Cheapest route is to provide the building blocks of good soil, and then letting nature do it's work. For my new allotment raised beds, that means filling them 3/4 full with 'compost materials', covering with plain packing cardboard, then a layer of manure over the top. I'll be able to grow 'some' stuff this year (filled them in October) - but next year the whole bed should be absolutely incredible and just needing an end of year top up with home made compost and a little manure.
akirk said:
our future compost plans start right here: 
planning on making three bins each roughly 1m cubed - with removable planks to make it easy to turn from one to the next...
I did he same thing, although I had Travis Perkins deliver the wood! 3 x bays, removable fronts, each turns out half a tonne of good compost. I start filling one and turn it along the bays so by the time it's done it's been turned twice. Gets really hot, have had it up to 60°c planning on making three bins each roughly 1m cubed - with removable planks to make it easy to turn from one to the next...
MrHappy said:
We underplanted this plane tree with bulbs several years ago. Daffs, bluebells and snowdrops in their own individual ‘swathes’. Only the daffs have made any real progress so we’re going to fill the gaps left by the snowdrops and bluebells with more daffs this coming autumn. We’ll introduce a couple more varieties, about 1,000 bulbs needed in total. I’ve put in canes to mark the areas where bulbs are needed so I don’t have to guess in 6 months time! This time next year we’ll reassess the planting and split some of the existing daffs whilst ‘in the green’.
I used to mow regularly under the canopy area but it’s now just cut once a year, in November, and then left to the wild flowers and grasses. Of course it’ll be cut a couple of months earlier this year then we can get the new bulbs in.
6
Looking good. I used to mow regularly under the canopy area but it’s now just cut once a year, in November, and then left to the wild flowers and grasses. Of course it’ll be cut a couple of months earlier this year then we can get the new bulbs in.
6
On the bulb front does anyone know a good place to order from by the thousand, rather than bags in the garden centre?
Comacchio said:
Complete beginner when it comes to gardening/growing plants - question regarding soil.
We built 2 raised planters last year, 90cm high, 80cm deep, one about 7m long and the other 4m long. I filled them with riddled soil (10mm riddle) that was dug up from the garden when levelling it off, the soil (dirt, really) is quite heavy and generally of poor quality. The planters were fine for pre-potted plants throughout last summer but veg pretty much failed to grow with the exception of some small beetroot.
I also filled a bunch of 50l pots with the soil which again failed to produce & also ended up retaining water to the point it pooled on top. Yesterday I emptied all the pots out, gave them a good wash then drilled some more drainage holes in the bottom, put a layer of weed proof membrane on the bottom, 2 inches of stones for better drainage then another layer of weed proof membrane. I then split a 50L bag of B&Q's Verve compost across the 10 pots, probably a couple of inches in each at the moment.
My question is, primarily aimed at the pots for the moment, should I fill the pots entirely with compost or should I be trying to create a mix of compost and the soil I have to hand? Or should I be buying another type of soil to fill the rest of the way now there's a bed of compost?
Long term for the planters I was thinking about getting a loan of a cement mixer then digging down 15 inches or so a meter at a time then create a mix of a third of the existing poor soil, a third compost and a third of a better quality of soil? I'm also composting down grass cuttings and waste fruit and veg in a bin at the side of the house that I plan to spread across the top of the beds once it's thoroughly rotten.
Cheers.
You put in your beds and pots whatever your plants require. They're all different so you'll have to do the research into what they need. Carrots and Parsnips for instance grow very badly in good fertile soil, they actually do better in poor land.We built 2 raised planters last year, 90cm high, 80cm deep, one about 7m long and the other 4m long. I filled them with riddled soil (10mm riddle) that was dug up from the garden when levelling it off, the soil (dirt, really) is quite heavy and generally of poor quality. The planters were fine for pre-potted plants throughout last summer but veg pretty much failed to grow with the exception of some small beetroot.
I also filled a bunch of 50l pots with the soil which again failed to produce & also ended up retaining water to the point it pooled on top. Yesterday I emptied all the pots out, gave them a good wash then drilled some more drainage holes in the bottom, put a layer of weed proof membrane on the bottom, 2 inches of stones for better drainage then another layer of weed proof membrane. I then split a 50L bag of B&Q's Verve compost across the 10 pots, probably a couple of inches in each at the moment.
My question is, primarily aimed at the pots for the moment, should I fill the pots entirely with compost or should I be trying to create a mix of compost and the soil I have to hand? Or should I be buying another type of soil to fill the rest of the way now there's a bed of compost?
Long term for the planters I was thinking about getting a loan of a cement mixer then digging down 15 inches or so a meter at a time then create a mix of a third of the existing poor soil, a third compost and a third of a better quality of soil? I'm also composting down grass cuttings and waste fruit and veg in a bin at the side of the house that I plan to spread across the top of the beds once it's thoroughly rotten.
Cheers.
You need to research proper compost too, yours is all green and no brown so won't be very useful. Making good compost requires a lot of time and some hard graft as it needs to be turned periodically. Maybe you could consider a compost rotator.
If you have no idea what you have is of any use then cheap soil testing kits are available.
Don't throw away cardboard and paper in the bin, put it in your compost, it's a good source of 'brown' and the most efficient way of using it by a country mile.
Don't put membrane in pots, it does more harm than good and am not sure why you've used it. Just put some stones or broken pottery in the bottom and fill with soil/compost.
Edited by Evoluzione on Thursday 14th April 11:33
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