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Anorthosite
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« on: January 16, 2010, 07:08:52 pm » |
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Its that time of year when some of us start to think about preparing for the first plantings of the year. What are you doing right now in the garden?
I'm about to move some deep planters into the greenhouse to get them warm enough to plant parsnips & carrots next month. I'll also be trimming back a lot of last year's foliage from the pitcher plants I grow to get ready for this year's growth.
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It's like mumsnet but with more beans and shotguns
Opinions are the crap that's left behind when you've stopped thinking
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Mr Parry
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« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2010, 07:12:08 pm » |
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Its that time of year when some of us start to think about preparing for the first plantings of the year. What are you doing right now in the garden?
I'm about to move some deep planters into the greenhouse to get them warm enough to plant parsnips & carrots next month. I'll also be trimming back a lot of last year's foliage from the pitcher plants I grow to get ready for this year's growth.
Only about 30 acres of rice and 10 acres of sugar cane . . . and I'm bloody diabetic and can't use any of it. Oh, about 5 acres of spuds, asian horrible spuds, not real spuds and I hate them. If I'm not off on travels again, will do some serious veg. Oh add to that we got chickens. |
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MooseTea
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 355
Board Moose
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« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2010, 07:38:22 pm » |
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Er, nothing I have a 5m by 5m garden at the back that is fully paved, there is a flower bed at the front that has some er flowers in it and the shared garden. IMHO if it gets that bad I'm getting a big ass loan and fking off to somewhere much much cheaper, either do a Mr Parry, or somewhere in Africa.
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huw
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« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2010, 07:53:37 pm » |
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Nothing yet, made a big effort last year to get things started early but didn't benefit compared to other allotment holders (in fact had to do a second sowing of Cherokee beans when the first planting got zapped by a cold snap).
What I do have is a year's worth of kitchen/loo rolls, cream pots and tetrapaks that I'll be using to plant seedlings in. The cardboard rolls go straight in the ground, the tetrapaks will be split to remove the root mass, the pots should just work like flower pots.
I also need to get cracking looking for a tomato variety that starts yielding earlier, to extend the period when we don't have to buy them (assuming we get enough sun for a decent crop at all -- which didn't happen in 2009).
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Mr Barlow
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« Reply #4 on: January 16, 2010, 08:19:49 pm » |
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At present I have kale, cabbage and turnips in the ground as winter greens.
The snow appears to have killed off my brocoli.
Assuming I am staying in the Uk the allotment will be getting spuds, broad beans, peas, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, runner beans, courgettes.
Garden is planted out with trees - apple, plum, peach, kiwi, and 2 grape vines.
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Mr Parry
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« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2010, 08:21:26 pm » |
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Er, nothing I have a 5m by 5m garden at the back that is fully paved, there is a flower bed at the front that has some er flowers in it and the shared garden. IMHO if it gets that bad I'm getting a big ass loan and fking off to somewhere much much cheaper, either do a Mr Parry, or somewhere in Africa.
Not a bad idea in any case, wish I'd done the big loans trick, but . . . well . . . I wish I'd done the big loans trick. |
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MooseTea
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 355
Board Moose
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« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2010, 08:44:47 pm » |
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Reminds me of a story I was told by my boss. A friend of his walked into a bank about 10/15 years ago wanting a loan, bank manager goes through the details. The man wants a land rover because he wants to drive to Australia he also wants some extra cash, bank manager likes the idea and approves the loan, the man buys the land rover drives off and is never seen again. Moral of the story, never give a bank loan to someone who wants to buy a land rover to drive to Australia.
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Skinty
Administrator
Hermit
Posts: 6898
Empress of the forum and all its domain names
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« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2010, 09:28:27 pm » |
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Er, nothing I have a 5m by 5m garden at the back that is fully paved, there is a flower bed at the front that has some er flowers in it and the shared garden. IMHO if it gets that bad I'm getting a big ass loan and fking off to somewhere much much cheaper, either do a Mr Parry, or somewhere in Africa.
You can do a lot in a 5 metre garden. Use pots hanging baskets and grow vertically. Or use a green house. I'm going to be doing that this year. It can save you money, you get fresh produce and you increase your experience. |
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council dweller
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 347
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« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2010, 11:43:54 pm » |
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At present I have kale, cabbage and turnips in the ground as winter greens.
The snow appears to have killed off my brocoli.
Assuming I am staying in the Uk the allotment will be getting spuds, broad beans, peas, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, runner beans, courgettes.
Garden is planted out with trees - apple, plum, peach, kiwi, and 2 grape vines.
Things looking pretty dead at the moment of course, I try to imagine what it will look like in high summer.....pretty damn stunning as usual I guess. We've brocoli still, standing tall and leeks, kale, Japanese radish and naturally Jerusalem Artichokes. This year we hope to have blackcurrents, red current, gooseberries,black and white grapes and....can anyone recommend anything else?....though chances are that I've already got the seeds though. I recommend red broard beans for those who are not keen on green broad bean taste...like me. |
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unstainable underwear....never wear any colour but black.
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MooseTea
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 355
Board Moose
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« Reply #9 on: January 16, 2010, 11:57:42 pm » |
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Er, nothing I have a 5m by 5m garden at the back that is fully paved, there is a flower bed at the front that has some er flowers in it and the shared garden. IMHO if it gets that bad I'm getting a big ass loan and fking off to somewhere much much cheaper, either do a Mr Parry, or somewhere in Africa.
You can do a lot in a 5 metre garden. Use pots hanging baskets and grow vertically. Or use a green house. I'm going to be doing that this year. It can save you money, you get fresh produce and you increase your experience. Two problems, it only gets sun between midday and 6 in the afternoon in the summer.... and I cant be bothered really ;p |
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council dweller
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 347
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« Reply #10 on: January 17, 2010, 12:19:43 am » |
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Two problems, it only gets sun between midday and 6 in the afternoon in the summer.... and I cant be bothered really ;p I grew potatoes in more shade than that last year. 'Can't be bothered'? The classic sign of someone not eating homegrown potatoes. |
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unstainable underwear....never wear any colour but black.
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juvenal
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« Reply #11 on: January 17, 2010, 12:26:49 am » |
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Not much to do this time of the year. Garlic is best put in last November time to overwinter, but if you haven't (like me) got it in, then the first dry days in Feb will do.
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council dweller
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 347
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« Reply #12 on: January 17, 2010, 12:39:11 am » |
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I've just let my garlic grow wild, just dig up a few, split them and replant in a bit of space. Hard as nails they are...
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unstainable underwear....never wear any colour but black.
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Anorthosite
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« Reply #13 on: January 17, 2010, 12:40:22 am » |
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I've just let my garlic grow wild, just dig up a few, split them and replant in a bit of space. Hard as nails they are...
Great for keeping the midges and clegs at bay in the summer too if you eat lots of it. Trouble is, you stink of garlic.  |
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Logged
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It's like mumsnet but with more beans and shotguns
Opinions are the crap that's left behind when you've stopped thinking
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council dweller
Grew a couple of turnips once
Posts: 347
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« Reply #14 on: January 17, 2010, 12:48:42 am » |
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Share with neighbours....then no one will notice.
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unstainable underwear....never wear any colour but black.
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