What are you growing this year ?

[Herbidacious]

Something has eaten most of a second purple sprouting broccoli! Not happy. I have been growing these for over a year. I didn't think slugs and snails would be a problem at this time of the year. I suspect it's going to be a gastopodish year.

[suffolk]

Pigeons?

[Herbidacious]

ah. Yes. Almost certainly. They do look kind of pecked. So I should net what's left? Tricky though when I am not here in daylight hours. Blurgh. I don't think I'll bother with psb again (but I probably will...)

Thanks Suffs.

[suffolk]

Yes, net them ... make sure the netting is high enough above the plants so that the pigeons can't perch on the supports and peck through the netting ... they may have birdbrains but they're not stupid.

The plants will recover and you'll get lots of lovely sideshoots between now and Easter ... been there, done that ... actually won a prize at the village show when every other allotment holder had pulled up their broccoli after a plague of pigeons in an awful winter ... I had small children and hadn't got a round tuit and when the snow thawed the pigeons moved on to the farmers' pea fields instead of the allotments ... my broccoli rewarded me for my neglect

[Herbidacious]

Thank you! That is very reassuring. Oh I do hate netting things though! I always seem to net myself, but I suppose that' s when I am dealing with netting on a fruit bush scale. They are all in containers. Not sure if this will make it easier or harder. I might bring the two moveable ones them into the (entirely enclosed, glass roofed, unheated) lean to.

meanwhile my yuzu and finger lime plants arrived. The former has the most fragrant leaves. need to do some research on looking after them. The yuzu is in the lean to at the moment. Finger lime still at work on the window sill.

[Herbidacious]

I have a couple of questions:
a) is netting problematic for birds i.e. might they get caught in it?; and
b) would chicken wire be ok? I could make it into a sort of 'box' without needing support... potentially!

[suffolk]

Garden netting can be a problem for birds and hedgehogs ....... try to keep it as taut as possible and don't allow swathes of it to gather at the bottom is the usual advice ... I've always followed that advice and never had any tragedies.

Chicken wire would be fine as long as it won't support the weight of a pigeon and there's nowhere they can perch and reach through.

They might try to perch on it and make it collapse so be prepared for that ... one particularly fat and greedy pigeon perched on several of our sunflowers the other year in an attempt to get at the seeds, and snapped them right off ........ think the first time was an accident ... not so sure about the other times as he cottoned on pretty quick that a seedhead on the ground was an easily accessible lunch

[Herbidacious]

Thank you!

(Clever pigeon!)

[liketocook]

It's getting to be that time of year again , still far too early here to start any seeds as they just go leggy as there's no enough daylight, but I spent a pleasurable hour sorting through my seed box and ordering a few bits for this year. Roll on the gardening season

[suffolk]

Every year I try to make myself wait a bit longer ...

[liketocook]

Every year I try to make myself wait a bit longer ...

I know - but when it's damp & dreich & cold it's something to look forward to

[scullion]

I'll be putting on the propagator in the next few days for the chillies and aubergines. I have a few tomatoes already growing in the kitchen, that I squeezed from some particularly tasty cherry toms, which I'll pot up. I also have a giant bean, that made a bid for freedom, growing with them - its about two feet tall but probably won't come to anything as it's a bit early for that.
I saved the seeds from a tomatillo I had in Portugal which will go in the propagator, too.
The seed swap is in two weeks. I'll get some interesting things from there, hopefully.

[liketocook]

I'll be putting on the propagator in the next few days for the chillies and aubergines. I have a few tomatoes already growing in the kitchen, that I squeezed from some particularly tasty cherry toms, which I'll pot up. I also have a giant bean, that made a bid for freedom, growing with them - its about two feet tall but probably won't come to anything as it's a bit early for that.
I saved the seeds from a tomatillo I had in Portugal which will go in the propagator, too.
The seed swap is in two weeks. I'll get some interesting things from there, hopefully.

Oh I wish I could get things started but it's just too early here, I'll plant some chilli seeds at the beginning of March and toms at the beginning of April. I've tried starting earlier but the seedlings don't thrive.

[Badger's mate]

I ought to put this laptop down and sow some broad beans in modules. If I sow directly into the ground they are mouse food, if I put them out in the autumn they suffer excessive losses over winter. Sown too late and the blackfly get them, but sown in Feb and planted out early they crop well.

Chillies, peppers, toms, tomatillos will be sown in a couple of weeks. I got so many tomatillos last year there will be a forest of seedlings coming up on the plot. Most of last year's crop was from transplanted self-sets but I'll sow some extra, both as insurance and to sell at fundraisers. I normally try something exotic each year, not sure what to do this time

[Herbidacious]

I'm not sure if I am going to bother growing from seed this year. Oh I dunno. Maybe a few things. Too early though.

I planted some garlic last weekend (late, I know.)

[scullion]

oh yes you will!

[scullion]

I saved the seeds from a tomatillo I had in Portugal which will go in the propagator, too.

not a tomatillo but a tamarillo - i've just looked it up.

[Herbidacious]

I am trying to sprout some potatoes...

[karadekoolaid]

I´ve got some potatoes on the go, a bedful of Peruvian Yellow Chiles, two tomato plants,garlic, tomatillos and half a dozen different Mexican chiles which I´ve just sown.

[scullion]

I am trying to sprout some potatoes...

Easy, just look in the place you store your potatoes!

[Herbidacious]

I know. Those ones sprout in the blink of an eye. 'Official' ones take forever.

[TeresaFoodie]

Last summer I was given a Numex Twilight chilli plant. It produced quite a few multi coloured small fruits during the season and has sat looking quite healthy on my kitchen windowsill in a humid and sunny spot over the winter. I noticed this morning as I was doing my regular water and turn that it has one fruit and three new blossoms! I have also noticed that one of the leaves has been nibbled by something! The nibble was in the centre of the leaf this morning, now the hole has been nibbled bigger towards the edge of the leaf. I can't see any obvious pests on it, and can't think how a pest would get in anyway as I rarely have that window open. Any ideas folks?

[Herbidacious]

Nice that it's flowering. Mine are in the unheated lean to and are covered in sticky something. Aphids I suppose

[TeresaFoodie]

I watered and had a chat with it this morning and there are two more leaves that have been munched. But on the plus side, after a good water yesterday, there are loads of new baby leaves. I suppose I'll just see how it goes with critters. I do need to get some tomato feed for it. It hasn't had any yet and the label suggests I should.

[scullion]

while away i picked up some cones of the umbrella pine (pinus pinae), the ones that give us pine nuts.
cracking the seed coats of a few of the nuts to see if there was anything in and finding some that looked viable i planted them in some little pots of compost, that had been left in the propagator since last year. this was about four days ago. on tuesday i put on the lights and a bit of heat (22°c).
last night i thought i'd not pushed one of the nuts far enough into one of the pots. this morning i looked closer and found that it has pushed itself out on a root.
i wonder if i'll get a packet's worth before i become compost myself!

(i need to get another bag of potting compost, crack the others and see if i can get a spinney's worth).

[Herbidacious]

How exciting, Scully!

My finger lime is flowering, or at least had flower buds. I am hoping the warm weather, interspersed with rain will bring my mother's bulbs on. Not sure that they were the best quality though. She wanted to get me some from the RHS she said, but they had all sold out. Very sweet of her to go to the effort when she is house bound.

[Herbidacious]

I noticed last night that my finger lime plant has tiny fruit on it. Ok about the size of two glass pin heads (better analogy?) and I imagine they will drop off, but still exciting and unexpected. I had read that it can take up to 15 years for them to fruit. So what to do next to try and get them to not fall off?

I have ordered summer citrus feeder, and I should pot them on soon? (Or will the shock of that make the fruit fall off?)

The yuzu has not flowered, but just keeps growing and growing... I shall definitely pot that on when i get back from France.

The leaves smell amazing though. I should use them for something?

[scullion]

my 'hedge thrown' peach tree has blossom on it - that wasn't killed by the second flurry of snow. i'll keep my fingers crossed but not hold my breath.

i'd check online about repotting your lime. it would all depend on how big it was for the size of the pot and how long it'd been in it. the citrus centre website may have some information.
i've looked for you. this is what they say:
Re-pot before the plant becomes root bound. Late Spring is the best time to re-pot but it can be done at any time of the year whilst there is active growth but preferably before the end of August, not through the cold Winter months.

[Herbidacious]

I wasn't finding much info on line, so thank you. I was going to take to the gardening forums...

I gather I should not really have kept them in the heated house and should have been misting them, but they seem really quite healthy.

[Zosherooney]

Most of my tommys are through in the propagator. I have TomThumb for the hanging baskets, Black Russians for flavour and Money Maker for cooking with.

Pots of 2 x 3 courgettes are sitting in the warm dining room and I am sorting through seeds for flowers for me and a gardening fiend who is not on the best health front and some grown seedlings will lift her spirits.

[Herbidacious]

I should probably sow some seeds...

Predictably enough my mini finger limes dropped off.

[scullion]

it was obviously a 'sowing' day.
while the f1 was on i sat and made a whole heap of paper pots and then have sown ten pots (x3 = 3 to a pot) of mangetout peas, 10 pots of gigantes beans, 5 pots of stringless runners, 5 pots (x3) of cherokee trail of tears beans, 2 pea beans, 2 spaghetti squash, 2 marina di chioggia squash and four courgettes. plus i've potted up 20 pomelo seedlings.
i'll be heading to a shop tp get some sweet peas soon - i thought i had a load.

i forgot about the tomatoes that i potted on from the kitchen pot, too - about ten, i think.

[Badger's mate]

Sowing here too. Coriander, okra, cucumber, serrano chilies from Wahaca, marigolds (African & French), canary creeper and Verbena bonariensis. Potted on about 4 dozen tomato plants and some tomatillos.

Have freed up a couple of propagators, will probably sow some basil and brassicas today if it stays miserable.

[Herbidacious]

I once took a book of those Wahaca seeds out and offered it to as colleague who wanted matches for a birthday cake...

Is anyone growing purple sprouting broccoli? Not sure what's going on with mine - whether they are not yet ready to crop of if they have gone past it while I was away.

[suffolk]

Some varieties of PSB usually don't crop until around Easter in normal years ... and this is a late spring ... if yours had already developed the flowering shoots you'd know about it because they'd be running to seed now ... the first shoot to take is the top one on each plant ... cutting that will stimulate all the lower shoots in the leaf joints on the stem to grow ... sorry if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs Not sure if you've grown it before or not.

[Herbidacious]

I think some of them might have run to seed while I was away. They still taste ok. I had better google for some pics.

Thanks re advice on taking the first shoot. I was rather waiting for more than one shoot to appear.

No, I've not grown it before so very much in the dark. Thank you again

[Badger's mate]

I bought a packet of mixed varieties a couple of years ago. They crop in dribs & drabs, avoiding too much of a glut. At one time there was PSB, early PSB & late PSB. Now there are varieties that crop around Christmas.

[Herbidacious]

I have some 'summer' psb plants on order. I wasn’t sure if my current ones were going to make it, at one point.
I grew many many from seed, and they just didn’t really do much, so I bought some more mature plants – not sure if any of the ones that have survived the pigeons are mine or not. And now they are being attacked by slugs! Apart from the one I brought under cover which is the one that may have gone to seed.

I am unsure as to what I should cut off.

I may post a picture later for advice...

[suffolk]

This is how GW online describes it
"Harvesting purple sprouting broccoli
Harvest when the flower shoots are well developed but before the flowers have actually opened. Cut the central spear with a sharp knife first as this encourages the side shoots to develop quickly. Regular picking of the sideshoots will extend the cropping time."
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/g ... -broccoli/

This video shows it really well https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5grMUe0FEc

[Herbidacious]

thank you!

[Herbidacious]

ha mine look nothing like as healthy as that! Just one stalk really.

[Herbidacious]

I have some plants coming next week.
3x Lizzano and 3x crimson cherry 1x crimson crush - all late blight resistant
1 of Belriccio - not sure why I ordered that one
They are all grafted plants
plus 6 artichokes!

I shall be planting potatoes this weekend, I hope. They still don't have much by the way of shoots on them but one is beginning to look a bit mouldy. I shall stick a few peas in too. Bit busy though doing bd things for husband.

It sounds like my gardener put the manure i bought for my raised beds on the raspberries, so will have to go and buy some more... I was going to put fertilizer on them. I assume I can still do that.

[suffolk]

We've grown Crimson Crush for a couple of years ... they survived blight attacks when others didn't ........ not the best flavour in the world, but perfectly acceptable and much improved by roasting in the oven

[Herbidacious]

I shall grow some other varieties too, but following your advice, Suffs, in having some blight resistant ones, so that if disaster strikes again like last year... well, it won't be a complete disaster.

I shall need to disinfect last year's pots and get some new canes.

[Herbidacious]

I just read that artichokes are LARGE plants...

[scullion]

but very beautiful - unless you mean jerusalem artichokes.

[scullion]

sweet potato slips, removed from the sweet potato yesterday, are in a jar of water to grow roots.

if you leave the purple sprouting plants in the ground after you think they've finished you will get more sprouts the following year - albeit smaller but it may be a meal or two's worth.

[Herbidacious]

Nope. Globe. I have SIX! on order.

I might give a couple away. My neighbours have an allotment.

I was going to post a pic of my rather sorry-looking psb...

[suffolk]

I just read that artichokes are LARGE plants...

Imagine something that takes a similar amount of space as a generously endowed 6' Christmas tree

[Herbidacious]

I'll cope I think they are all going in pots though.