- CLOSED - Tips and Advice

[Handyman]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

Thanks for the 'recipe' for the natural insecticide treepiary.

Have you heard about the one that uses Rhubarb leaves. When you pick your Rhubarb just put the green leaves in a bucket/barrel of water for a few days and leave to rot a little. Then just spay or water on your plants. The Leaves contain Formic Acid (the same as in an Ant Bite) this will help keep the pesky bugs off your veggies. Don't make it over strong though.

Regards, Handy.

[pompeyfaith]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

5corpio,

Thanks, that reminds me we must do the walk along the hayling billy line again as there is blackberrys in abundance along there.

Last time I looked they where going from green to red so should be ready now.

Regards

[5corpio]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

We go Bramble Picking - filled up 20 Tubs last year - OH just finished using the last tub - They seem to be late this year - Can't wait, they taste better than SuperMarket berries, especialy when OH puts them in Muffins for me Scrummy scrummy

[Pixie]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

Thanks for the 'recipe' for the natural insecticide treepiary.

[Pixie]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

I love gardening and at Easter sowed lots of seeds: beetroot, butternut squash, tomato, lettuce, peas, beans. They were coming along very nice on my windowsills but a combination of lousy weather/overload of work meant that I didn't get them planted out so they ended up on the compost - gutted!

I have got raspberries and rhubarb though at the moment and I've had strawberries. Going to get some things planted for the winter now that I'm not working.

My honeysuckle is absolutely rampant but smells heavenly.

A good quick growing shrub Dopes, is buddleia. Attracts the butterflies too. The bees love the cotoneaster. There's another plant in my garden which grows about 6 feet tall but dies back every year that the bees love too. I've forgotten what the name of it is.

[5corpio]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

Well thats the heads chopped off, to allow new babies to grow

[Treepiary]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

I feel betrayed.

I never use insecticides because I have a wildlife friendly garden, and pet ducks, and therefore when I got greenfly on my lettuces I just sprayed them off / fed affected ones to the ducks.
I also put my trust in ladybirds.
T'other day I was watering when I felt a sharp nip on my arm..thought I'd been stung by a wasp, but when I looked, a ladybird was clamped to my arm like a big red tick.
I flicked it off and a lump and bruise 1/2" across came up within minutes.
Nasty little beggar! I hope it's house burns down!!

a jar of boiling water one garlic clove and a hot chilli pepper ( can be powdered)

place the garlic and pepper into the jar give it a really really good stir and let it steep until cold, drain of the liquid and use this to spray on your plants. you can also add an unfragrances soap to.

very cheap and easy anti bug spray natures own way

[philnicandamy]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

ouch!

[Undercover Elsa]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

I feel betrayed.

I never use insecticides because I have a wildlife friendly garden, and pet ducks, and therefore when I got greenfly on my lettuces I just sprayed them off / fed affected ones to the ducks.
I also put my trust in ladybirds.
T'other day I was watering when I felt a sharp nip on my arm..thought I'd been stung by a wasp, but when I looked, a ladybird was clamped to my arm like a big red tick.
I flicked it off and a lump and bruise 1/2" across came up within minutes.
Nasty little beggar! I hope it's house burns down!!

[MrsD]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

got a honeysukle started off and an older one which is a bit rampant. Aiming for a shrubbery to screen off the back.

this is a great thread Treepiary, another interesting addition to AAD, thanks for taking the time!

[Treepiary]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

you guys put me to shame!!!

I'm just trying to fill in the garden with stuff that will come back year after year. Lost loads due to the orrible weather at Christmas (we had -22 for quite a while), now its the wet, its murdering my wee petunias!!! had to plant out stuff in the pouring rain yesterday cos they were drowning in the wee pots. Got a couple of tomato plants going so here's hoping. Any suggestions for growing a tall shrub quickly as I lost an 8ft fushia in the winter which normally screens out the pesky neighbours, i can see them now!!!

Honeysuckle also brings in the honey bees we are loosing so fast, can become a rabid climber and need a good trim, has a lovely scent in the early evening time if planted near the house windows or even under them.

cuttings are simple to take, cut just after a leaf node, pull of the leave above the cut you made, dip into water, then rooting hormone and place into a 50/50 soils and grit mix

month or so those cuttings will take root and start to shoot , harden off and plant up.
if your having water logging problems maybe raise pots from ground allowing water out or re pot and give a good does of grit to the bottom before planting up.

[MrsD]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

you guys put me to shame!!!

I'm just trying to fill in the garden with stuff that will come back year after year. Lost loads due to the orrible weather at Christmas (we had -22 for quite a while), now its the wet, its murdering my wee petunias!!! had to plant out stuff in the pouring rain yesterday cos they were drowning in the wee pots. Got a couple of tomato plants going so here's hoping. Any suggestions for growing a tall shrub quickly as I lost an 8ft fushia in the winter which normally screens out the pesky neighbours, i can see them now!!!

[Treepiary]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

I am a great fan of, grow your own!

At the moment, I have growing:
3 varieties of potatoes;
courgette;
peas;
runner beans;
lettuce;
5 varieties of tomatoes;
chilly pepper plants including scotch bonnet and;
not forgetting my lovely herbs, of course.

All are surviving well, (I hope) in pots bags and other receptacles. Much TLC is needed but the results are well worth the work!

Note: Nigel Slater suggested growing potatoes in a dustbin, (obviously a clean new bin)giving the plants extra room to grow.

dustbins, old car tyres stacked. deep raised bed, all work for potatoes, keep heaping soil up around the stalks to force plant to produce more tubers.

my potatoes came from a store purchase bag, after a couple days i noticed the chitting so kept four back and popped into a very meager 1ft deep of soil. worked very well. this year and next year i will dig the couch grass out of the garden and plant potatoes to help break the soil and not my back.

[Angry Cat]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

I am a great fan of, grow your own!

At the moment, I have growing:
3 varieties of potatoes;
courgette;
peas;
runner beans;
lettuce;
5 varieties of tomatoes;
chilly pepper plants including scotch bonnet and;
not forgetting my lovely herbs, of course.

All are surviving well, (I hope) in pots bags and other receptacles. Much TLC is needed but the results are well worth the work!

Note: Nigel Slater suggested growing potatoes in a dustbin, (obviously a clean new bin)giving the plants extra room to grow.

[philnicandamy]

Re: Garden Corner: for the green fingered amongst us

Thank you so much for the info.....we're off tomorrow to make a start then!