2015 Gardening Thread

[bitsnknots]

Just thought that I'd start a gardening thread.  What's everyone growing this year?  

[captainbovine]

I soooooo need a hoggie, we have slugs here in some parts where the previous owners never did much gardening that could get you around the throat, they're massive!!!!! I do use a few pellets but only when I put a new plant in and I want it to grow....I don't want to harm the birds.

We've been in the garden again today, I cut the edges of the lawn, it filled a large garden bag, took me all morning, but it looks lovely now.

[bitsnknots]

After looking at our weather forecast, I think that the lawn will be done on Thursday.  It is already going misty here and there's more in store for tomorrow and we are off out for the day on Wednesday.

[stampingpat]

Nooooooooooooooo Hoggies shouldn't eat slugs or snails. Get you some chickens or ducks. The slugs and snails have lungworm which is a parasite that hoggies get if they eat them and then they end up dieing. 😞 Dogs and cats and people even can get lungworm. Alot of carers and rescues worm the hogs to get rid of this parasite. Also they can carry fluke and that is even worse. I don't know how many hogs I have treated for both of these parasites and we have even lost some that were overwhelmed.  

A natural product you can use is garlic. I make up a tea of garlic and water and spray or water my plants with it. Take a head of garlic and boil it in a litre of water. Let this cool and strain. I use the boiled garlic and do another batch and leave for cooling longer before straining. Then use a few tablespoons of this mix in your watering can. I would say a tablespoon or two per litre.

I also have trialed a new thing this year and that seems to have been a really great find....... Mustard seed. I bought a packet of what is called green manure that you put on your patch in the fall and let grow over winter. Then in spring you hoe it into the soil to help build it up. And it seems that slugs don't like it. This is the first year my patch has been slug free. 🙂

We have lots of hogs visit our garden and have had a huge slug problem here. The hogs will only eat them if they are starving. They prefer beetles and worms and caterpillars to slugs and snails. There are so many old wives tales associated with the poor hedgehogs. 😞 And it is illegal to put healthy hedgehogs in an enclosed garden. They would end up starving to death and dieing from disease.  Also please don't use slug pellets. They harm all wildlife not just the hogs. 😞

[bitsnknots]

Sorry Pat but I didn't realise that.  I'll try some garlic on ours then.

I have just mown the lawn and trimmed the edges and I am shattered.  Captain Bovine is right when she says that doing the edges of a lawn is hard work.  I think that it is harder than actually mowing the lawn.

[1311rose]

Apparently used ground coffee bits are useful for keeping slugs/snails away.....

[bitsnknots]

I haven't heard of the that one either Rose.  Thank you.

[captainbovine]

...sorry Stampy I never realised, I do now and will remember that. It's very interesting about the mustard seed. the patch I have the trouble with is covered in campanula, very pretty but the slugs hide in it. I could sprinkle the mustard seeds in amongst that could I?

[stampingpat]

Caps the mustard seed was in the packet with other seeds. I planted it in the fall and then cut it and hoed it back into the soil so the green stuff breaks down in the soil. Not sure you want to do that with your campanula.

[bitsnknots]

When we went out today, we bought a campanula with blue flowers.  We also bought two primulas - one has blue and white striped flowers and the other one has pink flowers.  I'll plant them tomorrow.  As the primulas are coming to the end now and because of that, they were only £1 each.  The campanula was £2.20 so I think that we got a few bargains there.

[captainbovine]

I have campanula coming out of my ears!!!! you can hoe it in all you like, it will be back again in the spring. I've weedkillered a lot of it that grew into the paths before we bought the place. I think I'll give that mustard seed a go though, thanks for the tip!

I went a bit bonkers today and dug a big hole for transplanting a buxus plant. I had to have a sit down on the swing for a bit to get a bit of energy back, it was lovely, so quiet and the sun was shining lovely and warm.

[bitsnknots]

I'll be in the garden tomorrow afternoon weather permitting.  I can't wait but I am going to have to do aren't I?  I'm not going to do some gardening in the dark and also, I'm shattered as it has been a long day. 

[ed_blackadder_1]

Fence panels arrived today for us to replace the rotton ones we discovered when we cut the hedge back over the weekend.

Guess what we are going to be doing this weekend?

[bitsnknots]

I just wonder that is ed.  Good luck.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Mmmmm ta Chris.

[bitsnknots]

You're welcome.  Seriously though, it is hard work.  I know when the panels between us and our nextdoor neighbour have gone, he's had the devil's own job sorting it out.  At least his son helps him.

[ed_blackadder_1]

Shouldnt be too bad just a case of unscrewing the old ones and sliding in the new ones, it's the painting I don't like.

[bitsnknots]

I know what you mean ed.  It's a job I hate.  We have a handyman who lives up the road and he did ours last year.  He's as mad as a hatter but he does have his uses.

[captainbovine]

we've got someone to come in and level off a corner of the garden next to the summerhouse so I can have a wee shed with all my gardening stuff in. OH keeps putting the tools in the most stupid places and I can't access them properly. It's too much digging for us now at our age, our local gardening/handyman is ace, a real laugh and much younger than us!!!!

Ed, it's not that long since you painted the fence is it...bummer.....

[bitsnknots]

Our hand tools are in the greenhouse and the rest are in the garage.  It's been too cold to garden here today as it's been blowing a gale.  

[ed_blackadder_1]

We did the fence last year CB but didn't really realise the state of it until we cleared the foliage. Might as well do it before the trees grow again.