In the Garden

[eggyg]

Who’s praying for rain? Sick of watering the veggies? I’ve just read that we are probably overwatering a lot of our veg. Root veg in particular, by watering them daily we’re making them lazy and they won’t stretch ( for wont of a better word) their roots searching for dampness. Anyone else know anything about this. We’re a bit too scared to not water them every night but we may be doing more harm than good.

 

[Robin]

Who’s praying for rain? Sick of watering the veggies? I’ve just read that we are probably overwatering a lot of our veg. Root veg in particular, by watering them daily we’re making them lazy and they won’t stretch ( for wont of a better word) their roots searching for dampness. Anyone else know anything about this. We’re a bit too scared to not water them every night but we may be doing more harm than good.

I've read something along the same lines. If you water them a little bit every day, you encourage surface roots, and they don’t grow down to find water lower down. What you should do is water them occasionally, but water them really well, so the water soaks in a long way. I think you’d have to make sure the top was loose, though, because our soil bakes so hard if you leave it a long time, any water just runs off the surface,

 

[eggyg]

I've read something along the same lines. If you water them a little bit every day, you encourage surface roots, and they don’t grow down to find water lower down. What you should do is water them occasionally, but water them really well, so the water soaks in a long way. I think you’d have to make sure the top was loose, though, because our soil bakes so hard if you leave it a long time, any water just runs off the surface,

Yes, that makes complete sense, that’s what we’ve being doing this last week, albeit wondering if we were doing the right thing. I didn’t water them last night even though it had been 30 degrees. I just did tomatoes, beans, courgette, beetroot and lettuce. Still takes ages. We’ve three beds of potatoes so it saves quite some time. Had our first ones on Friday, Arran Pilots, and I’m going to pick some more for today.

 

[Ditto]

I was out for seven-ish and it was already boiling. I started to sweep the front path about to edge the grass, entire garden a right mess. It was trying to rain! Sprinkles were landing on my arms, but so light you couldn't really see them. Crazy weather. Trying to rain in boiling sunshine!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

First strawberry this year for us on 30th. First one of 2022 was picked on 23rd May last year. For 2021 year, the 9th June. Variety is 'Elsanta'.

It was such a cold snap in the spring wasn’t it!

Our raspberries often come at Wimbledon, but they seem barely started!

 

[Robin]

Yes, that makes complete sense, that’s what we’ve being doing this last week, albeit wondering if we were doing the right thing. I didn’t water them last night even though it had been 30 degrees. I just did tomatoes, beans, courgette, beetroot and lettuce. Still takes ages. We’ve three beds of potatoes so it saves quite some time. Had our first ones on Friday, Arran Pilots, and I’m going to pick some more for today.

Not a problem I’ve got, today, we just had 1.6 cm of rain between 6pm and 8.30pm, to go with the 1cm we had yesterday afternoon! I think that’s just over an inch altogether, in old money. No more rain forecast for the rest of the week, mind, but at least it’ll have filled up the water butts.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

I fear the type of short sharp heavy rain we drove through today would have rolled right off the dry ground into the drains.

I suspect I’ll be watering again tomorrow or Tuesday.

 

[eggyg]

I can only presume the last couple of days rain has helped but our veggies are looking so healthy. First courgette ready to pick soon, I’ve joked to Mr Eggy I’m picking it tomorrow for his tea. It’s his birthday and he isn’t the courgette’s biggest fan! Beetroot are almost ready to pick. We’ve already had Charlotte potatoes and Arran Pilots. Charlottes beat them hands down. We’ve got one teeny tiny tomato, we never do well with outdoor toms but we still grow them. Had three small onions yesterday which had fell or been pushed ( cats) used them in our ragu, strong little things, my eyes were streaming. All in all things are doing well. Leeks need thinned out but Charlottes need picked and stored to make room for them. Runner beans growing well but no flowers yet. Carrots look healthy, hoping for zero carrot fly this year. We’ve grown them inbetween garlic and have put a “fence” round as carrot fly can’t jump high apparently. Fingers crossed.

 

[Ditto]

Did the Olive Tree survive the winter? I lost most of my Fuchsias and a lot of Roses.

No watering for me, a deluge in Manc.

What's this, does anybody know?

 

[Robin]

Did the Olive Tree survive the winter? I lost most of my Fuchsias and a lot of Roses.

No watering for me, a deluge in Manc.

What's this, does anybody know?
View attachment 26471

Feverfew, I think. I confuse it with camomile, but I think this is feverfew, because the leaves look a bit chrysanthemum like. Hard to tell from the photo, if the leaves are more feathery, then it’s probably camomile. I’ve got some in my garden, goodness knows how it got there!

How to Plant and Grow Feverfew | Gardener’s Path

Widely considered by herbalists to be a natural remedy for headaches, feverfew also makes an attractive landscaping plant. Learn more on Gardener's Path.

gardenerspath.com

 

[Leadinglights]

Looks like Feverfew.

 

[Robin]

Looks like Feverfew.

Did you post while I was dithering between Feverfew and Camomile? I changed my mind a couple of times, but didn’t refresh the page, so didn’t see you’d posted!

 

[Leadinglights]

Did you post while I was dithering between Feverfew and Camomile? I changed my mind a couple of times, but didn’t refresh the page, so didn’t see you’d posted!

I think you posted first
I have bits growing at my allotment it seeds itself everywhere.

 

[eggyg]

Did the Olive Tree survive the winter? I lost most of my Fuchsias and a lot of Roses.

No watering for me, a deluge in Manc.

What's this, does anybody know?
View attachment 26471

It didn’t survive Jan. It’s gone to plant heaven to be reunited with all the other plants that shouldn’t be in British gardens between September and the end of May!😉

 

[Leadinglights]

I thought I would give my gooseberries an extra few days to ripen a bit more but despite being covered with netting all the bushes except one had been stripped bare. It was evident that something had got under the netting as the pegs were strewed about. I suspect the badgers, well I hope they get a bad stomach.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Ah no @Leadinglights - what a shame!

No Gooseberry crumble for you.

And gooseberry jam. that’s one of my faves.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

In other news, while some of our plants are looking distinctly miffed with the lack of rain, the Salvias (sage) are having a whale of a time! As are the lobelia (but they always do!)

 

[Ditto]

Those pesky badgers! I've never seen a badger. I only know the one in Wind In The Willows. 🙂

Feverfew sounds about right then. Thank you peoples. It's lovely, comes up willynilly which is great for this garden where I've given up buying plants and just let the natives grow. I've lost three trees this past Winter. The pink cherry was a fave. I think I posted before but I'm still not over it plus I now have three dead trees I don't know what to do about. The housing association say all the trees are my responsibility but I didn't put this one in, the Council did back in the day when it was all a communal garden. I'll plant a Russian Vine up it maybe.

 

[JohnS]

We managed to pick 1Kg of raspberries yesterday and will need to have another go tomorrow. They have done much better (albeit late) than the strawberries where we had very few. Runner beans have gone bonkers over the past 10 days (2 m tall already).

 

[Leadinglights]

We came back from a couple of days away and found my bed of carrots and parsnips had been completely trashed, not a morsel left, leaves and all. B....y BADGERS