Reg, the only way i've found to get the upper hand with couch grass is to use the fork gently underneath it and loosen quite large sections before pulling it out by hand. dont tug if there 's any resistance and go back to forking. if you leave just a piece in the ground it will start all over again. it's backbreaking but really rewarding.
I just wanted to say hello to all. I have grown some fruit and veg over the years such as tomatoes, green beans and strawberries. But this year I want to really go for it. I think my problem will be reigning in my enthusiasm. I want to try and grow everything! I think I would need to be retired to have the time to devote to my veg patch. But I am rarring to go and look forward to seeking advise and perhaps being able to supply a little here too. Best wishes.
re couch grass - I agree the only way to get rid is patient forking out of the white roots. If you wait another 2 weeks or so you will be able to see the green shoots which makes it easier to spot. On my allotment I forked over the ground 3 - 4 times and it did pay off. Good luck!
Hi, With my three small raised beds and small lean to greenhouse at the side of my bungalow, I have for the last four years grown Carrots, Onions, cabbage, cauliflower, runner beans, broad beans, beetroot, tomatoes, ect, I also have strawberry and raspberry bushes.With this small area i won six trophys this year and two years ago i won the banksian medal at our local garden show.You do not need a big garden to grow some nice veg.
Can anyone help me with a grapevine it must be 23 years old but for the last 8-9 years hasn't had any fruit but has grown so much that I have had to prune it back several times a year. At the moment I have cut it back to old stems to see if that will make any difference.
Hi KasAnkers - my suggestion is runner & climbing French beans - lots of lovely beans to eat and plenty to put in the freezer for the winter. I grown mine 6 - 8 plants in 15 inch pots with 8 foot canes. Water every morning and feed with tomato fertilizer and seaweed once or twice a week - I can't pick them fast enough! For runners, I suggest Armstrong from Mr Fothergills. My late husband said it was the best bean he had ever tasted and he was right!
I too had trouble with root veg till I tried an "old timers" method. In March make a line of tapered holes, wiggling a broken handle of a spade/fork 30cms down. Fill hole with compost mixed with fine soil, water and firm, plant 2 FRESH parsnip seeds and cover with mix. Once germinated remove weakest seedling. For carrots make a V drill about 15cms deep, fill with similar mix as for parsnips, water, plant seeds such as "FLYAWAY", cover and thin as usual. I have also had success with carrots planted in a 45cm high tub. The flies skim the ground apparently!
I was new to veg gardening 2 years ago, I grew broad beans and runner beans in my small walled cottage garden, and carrots and peas in large tubs and troughs, mainly so my little grandsons could see where vegetables come from, and pick them for their tea. This spring my son built me 2 three foot high raised beds with old pallets, we had carrots, french beans, lettuce, american land cress, which is still growing, I grew pak choi, but slugs or snails destroyed them. I ve grown purple sprouting and brussel plants in the garden, and they re doing really well. I m keeping a gardeing diary, so I can see what I ve done and when each year. I can t wait to start again
I had an enjoyable hour yesterday reading my seed packets, and writing when and where to sow them, outdoors or indoors, I think I can sow leeks and tomatoes indoors this month. We will be having our first ever home grown brussel sprouts this weekend
hi i have got a new allotment well moved to it has got lots fruit jostaberrirs i cant find anything in books on pruning these things they are taking over theg grow very well like overgrown spiders legs HELP
Posts
Reg, the only way i've found to get the upper hand with couch grass is to use the fork gently underneath it and loosen quite large sections before pulling it out by hand. dont tug if there 's any resistance and go back to forking. if you leave just a piece in the ground it will start all over again. it's backbreaking but really rewarding.
I just wanted to say hello to all. I have grown some fruit and veg over the years such as tomatoes, green beans and strawberries. But this year I want to really go for it. I think my problem will be reigning in my enthusiasm. I want to try and grow everything! I think I would need to be retired to have the time to devote to my veg patch. But I am rarring to go and look forward to seeking advise and perhaps being able to supply a little here too. Best wishes.
re couch grass - I agree the only way to get rid is patient forking out of the white roots. If you wait another 2 weeks or so you will be able to see the green shoots which makes it easier to spot. On my allotment I forked over the ground 3 - 4 times and it did pay off. Good luck!
Hi, With my three small raised beds and small lean to greenhouse at the side of my bungalow, I have for the last four years grown Carrots, Onions, cabbage, cauliflower, runner beans, broad beans, beetroot, tomatoes, ect, I also have strawberry and raspberry bushes.With this small area i won six trophys this year and two years ago i won the banksian medal at our local garden show.You do not need a big garden to grow some nice veg.
Hello everyone and a happy new gardening year!!
Can anyone help me with a grapevine it must be 23 years old but for the last 8-9 years hasn't had any fruit but has grown so much that I have had to prune it back several times a year. At the moment I have cut it back to old stems to see if that will make any difference.
What am I doing wrong??
Hi KasAnkers - my suggestion is runner & climbing French beans - lots of lovely beans to eat and plenty to put in the freezer for the winter. I grown mine 6 - 8 plants in 15 inch pots with 8 foot canes. Water every morning and feed with tomato fertilizer and seaweed once or twice a week - I can't pick them fast enough! For runners, I suggest Armstrong from Mr Fothergills. My late husband said it was the best bean he had ever tasted and he was right!
Hi Campbell McKee
I too had trouble with root veg till I tried an "old timers" method. In March make a line of tapered holes, wiggling a broken handle of a spade/fork 30cms down. Fill hole with compost mixed with fine soil, water and firm, plant 2 FRESH parsnip seeds and cover with mix. Once germinated remove weakest seedling. For carrots make a V drill about 15cms deep, fill with similar mix as for parsnips, water, plant seeds such as "FLYAWAY", cover and thin as usual. I have also had success with carrots planted in a 45cm high tub. The flies skim the ground apparently!
Good Luck.
I was new to veg gardening 2 years ago, I grew broad beans and runner beans in my small walled cottage garden, and carrots and peas in large tubs and troughs, mainly so my little grandsons could see where vegetables come from, and pick them for their tea. This spring my son built me 2 three foot high raised beds with old pallets, we had carrots, french beans, lettuce, american land cress, which is still growing, I grew pak choi, but slugs or snails destroyed them. I ve grown purple sprouting and brussel plants in the garden, and they re doing really well. I m keeping a gardeing diary, so I can see what I ve done and when each year. I can t wait to start again
I had an enjoyable hour yesterday reading my seed packets, and writing when and where to sow them, outdoors or indoors, I think I can sow leeks and tomatoes indoors this month. We will be having our first ever home grown brussel sprouts this weekend
hi i have got a new allotment well moved to it has got lots fruit jostaberrirs i cant find anything in books on pruning these things they are taking over theg grow very well like overgrown spiders legs HELP