Complete beginner - confused
Hello all!
I have been bitten by the gardening bug. I moved into a new house a few months ago. It's on a cute little paved street with lots of tiny front gardens. We have an NGS garden open day in the summer which I am looking forward to. I only have a small outside space, that is suitable only for containers/pots. I have begun in earnest, making a small garden, but am a bit overwhelmed and feel a bit swamped. I had some questions, which I imagine are very basic.
I live in a fiarly central area of London. There are cats and recently tonnes of snails. It's not super-sunny, but not dark either.
1) Can I plant summer flowering bulbs out in pots now? Will they grow and flower for summer?
2) I have put some mature plants from a nursery in pots. Will they survive through to summer?
3) I bought some trays of bedding plants from B&Q. Can I put them straight into pots?
4) If I buy plugs or plants online can they go out or do they have to potted on (I don't have the space for this) or matured indoors (I have two windowsills, really).
5) I have some sweet pea seedlings from a kit from the supermarket. They are now about 15-20cm tall, and I moved them outside a week ago. There seem to be a lot in the bucket, so should I thin them out? Should I be pinching back?
6) Can I plant seeds outside now (in pots) if the packet says they are for outdoor sowing? Will they grow by summer?
7) I have used John Innes No. 3 for the plants, and a seed compost for the seeds. Do I need to feed either of these?
8) I made two window boxes, each with a central clematis to climb over the iron railings of my balcony. One plant has done well already and is twisting itself and growing, but the other (which had far more buds in B&Q) seems to have stopped doing much and isn't growing at all. What am I doing wrong?
Sorry, that's a bit of a brain dump!!! Any answers to even one question would be great! I am so thrilled with the plants I've already potted, and can see growing, and to see my sweet pea seedlings as young plants is actually a slight feeling of joy. Never having done ANYTHING gardening before, and having learned some names and techniques, I am thrilled, but I don't want to ruin it all, or waste loads of money. I am so tempted to buy loads of stuff from Sarah Raven!!
Posts
I'd say you're unlikely to get a frost now in Central London so;
1, yes
2, yes
3, yes
4, I'd pot them on first and keep them sheltered.
5, Sweet peas are said not to like root disturbance, but it seems you have to option, maybe you could gently pull them into smaller clumps?
6, yes
7, no need for feeding for a few weeks.
8, be patient, it's only the first week in April.
Welcome to gardening, you'll never look back.
Welcome JDDB
I agree with everything Hostafan has said
Added to that, don't worry about the clematis - it's probably growing more roots! There's a lot goes on that we don't see, but you'll see the results later
If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Show us some photos (we love looking at other people's plants) and pop in for a chat on Hello Forkers (if you're not too busy gardening).
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
hey guys, im a total newb to the world of gardening, but trying to do my bit to help the bees.My mum has a trough so we are going to try n get some veg on the go. Can anyone suggest some novice golden rules to go by thanks
If you want to help the bees, grow veg that have flowers as part of the growing season (ie. not carrots). Maybe some low growing beans - depends on the size of the trough of course. Peas take up a lot of space for limited return. Strawberries - the bees like to pollinate those. Salads are great to grow in a trough, but of course, if they're flowering it means they've gone over a lot of the time! A small habit outdoor tomato would attract bees.
Hi Cathy
I'd start a new thread for your question, it gets very confusing with 2 questions on one thread and some of us are confused to start with
Give it a title with veg and bees in and the answers will come pouring in
In the sticks near Peterborough
If there are cats in your area, and you don't want to hurt them, then avoid Lillies and any plants at all related to the garlic/onion family. They're very poisonous and can be lethal to them. There are humane and safe ways of keeping them off your property. Some are relatively inexpensive, and just involve things like orange peel, or you can save yourself the hassle and buy some product that does the same job. I got mine from pets at home as I wanted it to be safe as I have cats myself - though indoors only.
Do you have space for a window box and or some hanging baskets? They can be a great space saver. We've a small window box dedicated to herbs.
I've learned a lot since joining here and I look forward to seeing what you grow!
Welcome JDDB and Cathy