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Post by lugg on Mar 13, 2024 20:49:50 GMT
lots of ideas here - I need to move my ass into gear. My garden is a mess - I think that moving plans make me lazy whereas it should be the opposite
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 13, 2024 21:40:46 GMT
lots of ideas here - I need to move my ass into gear. My garden is a mess - I think that moving plans make me lazy whereas it should be the opposite You have a donkey?!
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Post by bjd on Mar 14, 2024 7:41:47 GMT
Lugg, if you are still trying to sell your house, just make sure the garden looks tidy and cared for. I wouldn't invest in anything, unless it's containers you can take with you when you move.
Sure, Mick, the donkey can nibble on the grass in hard to reach places.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 14, 2024 8:11:01 GMT
Lugg, it's hardly surprising if you're moving house. When one of my sisters had her house on the market she paid a local company to keep the garden in shape for a few weeks, until it sold. I think that the initial outlay was more than the subsequent maintenance cost because they had quite a lot of clearing to do. I don't know exactly what she paid, but it wasn't a huge amount. That was in the early 2000s tho....
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 14, 2024 8:14:46 GMT
Good thinking bjd.
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Post by lugg on Mar 14, 2024 20:20:36 GMT
I am thinking that too Cheery and Bjd
No donkey Mick but - hmmm thats an idea . I have always loved donks
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Mar 16, 2024 20:39:54 GMT
It was lovely here this morning, so I got into the garden. I moved some herbaceous perennials. Some needed splitting and others were just in the wrong place. I did some weeding, then got into the greenhouse. My seeds are starting to germinate already, as usual the French Marigolds are the first to come up I emptied out my dahlia pots that had been stored under the staging in the GH over the winter, tidied up the tubers and set them on trays loosely covered with a little fresh compost. There are signs of growth already, once the shoots are 3 or 4" long I will take cuttings to grow on. The original tubers are in better condition than I had expected, they performed poorly last year but I've put that down to the compost being depleted in the pots (even though I feed them with liquid feed in the growing season). I still don't like peat free compost, I know that it's better for the environment and I do use it all the time..but the quality varies a lot. Last year I think that about 80% of the multi purpose peat free compost that I bought was full of large pieces of bark and straw...it hadn't been rotted down for long enough...as a result it didn't hold water and was no good in containers...I ended up using it mostly as mulch around plants. Anyway...I found a better quality compost a few weeks ago, the particles are smaller...I even used it (mixed with perlite) for seeds. Only have one bag left tho so I need more. Grubbing about in the sink planter I found some tuberous roots that look like they may belong to the pelargonium sidoides to take out to overwinter under cover)...they looked ok so I potted one clump up and popped it in the GH then replanted another clump. I've sown some sugar snap peas and sunflowers too....
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 16, 2024 22:06:21 GMT
I’m afraid I’ve found some peat based compost from Northern Ireland. It’s not cheap but it’s lovely to work with.
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Post by bjd on Mar 17, 2024 9:10:41 GMT
Peat not being a renewable resource, you won't find it at all in a few years.
Cheery, I saw on a gardening video that dahlias also grow well from seeds.
It has been warm here (20-21°) so I finished planting some new dahlias in the places where I removed the dead penstemons. I went to the local garden centre but they hadn't received many new perennials in little pots. I read that summer is probably going to be hot and dry in Europe this year so am trying to limit new plantings.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 17, 2024 9:48:06 GMT
You are quite right bjd but whilst it’s still legally available I’ll take advantage of it.
As for non renewable resources, that can be said about many other items we use on a regular basis.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 25, 2024 16:27:41 GMT
Warmer in the garden today so repotted strawberries and planted Dahlia tubers that will be grown in pots.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 26, 2024 11:44:08 GMT
A nice sunny morning (rain forecast later) so I have repotted the wall pots with herbs in.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 26, 2024 14:44:59 GMT
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 26, 2024 16:36:45 GMT
No, the herbs go in the plastic cheapies.
Incidentally I had just pruned back the sage and dropped the cuttings in my bucket. I turned my back and the dog had hoiked all the cuttings out and was rolling on them.
Yes I saw the Alan Titchmarsh item!
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 26, 2024 21:50:43 GMT
I had just pruned back the sage and dropped the cuttings in my bucket. I turned my back and the dog had hoiked all the cuttings out and was rolling on them. Oh, that's funny! I guess sage does have kind of a funky odor.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 27, 2024 9:09:18 GMT
I had just pruned back the sage and dropped the cuttings in my bucket. I turned my back and the dog had hoiked all the cuttings out and was rolling on them. Oh, that's funny! I guess sage does have kind of a funky odor. I have to move the bay tree out of reach as he tries to remove the leaves.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 28, 2024 3:26:15 GMT
That is really strange! I know dogs often love to roll in stuff that humans find stinky, but bay leaves?!
Not at the same level of odd, but ...... all of my dogs like eating grass, particularly Oliver. There was no grass in the house in Oaxaca, but a few times I caught Oliver eating leaves off the bamboo. How did he know that bamboo is a grass?
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Post by bjd on Mar 28, 2024 8:03:27 GMT
Back at home after being in Toulouse for 5 days. The garden looks about the same other than the wisteria has flowered and there are a few more tulips, some of the recently planted gladioli are pointing their heads out of the ground. A mix of not too hot weather and some rain obviously. New weeds, of course.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 28, 2024 18:25:27 GMT
That would make for a nice homecoming!
In a very minor coincidence, today in Memories, facebook popped up my report on the fabulous tour of Toulouse you gave to Htmb and me seven years ago. That is a great memory indeed, so I Shared it all over again.
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Post by bjd on Mar 28, 2024 20:13:16 GMT
Seven years already??
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 29, 2024 2:33:09 GMT
Seven years already?? I know -- right?! Sometimes I'm so surprised by the date on a thread that I'll double check by subtracting it from the current year. By the way, no one mentioned it this year, but the beginning of February 2024 marked 15 years of Anyport. Hard to believe, really.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 30, 2024 11:22:46 GMT
Emptied the main compost bin this morning and spread the compost on the veg then moved the contents of the reserve bin into the main bin.
It always amazes me how all the garden and kitchen rubbish turns into lovely compost. A real miracle.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 30, 2024 13:59:40 GMT
You did a lot of work, Mick! How are your compost bins arranged? Do you have the kind with slats that can be removed to make it easier to move the compost?
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 30, 2024 15:33:28 GMT
And then I cut the lawn....
No, it’s a big municipal garden bin that goes out once a fortnight for collection but I use to make compost which it does very well. I lay it down and open back the lid then rake out all the compost. There is a hole cut in the base to allow worms in. I also have a plastic dustbin also with a hole cut out of the bottom as overflow once the main bin is full.
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Post by bjd on Mar 30, 2024 20:05:45 GMT
When we moved here I bought a compost bin at Lidl and have been using it as well as the contents of a big heap of garden waste beside it. Then about 2 weeks ago I learned that if I go to the local dump with proof of living here, I can get a free compost bin.
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Post by mickthecactus on Mar 31, 2024 10:05:45 GMT
I spread out all the compost this morning and dug the lower veg bed. The soil is light so it’s not too arduous. Done about 2 thirds so far and just come in for a cup of tea. Very pleased with the increase in the worm population. When I started about 5 years ago there were hardly any but now they come up with every spadeful.
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Post by kerouac2 on Apr 3, 2024 16:30:38 GMT
Worms are excellent news.
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Post by bjd on Apr 3, 2024 18:12:01 GMT
I was surprised how quickly worms arrrived in the part of the garden I dug out last October. From none to lots every time I go to pull weeds. Excellent news indeed.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Apr 4, 2024 21:17:02 GMT
I've been naughty...just ordered 6 huge bags of compost to be delivered next week I've already got 2 bags that my sister bought me for Christmas. Every birthday and xmas now if my sisters and brother ask me what I'd like as a present I always say 'a bag of compost please'... I intend to use the compost to fill pots and tubs for growing potatoes, peas, cape gooseberries, carrots and salad veg. Anything left will be used for dahlias and other ornamentals. Very exciting
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Post by Kimby on Apr 4, 2024 22:18:27 GMT
You’re easy to shop for, cheery!
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