A really happy day for me today because in our Wildlife pond…
Attachment:
149856C6-FFD8-4623-BD14-1CA68F278985.jpeg
A little dream of mine, come true
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| Gardening Corner https://www.beexcellenttoeachother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5662 |
Page 13 of 13 |
| Author: | Mimi [ Sun Jun 26, 2022 20:22 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Oh, thank you! Some of them are a bit small, but they certainly scrubbed up well. I was worried they’d be a bit grotty before I cleaned them up, but once the outer layer is off for the outer layers to dry and cure they start looking a lot prettier. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Mon Aug 08, 2022 14:03 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Just a quick update. Everything is growing as hoped, I guess, apart from the brassicas which got nommed. Potatoes we’ve harvested two of our six summer potato plantings, and I’ve sown three winter potato plantings too. Attachment: 4824F876-5914-48AF-B984-122433C99C1B.jpeg Attachment: 37680E41-8291-4393-8800-D975E5BE9E9A.jpeg Carrots are brilliant again this year. I think Bean has magic carrot growing skills. Attachment: A033F8C8-2CA8-4718-BE8B-C541A8FF553D.jpeg Attachment: D2FD3981-F2BF-4BDD-81FC-62F835962E99.jpeg We have had amazing peas. They cropped heavily forested six weeks straight then died off, but then put out a load of new green growth and are cropping again. We’ve had beetroot and onions and garlic. I’m keeping an eye on the sweetcorn. I don’t know if o have a timing issue with the variety I have (Swift) with the males appearing so long before the females, so I’ll have to check the cob formation in a fortnight. Tomatoes have been brilliant. I’ve got a few definite favourites to grow again next year, and I’m going to try and cross pollinate a tomato next year. Attachment: C0AA5DD2-F5E0-4973-9604-87DF5F82A9BA.jpeg Attachment: C50003ED-13CE-44B2-8148-591788E65B15.jpeg Attachment: 57B27FC9-41FA-44BC-9042-3D1142F3650D.jpeg Attachment: 1ECC4117-ED4B-4C06-B6F3-F4F65A6B6D91.jpeg The pumpkins are growing well, too. The one at the front measured over a metre in circumference today Attachment: FBF3673E-0B04-4D85-94CD-77A3D1A74E5F.jpeg There’s other stuff, but it’s fun, and quite comforting at the current time. |
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| Author: | Malc [ Mon Aug 08, 2022 14:48 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Lovely Mimi Really envious of your potatoes and tomatoes, and those carrots look like something you would see in an advert or cookery show or something. Amazing! |
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| Author: | nickachu [ Mon Aug 08, 2022 16:09 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
That all looks awesome mimi! I'm so jealous! |
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| Author: | Trooper [ Mon Aug 08, 2022 16:27 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
I just want the t-shirt |
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| Author: | Kern [ Mon Aug 08, 2022 18:21 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Excellent harvest Mimi! |
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| Author: | MaliA [ Mon Aug 08, 2022 18:27 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Solid. |
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| Author: | Sir Taxalot [ Tue Aug 09, 2022 4:02 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Lovely colourful photos too. How long would you say you have spent, and continue to spend on the garden? Part of what's holding me back from trying is a feeling I've already a bit overcommitted, a realisation I already have a a lot of other tings to be responsible for... plus I think a little bit of inherent laziness |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Mon Aug 15, 2022 17:40 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Sir Taxalot wrote: Lovely colourful photos too. How long would you say you have spent, and continue to spend on the garden? Part of what's holding me back from trying is a feeling I've already a bit overcommitted, a realisation I already have a a lot of other tings to be responsible for... plus I think a little bit of inherent laziness Hmmm, difficult question. As all of my tomatoes are in pots during the heatwave I’ve had to water them every day, but usually I’d water them every third day. The stuff in the beds rarely needs watering, even during the heatwave I’ve only watered most of it once a week. On top of that I usually do a little thing at lunchtime. That might be pruning the tomatoes, or just tidying something up. Usually I just wander around and look at stuff. The busiest time is definitely March, because that is seed sowing time, and looking after baby plants. You could just get a couple of buckets (97p in B&Q) and buy a couple of tomato plants next year (also B&Q) and with a couple of sticks see how you go. I don’t beat myself about things if I let them die. I had a bit of a MH blip earlier in the year and just didn’t want to look after some flower plants I’d grown from seed, and they died, and so I chucked them away and concentrated on what I was enjoying (which at that time was cleaning plant pots and tools). I have a few more pictures. Some potatoes. These are Jazzy potatoes (I bought them solely because they made me think of @goddess Jasmine and I’m so glad I did because they are stellar and I’ll definitely grow them again). Attachment: ACB2881E-9D5B-43B8-925B-23DB693D70EC.jpeg The Heinz tomatoes are just excellent, too Attachment: 3D1C5442-089F-47E8-9DFC-737740FD0B7D.jpeg Attachment: B31DFF48-4E79-4AD4-90FC-5D50AA30F43A.jpeg And the pumpkins are all starting to ripen. Attachment: D4076B87-4580-4765-BC04-C66601D7E54E.jpeg Attachment: 1CD21343-D541-4B7A-A84E-6E5EDD0D793C.jpeg Attachment: A67EE71F-9C5F-423E-9663-CC8A39AD23FF.jpeg
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| Author: | Mimi [ Wed Aug 24, 2022 11:24 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
We decided to harvest the pumpkins today as they seem nicely cured and the skins have hardened, so they’ll store for 3 - 6 months +. These were grown as an afterthought really, just as I saw the seeds in Morrisons garden centre bit, but Darwin is so proud of them. They’re great fun. |
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| Author: | BikNorton [ Wed Aug 24, 2022 16:16 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
They look awesome. Are they eaters or carvers? We have what appear to be pumpkins growing in our new veg beds. No idea exactly, and where they've come from is a mystery! The beds are filled with home-made compost and we don't eat pumpkins... |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Wed Aug 24, 2022 19:01 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
These are a carving variety because I’m super allergic to pumpkins/squash. If I touch the flesh all of the skin that it’s touches starts to peel off. It’s gross. Actually, I touched just the outside of the pumpkins last week and all my skin started peeling, so it must be the outside to some degree as well, but I’ve been wearing gloves today and all is fine. We have them in the house at Halloween and it’s no worry, but I wouldn’t risk trying to eat them. Oddly, I was talking to a friend about the pumpkin allergy and she has the same so maybe it’s a common allergy. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Thu Oct 06, 2022 18:03 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
I’ve just bought 100 saffron crocus bulbs, which should yield me just under one whole gram of saffron. I’ll be rich beyond my wildest dreams in no time! I thought it’d be a nice little thing to be able to say I grew, though, and will come back each year of course. https://www.farmergracy.co.uk/products/ ... s-bulbs-uk Couldn’t afford the £770 for the 10,000 bulbs, sadly, so 100 will have to do. There’s free shipping on for the next couple of days at Farmer Gracy, BTW (code FRSH) in case anyone else wants some saffron crocuses or whatever else. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Wed Nov 02, 2022 14:16 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
The first of my saffron crocuses have popped up. I should get about three strands from each bulb that blooms. It said that there likely wouldn’t be a huge yield in the first year, but they’re looking like most of them are going to bloom, and they naturalise really easily, apparently, so I should get more and more each year. Look: actual saffron strands! |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Fri Nov 11, 2022 14:49 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
I’m not sure if this is of interest to anyone but me, but my little saffron growing idea is really stepping up a gear now. Today was the biggest single day harvest so far. I was told not to expect much by way of a harvest this first year, but the saffron flowers are doing so well. I’m drying them in little piles so that I can put them in little jars when they get to the right stage. I might even have enough to give a little jar to Ma at Christmas. |
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| Author: | Zardoz [ Fri Nov 11, 2022 19:30 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Cor! Just caught up with this thread, amazing work, Mimi! |
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| Author: | BikNorton [ Fri Nov 11, 2022 19:54 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
With your clearly magical spot you could become the UK baroness of the stuff. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Fri Nov 11, 2022 22:12 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Hehe, thanks both! It’s a happy little thing going on in the garden now that many crops have come to an end. I’m going to get a herb bed put out in spring as I bought one of these and thought I could sow a different herb in each of the sections: 12-Section Covered Potager Growhouse https://amzn.eu/cs0Fc31 It seemed like an amazing price. The saffron crocuses are in large patio containers, Bik. We have a very heavy clay here, so I’m amending the soil as we work the garden, but that will be an ongoing project over many years. The actual saffron crocuses smell stunning. |
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| Author: | nickachu [ Sat Nov 12, 2022 8:40 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
That saffron looks great! You should make lussebullar! https://www.scandikitchen.co.uk/recipe- ... ucia-buns/ |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Sat Nov 12, 2022 9:21 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
I’ve read about these buns! (One of my Christmas hobbies is reading books on various holiday traditions). I’ll give them a go. |
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| Author: | BikNorton [ Sun Nov 27, 2022 18:59 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Our Japanese quince sure can quince. Probably 10kg. Some of these things are as big as apples! |
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| Author: | Mr Russell [ Sun Nov 27, 2022 21:35 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Wow that's loads. Will you be able to make all those into something? |
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| Author: | BikNorton [ Mon Nov 28, 2022 0:00 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Last year Helen stewed them down and made ice cubes for adding to... Er, I forget what she said. They're all still in the freezer because they get forgotten about. Quite lucky I haven't fed them to the dog really. Or maybe I have and that's why she wasn't keen at first. With this many we may be on for a few jars of quince jelly though. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Mon Nov 28, 2022 11:17 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
That’s an incredible number. Are those all from one tree? |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Mon Feb 06, 2023 11:35 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Yesterday we set up the metal bed that I won in a competition. I de used to put it on the boundary with next door as she grows quite a wild garden, and has everything covered with English Ivy. Attachment: 4B0A1E16-D2EE-4A27-93A3-3663320149CC.jpeg It’s strangled out the trees, and when we moved in there was about 100-150cm depth of ground cover ivy that had crept through to our side, right down tve left side of the garden, and the planting in that area had died, I think because of it. Attachment: 096F1F82-5F67-4DF7-B4ED-B36E4818B4C7.jpeg We’ve been pushing the ivy back bit by bit since we moved in but there was an area half was up the garden that we were going to tackle next, when I happened to win the raised bed. We cleared some space for the bed, and put down some weed membrane under the bed to stop it growing up through the bed. Attachment: F1886AAF-333B-42DF-A886-FB0D762E1187.jpeg I don’t usually use weed membrane on my raised beds, but this specifically has the ivy to contend with. Attachment: 972E0D69-12A4-4679-9776-CCB73389A9AA.jpeg Once the bed was constructed (we went with the longest, narrow configuration with the panels, we used a sort of hugelkulture style filling, which saved a lot of money and dealt with a lot of the woody garden waste we chopped back. So, layers of cardboard, logs, then small branches, and then (our lucky days) the tree surgeons were across the road so Russell went over to ask if they had any fresh woodchip, and they kindly brought two great big bags over. Look how pleased his little face is… Attachment: 09430819-ABF9-46D9-8027-096B28D1BF64.jpeg So we added that, and will add some manure and compost to fill the rest. Attachment: EED4E8D7-4EFA-4994-B4F2-C335DD8B26F6.jpeg Attachment: 00975AD3-9733-4884-A9AE-D887C15C5BE0.jpeg I’m going to put flowers in the back of it, around 40cm tall, and then in the front I’m going to put some strawberries. I have about 5-7 plants and ordered another 20, but they sent 28, so should get between 20-30 total, depending on how many take. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Sun Mar 05, 2023 20:22 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
A really happy day for me today because in our Wildlife pond… Attachment: 149856C6-FFD8-4623-BD14-1CA68F278985.jpeg A little dream of mine, come true
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| Author: | markg [ Sun Mar 05, 2023 20:48 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Incredible that you've been able to attract flamingos. |
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| Author: | Zardoz [ Sun Mar 05, 2023 21:36 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Well, some residents are clearly very unhappy. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Sun Mar 05, 2023 21:43 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
When we moved in we found LOADS of statues buried underground. We’ve just put them all out. Not the frog: Darwin bought him 
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| Author: | BikNorton [ Mon Mar 06, 2023 14:21 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Awesome
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| Author: | Mimi [ Fri May 05, 2023 14:13 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
First garden snackums of the season. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Tue May 21, 2024 15:00 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
I have hesitated to share this here, but I think it’s a safe and forgiving space, so please let me share with you my attempts at topiary. We’ve got a few topiary areas in the garden. Two tall topiary topped trees, one a cube and one a sort of ‘umbrella’ sit to the left. Then a little further in we have a smaller standard topiary that when we moved in looked like four spheres. Due to the weather and illness last year it didn’t get its reshape, but it’s slow growing, so I thought maybe I could tackle it. I always take pictures of the process because they go on the gardening IG account I have to document the changes and upkeep. So here’s the before: Attachment: IMG_9796.jpeg I started at the bottom, because the two orbs there looked to be the two that still had some definition for guidance. Attachment: IMG_9797.jpeg So far, so spherical. But… hmm… be careful now. Have never noticed before but those orbs could start to look like balls (like balls if I’m not careful). It will less like a pair of balls when I add the third sphere in, right? Wrong. Attachment: IMG_9802.jpeg Nooope. That is not going well. That third orb is wrong. Annoyingly a tiny bit of branch has died back on the left hand side and so the third sphere does not quite fill out as it should. Crap, crap, crap. This is make or break now. If I can get the top bit right it will balance it out and make it look ok. It’s at the top so I can’t quite reach it as easily as the rest of the tree, so I need to concentrate. But it needs to be a perfect globe to stop it from looking like… It’s fine. I can fix this. Attachment: 77C591F6-6EDC-420B-BEFB-A8631B1A4362.jpeg Bollocks. |
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| Author: | DavPaz [ Tue May 21, 2024 15:11 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Oh, cock. |
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| Author: | Zardoz [ Tue May 21, 2024 15:35 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Ban this sick filth. |
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| Author: | Kern [ Tue May 21, 2024 15:39 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Oh my. |
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| Author: | Mimi [ Tue May 21, 2024 15:45 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
We had Dr Zoidberg and his partner over at the weekend and I couldn’t breathe whilst I was showing them. Every time I started trying to tell them what happened I started wheezing with laughter. |
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| Author: | MaliA [ Tue May 21, 2024 16:40 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Giphy "it's a rocket ship": https://media3.giphy.com/media/CqJW7tiToflSUPokAR/giphy-loop.mp4 |
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| Author: | Dr Zoidberg [ Tue May 21, 2024 20:05 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Mimi wrote: We had Dr Zoidberg and his partner over at the weekend and I couldn’t breathe whilst I was showing them. Every time I started trying to tell them what happened I started wheezing with laughter. It’s not often we get invited round to look at a dick in someone’s garden |
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| Author: | Squirt [ Tue May 21, 2024 21:49 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
If it helps, at first I thought you were aiming for Giant Topiary Breasts, rather than bollocks. |
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| Author: | JBR [ Tue May 21, 2024 22:44 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Squirt wrote: If it helps, at first I thought you were aiming for Giant Topiary Breasts, rather than bollocks. I'm going with: "No... but yes". Also, I'm hugely enjoying this, Mimi, thank you. My mum has a very mature (lawn mowed, but otherwise trees and bushes largely running wild) garden, and I'm at the stage of roughly hacking at bushes and trees to keep them in check. I was proud that I managed to make one side of leylandii more or less square, but it's a complete mess. So you are way ahead of where I am. |
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| Author: | Mr Russell [ Wed May 22, 2024 7:25 ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Gardening Corner |
Dr Zoidberg wrote: Mimi wrote: We had Dr Zoidberg and his partner over at the weekend and I couldn’t breathe whilst I was showing them. Every time I started trying to tell them what happened I started wheezing with laughter. It’s not often we get invited round to look at a dick in someone’s garden You knew I was here |
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