tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post3861227868723088394..comments2024-03-16T14:03:19.116+00:00Comments on Above the River: In the garden: the good, the bad and the uglyCJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14311693185700341580noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-58992826256563214662015-06-28T18:00:35.224+01:002015-06-28T18:00:35.224+01:00Well I think your garden is looking gorgeous and d...Well I think your garden is looking gorgeous and delicious, such variety of salad leaves, I need to be more adventurous in my seed choices I think! I have been so impressed with the number of little apples already formed on my tree, last year was dismal! If even half of them make it to formed fruit it will be a record year for me! I really recommend Richard Jackson's strawberry plants, mine are going strong in their second year, his plant feed works miracles too! lets hope there plenty of sunshine to come and get everything ripened up! Katie x<br /><br />http://long-may-she-rain.blogspot.co.ukAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13289057264276106892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-75363698280220954892015-06-18T19:50:02.943+01:002015-06-18T19:50:02.943+01:00That strawberry looks lucious, I do hope you got t...That strawberry looks lucious, I do hope you got to it before the pesky slugs. Although I imagine they are so weighed down by hosta just now that they can barely move.Annie Cholewahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17608057589525908147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-6327940636029258262015-06-16T09:38:51.922+01:002015-06-16T09:38:51.922+01:00I hope you got to that strawberry before anyone el...I hope you got to that strawberry before anyone else did. Maybe the peaches were nerfed? Looks like you'll have lots of blueberries to enjoy soon but what a shame about the hostas. Better move them away round the corner so you don't have to look at them. Well done to the boy, you have a budding grower there! xxAlisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10007583111181817717noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-76317007930514452252015-06-14T17:42:34.229+01:002015-06-14T17:42:34.229+01:00If you have Clint Eastwood tucked away in a corner...If you have Clint Eastwood tucked away in a corner, I'm coming over.<br />Amalia<br />xo<br />handmade by amaliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15589172037052603746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-35975819793664266722015-06-13T20:31:38.874+01:002015-06-13T20:31:38.874+01:00Strange how your strawberries are so mixed, and it...Strange how your strawberries are so mixed, and it is frustrating isn't it when as you say, there seems to be neither rhyme nor reason as to why sometimes you have a bountiful crop and other times little. Your crops in the raised beds look good. I do feel that there has been plenty of growth in the plants in my garden this year so I wonder if the weather has encouraged foliage growth at the expense of fruit? <br />I look forward to seeing more of your produce <br />Caz xxWainwright and Wright.Cohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14861281622417274521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-54346015857826848552015-06-13T17:59:37.700+01:002015-06-13T17:59:37.700+01:00Take heart in the good ...
That strawberry does l...Take heart in the good ...<br /><br />That strawberry does look good.<br /><br />All the best JanLowcarb team memberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07961199165290289611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-43518890247036119262015-06-13T16:49:08.387+01:002015-06-13T16:49:08.387+01:00I wouldn't give up on the strawberries yet. Ca...I wouldn't give up on the strawberries yet. Can you give them a foliar feed? We have been spraying our hostas with Grazers repellent. Either it's working or we have less slugs and snails this year.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-43385449665207009352015-06-13T14:09:48.414+01:002015-06-13T14:09:48.414+01:00Oh CJ, don't throw away those vine leaves! Ge...Oh CJ, don't throw away those vine leaves! Get a recipe for Dolmades (stuffed vine leaves). My daughter would eat these every day if you could. She drools as soon as the leaves appear. Off the top of my head, I get a packet of mince, half a mug of rice (uncooked), chop one tomato (without the seeds), soften a chopped onion and crushed clove of garlic, a tbsp of dill, salt and pepper and mix together in a bowl. Meanwhile, blanch about 30 medium vine leaves (without the stalks). Then drain. Lay one on a board with the top of the leaf furthest away from you. Get about a tbsp of filling and put at the base of the leaf. Fold the sides of the leaf to the middle and then wrap the filling upwards to make a tight parcel. Put this in the base of a heavy based saucepan and pack in tightly with the other parcels. Then once complete, add a pint of stock and put a sauce on the top of them to hold them together with some dots of butter. Put on the stove and bring up to a simmer, then turn down to low for about 45 mins. By then the rice and mince should be cooked and serve with a salad or whatever your choice along with some lemon to squeeze over them. We love them in this house and it makes good use of those leaves. Have a great weekend xxsweetbriardreamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03036932595395191529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-66647785252261969352015-06-13T09:10:23.144+01:002015-06-13T09:10:23.144+01:00oh dear. bad slugs. first my courgettes, now your ...oh dear. bad slugs. first my courgettes, now your hostas........<br />love everything else that is growing though, and your stick plant labels are quite brilliant xdriftwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11416170414524297337noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-60515635359094664252015-06-12T23:41:43.504+01:002015-06-12T23:41:43.504+01:00i find that my brain gets too full when i try and ...i find that my brain gets too full when i try and organize succession planting. far too many things to think about. so it's feast or famine....with the safety net of various farm-stands hereabouts.<br /><br />that's a terrible tragedy with the hostas --- we have all manner of pests and vermin, but slugs aren't one of them. just as well, i might have to throw up my hands in despair....visions like that are enough to bring about great fits of weeping.<br /><br />i hope you enjoyed that strawberry...it looks ever so delicious! xomelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07984286138124792000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-21553811119166683762015-06-12T23:12:31.585+01:002015-06-12T23:12:31.585+01:00It's funny how years can be very inconsistent ...It's funny how years can be very inconsistent where fruit is concerned. Last year our native cherry was covered in blossom and subsequently cherries, but this year it's been quite sparse. I'm sorry to hear that your strawberries aren't thriving. Perhaps a change of soil will do the trick. I gave up on hostas years ago - maybe some pretty annuals would be a good replacement while you wash up? :)<br />Cathy xThe House with the Blue Doorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14427149486706803890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-13660684043508354742015-06-12T20:47:21.195+01:002015-06-12T20:47:21.195+01:00Oh your poor hostas :( At least there are some hap...Oh your poor hostas :( At least there are some happy slugs and snails somewhere! Interestingly, like you, we have hardly any fruit on our plum tree.anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414143391795492586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-70168686696104558962015-06-12T19:41:17.826+01:002015-06-12T19:41:17.826+01:00Your poor hosta!!!!! So unfair!!! I hope that yo...Your poor hosta!!!!! So unfair!!! I hope that you can encourage it to recover. It looks as though everything else is mostly doing well though, no wonder you were saying that you needed to clear the freezer out in preparation!!! I hope you can work out the strawberry problem, they didn't look so bad until you showed the one really good plant! Hope you have a good weekend in the garden. xxAmy at love made my homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17111180584250029433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-79090303477190326692015-06-12T19:01:35.238+01:002015-06-12T19:01:35.238+01:00Well, to balance out the strawberry loss, you have...Well, to balance out the strawberry loss, you have a bunch of other nice fruit coming in. My grapes have done the same thing as last year - look fantastic, smell fantastic, then boom - after the flowers they just shrivel up, turn brown, and the fruit dies. The vine itself appears perfectly healthy. Really frustrating. I'm hoping I will get a huge harvest of red raspberries, if we don't have a small white worm problem that also happened in the past. Gardening frustrates and delights us - often on the same day!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-25992291497490752732015-06-12T16:29:27.162+01:002015-06-12T16:29:27.162+01:00Sympathy and recognition from me here. It can be h...Sympathy and recognition from me here. It can be hugely disheartening when plants don't thrive. Gardening and growing is a continual learning process and it looks as though there's great advice among the comments here. Keep at it CJ! Your garden and allotment are wonderful and it's really good to share the highs and lows with you. Sam xAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-46057607690367090582015-06-12T15:25:33.626+01:002015-06-12T15:25:33.626+01:00I found myself nodding and sympathising with you w...I found myself nodding and sympathising with you when I read this post. I think that you should have added plenty of compost when planting the strawberries and mulched round them. <br />Your tomatoes are doing way better than mine, and I also have carrots - well foliage at least!<br />Happy gardening and enjoy the weekend. Flighty xxFlightyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18082758817547303423noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-38020318770633107582015-06-12T12:26:45.773+01:002015-06-12T12:26:45.773+01:00The poor strawberries!!! Those would have been so ...The poor strawberries!!! Those would have been so great to grow because they are one of the more expensive fruit to buy (at least here!) tina bumblebeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13660028678294250067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-83146954701340178412015-06-12T11:54:08.522+01:002015-06-12T11:54:08.522+01:00we moved last may (2014) and this year we have don...we moved last may (2014) and this year we have done some (very small) veg beds..they were purposely put where the chicken run had been in the hope that the ground would be lovely and fertile. The beans and tomatoes seem to be thriving..the courgettes, like yours are yellowing (and im sure are soon to die). I am kind of assuming that the soil is too much for them and am putting the other courgettes into tubs as I have had success with them this way before..Cleo Bonbonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17934423344418330018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-77022241036139131472015-06-12T09:27:56.212+01:002015-06-12T09:27:56.212+01:00Oh CJ, could you transplant eight of your best str...Oh CJ, could you transplant eight of your best strawberries into a growbag, keep well-watered and fed and at the very least you'll know if the problem is soil or strawberry-borne. At best you may get enough strawberries to off-set the cost of the bag and your effort. I reduced the size of my strawberry bed by two-thirds last year in favour of growing the ever-bearing variety (not sure which, my allotment neighbour gave me runners) which crop from now until September. Keep a crop rotation plan, especially important when growing in raised beds. I wonder if your strawberries followed on from potatoes or tomatoes which supposedly is not good. I've just ditched a hosta and replaced it with a chocolate cosmos. Could you bear to manually remove the black fly? Then spray with dilute ecover which should prevent a further infestation. And compost everything, home-made compost is so much better than manure, it's less effort and saves using the green bin system. Make leaf mould, it makes a great mulch for raspberries. One more thing, keep sowing. I'm picking from my third sowing of salad leaves and I have four more sowings in the wings. I continue sowing short rows until the end of August. Use fresh ground, I'm out of space now but soon I will have room when I lift my garlic and first potatoes. Good luck. Can you tell I'm willing you on? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-86278555365098029352015-06-12T05:34:19.538+01:002015-06-12T05:34:19.538+01:00Let's stay with the good my friend as there is...Let's stay with the good my friend as there is so much good to see!!! Look at all of those veggies spilling out all over the place!! And yes that strawberry is perfection!! I had horrible horrible soil in my front garden. Literally everything I grew shrunk and would never grow until I started really taking away soil and adding new soil in. I even did an experiment and left one section with the old and one section with the new organic soil and the plants with the new soil are thriving. So keep up the good work my friend!!! Your garden looks awesome!!! Nicole xoMy Garden Diarieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17295676587780780313noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-35088286036902077902015-06-12T02:22:22.099+01:002015-06-12T02:22:22.099+01:00Wonderful images dear C.J., most of your fruits an...Wonderful images dear C.J., most of your fruits and vegetables look great, a shame about the strawberries not thriving but you might be fortunate enough to get a few to eat. So sweet of you to grow carrots and celery for Mrs Armitage, I'm sure your littlest boy will enjoy the carrots. I really like hostas, I had one given to me by a friend but the snails and slugs ate it and sadly it didn't survive.<br />xoxoxo ♡ diannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06171808338793139579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-25322446782785203402015-06-11T22:51:49.492+01:002015-06-11T22:51:49.492+01:00I think your garden looks fantastic compared to my...I think your garden looks fantastic compared to my tomato, strawberry, cucumber and cantaloupe plants. Max ate my strawberries, and caterpillars ate everything else. I am still finding them! I found two of them today. I am spraying them with a water/dish soap combination so my plants are clean but apparently still edible. Maybe I should stick with flowers?<br />Hugs,<br />MeredithMereknitshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04596140300034854370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-11292841881897178372015-06-11T22:27:04.192+01:002015-06-11T22:27:04.192+01:00I can really sympathize with your poor hostas - mi...I can really sympathize with your poor hostas - mine are looking pretty similar now. Your strawberry looks yummy though - I should get out there quickly before something beats you to it! I also love the fact that you grew carrots and celery just for poor Mrs. Armitage. Have a good weekend. xxVeggieMummyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17467026136649574350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-55418571661784883712015-06-11T22:08:33.387+01:002015-06-11T22:08:33.387+01:00We had hosta plants by the pond in our old garden ...We had hosta plants by the pond in our old garden and they always ended up eaten by the slugs.I am impressed with your carrots and the home made plant labels. The growth in our vegetable garden especially on the salad crops was huge after a week away despite the cold and windy weather that the South West has while we were away. Sarah xDown by the seahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06148800326418238027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235841642149423068.post-72164819265686884912015-06-11T22:04:04.069+01:002015-06-11T22:04:04.069+01:00Oh dear - I am suffering panic and grief in advanc...Oh dear - I am suffering panic and grief in advance for my beautiful hosta!alice chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16969805206040091585noreply@blogger.com