how does your garden grow?

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Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6680
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Fri Apr 18, 25 10:28 am Post subject:
First guess for not being able to grow sage is too much moisture. What kind of soil is it in? Can you plant it high and dry?

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43899
Location: yes

Posted: Fri Apr 18, 25 10:45 am Post subject:
sage , high dry a bit sandy mint, in pots most of them prefer a jar or similar buried under them and well draining soil, then use plenty of water they will chose wet or dryer roots

Florence

Joined: 15 Mar 2025
Posts: 35

Posted: Fri Apr 18, 25 12:56 pm Post subject:

Mine would look better with a bit of care and attention. It's at the untidy stage after the spring bulbs have finished flowering but leaves not yet died back.

Flower seedlings beginning to show (dwarf sunflowers in tubs, marigolds in the middle of other things, expecting nasturtiums).

Rescue cuttings such as ladies mantles and heuchera beginning to get their feet down and improve in the tubs on the pavings left over from the under greenhouse which disintegrated due to gales..

And an oregano slip rescued from an overgrown and past it tub looks happy enough next to the new fence - till the campanula next to it gets creeping again or its roots get down to the manhole cover discovered when clearing the campanula back to let the hellebores out. Whichever.

NorthernMonkeyGirl

Joined: 10 Apr 2011
Posts: 4656
Location: Peeping over your shoulder

Posted: Fri Apr 18, 25 7:39 pm Post subject:

Slim wrote:

First guess for not being able to grow sage is too much moisture.
What kind of soil is it in? Can you plant it high and dry?

This has been in various locations across the UK, but now I think about it I've always had damper soil than dryer soil...

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16296

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 25 8:34 am Post subject:
I would always grow mint in a container as it does tend to take over. Managed to sow some more seeds yesterday; some indoors and some outside. We had a bit of rain yesterday; the first for several weeks, so hoping the seeds outside will germinate. Found some of the leeks I had given up for lost are coming up, so just sowed a few more with fresh seed as the last lot was rather old.

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9082
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sat Apr 19, 25 5:26 pm Post subject:
Some of the seeds I have been chitting have started sprouting, so I'm about to sow them..squash, big and small, aubergine, peppers,. I just soaked some beans for cooking and some were sprouting roots so I'm planting those

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16296

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 25 8:32 am Post subject:
That's good. I am debating whether to have beans this year as getting another bed dealt with using the time and energy I have might not be possible. I have peas and cabbage going, so am hoping I can find room for all of them. I am thinking of growing a couple of courgettes in the potato beds. Anyone know a good reason why I shouldn't?

gz

Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 9082
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland

Posted: Sun Apr 20, 25 6:25 pm Post subject:

Beans went in yesterday, today aubergine, pepper, small and large squash chitted seeds were planted, fresh sowing of newer leek and carrot seeds.

Beetroot seeds sown in a raised bed are showing leaves!! But broad beans still no show.
In another small raised bed one row of small potatoes that sprouted themselves and in the other half of it, last year's cavolo Nero kale got trimmed all but three plants came out , but the others I'm using like PSB!! This seemed to bring out the Cabbage White butterflies so the frame round them got reconstructed and curtains replaced around them !!

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43899
Location: yes

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 25 12:09 pm Post subject:

several plantings of big radishes are up

the first sowing of purple things and green things are up
carrots are struggling
second sowings in place

10 cucumber and 5 aubergine in ex biscuit package propagators on window sill

roses growing well
plenty of rocket, chives, rosemary, mint, etc

bramble doing ok after its major trimming

very few insects day or night

hand pollinated the apples and will probably have to do the same for other stuff as time passes

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9933
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Wed Apr 23, 25 2:17 pm Post subject:

NorthernMonkeyGirl wrote:

Slim wrote:

First guess for not being able to grow sage is too much moisture.
What kind of soil is it in? Can you plant it high and dry?

This has been in various locations across the UK, but now I think about it I've always had damper soil than dryer soil...

very damp here - I started a new herb garden last year and the sage has died. the rosemary and oregano are fine. I think I shall try sage in a pot this time, and see if that works

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 16296

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 25 6:27 am Post subject:
Our well established sage in a container has died, so don't know if last year's weather was to blame. We don't use it much as it is a flavour that I am very sensitive to and don't like much.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43899
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 25 11:43 am Post subject:

iirc sage is time limited even when happy in its environment, layer, take cuttings or get new before a treasured one croaks

get new ones, my thymes and an exotic rosemary died of hypothermia and frostbite, i need a few new unusual rosemarys, but the 6 thyme plugs are growing well in their new homes

the cucumber seeds are burrowing out of the compost in the biscuit propagators

if that is bad i can earth them up once they settle into position

i have no experience of this strain, they might be very similar to some i know from a 1740 vase (saki bottle/vase, when korean potters were working for the japanese market)
i have the gourd version, mine might have a body crack but it was Â£2.50p* rather than the price of the cucumber one by the same potter that sold at auction for over a Â£k hammer price

*as were 3 mid 19th C delights in perfect blue on porcelain , when i asked how much and he went Â£10 for the 4 i said nowt, paid and popped em in pockets

when the cucumbers fruit(or whatever cucumbers do to become cucumbers) i will look it up again and see if the strain matches

ps i gave my very posh and venerable bonsai to a chum decades ago as i moved too often to look after them properly, (some were/are at least a century older than me, i hope she tended them well, almost certain she did, which means the agave gigantea should be a monster by now, it was rather tricky to move without being stabbed 35 yrs ago), looking out of the window i can see a rather nice pine that is 15 yrs old and about 15" tall, umm that might be better in a suitable more traditional setting than a plastic and "decorative" pot it has been in for 5 yrs or so

Last edited by dpack on Thu Apr 24, 25 11:54 am; edited 1 time in total

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43899
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 25 11:53 am Post subject:

ps i am trying to grow a few edibles but the aesthetic plants are rather fun ,especially if they are useful as well as beautiful

the roses are doing ok, they are already useful, by the end of this years growth they will be doing the job bigger and better

razor wire and APM is considered a bit wrong for the suburbs, the correct scramblers are almost as effective as a tall perimeter, low gorse and blackthorn are pretty good

berberis, umm, it works but you will need good ppe to adjust it before it is in charge rather than you

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43899
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 25 12:01 pm Post subject:
i thought about what i just typed, the yard is small but improved from the last couple of decades using well composed, beautiful and useful can be achieved and this might be developing in a good way

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 43899
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Apr 24, 25 12:09 pm Post subject:
pps the sempervivum varieties are mostly thriving in wall crevices and in the mother bed(quartz chips over tiles over a bit of compost over sand) my thought was that out of ten types some would go native and be no bother re maintanance

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