Last Post 1068 days 17 hours ago
17 June 2010 01:05:35
Echium seedlings
Here is a photo of the Echium seedlings that we have growing at the moment! seeds were sown on the 28/4/10 and so far we have 12 seedlings of 3 different varieties E.Candicans x 5, E.Pink Fountain x 4 and E.Blue Steeple x 3, we lost all our Echiums during the last winter so these little seedlings will be used to replenish our Echium collection!
16 June 2010 13:49:37
Potting on Chillies
Hello all, this journal is in response to a question i received on one of my posts regarding potting on chillies and the size of pot used, i put up a fairly substantial and informative reply only for my connection to crash! why does that only happen when you've written 20 lines and not 1 !!, Any way potting on chillies, chillies are a very easy plant to keep happy space wise, they will adapt to whatever space is allotted to them and flower and produce chillies accordingly, like most container grown Cucumbers/Tomatoes/Chillies the more space you give them the happier they will be (within reason) i have always used 12" pots with great success, for example last year i grew 2 lemon drop chili plants each in a 12" pot the plants grew to 2ft and produced between 70 to 80 3" to 4" chillies per plant, we also grew cayenne chili plants in 12" pots, the plants grew to about 5ft and produced 25 to 30 5" chillies per plant, while i think the returns from the cayenne plants would have been more in a larger pot 50+ 5" chillies was good enough for me! most people i talk to you who grow chillies grow varieties that grow between 3ft and 4ft so in my opinion 12" pots are fine for the vast majority of chillies! i have an exception to that rule growing in the greenhouse at the moment, it is a pubescent (hairy) variety known as the Bolivian Hairy chili and can be grown as a perennial in Ireland, it can grow outdoors in the Summer and must over-winter in frost free conditions, it can grow up to 9ft x 6ft in its native habitat (small tree) if i can grow it to about 5ft x 3ft i would be delighted, and unlike most chillies this type will not cross pollinate, so it will come true from seed, i managed to obtain 5 seeds of this variety last year, i planted 3 this Spring, of which 2 germinated the other 2 seeds i passed on to Madline McKeever who i believe has had luck with them also! i look forward to comparing notes!! well i could sit here all day writing about chillies but i don't want to bore you to sleep!!! just one thing before i go if you are interested in growing or cooking with chillies i would really recommend a book called ............ The Complete Chilli Book by Dave DeWitt & Paul W. Bosland, really really good book, never seen it over here, bought mine in the book shop in the New York Botanical Gardens! so you will have to source it on line.........
16 June 2010 00:14:59
The old garden
Have been feeling a bit under the weather since the weekend, was off Monday and Tuesday so spent the time pottering around our old garden! pottering is an exaggeration as i really didn't get anything done! thought about it then would sit on the lounger and fall asleep! anti-Bs have me a bit whacked but starting to feel the benefit from them today, hope to have a bit more energy tomorrow! did manage to take some photos and have put up a small album...........
15 June 2010 22:33:50
First Lilly to flower for 2010
We have about 8 different varieties of lillys growing in pots and this is the first one to flower this year, isn't it a beauty.............
15 June 2010 22:19:06
For Fran
Sorry about the delay Fran, have been meaning to post this for the last week and a half!!! just never have enough time! the plants are... Potentilla, Oriental Poppy, Digitalis Grandiflora, Campanula Persilifolia and Verbascum Chaixii ex Album, Goggle them for the info and you can let me know, no problem if there not what your looking for! sorry again about the delay...............
15 June 2010 12:47:08
Cantaloupe Melon
Still not up to much, so i will try get a few small jobs done today, have a couple of melons and cucumber plants that need to go into thier final pots, also 2 lots of sweet peppers! the first batch which should have gone into thier final pots about 3 weeks ago, and the second batch which are ready now for potting on! tomatoes also due a feed, that is a logistic nightmare in its self!!!
14 June 2010 23:39:10
Bambino Blanco Cucumber
We picked the first of this years cucumbers tonight, its a dwarf variety called Bambino Blanco, it is ideal for pots with the vines reaching no more than 3ft to 4ft in length, the cucumbers should be picked at around 4" to 5" long, we have one plant in a large pot in the greenhouse, we have 3 cucumbers at 4" long, we sliced up the one we picked tonight and it tasted delicious, white flesh with a crisp sweet flavor! delicious!! we will pick the other 2 cucumbers tomorrow for sure! there are about a dozen smaller cucumbers on this plant as well as numerous more flowers! even after only one cucumber we both agreed that this one will be penciled in again for next year!
14 June 2010 21:40:58
The Garden Chilli
This is the chili that we over wintered last year, we picked about 20 chilies off it in Jan/Feb this year, when the weather got milder about 5 weeks ago we put it out in the garden so that it would have a quiet period and help it recuperate! but no, its still going and covered in chilies again!! this will be the third harvest off this plant!!
14 June 2010 20:22:35
First of this years Garlic
This is Maggie with the first of this years Garlic harvest, will leave the majority of bulbs in the ground for another 4 weeks or so! this bulb came from cloves we planted last October, which came from a pack of bulbs we purchased in a supermarket in Lanzarote last September! we used 1 bulb divided into 11 cloves, planted the cloves and we got 11 plants! we look forward to the remaining harvest of 64 bulbs of 3 different varieties, the other 2 varieties being Solent white and Cristo
14 June 2010 19:10:52
Boxcar Willie
Just back from watering the toms which are doing really well, hope to start picking in the next couple of weeks as the first to fruit Dulcia have started turn to thier ripening colour of yellow, the largest plants are Boxcar Willie, Orange Giant and Pink Giant these are all about 5ft to 6ft tall at the moment and they will soon be joined by the Amish paste which will grow up to 7ft but as they are later fruiting are only a few inches over the 4ft mark at the moment, the heaviest cropping so far from the determinate types are Polar, Max and Snow Queen which all have set a huge amount of fruit, must also give a mention of lldi at this point, the plants have only started to set fruit but i have never seen a tomato plant produce so many trusses, we look forward to thier huge harvest! will put up an album with photos of all the above......
14 June 2010 15:34:00
New Acer planted up
Maggie planted up the new Acer (that we picked up for a bargain at Bloom!) over the weekend, its full title is Acer Palmatum "Dissectum" we were delighted to be able to pick up the same size and colour pot that we have two of our other Acer planted up in, that now brings our collection to 4 plants but i can see this collection grow as we are both really fond of these plants, have posted up an album of our 4 Acer, there is 1 we are not sure of the name, any help would be very welcome............
14 June 2010 14:36:50
Doing Nothing Much!!!
Was working over the weekend and woke up Sunday morning feeling chesty and with a raw throat! on a course of anti-Bs and off today and tomorrow so will be taken it easy! all that rain means that today's visit to the allotment for watering can be forgotten about! will spend today and tomorrow just pottering between the gardens, took a couple of photos of our Oriental poppies, we have 6 different types, 2 red, 2 pink an orange and a white! they took a lot of damage with the rain over the last 10 days or so but the red one with the serrated edge has just come into flower and the buds on the white one have yet to open, we have grown another 12 plants from seed sown last October but they wont flower till next year and will be planted in the new garden, will put up an album of oriental poppy photos............
10 June 2010 01:46:25
Long and Busy Day!
Just a quick update or i will fall asleep on the keyboard! we got out to the allotment this morning about 12, we had planned to spend no more than 2 hours there, get the spuds sprayed and whatever else done within that time! when we got back to the car it was almost 4pm!! time really does disappear when we are out there! well i got the spuds sprayed and Maggie dug out another bed, and we both got plenty of weeding done, we were both really happy with what we got done even if we went 2 hours over! on the way back we went into Atlantic to see if we could pick up a pot for the Acer we picked up at Bloom, no suitable pots so we just picked up a couple of bags of compost and went to have a look in Woodies, we got the exact pot we were looking for there and we headed home tired but happy! we got home around 5:30 had a cup of tea and something to eat, and we both fell asleep for an hour, i woke up around 7pm and went out to the garden and took the growing tips off the broad beans and weeded the veg beds, fed the toms, chillies, melons and cucumbers, went over to the new garden and weeded one of the veg beds and turned the compost heap, Maggie appeared around 9 and we decided to start clearing a couple of the bedrooms and the kitchen! we have a large skip there for the last week or so and had done nothing with it! well we worked until nearly 12 and the skip is now almost full, 2 bed rooms totally stripped, only floor boards and walls left! and most of the kitchen done! we came home had a drink, a shower and am now fit for the pit! Maggie went to bed around 1am so the bed will be nicely heated up now!! time to catch some zzzzzzzzzzzs...............
09 June 2010 02:07:19
Hope to have these soon!
Was working today but managed to take an hour or so to tie up the tomatoes, they are really putting on a lot of growth and are producing plenty of young fruit, they will be due a feed tomorrow, it will be thier third this season, am a bit worried about the spuds on the allotment as i haven't yet sprayed them for Blight protection, have the solution ready to mix since last Thursday but never got round to it, and the weather since Sunday has made it impossible to spray! only thing is that at least where the allotment is there is nearly always a good breeze! but i will feel better when we get a chance to spray! need also to pinch out the growing tips on the first batch of broad beans to help prevent the aphids taking hold, need also to pot on the sweet peppers into thier final pots this should have been done at least a week or so ago!!! will tidy up around the greenhouses and the veg beds am sure we will find something else needs doing! And one last thing! if we get a chance go and look for a nice pot for our latest Acer.........
08 June 2010 00:29:59
Identification!
Took this photo at Bloom on Monday, the plant was in the OPW walled garden, Patiopally was enquiring as to its name! can anyone enlighten us?
07 June 2010 23:22:40
Terrace Gardening
Came across this item at Bloom today and was really impressed, its the best new item i have seen for gardens for a long time! i reckon it would be great for Strawberry plants or Cherry tomatoes or even flowers, great amount of space for the roots, would have picked one up only we were weighed down as it was! have the leaflet and they are supplied by a company in Trim, will certainly pick one up in the not to distant future! did anyone buy one at the show?
07 June 2010 21:40:27
What a day!!!
Got to Bloom this morning at exactly 10am! we spent about 3 good hours outdoors walking around before the rain came! spent an hour or two in the Bloom Inn getting wet on the inside! and picked up a few bargains! A large Dicksonia Antarctica, almost 57" tall!!! (which was our number one target!) reduced to €80 and a large Acer, Dissectum, reduced to €20, these were our main two buys and we were well pleased with them!
07 June 2010 03:41:49
Bloom on Monday
Just in from work, knackered!! have the camera battery charging! lift organised for 9:30! just need to get some sleep! as i was coming home it has started to rain! hope it rains its self out by morning, we will see!!! got a phone call from my Aunt Jo who had been to Bloom on Sunday, she also lost her Dicksonia last Winter and was on the look out for a replacement at Bloom, well she done really well!! a fine specimen! 4ft tall for €95! great value! if you were to buy one of that size in a Garden center you could easily put a 1 in front of the 95!! needless to say i will be visiting the gentleman off whom she purchased that bargain tomorrow...... now if we could only sort out the rain......................
06 June 2010 11:57:20
Wet Wet Wet !
Mixed emotions about the weather today! was off on Thursday and Friday and was blessed with the weather! and working yesterday and today, hate been stuck indoors on days when the sun is splitting the stones! so today i don't mind working at all! was in work earlier and got soaked! what started out as a fine drizzle around 9.30 ended up in a steady downpour by 10.30 on the plus side we don't need to water the Allotment today! Maggie had planned to go out and do the honours this morning but when i informed her of the state of play she smiled, turned over and went back asleep! (hope your reading this Mrs Doyle!) and rightly so! forecast states it is to brighten up this afternoon! don't mind anyway, indoors for the day! just hope the rain stays away for a few hours tomorrow.........
05 June 2010 21:09:09
Bloom on Monday
We will be heading off to Bloom on Monday and we are both really looking forward to the day, i think the weather is to change on Monday but sure we'll see! we are thinking of leaving the car at home and getting a lift over and back from a friend of ours! so the plan will be to be there for 10am have a good walk around and about 1pm go and have some lunch and a nice bottle of wine! back out about 3pm and on the look out for the bargains!!! we can give our friend a ring and he will pick us up at whatever time! hope the rain stays away! was going to bring the camera but i don't think there is anything that hasn't been already caught on camera judging by all the lovely albums posted up over the last few days............
04 June 2010 22:23:18
Courgettes
Wonderful day and really warm! tied up the broad beans in the old garden and spent the rest of the day in the new garden working on the raised veg beds, Maggie weeded the fruit cage and planted up the small beds surrounding the greenhouses, she then weeded the cut flower bed while i finished weeding the raised veg beds, after that we sat in the sun for an hour or so and shared a bottle of wine and talked over plans for the new garden............ then back to reality and time to plant up the remaining parts of the veg beds, we put in Courgettes, Butternut Squash and Jerusalem Artichokes, also planted up a few rows of carrots, radish and spring onion seeds, watered the tomatoes and took a few notes, we now have 8 varieties producing fruit, really pleased with how the toms are doing, will put up an album of the raised beds and the tomatoes............
04 June 2010 00:26:39
Break away in Costa Torrox
Hi Everyone, just back from a lovely 5 day break in my friend's house in the south of Spain . Torrox is about 10 minutes from Nerja and an hour and a half east of Malaga on the cost. It is a Tomato Growing Region and Dave would of loved it. There were huge poly tunnels growing tomatoes and courgettes, and when the tomato plants were finished, the goats with the sound of their clanging bells were herded in to clean up the harvested plants, and leave the space ready for the next crop. On my stay I could not help but visit one of the many garden Centres there. I was amazed at the variety and price, Pelargonium €1.55 and Climbing Geranium €1.65 which would cost at least €6-€7 here because of the size. Large Cactus €4.50, an eight foot banana plant for €36 and Nepenthes at €7, the value for money was amazing.
I could not believe the the difference in size in our own tomato plants when I got home they have gone into over drive and certainly would give the Spanish ones a run for their money.
03 June 2010 19:31:45
Allotment 3rd June 2010
Spent most of today out on the allotment, beautiful day! really warm, didnt realise till we got home how much sun i got on my back!!! got nearly all the weeding done and planted up 30 leeks, gave everything a good watering and that was that! happy with our days work! put up a photo album from today...........
02 June 2010 21:28:47
Plans!!
Another beautiful day, working today so all i did garden wise was water the tomato plants! which is a logistic nightmare in its self! 26 gallons of water every 2 days! off work for the next 2 days, will spend the best part of tomorrow on the allotment! plenty to do there, Friday will finish up all the loose ends around the 2 gardens and the 3 greenhouses!! plenty to keep us busy! will go to Bloom on Monday, always like the last day of the big shows, great bargins to be had!!!
01 June 2010 00:28:26
Just a little more sunshine!!
Hello all, was working all weekend and did not get any time to post! was off today and took it nice and easy for a change! finished up a lot of small jobs that needed to be attended to! took the Side-shoots and the lower leaves off the toms and filled another 2 buckets in the process! potted on 2 varieties of the Echiums, 9 plants in total so was happy with that, planted on some of the lettuce seedlings and also got the cucumbers into thier final pots and placed them in the greenhouse, cleared the greenhouse of all unwanted seedlings and they were dispatched to the compost heap! also planted the chillies into thier final pots, they are still in the kitchen but will be placed in the greenhouse tomorrow, as i am typing the rain is falling quiet steady now and it reminds me that one job i didnt do that needed doing was to stake the broad beans! hopefully the rain wont put to much weight on them and i can stake them tomorrow! the tomato plants are flying and the 3 tallest types are all potato leaf varieties, they are Orange Giant, Pink Giant and Brandywine, all are 48" to 54" tall the first tomato plant to set fruit, Dulcia, now has about a dozen fruit the largest being just under 2" in diameter, the fruit cage is filling up nicely and the currents are heading for a great harvest! we used the first few strawberries last week and they were delious!! the next week or so will see them begin to crop in ernest! another crop that wont be to far behind them is the Garlic, the early ones that went in last October will be ready for harvesting this month! Havent been to the allotment in a week, Maggie was out there on Friday and since then we have had a decent drop of rain so everything should be fine, the big thing will be weeding!! but we plan to attack that on thursday with the help of a friend of ours, so the 3 of us should have it sorted in a couple of hours (i hope) will also bring out the leeks, Red cabbage and Sprouts and plant them up, that will nearly use up the last remaining empty bed we have, it will be great to finaly see it fully planted up