Come into the garden with Maud - all obsessive and wannabe gardeners welcome

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Whether you've got rolling acres or a tiny courtyard, whether you're a novice or a gardening die-hard, whether you're aiming for a garden of Sissinghurst loveliness or self-sufficiency à la Felicity Kendal in The Good Life, this is the place to be. Take a seat on the tastefully-painted Lutyens bench and chat with fellow enthusiasts. There may even be a bottle of gin in the potting shed.

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

Hi to all the new people. Why didn't we have gin on the last thread ?!

I have rooty stuff, Funky Fungi it's called which makes me smile. But DS and I didn't apply it quite like Monty as we only watched GW after using it. DS is a GW convert and was disappointed he has to wait a whole week for the next episode. Finally something has gone right With my parenting.

Some 99p packs of geranium, petunia and French marigold plug plants fell into my basket at garden centre today which has given me the problem of keeling them warm for the night as we've had frost this week. They are in cold frame with fleece on them in greenhouse.

Our allotment society is at the enthusiastic stage so we have to produce a scarecrow for competition by end of the month. It's on my very long list.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

We didn't have gin on the last thread, but didn't we have a virtual, veggie barbie?

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

Looks like veggie barbie didn't do the job and we needed gin !

[BeanutPutter]

I have so far kept away from any quiche threads but I MUST join this one. I love gardening. We have an allotment plot and grow at home. I also run a children's gardening club where we cover nature, plants and the seasons.

Yesterday was spent tidying up my garden and cleaning my pots. I have seeds germinating all over and were it not for DD being Ill at the moment I would be at the garden centre today.

[HJisgoingtogoBOOM]

Our allotment seems ok politics wise. The people around us are really nice. Dh said every allotment he has had before were full of bitchy old men though so maybe we are just nicer oop north

Dh is the gardener more than me. He has techniques and everything as in doesn't just bung stuff in pots like me

[teta]

I've planted morning glory seeds.After 2 days of soaking most of them had little growing tips.I've placed them in little fibre pots in an Aldi plastic greenhouse in the utility that i can zip up at night.Do i still need to bag them up?.I guess i can cover them with clingfilm,but is it necessary as long as i keep them moist.Sadly dh has banned me from having any seedlings in the sunny dining room [as the dog was eating them].

[Lexilicious]

If anyone doesn't like gin, I still have some of my blackberry brandy.

Does this look like a very small disused allotment site to you? It is just over a mile from my house, and all this talk of you lucky people with allotments and greenhouses makes me twitchy and I would want one. The only site that comes up on google maps search of 'Watford Allotment' is far more neat looking.

I would definitely be One Of Those bossy political types though. I wouldn't bitch as such but I'd have great fun writing lots of Rules. And calling meetings.

[CuriousMama]

Hi newbie here. Got an allotment in Jan and we're trying to get it tidy. It'll take ages though but hey ho.

Planted early pots and couple of apple trees. I have onions to put in. No green house but am hoping to pick one up?

[flybynight]

Similarly, I've got over a litre of plum brandy left over from last year. Most of it went in Christmas champagne cocktail though... I do love a fruit tree.

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

Hmm, this may be a quiche (although I would dispute that as, for me, quiches are those threads that begin with a shout-out for named MNers, with the implication that nobody else should dare enter) but at least we're growing our own quiche ingredients. Arf!

[PurplePidjin]

An organic quiche

I'm worried about my peas. They're looking healthy and growing well but they're too skinny at the bottom, not supporting their weight. Is that normal? Should I ditch them and try again? The seeds are a few years old...

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

An organic quiche with minimal food miles too!

::arf arf::

Don't know much about pea seedlings, but can you move them closer to the light? It sounds as if they're getting a bit etiolated.

::ooh get me::

[PurplePidjin]

They're on an East facing windowsill, so full sun I turn them every couple of days so they grow straight. I just hope they fill out, poor little anorexic things

[MoreBeta]

Hello gardeners. Just spent the first two days of the year tidying up. Looks nice but hardly any blossom out yet.

Rhubarb is about 10 cm high and I put it under buckets yesterday. Its only one year old and I didnt harvest at all last year but I thought forcing once this year would be OK if I let it grow naturally after the first cut. I also hear that rhubarb needs a lot of water and plenty of manure.

Am I doing the right things or am I going to kill it? I was born in the middle of the 'Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle' and went to school with the son of a big rhubarb grower but don't know anything about it really. Am I doing the right things?

Its stil frosty here at night so I think it is too early for planting herbs and other things outside. Tomorrow, I am putting seeds in the hanging baskets and growing indoors until May.

[Mama1980]

Hi can I join please? Very large garden 15 raised beds made last year spent all of yesterday starting seeds etc. already have some tomatoes pepper and chillies indoors growing. Rhubarb about 20 cms high, what do I do with it? can I use it straight away it's 3 years old. Complete novice but Having a lot of fun

[MoreBeta]

Erm..... 15 raised beds and you are a beginner.

How on earth did that happen? You need a full time gardener for that lot!

[MoreBeta]

I read that 3 yr old rhubarb you can harvest at will. I also read that the trick to forcing is have 3 rhubabrb plants, force one plant each year and leave the others to grow natural. Forcing makes for a more delicate flavour - like champagne they say.

[pepperrabbit]

Can I join if you're not already overwhelmed by newbies!?
I have a lovely garden, my flowerbeds are mainly laid to bloody grass, while the lawns abound with verdant moss. The veg patch attracts a lot of cat shit interest.
Though I did manage an abundance of parsnips last year .
Normally i do carrots, peas, tomatoes, beans, with a few experiments - last year was sweetcorn. We're fairly south, garden is north facing but long so still gets a fair amount of sun at the end, it's very boggy and clay
I think you might call it a project!
oh, and my right hand doesn't work properly for the last year or so at the moment so weeding and pruning are challenging....

[HJisgoingtogoBOOM]

We have just split the rhubarb left on our allotment. We now have 15 plants and have given away about the same again. We've 3 plants at home we are forcing too.
We've had a few puddings of stewed rhubarb , can't taste the champagne but I'm a bit of a philistine!

[Mama1980]

Thanks more beta I got a little carried away lol I really have a lot of space and have divided the garden into sections ie fruit area, veg beds etc so I needed to fill the veg area hence all the beds though I don't plan to plant them all up this year. Idea is to be almost self sufficient in a few years time. I have a the best neighbours in the world who help me with the lawn etc. Thank heavens rhubarb crumble here we come!

[MoreBeta]

HJ - it has to be forced in Yorkshire to taste like champagne. Its the local water that does it and harvesting by candle light apparently..... but what do I know?

[Blackpuddingbertha]

It's been a day of highs and lows here. Found the big pile of well-rotted horse manure my friend pointed me to. Big bag to prep the asparagus bed and one more on the final bit of the pumpkin patch not previously covered with liberal amounts of pooh.

But...had a water butt disaster. Went to get a can full to water my new dahlia in with and the tap practically fell off. 30 minutes later and we have water collected in every non-leaky thing we could find. I'm hoping now the butt is empty we'll be able to fix the seal. We still have one butt full as we have two daisy-chained but can't collect anymore if it does decide to rain at all.

I'm putting my hand up for the blackberry and/or plum brandy please as I have a dislike of gin following a messy teenage incident an over-indulgence.

[HJisgoingtogoBOOM]

Morebeta- I'm wrong side of the border then, not just a philistine!

[ComeIntoTheGardenMaud]

This is fantastic! So many people on the thread.

::hands out gin and fruit brandies::

My new willow edging for the flower beds came today and the latest GW magazine with ::fanfare:: free seeds.

[HJisgoingtogoBOOM]

I've already raided dh gardeners world magazine planted his my free seeds. Sweet peas are one of the few flowers I like.