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.

[HumphreyCobbler]

Cutteduppear, what a brilliant job to have. I am very jealous. Will have a chat to DH and see if he fancies it, I am sadly still under inspection at work and have no time for anything at all

I have parsley seedlings all over the gravel round by the herb bed. Is it supposed to be difficult?

[Blackpuddingbertha]

SIL gave me some Turks Turban squash seeds today that were being given away at her allotment. So now I have to squeeeeeze in a couple of extra squash plants as am definitely have to give them ago. May try them in pots grown up tripods on the patio - anyone grown them?

[aJumpedUpPantryBoy]

I'll try again with the Stock as I am determined to have some in the garden this year - Maud, did you grow it indoors/greenhouse/propagator?

[survivingspring]

Weeds are starting to take over my borders with all the rain - now just need a dryer day to get rid of them all!!

Went to the garden centre to get some replacement cucumber plants as lost mine in the frost a few weeks ago but their stock all looked terrible so didn't buy any!

[doublemocha]

Evening!

I don't know what you lot are talking about most of the time with all these plant names, let alone being able to help!!

Blackpuddingbertha - I do intend to keep going on the chicken front. DH claimed to 'hate' our rabbit, Barry, which lived in the garden at the old house (it did start off in a hutch, but was so bloody huge no predator ever went near the thing in 6 years, it was damn agressive too at times. Never even tried to escape from the garden though, rather strangely) However, if he thought we were not looking, he would be stroking and feeding it and he was absolutely distraught when Barry went to the great rabbit warren in the sky. I will get my chickens!

Golly - what difference a touch of warmth makes, following the warm day on Monday, and all in the greenhouse - coriander, lavender and some cheap 'cottage garden' seeds have germinated. Very excited, I did think I had done something wrong.

Plus - going to see GW live with my friend in June. DC's are camping that weekend, which is convenient.

[doublemocha]

Survivingspring - is it too late on to grow your own cucumber, especially if you kept it in a warm environment?

[survivingspring]

Oh yes - so I can!! Just assumed it would be too late but have googled and mid spring is fine for unheated greenhouse which mine is - thanks doublemocha

[WynkenBlynkenandNod]

I'm not doing well keeping up with this thread at the moment. Hope everyone doing ok and haven't lost plants due to drowning. Am really behind planting tender stuff to go out as weather has been so vile.

We had our first few strawberries at the weekend, have picked a couple of chillies yesterday and have a cucumber reading for picking in a few days. I'm feeling really lucky to be able to heat the greenhouse this year and making the most of it as have a feeling it will be the only time. It's great for sitting with a cuppa as well, plus hiding from my children !

The thing with DS is he woke one morning unable to walk and ended up in hospital for a day, about the beginning of Feb. They decided it was irritable hip but when he went back for a check up he hadn't got the range of movement back they thought he should have and he had to have an MRI scan to rule out Perthes. Which took ages to happen in the first place and to finally get results . Lovely to be back to normal again.

[HumphreyCobbler]

good god, Wynken, I have just spent 24 hours in hospital with DD due to irritable hip. So sorry you have had such a scare, and terribly glad it is all ok.

A heated greenhouse
cucumbers - I have no plants yet
strawberries!!! Wow.

[CuttedUpPear]

Humphrey It is a really nice job, but it doesn't put the bread on the table on its own as willow sculpture can only be done between November and March - yes the COLD months! I also garden design and several other jobs so am constantly multitasking just to keep things ticking over.

I am v jealous of your parsley seedlings, as I can't grow parsley even when I try, the seeds pay no heed whatsoever to my horticultural qualifications and don't even germinate!

[CuttedUpPear]

aJumpedUpPantryBoy I've had good success with night scented stock this year and have just planted them out [brave]
I used New Horizons peat free general purpose compost and made up a tray of them in the greenhouse.

Apparently you can direct sow but I don't fancy my chances with this weather.

[funnyperson]

want strawberries.
want parsley
want scented stocks
want a willow to make an arbour

happy gazing at my clematis and growing roses and hellebores and tulips though.

have ordered coriander seeds to sow, and rocket.

I think some sweet peas may have germinated. If so this is really very exciting. I am not sure if it is weeds in the same pot or sweet peas but the little seedlings are at a regular distance from each other which makes me think they might be the sweet peas. Thank you Monty.

[weebleswillwobble]

Wynken - at Strawberries! This is my first strawb year so I can't wait to get a fruit. Lots of flowers so my fingers are crossed. Glad your DS is back on track - must have been so worrying.

Funny - No more chicken antics to report! DH fixed wire netting to the fence which has temporarily discouraged any more jolly jaunts up the lane. They did, however, curiously watch DH hammering and cursing away, taking care to block any gaps in the fencing and then, as soon as he'd finished, leap up and perch on top of said carefully secured fence. I'm sure I heard them sniggering.

Mocha - My parents 'acquired' a rabbit from Dbro's then-GF when they moved in for a couple of months (then moved out leaving poor rabbit behind ). Parents hated it at first, esp. my dad, until one day we caught him looking out of the conservatory and waving at the rabbit. We've never let him live it down. And at Barry...I love human names for pets! Keep up the subtle pressure for chickens! They're great fun.

No progress made yesterday as I was out all day, glorious sunshine, and now today - no plans except to get out in the garden and it's tipping it down . At least a few more Gardener's Delights have unexpectedly germinated to pacify me a bit.

[HarrietJ0nes]

Anyone point me in the right direction of a website to buy the black plastic stuff for the allotment?

[mistlethrush]

Harriet - I got the permeable stuff from Costco a year ago or so. But you never know what's in until you go.

Next time anyone sees a weed wand thing in Lidl, please pm me as I would like one of them but Lidl not that near and didn't have any by the time I got there.

[Lexilicious]

Harriet, I got mine off ebay. will dig out the seller or a link if you like.

[HarrietJ0nes]

Please Lexi. I've looked on eBay but not 100% on spec of what I'm looking for.

No Costco here. We didn't have any weed wands in our lidl either. They have similar in wilkos but not that cheap.

[Lexilicious]

think it was this one

[HarrietJ0nes]

Hanks!

[mistlethrush]

If anyone's in Yorkshire ish I've got strawberries that are delicious and can always find a few new plants available. Also have some great alpine strawberries that do fruit well over a very long period - fruits rarely make it into the kitchen though.

I managed to get a celery leaf at the Farmers Market at the weekend so looking forward to having perenial flat-leaf parsley equivalent (although have some of that to plant out too).

[Lexilicious]

oh hell, I'm working at home and I've just seen that the June issue of GYO is on the doormat. That's my productivity down the plughole!

[Lexilicious]

Grrrrr. How have greenfly got into my house, hm? And started on my pepper and chilli plants? I hope I caught them in time - just one or two on each plant.

Doing an order for useful things on greenfingers.com... I seem to have crept up to nearly £100

[Blackpuddingbertha]

Lexi - I hope you put the gardening equipment catalogue that came with GYO straight in the recycling like I did and therefore wasn't at all tempted by pages of stuff that I absolutely have to have?

I get the extra tough weed resistant stuff Harriet as I find the weeds grow through the fabricy ones. I'l see if I can find a link - it's more expensive but it lasts year on year so is good value eventually.

Are we having a vote on who starts the next thread?

[Blackpuddingbertha]

This stuff. Has lines on too which I find very useful when planting things through it as I do like neat lines.

[Lexilicious]

Well I have a summer bedding pun I'm dying to use in a thread title so...