Anyone growing tomatoes? (The Gardening thread)

[ShaunWhite]

Wow talk about under promising and over delivering. My trees arrived today (4x acer freemanii), I'd ordered 3.5 - 4.5m tall and the shortest was 5.5m and the biggest 6.2m They're along the front, higher than the phone line and level with the power lines. Oops. I'm nervous about winter gales but I've got big double stakes and (I'm told) you keep the supporting 2" bamboo poles in for the first year so fingers crossed.

There comes a time you realise you're too old to buy small trees which is a bit of a chilling reality check.

The supplier was ornamentaltrees. Highly recommended and they keep in touch by phone rather than mail which is a nice touch.

They must have sent the wrong ones, I checked and mine should be in 35l bags and these were 65l. Too late now though they're in.

[Derek27]

Wow talk about under promising and over delivering. My trees arrived today (4x acer freemanii), I'd ordered 3.5 - 4.5m tall and the shortest was 5.5m and the biggest 6.2m They're along the front, higher than the phone line and level with the power lines. Oops. I'm nervous about winter gales but I've got big double stakes and (I'm told) you keep the supporting 2" bamboo poles in for the first year so fingers crossed.

There comes a time you realise you're too old to buy small trees which is a bit of a chilling reality check.

The supplier was ornamentaltrees. Highly recommended and they keep in touch by phone rather than mail which is a nice touch.

They must have sent the wrong ones, I checked and mine should be in 35l bags and these were 65l. Too late now though they're in.

How do you plant a 6-metre tree? I thought you plant them when they're babies?

[ShaunWhite]

How do you plant a 6-metre tree? I thought you plant them when they're babies?

Dig a big hole, drag the heavy end over it and ping, it's vertical They're thin so you can could just about lift it an inch or two. And multiple little sit downs to recover

[Derek27]

How do you plant a 6-metre tree? I thought you plant them when they're babies?

Dig a big hole, drag the heavy end over it and ping, it's vertical They're thin so you can could just about lift it an inch or two. And multiple little sit downs to recover

I thought the fun of planting things is watching them grow or telling your grandchildren that you planted that massive oak tree when it was two feet high.

[ShaunWhite]

From the ridiculous to the sublime. In a grim world I wanted to share this little fella for the range of colour in the leaves. I amost killed it in the summer, lost every leaf and it grew a 2nd lot so probably down to stress. (fuji cherry, 5yo about 25cm)

20221026_172805.jpg

[ShaunWhite]

I thought the fun of planting things is watching them grow or telling your grandchildren that you planted that massive oak tree when it was two feet high.

I'm nearly 60 Derek, if I plant a 2ft oak now I'll see it get to 3ft.

[ShaunWhite]

After a night worrying, I've moved the trees to the back. Checked the regs and they were a recipe for a bollocking from the electric board. Going to use winter flowering cherry instead and they don't mind being tamed now and then. As often is the way plan B is better all round and it beats a gym membership too.

[Derek27]

Daffodils are a bit late this year!

Last year I dug a small circular flower bed in my lawn and planted some daffodil bulbs in a circle. This year, the circle has mysteriously moved and I've got a daffodil growing out of the grass. I can only put it down to aliens!

[Derek27]

Just sown some jalapeno seeds. According to packet instructions they need to be planted out 40 metres apart!

[jimibt]

Just sown some jalapeno seeds. According to packet instructions they need to be planted out 40 metres apart!

hope you have understanding neighbours!!

[Derek27]

A farmer reports his 5-acre greenhouse full of watercress is costing £800,000 a month to heat! Next year many UK farmers won't be growing tomatoes and the imported ones will cost £5,000 each, they'll be so valuable that each tomato will be individually transported by boat in case a boat sinks!

I did warn you all. Make sure you get your tomato seeds ready for this year.

[greenmark]

A farmer reports his 5-acre greenhouse full of watercress is costing £800,000 a month to heat! Next year many UK farmers won't be growing tomatoes and the imported ones will cost £5,000 each, they'll be so valuable that each tomato will be individually transported by boat in case a boat sinks!

I did warn you all. Make sure you get your tomato seeds ready for this year.

This supply chain issue could be the final straw for a greengrocer I know in Edinburgh. Covid, Brexit, traffic chaos around the building of the tram system. And all that is on top of competition with supermarkets that offer convenience/ consistency of quality (although only adequate by comparison to his stuff).
I'm due up there in May and I''m not sure he's going to be there.
And I'm not sure we've got our food provision that well sorted.

[Derek27]

I had almost given up on my jalapenos. 19 days to germinate a seed!

[Derek27]

What a day it's been. Sacrificed the Liverpool/Arsenal match to mow the lawn, rake away the moss, sow new lawn seeds, dig up the vegetable strip, refit the shed gutter and water butt and finished off sowing my tomato seeds ready for summer.

[ShaunWhite]

Tried germinating some canna seed this year and got a pathetic 7 out of 30 despite soaking and sandpapering them individually But..... I found a place that sells the seed for about 1/10th of the usual prices. A craft place, it's the seed they use in maracas! And it was a named variety which was odd, all the comments below said, I tried germinating some and they all grew. Worth a shot for about 200 of them for less than a tenner. Cannas are about 20quid a pop so I'm tempted to get a poly tunnel

This years "try it for fun" has been Cyperus Papyrus, the seed tray has got loads of tiiiiiny shots coming through so looking good.