How Does Your Garden Grow!? - Garden Pics Thread

tanyabond

Green with envy:) Where did you get such an extensive collection of chilly seeds? Just from the seed shop or did you keep buying various chillies and putting their seeds aside?

fred funk }{

tanyabond wrote: »

Green with envy:) Where did you get such an extensive collection of chilly seeds? Just from the seed shop or did you keep buying various chillies and putting their seeds aside?

Aldi sell a small punnet of chillis for about two euro. I have got about six different types from seeds directly from the fruit and the rest from here http://fatalii.net/growing/.

I have plenty spare. I you like PM me your address and ill stick some in the post.

tanyabond

Fred, thank you:) I gave up on trying to grow anything until we get a place of our own - renting a house with a really big wall - no sun light in the yard and the only "4 hour sunshine sill" is overtaken by strawberries (of course:)). So I'm just looking with envy and hoping my time will come LOL:)

fred funk }{

tanyabond wrote: »

Fred, thank you:) I gave up on trying to grow anything until we get a place of our own - renting a house with a really big wall - no sun light in the yard and the only "4 hour sunshine sill" is overtaken by strawberries (of course:)). So I'm just looking with envy and hoping my time will come LOL:)

Well if you ever want any seeds send me a PM and i'll stick them in the post.:)

tanyabond

Thank you Fred, I'll remember! I know that once I get a chance I would be growing everything just for the sake of growing it, the more varieties the better! I've definitely developed this invisible green rash on my fingers and it has been itchy for the last 7 years...

wreckless

oh yeah!!!! CHILLI heaven....that rocks!!!

i picked up some of the Naga Jolokia seeds in a garden centre on sunday, so thas about 5 varieties planted so far. Youve had a great hit rate too. almost all planted have grown!!! excellent. kepp the lovely pics coming over the coming months and ill try to the same too.

:pac:

fred funk }{

OK, an update on my Chillis.

Today I built (threw together) a DIY grow box. I used some 2"x1" battons and some ply sheeting. I lined the inside with some reflective material, it isn't as good as Mylar but it works quite well.

I struggled a bit trying to hinge the door at the front as the sheet of Ply was very thin and screws didn't hold to well and I reckoned it wouldn't last too long so I decided on screwing two large screws into the frame and drilling a few holes through the door and just hook it on through the screws. It actually works really well.

I also bought a 150W CFL blue spectrum light for the lovely new grow box . It's much bigger than I expected (over a foot long), never seen a bloody bulb so big.
I screwed that to the roof of the box and wired her in. Great bit of light off it.

So I packed in all the Chillis and I also put a bonsai in that I had on the window sill, just to give it a boost.
Hopefully I'll see some real progress over the next week, to make it all worth while

redser7

That looks great Fred. How much did that bulb set you back? Did you get it online?

Here are some snaps of my 'coffin'. Working out well. In fact so well I'll leave it later next year to sow most seeds. It is literally bursting at the sides and I have more I want to sow. Poor coleus/geraniums and pansies can't fit in.

I picked up a timer cheap in Aldi. It's great. Have it programmed for the week to come on for 14 hours (5pm to 7am). If it is a sunny day I can move trays to window sills for some extra natural light when the bulb is off.

Proposition for you. Are you growing tomatoes this year. I have 30 Tumblin Toms on the go (Red and Yellow). Would you like to swap a couple for your good chillis, maybe in May? It's these ...

http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetables/vegetable-seeds/tomato-seeds/tomato-tumbling-tom-collection/4829TM

fred funk }{

Nice setup there redser. Is that a standard floresent (sp?) light you got there?
I bought one of those a while ago for the seedlings but the only place I have room for it is in the attic but it's too cold up there at night.

I got the bulb in a Nivana shop in Bray for €55, They have them in town as well. I was going to get the 125w online for €40 + €10 for delivery so 55 for the 150w was ok. It really is a huge bulb, I was shocked when I saw the size of it, the pictures doesn't do it justice, it's also really bright and there was a good bit of heat from it which I wasn't expecting.

You got yourself a deal with the toms. By May I'll probably be over run with chillis anyway lol.

redser7

Yes that's a standard fl fixture. Could probably do with 2 in there but sure it's my frst time with this :-) Must pick up a CFL next year.
Cool on the swap, I'll probably be swamped with toms too. Sure I'll drop you a line in a couple of months. Cheers

lrushe

savina10

Am so jealous of all the success here. I am sooo going out there tomorrow with A BIG PLAN!

Zuiderzee

Perrenial crop Asparagus with companion plant parsley.



Perrenial crop Sea Kale (under cloche's) and Jerusalem Asparagus, not the rocks banking the ridge, those came out of that soil - used the chillington hoe on the left for the job, highly recommended


Main fertilizer sources, seafront and Delaney

kylith

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Main fertilizer sources, seafront and Delaney

Brilliant, Delaney the Donkey. Is he temporarily lazy and permanently tired?

Here's a before of my troublesome corner


A 'during' shot. Tegan love to help digging holes


And the 'after' picture just taken today.


There's not much space so I left the geranium and lamimum where they were and put in 2 dwarf rhodedendrons and a dwarf azaelea (or two dwarf azaleas and a dwarf rhodedendron, I can't remember now). Either way, nothing that will grow to more than 60cm.
And yes, I know I have to get rid of that dandelion on the left.

Sonnenblumen

Very good Kylith, you might also find a spot for a rock rose - Cistus corbariensis, various flower colours available. H 60cm and S 100cm, which can be easily clipped.

Vey good value, long lasting flowering period, compact easy to grow, maintain and evergreen.;)

fred funk }{

Chilli update.

I'm being over grown at the moment, can't wait to get the greenhouse:).
The plants have really come on since the were replanted into bigger pots. I've given some away to friends and family as I just don't have any more window sills left.

Gavin

Getting going on our allotment. First bed planted up with shallots !

wreckless

not one of the seeds ive planted has sprouted, gutted.

i know the jalapenos can be slow to grow but im well disappointed. 2 packets , 12 seeds and not one has hit. anyone in the wexford area with any they want to donate?

fred funk }{

wreckless wrote: »

not one of the seeds ive planted has sprouted, gutted.

i know the jalapenos can be slow to grow but im well disappointed. 2 packets , 12 seeds and not one has hit. anyone in the wexford area with any they want to donate?

I have no spare jalapeño but i do have some spare Habanero plants, maybe a Frenso too. I'm in Arklow if you want to take a spin up, you're more than welcome to them.

Hauk

How did you germinate them wreckless? I germinated mine using the paper towel method, and have loads of seedlings now. Albeit they're a bit yellow, but I'm hoping in the next few days they'll put on some colour.

HardyEustace

thought this might be of interest - garden finally finished, it's been a lot of work but still have a very big smile on my face every time I step outside. I'm hoping for a bit of sun to enjoy it this year.

It's been a year in the making and a very, very long one at that!

wreckless

good job hardy esutace, very nice work.

lads, on the chillis, i always germinate mine in small propagators, clear lide, potting compost. ive jalapeno, ceyenne, habanero, f1 hybrids but no naga.

the paper towel method, what do you do there now?

foxinsox

good job HardyEustace..

What a difference it makes, looks great


I nearly fell off the edge of the internet looking at your pics!!

-Corkie-

Some great pics there. I dont know where to start I have an acre site situated on a hill so I have a huge bank out the back...

Less Boards and more gardening...

shawnee

HardyEustace wrote: »

thought this might be of interest - garden finally finished, it's been a lot of work but still have a very big smile on my face every time I step outside. I'm hoping for a bit of sun to enjoy it this year.

It's been a year in the making and a very, very long one at that!

Great pics and well done, just in time to watch Punchestown !! Hardy

Nonmonotonic

This thread is not dead, its just resting.

Oh, I feel a sketch coming on!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Lq771TVm4

prospect

By 'safe' I mean, no risky planting, lots of evergreen, no annuals.
Year on year the volume of weeding is reducing as the trees and shrubs mature, although there are still lots of weeds.

This is how it started, waaay back in 2003:


Skip various stages of clearing pretty much everything away and laying out the driveway and lawn preperation. This is the largest planted area, set in April 2007


This is the preperation of a path lined with laurel, this runs up to the neighbors house


Fast forward to today. The same laurel path, just 4 years later


This is the planted area from above, pity I didn't photograph this a few weeks when there was lots of colour


This is the same area taken from the front of the house, there is a grass path running by the hornbeam hedge it goes through the trees and shrubs and exits in the middle of the photo at the silver birch tree. The kids love this woodland 'secret path'


Front Bed


Hornbeam Hedge - This has not yet been allowed grow taller than it currently is. As you can see it is thickening up nicely. Maybe next year I'll allow it grow another foot.


We found this plough on the site when we were clearing. It was used on the land, we only took it out of storage this year and decided to use it. There is an ongoing 'discussion' about colour


I think the small firs have to go . The shrub in the centre of the pic is called 'Twisted Baby' and I love it.

prospect

This is the back. This area is totally fenced off to keep the Kids in.


These are my raised veg beds. I recently had to build a fence & gate as my little fella kept digging the veg up. Still must paint it.


As you can see a lot of work required in the beds, but there is lettuce, scallion and parsnip in there


This is a privet, only went in about 10 months ago


Covered clothes line, doubles up as a bicycle shed

awesome work, wanna job doing mine?

Sonnenblumen

Great work there Prospect well done. Spotted in one of the photos what looks to be a Laburnum tree, a lovely tree, but a lttle precaution if young children are playing nearby, that this tree is toxic.