Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category
June 17th, 2011 | 
Author: Category: Gardening
It is basic human nature to enjoy the outdoor as much as the interior of the home.
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In 2011 in the UK, we had a very warm, dry, spring. So much so that plants started flowering and even setting fruit several weeks earlier than is usual. But certainly in my garden, it has also had a somewhat adverse effect.
I have two apple trees. The first, which stands at some 15 feet high is an Egremont Russet. This year it was covered in blossom and is now well on its way to producing what appears to be the biggest crop of apples I’ve ever had from it (local squirrels permitting).
The second apple tree is much smaller, being only a few years old. It is what is known as a “family” apple tree and consists of three varieties of apple grafted on to one root-stock. The varieties are Golden Delicious, Egremont Russet and Worcester Pearmain.
The strange thing about his tree is that the Worcester Pearmain branches produced blossom, but the other two varieties didn’t. I was somewhat surprised as I would have thought the Russet would have flowered when the other tree did. So now two thirds of the tree remain fruitless while the apples on the Worcester branch are now about the size of a golf ball.
My plum tree (unknown variety) is also quite young and produced a grand total of 4 plums last year. This year, all the old wood was covered in blossom, and the flowers started to set fruit – again, much earlier than I would have expected. The fruit grew to less than half an inch in length and then the tree decided to drop the lot – every single one of them.
My raspberry canes usually grow very rapidly – they are usually at least 6 feet long by now. This year, they have remained a relatively stubby 2 feet long. They are currently flowering and setting fruit, so I don’t expect them to grow very much more this year.
The blueberry, which produced a fair number of berries for a young plant, grew like crazy this spring, into what has become a very leggy bush with a small canopy at the top. The number of flowers on the bush are probably a quarter of what it had last year, and the fruit that is following is going to be fairly meagre this year. I’m just wondering whether to prune it hard after the harvest in the hope that it might form a more bushy habit instead of its umbrella-like appearance that it has now.
It’s not all doom and gloom though. The gooseberry bush is already groaning under the weight of large, plump fruit – a berry at almost every node on each branch. They are almost at the point of harvest already. This will be the first time I’ve had fruit from this bush, which is now in its third year. The first year I thought it might have died because it did nothing after producing about 3 leaves. The second year it grew bigger but was stripped of its leaves by sawfly. This year, it is nicely covered in foliage and laden with fruit.
Lastly, the grape vine, which I transferred from a pot to the ground last year is growing much better than it ever has done. I just hope it decides to put some more energy into flowering than it is into growing, so that we might finally get some grapes from it.
Category: Gardening
Artificial grass has been proved a tailor made solution for family health and usability. Kids can play all the time out side on this grass without any hassle. Grownups and their pets also could be very happy playing on this fake grass ground. Children
Category: Gardening
Home growing of cheap tobacco is rapidly becoming a culture for many lovers of tobacco.
Category: Gardening
You can have a healthier lifestyle as well as cutting expense and enjoying your food knowing that it is grown properly without chemicals. Do your own canning and store up your harvest in the bulk organic foods method.
How much would you pay to ensure good crops in your greenhouse? Of course, nobody can guarantee that you’ll get a good crop from your plants as there are so many factors involved; soil, pests, seed/plant quality, watering regimes, weather etc.
Before I start populating my greenhouse with plants, I always hose down the glass on both sides and scrub it with a broom. This helps to clean off any dirt, bacteria and mould spores.
One thing that I have found to be a very worthwhile investment every year is a greenhouse Sulphur Candle. This is basically a tin of sulphur pellets and a paper “wick”. You light the wick, the sulphur melts and burns and produces sulphur dioxide, a gas well known to kill all manner of pests. Sulphur Dioxide is used in various industries for sterilising equipment, so why not use the same thing in your greenhouse?
It not only kills insects, but also fungal spores. This is very important in the warm and often humid conditions in a greenhouse.
In the UK, a sulphur candle costs about £4.95 and will kill all bugs inside the average garden greenhouse. My experience has been that in years when I’ve used a sulphur candle, my plants do much better than in years when I don’t.
When To Use It
Use the sulphur candle right at the beginning of the season, before you put in any plants or sow any seeds. If you have already started, you will need to take out the pots and seed trays before using the candle.
How To Use It
Place the opened tin on a brick (or the floor if you have stone or concrete flooring). Close any vents and be ready to close the door. Light the wick, ensure it is burning and then get out and shut the door. The sulphur grains will melt and burn with a blue flame, and produce smoke which will eventually fill the greenhouse.
Leave the greenhouse undisturbed for about 12 hours and then open the door and vents to let fresh air in and to evacuate any residual fumes.
After about an hour, you can put back any plants that you had removed.
This really works – it’s 5 pounds well spent. I very rarely lose any plants to fungus and I have never used any other fungicides on my plants.
Tags: Growing grapes is not restricted to hot climates. They have been grown in the United Kingdom for 2000 years. They will grow outdoors in most parts of the UK, especially in the south, and equally well in a greenhouse. Although it takes a little effort
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Many people are afraid of growing plants from seed but it’s really very simple and anyone can do it. All you really need is patience and diligence.
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By keeping your greenhouse clean, you are more likely to get stronger plants, which result in better crops. You may also find there will be less need for other chemicals such as slug pellets or insecticides if you find that you usually need to use them
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Growing tomatoes isn’t too difficult but they can be prone to disease. Don’t despair though, as there are plenty of disease resistant varieties available but that in itself leads to another problem which is how to identify them.
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