Gardener's Question Time
- Thread starter summerisle
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summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
Plenty.
Winter vegetables to grow in the UK
There’s an array of robust winter vegetables to grow and harvest over winter. Nicola Clements advises on which winter vegetables to grow in the UK.
www.theenglishgarden.co.uk
summerisle
The rain, it raineth every day
orchard
Player Valuation: £60m
It's the 'growing' that's the issue mate, the light levels are low this far North, even if one's able to grow under cover.
I have a lot of cover crops in now to enhance/protect the soil/microbes, and will continue to sow them, but the only edibles i'll plant/sow now will be broad beans and garlic for next year, with purple sprouting, spring cauli and cabbage up and away already.
Most of my focus throughout the year is to have a reasonable selection of Winter veg available - Late Spring/Summer/Autumn's a doddle - Winter takes planning/planting throughout the year.
Just to give you an idea, we've Winter squash, carrots, kale, parsnips, celeriac, j.artichokes, chard, salsify, Autumn/Winter cabbage, beetroot, salad leaf, spinach, coriander, Chinese cabbage, calbresi, mooli radish, turnips, rappa and endive still growing for Winter consumption, and others preserved to supplement.
In a polytunnel you can plant Rocket plugs & cut accordingly for salad & iceberg lettuce can be grown hence its name - but they both need protection from the wet weather ....
Pootsy
Player Valuation: £25m
Now we're slammed into Autumn, what recommendations for the lawn, to keep it as moss free as possible and to prepare it for the winter months, would you give?
My front lawn is weed free as I always kept it well. The enclosed rear garden where the kids used to play is getting there after over-seeding in spring after a heavy weed killer was put down last Autumn. there is still some clover and an unacceptable amount of weeds.
Do I buy 2 separate dressings for the lawns or go with the Feed & Weed front and back again?
My front lawn is weed free as I always kept it well. The enclosed rear garden where the kids used to play is getting there after over-seeding in spring after a heavy weed killer was put down last Autumn. there is still some clover and an unacceptable amount of weeds.
Do I buy 2 separate dressings for the lawns or go with the Feed & Weed front and back again?
Another end of season job done.
Scarificatiom and a reseed.
Believe it or not that little patch made 20 very large bags of dead thatch and moss.
Keep the green bin full for a few weeks
On to the next task seeing as there's no footie
Scarificatiom and a reseed.
Believe it or not that little patch made 20 very large bags of dead thatch and moss.
Keep the green bin full for a few weeks
On to the next task seeing as there's no footie
FGS -you need more topsoil or compost on your bare patches in fact the top level should be 5-10 cm higher allowing for the rain to wash your grass seed mix in - just advising it looks like the big dipper at Blackpool at the moment -Another end of season job done.
Scarificatiom and a reseed.
Believe it or not that little patch made 20 very large bags of dead thatch and moss.
Keep the green bin full for a few weeks
On to the next task seeing as there's no footie
You have done all the hard work just don't skinflint after such a good job - go to a builder merchant & order 1/2 a ton of fine top soil plus some multi purpose compost too - level up sow a hand full of seed & rake in per square metre then over sow on top for any birds - most of the seed will wash in - cover your grass seed first about 1-2 cm - as it germinates it will anchor down well into your scarifying & aerating & aim to get in level - as I stated leave it proud as over the winter subsidence of the new soil will level it up otherwise it will germinate uneven - then when you mow next year it will be nice & even \& you will not scuff your new turf with your mower which will lead it to go brown - In my youth I used to do Bowling greens that way learning the motto attention to detail
One kill the moss first as if you scarify it with live moss spores all you will do is spread the moss spores everywhere plus you can weed & feed still if wet weather continues - Scarify by machine or hand after he had aerated & scarified his lawn - depending on the size of your lawn - If you look up the thread I have give @Street end man the correct procedure on resowing you can do a complete over sow if you want as its been such a dry summer - The best aeration is hollow tine - you can buy garden forks with the hollow tines on - or again you can hire a machine if you have a big lawn - save the hollow tine soil as it can be used on the compost heap etc
Before you top dress & sow use a Autumn winter feed on your lawn - one large handful of seed per Sq metre & cover with about 3- 5 cm of good soil /compost rake your seed in about 2 -3 cim to stop the birds having a field day - in fact double sow with some seed on top the rain will wash it all in - cut your lawn end of April / May when dry lifting your lawn mower blade a touch ....
Thanks for that Joey and of course you are correct in all you say.FGS -you need more topsoil or compost on your bare patches in fact the top level should be 5-10 cm higher allowing for the rain to wash your grass seed mix in - just advising it looks like the big dipper at Blackpool at the moment -
You have done all the hard work just don't skinflint after such a good job - go to a builder merchant & order 1/2 a ton of fine top soil plus some multi purpose compost too - level up sow a hand full of seed & rake in per square metre then over sow on top for any birds - most of the seed will wash in - cover your grass seed first about 1-2 cm - as it germinates it will anchor down well into your scarifying & aerating & aim to get in level - as I stated leave it proud as over the winter subsidence of the new soil will level it up otherwise it will germinate uneven - then when you mow next year it will be nice & even \& you will not scuff your new turf with your mower which will lead it to go brown - In my youth I used to do Bowling greens that way learning the motto attention to detail
It is the method i have always used until recently
I would also use that method doing a full lawn.
However i was tipped off at one of the National gardens schemes open garden days re doing largish patches without all the hassle.
I was sceptical Joey but did another lawn last year and results were truly amazing.
So i scarified back to bare moist soil.
Then i used this Doff product called "Super Patch".
It is a coated grass seed ready mixed with Coir and feed.
After spreading you heel it in and water until it turns dark. Then repeat that process for a week or two before a liquid lawn feed.
Ok it's expensive at 12-15 quid a bag, especially when i can buy loose seed at local suppliers for peanuts....but it truly does work.
Mrs pick 4 bags of it up in a Homebargains end of season sale in August at £3 per bag
No need to top dress and it does not attract bloody pigeons like the normal seed does.
I will post again on its progress in a month or so....and thanks again
I doubt it will do a good long lasting job - thd way I described would last 3-4;years .as you are basically renewing your existing lawn properly....Thanks for that Joey and of course you are correct in all you say.
It is the method i have always used until recently
I would also use that method doing a full lawn.
However i was tipped off at one of the National gardens schemes open garden days re doing largish patches without all the hassle.
I was sceptical Joey but did another lawn last year and results were truly amazing.
So i scarified back to bare moist soil.
Then i used this Doff product called "Super Patch".
It is a coated grass seed ready mixed with Coir and feed.
After spreading you heel it in and water until it turns dark. Then repeat that process for a week or two before a liquid lawn feed.
Ok it's expensive at 12-15 quid a bag, especially when i can buy loose seed at local suppliers for peanuts....but it truly does work.
Mrs pick 4 bags of it up in a Homebargains end of season sale in August at £3 per bag
No need to top dress and it does not attract bloody pigeons like the normal seed does.
I will post again on its progress in a month or so....and thanks again
View attachment 326689
Thing is Joey it is not a show garden anyway
If it is green which it will be it's mission done.
At the rear we have a patch that was unused and overgrown greenbelt for hundreds of years.
Full of thistle, bramble and anything else you can name at 10 foot high.
It terrified us after we bought it.
We had "experts" around quoting thousands to excavate, bring in many tons of soil and clear it..
Again an old boy said to me "nature is your friend and it's free"
A local farmer flailed it with a huge tractor....pulversized the lot to dust.
Then i was told to get a good and powerful mulching mower....then mow, mow, mow. When you've finished mowing then mow again.
We did use grazon which was our only expense at £60 for 1 litre.
Result is a lush grassy meadow...that cost nothing with no grass seed used.
Many different methods to achieve the goal in gardening
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It looks like you have done a good job the uneven surface may cause you mowing problems next summer causing thatch yet again on your lawn - a lot of problems are caused whilst mowing in droughts etc grass will in most cases return in droughts so just don't cut it save time etcThing is Joey it is not a show garden anyway
If it is green which it will be it's mission done.
At the rear we have a patch that was unused and overgrown greenbelt for hundreds of years.
Full of thistle, bramble and anything else you can name at 10 foot high.
It terrified us after we bought it.
We had "experts" around quoting thousands to excavate, bring in many tons of soil and clear it..
Again an old boy said to me "nature is your friend and it's free"
A local farmer flailed it with a huge tractor....pulversized the lot to dust.
Then i was told to get a good and powerful mulching mower....then mow, mow, mow. When you've finished mowing then mow again.
We did use grazon which was our only expense at £60 for 1 litre.
Result is a lush grassy meadow...that cost nothing with no grass seed used.
Many different methods to achieve the goal in gardening
RufusCat
Player Valuation: £6m
Joey will know the scientific reason but my guess would be that spring comes after a period of dormancy (winter) whereas Autumn doe not.
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