The FastDay Forum

Next year I am putting some cherry tomato plants in my hanging baskets instead of flowers. That with my herbs and garlic in the flower beds, I will be nearly there for a pizza garden. All I need is some onions, do ornamental onions count in the pizza garden?

Pizza garden for anyone interested...
http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/youth/pizzagdn.shtml

[wildmissus]

Izzy, my Victoria plum is about 4 years old so still young. I'm not sure if the weather affected it as up here we went from straight from Winter into Summer.

Karen, broadbeans......yes, I'll look into that, thanks.

Juliana.....I do have a compost bin which is mainly fed veg scraps and some grass cuttings. Lots of worms, slugs and flies in it. I've been filling the thing up for a few years now but never taken out of the bottom| I've never fed it, so yes .....sorting out the compost bin is something we need to do.

Juliana.....I do have a compost bin which is mainly fed veg scraps and some grass cuttings. Lots of worms, slugs and flies in it. I've been filling the thing up for a few years now but never taken out of the bottom| I've never fed it, so yes .....sorting out the compost bin is something we need to do.

if youve been filling the bin for a few years its probably time to "move it" if its the type of thing i think usually you can rock it from side to side and then just move the plastic bin to new spot to kick start as a new one.

then you can start using the old compost in the garden beds. with my bins, i buy a 25litre bag of good potting mix (good but cheap) and add a layer ever now and then to cover the vege scraps. you end up with a whole lot more compost quicker and it seems to really balance it out.

by every now and then i guess one every 2 or 3 weeks.

Juliana. You are probably sleeping right now but I vote you as head gardener You are incredible. I love the pumpkin pic, especially juxtaposed with the glass of vino

Thank you! not sure if im head gardener but i guess even in my tiny backyard ive had 2 decades of "playing around". Don't produce snything like the quantity of Annie in the US and im a bit of a just pick leaves and fruit as i need. If anyone wants a salad sandwich dont ever need to go to the store. I love my cloning thing at the moment just find it fascinating that you can pop a tomato cutting in water and out comes a full blown plant within about 2 months.

If truth be known im secretly hoping for a "tree change" where i can have a garden 3 times the size of what i have. Maybe one day.

My new thing is sprouting seedsso anyone here without garden space should try sprouting alfalfa seeds or similar. I used to do it ages ago and I believe they are really healthy for you and great for fast days! You just have to purchase a small sprouting kit.. all started when the local Aldi store had them as a weekly special.

this one.

I love sprouting, especially in the winter when its too cold outside. Favourites are green lentils and chickpeas. I like to make hummus with sprouted chickpeas instead of cooked ones. They taste much nicer than when they are boiled

wow i would never have thought you can sprout chickpeas or lentils! i learn so much in here.

i had to look up how to do it and came across recipe and great pics on how to sprout chickpeas and make hommous. good vegan /raw food blog site too

http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com. ... us_12.html

Juliana, that blog spot is great and Rawkaren I never thought of sprouting chickpeas but going to start. I sprout mung beans for my stirfry. No nasty chemicals and the quality of bean sprouts here is terrible.

I am a sprouter too. I just buy alfalfa and the mixed bag and join them up. I have a large squat bottle and went to the hardware store and brought some fine plastic bendy mesh. It is easy and a wonderful alkaline living food. Much better to do your own all year around. Am sure the instructions are on Mr Google. Just lovely sprinkled onto salad, in wraps etc. very easy

I have two compost bins that I use in rotation.
As this house and garden were new builds when I moved in, with very poor soil, subsoil and builders rubbish in it, I actually moved my compost heaps from the old house here with the plants, just to give the soil and subsequently the plants a good start. Then I added 8 sacks of 'soil improver' as well. Its worked, but I'm still digging out builders bits as I go.

[Betsysgr8]

Bought brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower yesterday, soil in process of being prepared. BF providing most of the digging and turning and hauling of compost. Should be able to harvest christmas/new year. Love being able to put fresh home grown on the table during holidays.

I'm not a gardener but I do need help, and RIGHT NOW PLEASE if anyone's out there.
What can I ease stinging nettle stings on my fingers with, no docks about and its hurts, OW.

Thats why I don't garden.

I have a small patch with lovely flowers in, that is my bit to look after. (on the front, for the neighbours you know ). just weeded it and got stung. My marigolds had holes in them.

Chris x

got any baking soda (bicarb) in the house? Make a paste and put it on the sting.

thanks Rawkaren

I found some out of date baking powder in the back of the cupboard, I don't do baking either, it seems to be working, I didn't know the irritation lasted this long, I haven't been nettle stung since I was a kid.

Chris x

I love gardening too. About 7 years ago we moved to a house with 7 acres of land. 6 acres are woods and I'm longing to plant woodland plants in there. I have one large flower bed at the front of the house which I created then abandoned as I did an OU degree but this year I finally got back to it. I have 4 raised beds for veggies but they started collapsing and have needed some repair work. Every year I grow runner beans, courgettes and tomatoes but I also have rhubarb, parsley, fennel, strawberries and blue berries. Two of us at school are in charge of our house team garden so we have to plan and organise that too, great getting children involved though.

I'm not a very good gardener, I don't have time, haven't a clue and have clay soil thats like a bog in winter and like concrete in summer. I really wish I was good, we do have tomatoes and French beans in big pots each summer but other than that it's just lawn, a few shrubs, an apple tree and a few herbs. I would be so grateful if I could join as a poor amateur. I might pick up some tips or I might just sit in a deckchair under Wildmissus pergola and watch you all. Thanks