Gardening: Hints and Help!

If In pots, best to do that HH. Let them dry out, store in some sandy loam. I have quite a few in the ground that seem to be doing ok each year, but I do sort of mulch over them. 🤞

Although we don't particularly like it we have gone over to peat free compost. One of the worst things about it, we have found, is the infestation of compost flies. This is particularly bad and noticeable where we have brought some plants inside to nurture on our kitchen windowsill.  Has anyone found a 'good' peat free compost yet?

No 😡.

I do hope someone has and can tell us what it is.

I confess to buying some with peat ready for next year. Local garden centre have them on offer. I've got them stacked in the garage ready for next year.

I do feel guilty BUT 

• It's already dug and bagged so hardly expect it to go back to source
• I'll probably mix it with some of the non peat rubbish 'stuff' purchased this year
• I'd like to know who we all lobby to get some decent growing medium. One lot I bought last year was like blackbird feathers left behind by a preditor

Our DIL has had tonnes of compost from the council composting system for the farm. First lot, earlier this year, 2nd not anywhere near as good. So consistency isn't there either....

I posted on this same topic early in the year. And I did the same as you Baker2. But I purchased a couple of bags of peat compost on offer the middle of this year, but unfortunately I’ve just used them on my Hosta re- pots. I did find one that wasn’t too bad at Home Bargains store , but it’s disappeared now to make way for Trick or Treat and Christmas items.

of course no one does gardening in Winter …..baaaa

Just started my Dalia tubers yesterday. Wondered if anyone else had started theirs ?   

I left all my Dahlias in the garden this year. We usually have coolish but dry Winters, but I fear for some of my tubers this year with all the wet. I have just had a pleasant hour outside at Mum’s, and it’s great seeing lots of things coming back to life. I do wonder if my Musa Basjoo (Banana) will be ok. It’s well wrapped up and rain is diverted away from roots, but going to be interesting. I haven’t even had time to give my greenhouse a proper sort out yet this year. We use it to store and dry wood for our stove over Winter, but that’s elsewhere now, so need to find some time. 

My two Wisterias are coming into bud, but a couple of pigeons are feeding on them . So possibly no blooms this year . 

Anyone heard of this ?

Yes, sparrows will devour them and I’ve heard finches too, particularly bullfinches. Not heard of pigeons doing so but I see no reason why not. I found that keeping the bird feeders well stocked was an easier source of food for them, well this appeared to do the trick. Had some years where we had beautiful displays and others not so. Late frosts were more of a problem for us.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2009/feb/14/wisteria#:~:text=This%20may%20take%20many%20years,are%20swelling%20in%20early%20spring.

I would not advocate that black cotton as advocated above mind, there are numerous accounts every year of birds getting tangled up in this and perishing. Painful and cruel.

I usually have loads of blooms on two of my Wisteria, but never seen this happen before this year. 

Yes the above link does state this happens 

On the subject of compost again. Just bought some seed compost today when opened it’s terrible stuff , just the same as peat free multi compost, which is really not possible to sow seeds in .