How about a gardening thread?

My tomatoes are going into big pots this year as they all died last year planted in the ground. Had to throw TONS of them away. The weather was that wet.
Starting to get active, turning over soil & contemplating my seeds but have only sown some radishes & salad at the mo. Got to get some sowing soil.OH found some cucamelon roots in an old tub so I have repotted them + they should grow again this year.
Drooling over the Haeberli site today
http://www.haeberli-beeren.ch/fr/produits/19/nouveautes

[cannut]

I still knee deep in snow

[meloncollie]

	Quote:	neddy
	Drooling over the Haeberli site today http://www.haeberli-beeren.ch/fr/produits/19/nouveautes

Neddy if you ever find yourself on the other end of the country, Haeberli (in TG) is well worth a visit.


Ooooo I shouldn't have clicked the link... I see that they now have Hortblue Petit blueberries - double bearing, and appropriate for high altitude! And Northcountry - low growing, also for high altitude. Maybe a good solution for my problem slope...

Thanks, very useful site for me as they seem to have a good collection and good advice for fruit trees at altitude! Now where is my nearest one?

[amogles]

	Quote:
	I get free horse manure as a neighbour puts her horse on grass in our back field- hard work picking it- but it makes excellent heating/speeding layers in between gree stuff. initially I put torn up wet corrugated cardboard for convenience, as I had some to get rid off- but it works so well I actually get neighbours to donate theirs- it's made out of wood, so acts as a perfect balancing brown layer. Got 7 large bins- including 3 huge insulating ones (bought from our Council in UK many moons ago for a fiver each) on the go all the time, and lots of red tigers worms. And of course all kitchen stuff (no meat though) and loads of leaf litter to act as insulator over winter. Works brilliantly. Dark, rich, crumbly compost every Spring - neighbours like it too

I wouldn't necessarily recommend overly generous use of cardboard, especially if you are using the compost to grow food. Some cardboard is pure wood pulp and thus entirely biodegradeable and safe both environementally and nutritionally, but some cardboard can also contain synthetic material, especially if it has been recycled from waste paper of unknown provenance, and may be carcinogenic if it gets into the food chain.

Printing inks are actually quite safe, as they are mostly metal oxides mixed with fats, and degrade quite well over time. More problematic are people who don't separate plastic wrappers and such from their paper when recycling and also some of the glues used.

[sups]

getting into garden modus!!! yeah!
so what have you started off with, i am planning to do some indoor sowing...but do not yet know with what to start with.
I would also like to grow some exotics or rarer fruits( annual) any suggestions?
I have been thinking of pepino and physalis

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:
	Thanks, very useful site for me as they seem to have a good collection and good advice for fruit trees at altitude! Now where is my nearest one?

I guess the nearest one to you would be the one in Yverdon or Colombier.

The gardeners who landscaped our garden based in Le Landeron are the nearest suppliers to us.


I cut back and tidied up our garden on Sunday. It was a beautiful day and it was lovely to see all the plants starting to spring back into life.
I've also down some tomatoes in a pot indoors and am currently trying to decide what else to try.

Physalis are easy to grow from seed. No need to buy expensive ready grown plants.

[smoky]

[QUOTE=ladylou;2355171]Thank you for the tips, i got a compost heap going last year, but didn't do any turning :/ I did alternate layers of fruit and veg leftovers and grass cuttings and leaves from tidying up.. Not sure if its usable..
Ok, so would that work if i put some cardboard down on the raspberries and covered it in grass cuttings? Or should i also turn some gemuse erde into it or something?
..when do you first start to cut your grass again?[/QUOTE]

When the Daffodils die down (or are they called Narcissus/Niarcissis .....? those yellow flowers)

[amogles]

[QUOTE=smoky;2355870]

	Quote:	ladylou
	Thank you for the tips, i got a compost heap going last year, but didn't do any turning :/ I did alternate layers of fruit and veg leftovers and grass cuttings and leaves from tidying up.. Not sure if its usable.. Ok, so would that work if i put some cardboard down on the raspberries and covered it in grass cuttings? Or should i also turn some gemuse erde into it or something? ..when do you first start to cut your grass again?[/QUOTE] When the Daffodils die down (or are they called Narcissus/Niarcissis .....? those yellow flowers)

You mean the yummie ones that Coop sells alongside the spring onions?

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	I guess the nearest one to you would be the one in Yverdon or Colombier.

LOL, you can bet I am aware of where the nearest garden centres are BM
Was wondering about that particular one Haeberli- as they seem to have many plants and fruit trees for high altitude. Our nearest is actually Villaverde in Pontarlier- their manager is a really nice guy who knows what's what- and more importantly has always exchanged any plant or tree that has failed- trusting my gardening knowledge and ability.

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:
	LOL, you can bet I am aware of where the nearest garden centres are BM Was wondering about that particular one Haeberli- as they seem to have many plants and fruit trees for high altitude.

Well yes I realise that because that was your question which was why I pointed out that the two Haeberli stockists nearest to you were in Yverdon or Colombier according Neddy's link.

That's why I specifically quoted your post in my reply.

Ahah - sorry I missed the 'revendeurs' bit- thanks.

It's the brand sold in Landi which is where I picked up the catalogue the other day & ended up on the mother ship website.

That is great as I have a Landi nearby- will go and talk to them.

[Belgianmum]

The tomatoes sown by our son a couple of weeks ago looked like this a week later and are even bigger now.
I'm thinking we need to thin them out into a tray but keep them indoors for a while longer. I don't think they'd survive in the cold frame just yet although my neighbour who is my guide in these matters ( since he runs the local market garden) seems to have put his seeds directly into the veg true with the cover over already. I don't know if they're growing yet though.

[Tasebo]

Given the snow that is covering the garden this morning I think the safest method is to thin them into individual peat pots, that can then go directly into the ground or a larger planter when the weather is slightly less fickle in another month. I know some don't "like" or use the peat pots but by not unnecessarily disturbing the roots I think the little plants more quickly get on with growing and producing, hopefully juicy tomatoes. I've got a tray of tomato seedlings about the same size in the window sill, and sweet peas.

Good luck to your son!

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:	Tasebo
	Given the snow that is covering the garden this morning I think the safest method is to thin them into individual peat pots, that can then go directly into the ground or a larger planter when the weather is slightly less fickle in another month. I know some don't "like" or use the peat pots but by not unnecessarily disturbing the roots I think the little plants more quickly get on with growing and producing, hopefully juicy tomatoes. I've got a tray of tomato seedlings about the same size in the window sill, and sweet peas. Good luck to your son!

No snow here but it was a bit chilly yesterday. I have no aversion to least pots and often use them ( or cardboard egg boxes) so that I can plant things directly into the ground. Tomatoes in particular don't take well to being disturbed and transplanted so I try to only have to do it once at the very beginning.

We're all set to go ahead when he gets home for lunch.

PS. I'm keeping a very close eye on the stick marking the spot where the peony tuber is residing.

[Tasebo]

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	No snow here but it was a bit chilly yesterday. I have no aversion to least pots and often use them ( or cardboard egg boxes) so that I can plant things directly into the ground. Tomatoes in particular don't take well to being disturbed and transplanted so I try to only have to do it once at the very beginning. We're all set to go ahead when he gets home for lunch. PS. I'm keeping a very close eye on the stick marking the spot where the peony tuber is residing.

Woke up to this

On the up-side it is one day longer before the weeds erupt in their full glory - and prolongs the timeframe for the spring bulbs.

I'm going to rescue the egg cartons, thanks for that! - had absentmindedly forgotten about that use. I'll get more eggs at Landi, and another carton instead of as many peat pots, or Jiffy pots as my grandmother called them.

I'm feeling rather pessimistic about that peony - but I got some tips from a gardener friend who suggested slicing the tuber and planting when it develops sprouts. As long as it hasn't rotted in the ground there is always next year...

Is it a tree peony or an herbaceous peony? They are both extremely hardy and can cope with very cold weather. This garden at 950m at quite a few peonies already when we moved in- and I brought several from our garden at 230m in the UK- and all have done well. My tree peonies from the UK have been planted along a south facing wall, and have done amazingly well- lots of buds now- 2 are still quite small, and the other about 80cm high.

The key with herbaceous peonies is NOT to plant them deep, but just below the surface- just cut down last years tried branches- and lots of fat buds sticking out of the ground- with snow only disappearing a couple of weeks ago. Got some linked stakes over from the UK to stop them from falling over this year. I just love peonies and they last for many many years.