How about a gardening thread?

[pilatus1]

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	Boiling water will kill the grass and leave you with a very brown lawn.

The grass is mostly dead and the lawn already brown. Ant powder is poison.

	Quote:	John_H
	Ants are eating my grass - the little fekers. We moved last week into new place, nice, renovated, great .. We agreed/accepted that the garden was not in great shape, primarily the grass .. The gardener scarified everything, laid new seed, installed an automatic watering system and we agreed to care for it.. I'm noticing ants though, millions of them on the "grass" .. They are collecting the grass seed and taking it to their little holes. I've watered the holes and forked them but more just appear.. Anything I can do, short of properly digging them out? or pouring in molten lead? I'm not expecting a perfect lawn overnight but i'd like to see a little progress and not just grass seed going down ant holes. Here's a pic

Looking at the pic I'd say ants are the smallest problem here.

It would be best to start to repair the lawn in fall, when the ants are gone. I'd advise to cut whatever greenery (grass/weeds ) is left very low, then thatch (vertikutieren) the lawn thoroughly (you can rent a machine for that), add soil and rake it in as good as you can, then add TARDIT (lawn feed) and seed. Keep moist but not wet and you should see it becoming a proper lawn quite shortly.

[amogles]

	Quote:	meloncollie
	Need help from the tomato pros... I have several different varieties of compact ('Balkon') tomatoes. Two should have grown to 60cm, one 40cm. Those plants, three different varieties, are now pushing 150cm. What gives? At first I thought it was the unusually hot weather, but I have three other compact plants that stayed nice and tidy at 40cm. (These are yet another variety.) All plants have had the same amount of water and fertilizer. The three giants are each in different spots, but one of them is in the same area as the well-behaved compacts. So unlikely to be due to a difference in sun, shade, etc. All plants - well-behaved and rogue - have fruit. Any idea why some of my compacts decide to go 'magic beanstalk'? Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated.

Maybe just a different variety. It's not unknown for shops to mislabel tomato varieties.

[pilatus1]

Anyone familiar with the Feijoa, aka 'pineapple guava'?

These are a somewhat common landscape plant/hedgerow and border shrub on the central coast of California, with nice form and beautiful foliage and flowers. The flowers are edible and tasty, and the fruit is delicious - like a cross between guava and pineapple as you may have guessed.

I planted one of these in my garden about 5 years ago, because i loved them so much when i lived in California. I didn't think it would survive the winters, let alone flower and fruit, and I've never gotten around to protecting it in the Winter. It's on the corner of my lot where it gets wind-blasted a bit as well. Elevation approx. 450m

This year it's finally gotten to the point where the roots run deep and it's well established. Its growing like crazy, I noticed a single flower a few weeks back and now I've got a pineapple guava growing

I can't wait till next year, i have a feeling it's going to produce a big crop. Along with my two pawpaw trees (indianerbananabaum), these exotic plants and fruits are my garden favorites. pure delicacies.

If you have the space and time (to wait for them to mature - both plants require zero pruning or maintenance), plant out some pawpaws and feijoas. You won't regret it!

both plants are available from Häberli:

https://www.haeberli-beeren.ch/de/pr...ianische-guave

https://www.haeberli-beeren.ch/de/pr...ndianerbananen

[Blueangel]

Just wanted to share this little tip with anyone it might apply to or who is interested. It's one that I plan to use in future with us having extended periods of hot weather. Last week, we stayed a few days at a place where the 87yr old owner has created a wonderfully lush green garden over the space of 40yrs, and in quite challenging conditions. She told me her 'trick' was to always use deep watering, which is planting a pipe alongside any new saplings at the time of planting, so that water and food can be delivered directly to the root ball rather than evaporating in hot weather. Whilst I've seen this type of irrigation used commercially, it was the first time I'd seen the concept adapted for a garden. She also had the sprinkler for the lawns on a timer so that they operated in the very early hours of the morning.

This goes a way to explaining, though I believe she used steel pipes... https://survivalfarm.wordpress.com/2...r-garden-plot/

...and this is the result of her efforts...http://www.hotelmarita.gr/index.php?ID=Garden_EN

[omtatsat]

Another one for the experts. Whats this plant called?

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:	omtatsat
	Another one for the experts. Whats this plant called? Attachment 137305

It’s Oenothera otherwise known as evening primrose.

	Quote:	omtatsat
	Another one for the experts. Whats this plant called? Attachment 137305

Nachtkerze in German, it is also a healing herb

[omtatsat]

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	It’s Oenothera otherwise known as evening primrose.

Thanks. Guess they sell it in the garden shop

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:	omtatsat
	Thanks. Guess they sell it in the garden shop

I’ve never looked for it, it grows like a weed around here.

[omtatsat]

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	It’s Oenothera otherwise known as evening primrose.

Pretty strange plant. Opens flowers in the daytime. Half an hour age around 2100 the flowers were fully closed. Now they are fully open again. Whats going on?

[omtatsat]

Looking for the name of this plant. It does not seem to flower. Any ideas?

[Belgianmum]

	Quote:	omtatsat
	Looking for the name of this plant. It does not seem to flower. Any ideas? Attachment 137343

It could be Gaura but that usually has flowers.

[omtatsat]

	Quote:	Belgianmum
	It could be Gaura but that usually has flowers.

Thanks. Yes seems to be Gaura

[curley]

I keep harvesting tomatoes - such big amounts that I have to feed the neighbour with them as well (who never had yellow tomatoes before and loves them like I do).
They even turned ripe during the days there was rain only and now they are really happy. It looks like each and every still green one is gonna make it to my plate.

It was the first time ever I had my own tomatoes - truly a full success.

	Quote:	curley
	I keep harvesting tomatoes - such big amounts that I have to feed the neighbour with them as well (who never had yellow tomatoes before and loves them like I do). They even turned ripe during the days there was rain only and now they are really happy. It looks like each and every still green one is gonna make it to my plate. It was the first time ever I had my own tomatoes - truly a full success.

This year, really was a super gardening year here in the Bernese Midland as well.

Everything grew really well, even during the heatwave, and we too still have a lot of produce to harvest. From an abundance of tomatoes to zucchini, cucumbers, celeriac, salads, beetroot, kohlrabi, fennel.......etc etc


Spinach and lambs salad to be harvested in October and November is sown out too, winter leeks are growing as well as are the sugar loaf salads.

Alas, this year I won't make many preserves of this harvest, wedding planning takes up a lot of my time.

[Blueangel]

Question for any rose growers.

We have a tall rose bush in the garden which has a large bloodsucker smothering it. The gardeners employed by our landlord have repeatedly ignored this. I usually kill things by cutting them back and painting weedkiller on the freshly cut stems. How can I kill a bloodsucker without also killing the rose bush please?

[Tom1234]

	Quote:	Blueangel
	Question for any rose growers. We have a tall rose bush in the garden which has a large bloodsucker smothering it. The gardeners employed by our landlord have repeatedly ignored this. I usually kill things by cutting them back and painting weedkiller on the freshly cut stems. How can I kill a bloodsucker without also killing the rose bush please?

I haven't got a clue what you are talking about. What is a bloodsucker in your Gardening terms?

[meloncollie]

	Quote:	curley
	It was the first time ever I had my own tomatoes - truly a full success.

"Only two things that money can't buy, and that's true love and home-grown tomatoes."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0C4FOL1qIw


This certainly was a good tomato year. There is nothing like the taste of home-grown vine-ripened tomatoes, those you get at Migroop pale (quite literally) in comparison.

I've canned 'em, sauced 'em, salsa'd 'em, dried 'em, roasted 'em, and am still eating fresh tomatoes with just about everything.

One of the great delights of summer.

	Quote:	Tom1234
	I haven't got a clue what you are talking about. What is a bloodsucker in your Gardening terms?

I think, blueangel means WINDE/ bindweed (Convolvulus) or a similar plant.

At my former home we had them a lot too. I tore them out, on a daily basis at time and also applied a special foam onto the leaves of the bigger plants, it takes alot of patience to get rid of them, but perseverance pays dividends ...e.g. in the end you'll get rid of them

DO NOT COMPOST them, bin them.