Growing against adversity competition

[dibnah]

we have not yet had our first frost but the thought puts me into preserving mode trying to keep as much of summer through the winter as possible.

[Stonehead]

Growing in the face of adversity? That's what we do all the time!

We have very acid soil, regular gales and strong winds the rest of the time, little sunshine, little rain (and yes, the last two sound contradictory but that's the way it is), the wrong sort of rain, short growing season, early frosts (we had our first a couple of weeks back), late frosts (well into May), pigeons, rabbits, caterpillars and two-legged thieves.

Still, we have five mainstays - potatoes, beetroot, carrots, onions and peas. So far, they've always been reliable and if we plant enough to cover losses, then they see us through the year.

Everything else has proved erratically problematic. Last year, for instance, we grew enough tomatoes in our sunporch and outside to have a huge surplus; this year the ones inside didn't flower while the outside ones struggled for a couple of weeks and then gave up.

Last year, we lost almost all our broad beans, this year we had a lot. Last year, courgettes coming out our ears, this year none.

Almost no apples last year; bucket loads this year.

So, if you want a challenge, come and join us!

[shiney]

I have a lot of half packets of seeds that I am tempted to plant in the greenhouse and see what happens or what doesn't, over the Winter time. Anyone tried this? Bet someone has.

[Boots]

Go for it Shiney. I am a bugger for just throwing seeds about, especially when it rains. I have no idea where anything is until it appears and I still often don't know what it is until it forms or fruits..

2 years ago I got some blackberry seeds sent up from down south, flung them around and forgot about them. Have had one pop up beneath an orange... and have only just realised what it is... after pulling a heap out and feeding them to the goats...lol

3 years ago I got a heap of christmas tree seeds because I had this lightbulb moment that led to a long term idea that in five years we could sell them. Flung them all around the top of the hill and have just found a heap of them popping up around the dam, which is a long way down across from the hill.

I like haphazard... makes for lots of surprises!

[shiney]

You sound a lot like me. Chuck it in the ground, if it survives, it survives. The trouble is that I am lacking in space here.

[Welsh Girls Allotment]

Although not quite by my design I have a gladioli which has just started to flower - all the others gave up weeks ago and now all of a sudden a lovely pink glad has decided Oct is a good time to flower !!

[Milims]

I'm tempted to try pickled nasturtium seeds!
Any takers on whether i can get them to grow? lolol
seriously though, I moved here (near Alnwick, Northumberland) 1 1/2 years ago and the garden was like little house on the prarie, including little girl in a flowery dress courtesy of one of Helens friends :-)
Since then I've rough turned the grass and just planted anyway. Beans, Courgettes, Jerusalem Artichokes and Nasturtiums have been growing like Triffids
unfortunately the Peas, Tomatoes and Sunflowers were scattered around the garden by gale force winds and subsequently grew in a hodgepodge of varieties.

So this year, i will be mixing up various seeds and just scattering them onto a bare patch of soil, not watering them, and only looking at them once a week to check what is happening, oh and sowing the seeds on the day of first frost, cos we aint had any yet lol

Chris (and Helen)

[Shirley]

We've got more tomatoes now than we had all year... they are small and hard and green... but they are there none the less... Oh, and a butternut squash too... out of all the squash we planted... only one squash.. so sad.. I had great hopes for them.

I was wondering whether the sloes from the sloe gin will grow if planted (obviously once the sloe gin is ready)

[digiveg]

I doubt it - some plants, maybe most plants, have a very very low tolerance of alcohol. I discovered this when I accidentally watered some indoor pot plants with weak beer many years ago. Depite realising my mistake right then, and flushing them out with copious amounts of water, they withered and died from that point on. But you never know...

I was trying to increase the CO2 content of their air supply, by connecting it to my brewing project...

[Shirley]

thought as much... thanks digi!!

Will still give it a go though... absolutely nothing to lose :)

[pskipper]

I'm going to try raising dragon fruit from seed, definitely in the wrong conditions as I don't have a tropical hot house!



I bought one at the local grocers. It should be interesting as apparently the flowers bloom for one night only and must be pollinated to set fruit :)

I'll let you know if I suceed!

[Chocobed]

dragon fruit. Am gardening mag had a letter from a school teacher who set the children a task of bringing in a piece of fruit. They cut them in half and ate one but tried to grow the seeds from the other half.
One bright spark brought in Dragon fruit. the seed set well and grew very easily , like lettuce it said i think. but los like cacti on their sides!

[pskipper]

Yes, they're doing quite well so I think I'll withdraw, one of them is starting to produce cactussy bits now.

[Cheezy]

Following this weekends high winds,-3 deg C , followed by blizzards my Moorcroft Apricot which was in full bloom is definitely thinking it's a bit too adverse in the N.E!.

Luckily I heard that it was coming so I knocked up a quick wooden cage stapled fleece over the top and some plastic sheeting on the sides to protect it.

Unfortunately the winds completely whipped off the front sheet which probably did more damage, and certainly kept us awake most of the night as it tried to get air borne.

I hand pollinated most of the flowers prior so I'm hopeful I'll still get some

I'll keep you updated.

[the.fee.fairy]

Can i enter my lychee?!

Grown in the middle of a british winter...or have a got to wait til i get fruit?

*twiddles thumbs for 15 years*