Post Your Garden!

Uther · 18 Jul 2022 at 13:29

Freefaller that's lovely! Don't think I could cope with a garden that size these days.

Freefaller · 18 Jul 2022 at 13:42

Uther said:
Freefaller that's lovely! Don't think I could cope with a garden that size these days.

Thank you. Yes it does require a lot of work, the hedgerows in particular... But it's enjoyable (most of the time). But it does give a lot of satisfaction knowing what you can do with a little effort.

If we go ahead with our extension it'll give me the motivation to sort out the lawn and the area behind the garage a little more and get round to building that raised bed.

I now know what the term "pottering in the garden" actually means.

-Ad- · 18 Jul 2022 at 19:30

Freefaller said:
Thank you. Yes it does require a lot of work, the hedgerows in particular... But it's enjoyable (most of the time). But it does give a lot of satisfaction knowing what you can do with a little effort.

If we go ahead with our extension it'll give me the motivation to sort out the lawn and the area behind the garage a little more and get round to building that raised bed.

I now know what the term "pottering in the garden" actually means.

Incredible work, sometimes you have to cull to be able to move forwards and improve.

It's a nice big space also, plus from the other thread when you mentioned "extension", a nice open plan kitchen/liiving area would work really well with your place. Coupled with changing the outside cream colour, applying a render (if it's brick right now), or some cool cladding (charred accoya

), it would really lift the place.

One tip to make that garage disappear...... Black masonry paint! It truly makes fences/walls vanish and also helps your plants/bushes/tress really "pop" against the dark background.

Freefaller · 18 Jul 2022 at 19:45

-Ad- said:
Incredible work, sometimes you have to cull to be able to move forwards and improve.

It's a nice big space also, plus from the other thread when you mentioned "extension", a nice open plan kitchen/liiving area would work really well with your place. Coupled with changing the outside cream colour, applying a render (if it's brick right now), or some cool cladding (charred accoya ), it would really lift the place.

One tip to make that garage disappear...... Black masonry paint! It truly makes fences/walls vanish and also helps your plants/bushes/tress really "pop" against the dark background.

Open plan kitchen, dining, snug area is on the table. With 4.6m sliding doors, sky lantern and a large paved terrace, since we have the space for it.

Amazing suggestion about the garage. I'll put that on the to do list. There's a lot "to do"! That said won't it make it hot? My gym is in there... But I guess it doesn't make a huge difference with the flat roof it has.

{SAS}TB · 18 Jul 2022 at 20:33

Very nice @Freefaller - very nice indeed

{SAS}TB · 19 Jul 2022 at 20:52

Some of the garden / greenhouse tonight

Tomatoes in the greenhouse

Cucumbers

Peppers

Chillies are looking pitiful

Lemon tree

Tomatoes outside

Middle border

Same border - corn, cauliflowers, leeks, spring onions, onion,.potatoes and other stuff

Raised bed with peas, carrots, beetroot, courgettes and salad

Participant · 20 Jul 2022 at 05:35

^ Just brilliant, and what a nice view!

{SAS}TB · 20 Jul 2022 at 06:14

Participant said:
^ Just brilliant, and what a nice view!

Thanks and yes, always makes me smile

JonRGV250 · 23 Jul 2022 at 20:54

First sighting of stag beetles this year (they're usually around a month earler) and the lucky chap is getting his thang on.
I immediatley put on some Barry White to help the situation along a bit..

Joking aside, i've left various parts of the garden laden with rotting wood from my log stores to encourage more of them.
That said, it's fairly unpleasant when one of those flying bricks crashes into you at speed :eek:

Ninco! · 23 Jul 2022 at 21:38

@JonRGV250 always thought Maybugs are pretty big ol' bugs when bouncing off windows!

Stag Beetles are on another level, only ever seen a couple, pretty rare around here! The noise they make when buzzing about.

Amazing shot.

Tony Edwards · 24 Jul 2022 at 14:53

Ninco! said:
@JonRGV250 always thought Maybugs are pretty big ol' bugs when bouncing off windows!

Stag Beetles are on another level, only ever seen a couple, pretty rare around here! The noise they make when buzzing about.

Amazing shot.

Their life circle is pretty hazardous in peoples gardens.

Stag beetle facts - People's Trust for Endangered Species

Get all your stag beetle facts here from their habitat, their conservation status, and easy garden features you can do in your garden to help them!

ptes.org

Stag beetles spend most of their very long life cycle underground as a larva. This can be anywhere from three to seven years depending on the weather. Periods of very cold weather can extend the process. Once fully grown, the larvae leave the rotting wood they’ve been feeding on to build a large cocoon in the soil where they pupate and finally metamorphose into an adult.

Adults spend the winter underground in the soil and usually emerge from mid-May onwards. By the end of August, most of them will have died. They do not survive the winter. During their short adult lives, male stag beetles spend their days sunning themselves to gather strength for the evening’s activities of flying in search of a mate. This is when you’re most likely to spot them.

JonRGV250 · 25 Jul 2022 at 21:05

I kept hearing a rustling noise behind one of the planters on my patio, and assumed it was a one of the billion mice in the garden that my cat hadn't killed and left in my bedroom for me to stand on.
But no, this fine looking chap had somehow managed to get stuck..

I relocated him to the pond, where he was more than happy to jump in.

For fairly obvious reasons, I've named hm Ian Blackford.

The more I think about Ian, and if he had a bazooka strapped to his back, he'd look like a mid tier boss from Doom Eternal.

Participant · 13 Aug 2022 at 09:48

Drier than a wotsit's thingymajig

Blackjack Davy · 13 Aug 2022 at 20:09

Participant said:
Drier than a wotsit's thingymajig

Looks much greener than here even the shrubs are going brown and dying spent most of the afternoon going around with a hose just trying to keep them alive

Freefaller · 14 Aug 2022 at 11:45

We currently don't have a hosepipe ban where we are, I've not been taking the ****, but I've watered a little every evening - but it is looking quite brown.

Delvis · 14 Aug 2022 at 19:12

Freefaller said:
We currently don't have a hosepipe ban where we are, I've not been taking the ****, but I've watered a little every evening - but it is looking quite brown.

Yeah I've watered the plants here and there, they don't actually need flooding every day really.

Driving through MK yesterday....MASSIVE burst pipe flooding down towards IKEA, probably ban us soon enough.

Richie · 14 Aug 2022 at 22:49

Freefaller said:
We currently don't have a hosepipe ban where we are, I've not been taking the ****, but I've watered a little every evening - but it is looking quite brown.

The key is to water infrequently and for a long time to get the water deep (6-8 inches) as this encourages the root system to go deep increasing future resilience to dry periods.

If you water every day or 2 and only wet the top 2-3 inches then the root system will only go that deep as it's used to water being available at this depth.

I should add - grass takes a lot of effort to kill just by removing water. It lives in the root system and simply hibernates the leaf to protect itself much like trees do.... A bit of moisture soon has it come out of hibernation

Freefaller · 15 Aug 2022 at 09:13

Richie said:
The key is to water infrequently and for a long time to get the water deep (6-8 inches) as this encourages the root system to go deep increasing future resilience to dry periods.

If you water every day or 2 and only wet the top 2-3 inches then the root system will only go that deep as it's used to water being available at this depth.

I should add - grass takes a lot of effort to kill just by removing water. It lives in the root system and simply hibernates the leaf to protect itself much like trees do.... A bit of moisture soon has it come out of hibernation

Thank you for the info.

Although I mistyped I'm not doing it every day for the grass (it was more with regards to plants / fruits / vegetables).

I mean it's still green, but compared to how it normally is it isn't. Anyway we're getting some rain in a few days so that'll be good.

I checked the humidity, and it's a good 13cm deep before the soil moisture checker reports low moisture (it goes down to over 25cm).

Because of the rain we're expecting I've aerated the soil (when it's damp) so hopefully that'll help a little.

Good info thank you

JonRGV250 · 18 Aug 2022 at 16:56

Strung up the remaining onions and shallots..

and started roasting off the glut of tomatoes I have with olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar and garlic to make a base tomato sauce for pasta, curries, bolognese etc, which will be frozen.
I usually get a few litres out of what I grow..

{SAS}TB · 19 Aug 2022 at 18:31

Very nice!

Did something similar myself earlier in the week....

Load of "left over" tomatoes from the latest greenhouse crop.

Into a heavy oven proof dish and a good glug of olive oil, salt and pepper

Into the oven on 200 for 20 mins

In the meantime fry off some onion and garlic

Bring the pan out the oven, stir in the garlic and onion and plenty of herbs

Back in the oven for another 20 mins

Transfer to a pan then blitz with a stick blender

Delish roast tomato, herb and garlic sauce