With the sun shinning I managed to have a bit of time in the garden yesterday to get a few jobs done. My youngest "assistant" has been poorly all day and spent a large chunk of the afternoon sleeping in bed, she's just a bit under the weather with a bad cold and a bit of sickness, but when they're little it hits them hard.
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| A little messy |
Me and Ev decided to get some jobs done close to the house (within range of the baby monitor), one of which was to sort out the mess that is my greenhouse. I got all the old tomato plants down and stacked in the burning pile and the buckets of compost taken down the garden and piled up ready for a mammoth raised bed I'm planning.
I then swept it out and brought in a few plants I want to have a little extra protection. My Chilean Guavas have put on loads of growth over the summer and it would be a shame to loose them to a hard frost. My fig "cuttings" are now four feet tall and show little embro fruits on them, so I might have a fig or two next year if I'm lucky, I still think it's best to keep these young plants in the greenhouse although I plan to plant some out at some point.
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| Fig trees over 4ft big now |
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| Spent compost/soil mix ready to make a raised bed. Crocks and rocks in the bucket ready to be reused new year. |
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| Show's how warm it is - Ev spent ages playing with caterpillars all afternoon |
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| My cuttings and strawberries grown from seed. |
If it was colder I would have done all this sooner, but it's been so mild things are just only just starting to die off. I'm starting to feel a little bit more organised in the garden which is a good thing.
A quick question - does everyone else bring their bay trees into the greenhouse to over winter or do you just risk it and leave them out (assuming they're in pots like mine)? How often do you water plants over wintered in a greenhouse - like me when you remember - Or are you more organised?
my Baythat was in a pot for years before moving was left outside, very hardy and evergreen, watering in the greenhouse was done when I thought things were needing it, just making sure they were never left standing in water. Your Guavas are loking really good I had half a dozen fruits off my one year old one this year, next year they will be planted out. Great work on the fig cutting, I have brought in 2 smallish ones the bigge one is getting planted out in the next week or so.
ReplyDeleteThe Guavas have put on so much growth - I'm blaming the comfrey feed they were getting through the summer. I had some fruits off each this year so I'm expecting good things next (they're really tasty aren't they!) Have you somewhere protected to plant your fig?
DeleteOur fig tree has only produced figs once in about four years. We bring it in each Winter though but it takes two of us to move it although I can still manage in a pinch. It's grown quite well but what that magical fruit setting condition is I haven't figured out yet.
ReplyDeleteIt needs to have it's roots restricted to fruit, but if yours is in a pot then it should have anyway!
DeleteWell there is the answer then because we re-potted it :)
DeleteI leave my bay trees outside all the time. I water very occasionally, just enough to keep them ticking over, but don't have a time table for this. I have just put my dahlia tubers in spent dry compost in the GH and shall not water these , but will sparsley water the spray crysanths that I have put in the other side. That looks like a good caterpillar friend she has there!
ReplyDeleteShe loves the caterpillars, and tries to shout more over to her!
DeleteMy bay tree in a pot gets left out all winter but stood in a sheltered place. Much better to under water than over water in greenhouse/poly tunnel. always in the mornings and not too much
ReplyDeleteI just have a terrible habit of forgetting to water and by then it's too late!
Deletebay trees left outside on a couple of bricks to keep them off the floor and fig tree in the green house. I water all house plants on a sunday and soak my orchids. This when I will check the green house. it helps to have it as a routine.
ReplyDeleteI think a routine is what I need. Sunday morning would probably be a good time for me as well.
DeleteHave you ever used one of those fumigation/smoke bombs in your greenhouse Kev?
ReplyDeleteI once set light to some Turmeric in a dish to fumigate the cowshed and nearly coughed my guts up. It was like me peeling onions the other week.
I used one to clean out a chicken coop that had red mites once! They really do go off don't they!
DeleteWe don't bring anything in because we don't have a greenhouse / poly tunnel yet. But if I did, then I would bring in the lemon tree, but not much else.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a lemon tree would last long outside here! One cold snap and it would be dead, although they say that there are more frost tolerant ones about now.
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ReplyDeletePlease stop spamming!
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