The Garden Doctor is IN !

[Andrea S]

OBF, The OH replaces our rhubarb quite often to ensure a good crop. He divides the crowns up in the late autumn/early winter to let the frost get to them for a few weeks. . Then he re plants in well fertilised soil. I don't know how it works but we always get a good supply.

[GillD46]

We have moved a very large, very nice phornium (8' or more in both height and spread) from a massive rockery that we are getting rid of, to a more suitable spot and it is sulking majorly!

Apart from giving it plenty of water, and praying, anything else we should be doing as we have another one to move plus two massive palms?

[oldbluefox]

OBF, The OH replaces our rhubarb quite often to ensure a good crop. He divides the crowns up in the late autumn/early winter to let the frost get to them for a few weeks. . Then he re plants in well fertilised soil. I don't know how it works but we always get a good supply.

It might be worth a try Andrea. There's summat not right at the moment. Thank you.

[qbman1]

I don't believe it....!

We have survived the slugs, the drought and the attack of the killer rabbits at our allotment and now we are besieged by a badger ! Last night, we found that our fences had been bulldozed in at least three places, there is major tunnelling construction work under a gate and the little monster has begun excavating several latrines, several with the obvious contents

There is no point in trying to repair the damage and keep him out because he will only barge his way in again. It is most probably a youngster looking for a new territory and he will move on in his own time so we just have to grit our teeth and bear it.

Oh, the joys of the country !

[david63]

Want to borrow my shotgun

[qbman1]

Love to, but I think some people might get a bit upset if I start blasting badgers' brains out

[Kenmo1]

We have moved recently and have a cooking apple tree and an eater apple tree but they are dropping the apples off at an incredible rate - by the time they are due to be ripe there won't be any left. Is this normal or is it our unpredictable weather causing this problem? The trees are quite old and we will prune them back later this year but I spend most mornings picking up the fallers with more falling on my head whilst I'm doing it.

[qbman1]

You need to get a pig, that will clear up the fallers

Mine are the same, I think it's the weather

[Kenmo1]

You need to get a pig, that will clear up the fallers

Mine are the same, I think it's the weather

qb - when do you usually cut your apple trees back? We will have to do something this year as the branches are hanging over the greenhouse. I don't think the elderly couple who lived here before us ever pruned them.

[Romig1]

Our labernum (sp?) tree is heavy with seed pods which haven't fallen and are weighing down the branches to the point that some look like they're going to break. I can't remember this happening before, and we've been in this house for 14 years.

Any ideas?

[qbman1]

qb - when do you usually cut your apple trees back? We will have to do something this year as the branches are hanging over the greenhouse. I don't think the elderly couple who lived here before us ever pruned them.

The old timers on the allotment will tell you that apples and pears should traditionally be pruned on New Years Day. It is sound advice, although you don't need to take it too literally, just do it during the dormant period in December or January ideally

[qbman1]

Our labernum (sp?) tree is heavy with seed pods which haven't fallen and are weighing down the branches to the point that some look like they're going to break. I can't remember this happening before, and we've been in this house for 14 years.

Any ideas?

Mine are much the same but it should be OK to leave it and let nature take its course. It has been a good year for seeds and fruits of all types. Laburnum wood is pretty flexible anyway but the seeds should shed in the next few weeks and the pods will then dry up and drop in their own time

[Romig1]

Thanks Doc!

[qbman1]

Ok, now just bend over.......

[Kenmo1]

I was going to say thanks qb but I'm not sure its wise saying that following on from your last post

[Silver_Shiney]

We've got a grape vine which produces a few clusters of fruit, but each grape is, at most, the size of a pea, is mostly pip and what flesh there is is not sweet.

Any ideas, sir?

[qbman1]

Wrong choice of grape variety, I suspect, Mr Scanner. It may even be an ornamental variety. Some wine grape varieties only produce small fruit anyway so you really need to go for a desert grape suited to UK cultivation if you want fruit to eat. To get really decent grapes, you do need to give it quite a lot of attention as well, including pruning hard back in late winter then trimming the fruiting spurs in spring and summer to restrict each to a maximum of two trusses and also thinning the bunches to prevent overcrowding, which also limits the size of the fruit. Fun, ennit ?

[oldbluefox]

My beetroot are like golf balls although the tops are starting to die back. Are they another abject failure? I'll leave them in to see if they fatten up but it looks like they are going the same way as my rhubarb, radishes etc despite horse manure, rooster pellets etc. On a more positive note the peas were good.

[qbman1]

Sounds like not enough water and/or not thinning out the seedlings OBF

[Silver_Shiney]

Thanks, Cubie. I think we'll probably ditch the plant altogether.

[oldbluefox]

Sounds like not enough water and/or not thinning out the seedlings OBF

.................. and thanks from me. It could well be not enough water after the dry summer we have had. They were thinned out (thousands of them) but they are still very small. I'll leave them and see what happens. Nothing ventured..........

[qbman1]

They might still come good if you water them OBF. I guess they have a kind of defence mechanism and go into a sort of hibernation if conditions aren't right

[oldbluefox]

I'll try it. I've nothing to lose have I?

[qbman1]

Did they ever recover OBF ?

If any of you grow garlic, please may I suggest that you get it in during the next couple of weeks. That will give it the chance to get established whilst the ground is still warm enough and also give it the prolonged period of cold weather it needs to form the individual cloves. Should be ready to harvest in June.

Just don't plant supermarket bulbs as they are usually from warmer climes and will not do well in the UK - buy seed bulbs specially bred for the UK climate. They will be in garden centres any time soon.

[qbman1]

I was just thinking last night, what a cracking year it has been for produce despite the cold, wet winter, late spring and prolonged dry spell (in Middle England, anyway!).

First week of October and I was up at the allotment after work picking loads of courgettes, the last of the outdoor cucumbers, a huge tub of tomatoes, a basket of runner beans, beetroot, turnips, calabrese and two baskets of pippin apples as well as armfuls of flowers. And there is no sign of much of it slowing down yet. We shall have a bumper crop of baby pumpkins and butternuts soon, plus masses of Spartan apples and the brussels sprouts and swedes look like being good too.

There's even enough to share with the caterpillars, wasps, slugs, mice and rabbits (but thankfully the badger has moved on !)