[westclaregrower]

Hi everyone,

As im only new to the forum and gardening ( last 2 years ) i thought i would shear some photos of my garden to date.

[sal]

they look really healthy dont they?well done,mine are half the size at the mo

[breezyacre]

lovely neat job with very healthy looking plants. well done.

[westclaregrower]

Thanks Breezyacre and sal,
I just add compost as a top up and let the worms do there job, no feeding or fertilizer used except on the spuds for blight.

[tailspin]

I love what you've done with the raised beds WCG - in fact I'm in the process of trying something similar with gravel paths around each bed. What's underneath the gravel? Did you put fabric down or anything?

Thanks

Tailspin.

[westclaregrower]

Hi Tailspin,
I put heavy duty weed block fabric over the whole area, put the beds into position and then cut the fabric away from the centre of the beds and stapled it up the sides of the bed to keep the earth from coming into contact with the timbers in a hope that the timber would last a bit longer.
you would need about 3-4 inches of stone to keep light out to prevent weeds pushing up although they will find a way.
i don't get to many weeds in the beds as i bought in sieved and graded top soil which was expensive but the veg are liking it, and i top up with compost when needed.

best of luck with your own project

[Protein]

[westclaregrower]

I had no idea I was doing that kind of damage to the soil
My lack of knowledge I'm afraid
But I do seem to have nearly every bug and creepy crawly in Clare in my garden so I can't be all bad, are you being blown around the garden the last few days like I have? Weather is turning good at last

Regards WCG

[Protein]

The weedblock fabric is quite a topical point by some gardeners, for reasons mentioned above. But lets face it, its not "other" gardeners that will be ripping out your weeds, so in my opinion, use of fabrics for paths is totally acceptable.

Yes, the gale force winds have flattened my poppies, and my lovely clump of stately evening primroses are sprawling along, but on the whole, I am in awe as to the wonderful season we are having compared to the last two years.

Yes, water makes plants grow, but so does heat and warmth.

Regards
Protein

[tailspin]

Hi WCG

Thanks for the advice WCG - I'm going to put down a layer of Mypex and plenty of gravel.

Regards,

Steve.

[westclaregrower]

Hi All,
Just thought i would post some updated pic's as there has been some huge growth in just 2 weeks trying to stay ontop of keeping everything watered is a balancing act in it's self.
I am having trouble with my broccoli as you will see in the attached photos they do fine untill they get so big then just bolt i have pulled up 3 in the last 3-4 days. any ideas on how to stop this would be great, they are well watered and have part shade area.

I have also found that mixing those water retaining crystals into my pots is helping as they were drying out way to fast in the good weather we are having.

[westclaregrower]

more photo's

[Sive]

Fantastic photos.......beautifully kept garden, you should be featured on a gardening programme ! Well done.

[Liz D]

I love the "peas gone mad"!

[artalis]

Hi westclaregrower,

Lovely job with growing your veggies, everything looks so good. You are doing very well for someone who has only been gardening for two years.

Where did you buy those hoops? I'm thinking that they'd be very handy for winter protection round my way.

artalis