I've been growing edible stuff in my garden for a number of years now, after planting a plum tree when i first got the house and tasting how much better they were than those from the supermarket.
This year i decided to step it up a little, so i've slated over a 4m x3m area at the bottom of the garden hidden away behind the garage, and got to work adding raised beds etc.
The raised beds are pretty cool - about £25 each from crocus, 1m x 1m x 0.25m and made out of black plastic (so retain heat better). I think wood would have looked nicer, i originally looked at railway sleepers, but the recycled ones are heavily treated in (creosote?) which has now been found to be more carcenogenic than originally thought so not good for around food, and modern sleepers are treated in a deriviative of arsenic, which might be okay, but didnt really appeal!
The huge propogator things are from B&Q for £5 each - really useful for getting the seedlings started, and just as importantly for stopping the local cats from using them as litter trays (grrr) (hence the reason theres (home-harvested :-) bamboo over the bed without propogators)
I have a terrible problem with slugs in the garden, they ravage most things, hence i've tried using slate to make it all more of a chore to get to, and.... best of all i've just built a pond (which im stood next to here), which along with a couple of goldfish i've taken 30+ frogs of different sizes from my parents pond, along with a load of frog spawn - woe-betide any slug that decides to take up residence in this garden :-)
Hello, WANG, TZU HWA, idlephoo, and 17 other people added this photo to their favorites.
yorksgalSue pain is a pain 75 months ago | reply
Now I see why you were so busy in the garden. If you find things go missing in the night its just me popping round to grab lunch :D
I know nothing about gardening but a friend of mine got some broken shells to put round her garden which looks pretty but it also slashes slugs to death if they try get over it......
Shootin' the breeze 75 months ago | reply
Apparently chilli powder is an effective anti-feline treatment :D
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gerty99 75 months ago | reply
well done great garden
Jim Moran 75 months ago | reply
Oooh. That's a great use of space. Nicely done dude.
annabellafranc [deleted] 75 months ago | reply
Wow, that's all great...I might go and have a look at B&Q
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StripeyAnne 75 months ago | reply
Rick - this is ace! We just planted potatoes in buckets today and feel quite smug about it!
For slugs - I understand ashes from the fire are good.... but it was my grandma who told me!
tricky (rick harrison) 75 months ago | reply
Cheers for the comments :-)
@Mark - i think i've got the cat problem under control now (covering them with stripped left-over bamboo from cutting back the jungle at the bottom of the garden seems to work quite well!), chilli powder would be amusing tho (if not resulting in a visit from the rspca :-s )
Slugs - im hoping the frogs will be a nice natural and sustainable solution - they apparently love slugs and even snails. A wren has built a nest in one of the clematis too, so im hoping they'll lend a hand :-)
I've found beer-traps to be quite effective, but i dont think ive ever smelt anything so foul as the smell of them when it comes to emptying them :-s
@Anne - yeah, home grown potatoes are awsome, i bought some charlotte seed potatoes from the guy on leeds farmers market last year, they made for the most amazing baked potatoes. this year im growing more charlottes, and also some anya salady ones too.
If theres one thing everyone should have a go at doing, its sweetcorn tho - makes you realise how quickly they degrade in taste - theres a huge benefit to picking and then grilling them straight away - so sweet and sticky. I have to physically restrain myself from half-inching them from farmers fields in late summer :-s
Facing North East 75 months ago | reply
Superb tricky, very impressive indeed!
jasontheaker 75 months ago | reply
God this looks organised!
We had a runner bean growing comp this year up a south-facing wall! It got to about 25feet! No kidding! My son could pick them from his window!
It’s great picking and growing your own stuff! But I find you tend to eat it before you get it to the plate...especially the garden peas and broad beans.....yum yum!
The Green Thumb 51 months ago | reply
At dusk, put little containers of beer around the plants that slugs are getting at. They sometimes get drunk and drown. LOL!
Also, if you're not squeamish you can hand pick them and drop em into soapy water. They can't climb out.
Donaldoyahoo.con 26 months ago | reply
Que bello el universo para tener tanta velleza
shary_doit 15 months ago | reply
very nice
MAuraC1962 13 months ago | reply
Hey thats pretty good..Is that little greenhouse usable in wintertime ? i was thinking of
getting one ?