The "Grow Your Own" Thread

[sycophantia]

Mow it every weekend like me, they barely have chance to come up

These cats ears are bastards, the leaves are like a flat floret and even on its lowest setting the lower barely touches them, gunna have to dig the fuckers out or kill them with weed killer.

 

[b3h]

These cats ears are bastards, the leaves are like a flat floret and even on its lowest setting the lower barely touches them, gunna have to dig the fuckers out or kill them with weed killer.

Yeah I know what you mean. Similar to dandelions it only chops the sticky out bits down really. Then pretend they're not there

You've had me out checking the lawn and there's way more than I thought (of both). So thanks for another job this weekend

 

[ROVERT47]

Once had a chat with a keen gardener as I’d got some moss around a dry area on my lawn.
‘What colour is it?’ he said, ‘Green’, I replied, ‘don’t worry about it’ he said.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Next time I think I'll pretty much do away with a lawn don't think they contribute a great deal in terms of habitat or anything either if you're looking to bring nature into your garden.

There’s a lady next door who’s a bit of a hippy, does wild camping and all that weird sort of stuff who deliberately does very little to hers in order to encourage the insects and wildlife. I think she sees weeds as an equal to any other plant and bugs etc as deserving of care and protection. All a bit unorthodox but seems to have her own little eco-system at work and it is kind of cool to be fair.

 

[EpsomWolf]

On the subject of bugs, noticed some greenfly and blackfly infestations so will have to get a plan of action there.

Whilst inspecting, noticed this bad boy strutting his stuff. I’m guessing it was munching on the greenfly and therefore good for the garden overall, but maybe not? Anyway, thought it was a cracker and yet another angle to this gardening/wildlife mullarkey to get stuck into so…. anyone shed any light?

 

[MARKakaJIM]

On the subject of bugs, noticed some greenfly and blackfly infestations so will have to get a plan of action there.

Whilst inspecting, noticed this bad boy strutting his stuff. I’m guessing it was munching on the greenfly and therefore good for the garden overall, but maybe not? Anyway, thought it was a cracker and yet another angle to this gardening/wildlife mullarkey to get stuck into so…. anyone shed any light?

View attachment 13800

Ladybird larvae

 

[MARKakaJIM]

There’s a lady next door who’s a bit of a hippy, does wild camping and all that weird sort of stuff who deliberately does very little to hers in order to encourage the insects and wildlife. I think she sees weeds as an equal to any other plant and bugs etc as deserving of care and protection. All a bit unorthodox but seems to have her own little eco-system at work and it is kind of cool to be fair.

Is wild camping weird hippy stuff? Is it not more people trying to experience nature whilst having minimal impact upon it?

If she's that bothered about encouraging insects she'd be better off adding wildflower seed or something to her lawn. From my cursory understanding of BNG from work grass is about as poor a habitat as you can provide - only really offering improvement on man made surfaces.

 

[lemonjelly]

There’s a lady next door who’s a bit of a hippy, does wild camping and all that weird sort of stuff who deliberately does very little to hers in order to encourage the insects and wildlife. I think she sees weeds as an equal to any other plant and bugs etc as deserving of care and protection. All a bit unorthodox but seems to have her own little eco-system at work and it is kind of cool to be fair.

A weed is just a plant in a place you don't want it.

 

[EpsomWolf]

Is wild camping weird hippy stuff? Is it not more people trying to experience nature whilst having minimal impact upon it?

If she's that bothered about encouraging insects she'd be better off adding wildflower seed or something to her lawn. From my cursory understanding of BNG from work grass is about as poor a habitat as you can provide - only really offering improvement on man made surfaces.

Funnily enough a couple of years ago Epsom and Ewell council stopped cutting the verges and public areas etc for a couple of months as part of a (might’ve been nationwide?) initiative to support insect breeding and so on, and encouraged homeowners to do the same. The manicured-lawns brigade were up in arms and there was quite a fierce a debate which was amusing. Areas did look scruffy but just a different way of looking at things I suppose.

Apologies for the description used for the lady next door, it was a bit clumsy and unfair. I suppose she’s maybe a bit unorthodox but perhaps she’s just ahead of the curve after all.

 

[sycophantia]

We've got a small 'wild' area in our garden, it takes more effort than I was expecting tbf.

Wild camping is great btw, used to do a bit of it in my hill walking days.

 

[b3h]

Woke up to 3 recently planted up pots ragged to bits. Presuming squirrels although they have done a right number on them this time if so, the gits

 

[b3h]

Bottom of my back may be fucked and I have a nice blister on my thumb. But my lawn now has 100 holes in it. Cheers @sycophantia

Expecting pro-weed protesters outside soon

 

[sycophantia]

Bottom of my back may be fucked and I have a nice blister on my thumb. But my lawn now has 100 holes in it. Cheers @sycophantia

Expecting pro-weed protesters outside soon

As your back is already knackered, what about coming and doing mine?

 

[b3h]

Just lobbed some grass seed in the holes. Can't see them at eye level from the patio, only when you get up close. If the weeds come back through so be it. Not too worried about the holes, they'll sort themselves out even if the seed is a flop

I was looking at cats ears last night cuz I'm a saddo and have nothing better to do - you can buy plug plants of them... wtf. Also edible apparently. I have 2 washing up bowls full if anyone wants to buy or eat any...

 

[b3h]

 

[b3h]

Greenhouse being fitted on the concrete slab soon. Had to make do with the porch and a shelf in the shed for growing flowers again this year. So have got a few toms/cucumber/peppers going which can go in so it actually gets some use before next year.

 

[SSB]

Not too worried about the holes, they'll sort themselves out even if the seed is a flop

So how do you get grass seed to grow? All mine seem to become was pigeon food and I’m left with the same patches.

 

[Hereford Wolf]

So how do you get grass seed to grow? All mine seem to become was pigeon food and I’m left with the same patches.

We had a decking area built last year and the lawn ended up as a mud patch after the workmen had finished.
I bought an 10 pronged bodger (or whatever it’s called!) off eBay for £10 and bodged a load of holes and threw grass seed on them.
Yes, the birds loved it but I figured I had more seed than they could eat.
I repeated every 4 weeks during the Spring and early summer and my lawn is lovely now.
They call me the subtle gardener!

 

[SSB]

I bought an 10 pronged bodger (or whatever it’s called!) off eBay for £10 and bodged a load of holes and threw grass seed on them.

Cheers. I think that’s where I went wrong. I didn’t do any bodging

 

[EpsomWolf]

So how do you get grass seed to grow? All mine seem to become was pigeon food and I’m left with the same patches.

I’d like to improve mine and happened to be cycling past one of those mega lawns the other day and stopped to have a chat with the gardener who was having a fag break. Needless to say it gets very scientific (and time consuming.. and expensive) very quickly. He was great though, and recognised ordinary punters don’t need something resembling the pitch at Wembley and recommended this site which is very helpful:

https://www.lawnsmith.co.uk/lawn-care-problems/

Cracking site and explains things in idiot-speak so it’s right up my street . There’s a straightforward long term plan of action there too which I’ll try and follow so let’s see what happens.