No doubt you have came across plant partnerships that help one another, but what about partnerships to avoid, or possibly use to suppress growth of some other plant like yellow rattle to suppress grass though the one I was thinking of is avoid planting marigolds near peas or beans, or avoid planting brassica near potatoes, there are several plants that you should avoid planting beside potatoes, if it hasn't been done previously, could someone start a list that could be added to, to give quick guide of such plants

What would you plant in it?

   

Just knock ideas around. We do need a retaining wall. Not necessarily made of tires. It would be cheap and it could be hidden with lots of trailing plants. I’m thinking for a start aubrieta & thyme. I want low maintenance, low growing trailing perennials. Some evergreens? Fuchsia? Any petunia perennial? Is there a perennial alyssum? As you can see I’m just going through a list of things you’d find in a hanging basket. More flowery gardeners input please.

Does anyone have a list please?

May be of interest to some.

https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/gr...er_6266128

I know we're just recovering from the 2020 swap but I'm keeping the tempo up with notice of the 2021 Random Seed Swap. This is mainly for commercial seed - either full packets or part packets that you don't need. All seed must have a Sow by date of 2021 or later. Any past its sow by date seeds will be distributed but not count towards your packet count.
The swap will take place in April when most of the spring sowings will be complete but there's still time to make another sowing. 

The usual rules - you can send any number of packets and you'll get the same number of completely different packets back. Can't guarantee that though because you might all send in identical packets.. 
If a seed is unusual or desirable, you can split the packet into 2, but no more as multiple packets the same make it difficult for me to share out.
Please don't split magazine cover seeds as there are always lots of them coming in and you'd probably end up with the same ones back!! 

You'll need to send your seeds, 2 x large postage stamps and your return address to me by  April 9th (just after Easter) but you can send them anytime before then - even next week.. 

Please add your name to this thread if you want to join us.

1. Veggie
2. JJB
3. Small Chilli
4. Scarlet

i was given a cyclamen for Christmas. It is potted in a compost that feels like cotton wool and always seems dry on the top so I have watered it and now it seems that I have over done it and it has gone all floppy. Can I save it?

Can anyone tell me what this says please? I’ve got pink tomato. Can’t work out first word   . Make researching difficult   .

   

Thank you 

It is too hot to grow tomatoes indoors down here, with summer temperatures in the high thirties, but it can also be pretty wet, so the local way to keep the blight at bay is too grow them under a roof. More fancy structures also have sides that you can roll down when it rains, which probably would help.

The frame gets dismantled and packed away each winter - the wood was reclaimed form a fruit cage which we found we didn't need and the perspex sheets were donated by a friend who was replacing a roof. The plastic is very brittle now, so 2021 will probably be the year we'll have to replace it. It goes on a different bed each year.

This is the frame in place and just planted up in 2019.
     
The soil under the straw was lovely, but still very cold and an absolute haven for voles, so not an experiment I'll be repeating.

This photo is from 2016 in mid August and with fruit just starting to be ready to harvest. 
   

And the final one is from late November last year. Blight had finally infected all the plants so I was just about to take it down.
   

I should add that MrPP is an engineer so never happier than when designing, building and making things, and is pretty good at it, too!

Heavy snow here.....

I want to ramp up my dahlia growing.
I'm having a kitchen extension and a patio area - woohoo!!
The patio area has been dug and it looks like I will have the opportunity of either adding a couple of beds or at least making one that I have much bigger

Anyway, back to the cutting mix -
When I've taken dahlia cuttings before - it's a bit hit and miss. I don't get consistent results. The stem can rot off - my mix is too heavy.

Many people use half and half -peat and sharp sand mix. 
I've just used MPC - sometimes with some grit. I've always just done the cuttings in mpc and been ok with the successes but I really want to get this right - I've only got 1 of each variety of some tubers so I don't want to lose those. 
Any recommendations of what to buy? I don't really want peat - I don't want to spend a fortune either. Can I use builders sand as opposed to sand from the GC?