I'm not talking about me personally although my Mother thought I was beautiful (she had to say that!). I'm talking about vegetables and my preference to  choose smaller varieties of veg/fruit in the belief that they'll mature faster and, perhaps, taste fresher than bigger, more mature veg.
For example, I don't attempt to grow beefsteak tomatoes - preferring small/medium sized ones. 
Courgettes definitely win over marrows. I'm struggling to even sow those Giant pumpkins (sorry SC/JJB).
Baby leeks - not the huge ones they wave about at shows.
Small cucumbers, not the bigguns.
Small sweet lettuce - not big floppy things.
etc etc. 
How about you?

A cutting I’ve taken. From where or when , I don’t remember. But it’s doing quite well. 
Can someone put a name to it please. 

         


Is it escallonia ? ………….I seem to have hundreds of the flipping things. First white one though.

Here we have two packs of steak from Morrisons.

They are nigh on identical in size but one is British beef braising steak at £8.00 per kilo  and £2.29. The other is Bitish beef Ribeye steak at £21 per kilo and £4.91.
To me they are much of a muchness with similar ammount of meat to fat ratios. I know which one I will be buying most of in the future! Just saying.

I know this isn't really relevant to many of you 'plant munchers 'but just thought I would show you the dilemma's us meat eaters have to suffer!

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Today I had my woodburner chimney cleaned for the first time since I insalled it eight years ago ! I will be getting it swept every year from now on as it was affecting how well the stove performed. 
Anyway, eight years worth of soot equals a bin bag full which I will dispose of at the allotment. I know that tatties prefer an acid soil but just wondered which other crop would benefit from the addition of soot? 

Tell us how many plants you're growing and how many you pick. 
Cucumbers, courgettes, squash, melons and so on - all are welcome!

2023 thread - https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=1870
2022 thread - https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.php?tid=1478
2021 thread  https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...529#pid529
2020 thread https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...71&page=22

I noticed our pumpkin competition organiser hasn’t started a thread yet  . So here it is.
I have no idea if a tromba competition is happening this year, anyone? (My second year not growing them   ) reports here if it is. 

So how’s everyone doing? Have we all sown our competition seeds?……………………….Veggie? 

Online the Mirror today was spouting rubbish (no change there then) warning us about a plant more dangerous than Japanese Knotweed.  The buddleia. 
https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/garde...k-32852726
We're told it could reduce house prices, kill off native species by distracting pollinators etc. so we should all kill off our buddleias. What tosh.

I have a small bed about 10' x 3' with a single off centre rose, a bit of yellow sedum and bog standard aubretia.  I've tried to get stuff draping over the wall but the plants always invade the whole bed instead. I usually fill it with bedding but wondered what ideas you great minds could come up with in the way of pernnial or semi perennial planting.  The bed has a twin the other side of the steps up to the lawn with a bit more permanent planting with sedum, rockery calendula, aubretia, oxalis.  The lawn gets mowed (obviously)  and so will anything invading the lawn space, P is not very protective of any plants invading the lawn edge  
I'm not thinking things 4ft high but I'm open to ideas.

   

Being very new to growing roses. One isn’t looking well. Any rose experts that can advise please. The leaves look horrible, but it’s still covered in buds. 

   

I have another rose ( different variety) planted next to it in the same bed , that looks fine.

Hi all, 

My allotment site is on a slope. My individual plot is higher on one long side than the other. From the weedy grassy path that runs between our plot and the neighbours', it's about a foot or more step down to my plot. That means some of my beds have a weedy wall with grass that grows down from the path. It is hard to strim and the overhanging grass causes a lot of pest damage to things growing in those beds 

Any ideas to practically mulch/cover/control the little wall/slope that won't be a complete haven for slugs etc?

Thanks!