In trying to get enough compost to go no-dig on the allotment, I've found an offer of compost mixed with perlite that was previously used for growing salads. Assuming the recycled nature of the compost wasn't itself an issue, would there be a problem adding a load of perlite in compost as a mulch?

Surly lists like this must put people off from ever attempting to grow their own anything! Why make the simplest things so complicated. Maybe it’s just me it would put off if I was just starting out. Do any of you do all the things on this list? I do the watering and the removal of the dead. But all the other faffing about. No not at all.

   


Just looked at this again and it was written by the Canadian version of our uk company. But our company shared it. With the phrase “wise words”

Help needed. I have one bed really.  It will definitely be having rambling rose France E lester planted in it. What else would you plant ? I've got so much to choose from, I don't know where to start. The bed is roughly 1m x 2m .

In Morries this week, I bought a bag of Yellow Sticker ginger roots for 18p - and, by coincidence, there were 18 roots in the bag. The exposed, trimmed roots were a bit mouldy but the roots  are firm. They're probably the smaller pieces that were left on the shelf because they're fiddly to peel.  
No sign of knobbly growing buds yet but I live in hope. 
I've tried growing ginger several times, without any success. Does anyone have any tips?

I have several packets of round courgette seeds that have sat around for a few years, including Tondo di Piacenza, Tondo di Toscana, Eight Ball, De Nice a Fruit Rond & Piccolo. 
Round courgettes don't seem "right" to me - they should be long and straight. Not just that but they should be worth picking & big enough to eat. 
According to their packets, De Nice a Fruit Rond is best eaten raw when golfball size. Eight Ball is best harvested at pool/snooker ball size. I ask you, what is the point of growing something so small? I'd need at least 6 to make a meal.
Tondo di Toscana says" can be cropped from golf ball size for eating raw, slightly larger for slicing to tennis ball size for stuffing. Even a tennis ball doesn't seem very filling to me. 
Tell me, please, do you grow round courgettes and are they worth the effort?

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

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

How many plants do you bring on after sowing? Do you sow 10% more and then pot on every one? Are you left with loads of spares, then waste water, compost and time on plants you will never be able to use? 

I have tried to cut down the amount I sow and be strict on the numbers I pot on. Although I still sow more "just in case"  I dont sow the whole pack, I try to stick with a number and then I worry I wont have back ups if a plant finishes flowering and I dont have anything suitable for its space.
Saved seeds are worse, I currently have several pots jammed packed with seedlings I need to separate. I tested Garett nicotiana seeds... I just potted on a tray with approx 100. 
What do you do with your extras? Do you have a plant area? Or are you mindful of the amount you sow in the first place.

What ya growing this year then?

New for me this year:
CFB
Lingua di Fuoco 2
Helda which I think I might have grown but didn't have seed, so it's a  new pkt

DFB
Nautica
Mistik
Jacob's cattle gold for drying from seed swap but unamed, thank you anyway

then the old favourites 
CFB
Fasold because it's early
Hunter
Lidl's
Meuch for dried
Tresnjevac ditto


DFB
Ferrari or Safari
Opera
Yin yang because they're pretty

There may be more....

Am I too late to start some tomato seeds? I know lots of the nutters start them on 2nd of January or something like that   . I usually start mine beginning of March. For obvious building/ moving reasons I’ve not. But I really really want 1 tomato plant. 
I had some shop brought ones last week. OMG! They were tasteless, watery, expensive horrible things. 

Advice please. If you have recommendations for a variety that is good at playing catch up. Even better. 

My first thought was rosella. Because she produces well , and tastes lovely.

I have quite a lot of Echinops that are growing really well.  The last few weeks I've noticed lots of seedlings coming up around them.  Does anyone know if they self seed?