Now it's the Sweet pea challenge.

 

I'm on the edge of my park bench.

 

I do like sweet pea ,gorgeous smelling flower.

What next?

 

The Great British getting out of bed challenge?

 

Those that get out fo bed fastest are the 'worthy' winners

Those that don't are letting Britain down

 

The end result is ... we all end up dying years before we're meant to

I'm watching and enjoying it. It's relaxing with pretty flowers

 

 

 

Now it's the "eat" challenge.

 

They have to use their own grown produce to make a Jam and a fruit curd.

 

 

I wouldn't mind at all - if people didn't take it so seriously

 

I'm surprised Shaun and Liz has gone.

 

 

Tell me that rabbit really does smile when jiggled!!!

 

I'm all excited for next weeks episode 

 

 

 

I love a bit of gardening, EC, but I'm not really into growing my own produce.  Too many blights and bugs;  I have enough garden wars with lily bugs and lupin aphids as it is   I'm off to the garden centre tomorrow, then I'll come home and bore my husband into a coma whilst raving about whatever my latest purchase is  

 

That's good to hear about your liking for gardening. My parents always had an allotment until we moved to a house with a very big garden. They have always grown produce (toms, cucumber, beans, peas, onions and pot to name a few).

 

I grew up on Gardeners World and now I live in the city in an apartment I enjoy shows like Gardeners World and Chelsea Flower Show.

 

Plus gardening is healthy and you get some fresh air  

 

 

 

Funnily enough my parents had a veg patch but in their garden, but a lot of their neighbours used to have allotments too - mainly for their veggies.

My dad built a white picket fence around ours and it looked nice and neat and tidy.  The one thing he never worked out was how the cat, the rabbit and the dog all managed to get in there together and sit and sunbathe 

I think that's when he gave up growing veg for us and just turned it into a rabbit's banquet (not sure that the cat and dog ate anything)  

 

 

I used to love Geoff Hamilton (RIP) when he presented Gardener's World.

 

PS The cat used to lift the latch on the gate into the veg patch 

 

I suspect the cat was in league with the rabbit 

 

I remember Geoff Hamilton. I was brought up with Percy Thrower.

 

My dad hated Alan Titchmarsh (I don't mind him in serious gardener mode).

Loved Geoff Hamilton

I love rhubarb!!!!

 

I live near the rhubarb triangle 

 

 

Caught part of this last night. I make a lot of preserves so it was of great interest, particularly the use of rose as this is going to be this year's major project. I love rose jam.

I enjoyed it but not as much as the bake off, I keep saying I'm going to try and grow runner beans but have never got round to it, my neighbour grows them and brings some round but I want to see if I can do it myself

Go for it 

       
       


Not sure if I've missed the planting time, again

Maybe you could get some that are already started from a nursery?

Was at the garden centre today (bought 8 more lupins, 2 peonies and a few trays of geraniums), and they were still selling runner bean plants so it's not too late to get planting.  I don't think they're that expensive to buy either.

The other good thing about this excellent programme was the lack of sea bass input. We were sure that someone would have come up with sea bass curd, toasted sea bass marmalade, or sea bass with fennel jam, like certain other sea bass obsessed competition programmes currently in vogue.
We were spared.

       
       
 

Cheers I plant petunias every year and my dad buys me them when he gets  his and I keep saying is it time dad, he rolls his eyes and says pee off mine always grow better and they look brilliant on Google earth

 

Yeah, I've learnt to plant what grows well in my garden (i.e. stuff that I can't kill with just a look ).  There were a load of Petunia varieties in the garden centre today - it's time, Aimee.... get nagging, girl 

 Bet Mrs Jer eats that in abundance when she goes on her girlie break though but, cheaper than fish fingers!

Aimee, you're not too late, April is a good month for planting. I grew them for the first time last year and they are so easy to grow. Stick the beans in a row in the ground and water, job done. The flowers are really pretty too.

       
       


I'll see if I can get some today

Aimeee never plant when there is an 'R' in the month .So May onwards will be the ideal month for you to do your planting. 

Erin, you are right. Planting in april is fine if you are going to keep the plants indoors for a few weeks, but May is better is you are planting straight into the ground.

       
       


Thanks

 

I'm loving all this green fingered talk 

My Mr C dreads my visits to the garden centre. I say I'm just going to look, and come home with a car boot full. 

 

My latest garden idea is a small planter pond, as soon as he heard pond he went I to "I'm not digging anything". I felt like Michael Winner when I replied "calm down dear, it's a pond in a shallow planter, no digging required".

For some unknown reason we came into spring with large amounts of moss on the lawns. I can now reveal that I have treated them and am ready to use m'lawn repair kit. Bad news in the stockrosen department though but.

 

 

Yes, forgot to mention that.  Trouble is, if you're looking for specific plants (for example the popular Lupin) the garden centres sell out early.  I always nab them sharpish and store them for a few weeks.

 

 

Aimee, I'm watching last night's Gardener's World and Monty Don recommends planting your beans in pots now, keeping them indoors (on a window ledge or in a greenhouse) for a month and then planting them outdoors.

 

It's back on our screens now !!!!

 

Yep I forgot.

 

 

 

Straight runner beans today.