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Teen

Tomatoes too late?

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Teen

Hi everyone, :wink:

 

I'm a part-time gardener, I also garden at home and my allotment. I love to grow veg, just for the fact that its something to eat ha ha That's when I have enough energy.

 

Anyway, I thought I would start this thread to see if anyone else had an interest in gardening. Perhaps you might have tips on how to cope with MS and gardening, or you know of some great websites mixing the two. Or just a plain old problem with something in the garden that someone else might have an answer for.

 

What can I say I love gardening and I'll try to fit it in anywhere! :nuts:

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Gaynor

Oh goody, I can fire any questions your way then :countsheep:

 

As for me, MS and gardening.....on a good day then yes do some (and I enjoy it) but on a bad day (i.e tired, pains or feeling off) then I don't even go there.

 

Gaynor :rofl:

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Vegged Out
Shirl

I used to potter around the courtyard garden I designed and had landscaped...but nowadays, as a ground floor flat dweller, I just admire the gardens of other people. We have outside space here but it amounts to grass, no flora. In all honesty, I wouldn't be able to do much now except, perhaps, fill the odd pot or two and water them.

 

I think you'll be popular as our resident horticulturalist, Teen! :countsheep:



Shirley  "one day at a time"

 

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Teen

OK I'll be that just don't expect me to be an expert. You're always learning with gardening. It will be fun I think to find easier ways to garden. I get tired really quickly not good when its your job and so I can identify with everyone on that one! I shall have to look into helpful ways to garden and tools that could be useful. Perhaps you guys have some ideas of your own!

 

Pots aren't bad. The only downside is they dry out too quickly and so I'm sure people would struggle with watering. The bigger the pot the better I would say. Plastic is supposed to be better than terracotta as they absorb the water so your pot gets more water than your plants! You could line a terracotta pot with an old plastic compost bag, that might help.

 

Well I'll do my best to help out if you do have probs. I can't promise an answer but I might be able to find out a few reasons why something has gone wrong.

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Teen

Hi again,

 

I found this website and thought that others may find it interesting. Its a gardening site for people with disabilities and also includes a handy section on useful tools that you can buy.

 

Carry On Gardening

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Shirl

What a good link, Teen; I've added it to our resources as it'll get lost here once this topic ages a bit! That's the topic, not you! Thanks.



Shirley  "one day at a time"

 

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Teen

OK thanks Shirl :chat:

 

I hope I'm like that when I do get old :lolbash:

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Lindyloo
OK thanks Shirl :happy2:

 

I hope I'm like that when I do get old :wink:

 

Hi Teen and everybody!! My hands are annoying me @ moment thats why i have not replied to u gaynor......it such a pain coz have lotsto say but cant type...hands start aching...any tips??? :happy2: i am otherwise feeling well...Iam a florist..i adore working with flowers.. my hubby and i havejust won our local garden competion....we are chuffed to bits :dunno: ..... I love my garden so much...i am still learning all the time...would very much like to start growing veg.... when feeling better i will show you my wee garden....i love fairies, chimes...and listning to the rustling of my bamboos and sitting outside chilling drinking tea.. my husband cuts the grass thank god!! he he... Love linda xxxx I also love Arsenal ....


LindyLoo xx

" This moment will pass " (Bono U2)

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Gaynor

Don't worry Linda...I'm not going anywhere :happy2: Hope you feel better soon, but as for tips just rest and only do things when you feel up to it.

 

Gaynor x

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Teen

That's what its about Lindy, chilling and enjoying yourself. I think you will always be learning about gardening and that's why I'm not bored yet!

 

As a thought I know that you can get speech recognition software which you talk into and it does the typing for you, I don't know much about it but if you have great difficulties with typing it might be worth looking into. Unless it just a blip in your otherwise normal life of course.

 

I look forward to the pics of your garden.

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gareth

we've got raised beds for our veg, our soil is full of clay and rock not ideal for growing! we've had 5 tons of topsoil to fill the beds and they're absolutly great but they do dry out very quickly and our salad leaves tend to bolt if we have a warm and sunny spell.

they were bulit with narrow gaps to maximize growing space but i'm a lot more unsteady on my feet now and will possibly have to knock in some posts for me to hang on to when moving around.

 

what veg are you growing teen? anything interesting?

 

try red duke of york 1st earlies. they've got bright red skins and look increadible when digging them up. they taste pretty good as well. a good all rounder. and purple carrots are pretty cool.


everybodys got to believe in something

i believe i'll have another beer

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Teen

That's cool Gareth. I think raised beds are the way to go, especially if you can't bend far. In the autumn (if you can get your hands on some) incorporate some well-rotted horse manure into your beds this will help retain moisture. You will still have water regularly with veg in dry spells anyway, but this will help.

 

I've got a new allotment which I try to keep going but am so tired at present. I too have Red Duke of York and also Maris Peer which I seem to do well with. I have Tomatoes, Chilli Peppers, Bell Peppers, Butternut Squash, Pumpkin, Runner Beans, Onions, Garlic, Curly Kale, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage and Swede all growing at present.

 

I don't know if this helps at all but you can buy a stool with wheels so that you could weed or plant with out the need to bend, you just wheel along the bed. Depends on how flat your paths are in between I suppose. I'll try to find the link again if its of any interest to you.

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Heste

My tip for gardening with MS:

 

Marry a keen gardener.

 

"Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made, by singing - 'Oh how beautiful!' and sitting in the shade, while better men than we go out and start their working lives, at grubbing weeds from gravel paths with broken dinner knives"

Well Rudyard, you are wrong. I sit in the shade and say "Oh how beautiful!" while my wife grubs up the weeds.

 

Regards,

 

John :happy2:

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gareth

i've got a big pile of well rotted horse manure, i've got pumpkins growing on it at the moment and i'll fertilize the beds in the autumn with it.

we've got a couple of compost bins and i'm getting wonderful stuff from all the spent homebrew grain that goes on them.

 

how are your chillis getting on? what variety are you growing and have you got them under glass?

 

i've got tokyo hot, demon red and a mixed packet on all the window sills. i think a greenhouse is going to be my next project for the winter.

 

i don't need the stool yet, i can still bend and get down to the beds, the problem is my lack of balance!


everybodys got to believe in something

i believe i'll have another beer

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Teen

I was just going to say I'd noticed in your profile you like brewing beer and did you know Pumpkins like the slops, but obviously you already knew that.

 

I've got Jalapeno F1 chillis, they're in my potting shed at the moment and are doing ok but aren't flowering or fruiting yet. I think I'm being impatient in saying I thought they might be flowering by now.

 

I once grew Prairie Fire chillis and when they small ons are the hottest they are kidding!! These were tiny little things but boy did they blow your head off. Ridiculously hot really, I'm not sure if they were really meant for eating :happy2:

 

I hope that I didn't annoy you at all by mentioning that stool. I feel a bit of a fraud really I am undiagnosed and only really have background noise as far as symptoms go. I do get the odd wobbly moment myself but not enough to take notice of. I just mention these items because if it were me I would like to keep doing gardening and would use anything to hand to help me. Plus if there is anyone out there that does have troubles bending over then they've heard about it too. I feel lucky at the moment that I just get very tired and have back troubles when it comes to gardening. I would struggle if I had walking difficulties I am sure.

 

Well just to say I'm not going out of my way to annoy or anything, just trying to help anyone by mentioning tools and stuff. If anyone does feel annoyed or patronised by me mentioning them please say and I shall not do that.

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angela

As a thought I know that you can get speech recognition software which you talk into and it does the typing for you, I don't know much about it but if you have great difficulties with typing it might be worth looking into.

 

Hi Lindy I use Dragon Naturally speaking 9 which is the newest version and very easy to voice train, I can type but only with one finger so it does help to speed things up, hope this helps

 

Angela


Give a woman the right shoes and she can conquer the world! Bette Midler.

 

 

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Lindyloo
As a thought I know that you can get speech recognition software which you talk into and it does the typing for you, I don't know much about it but if you have great difficulties with typing it might be worth looking into.

 

Hi Lindy I use Dragon Naturally speaking 9 which is the newest version and very easy to voice train, I can type but only with one finger so it does help to speed things up, hope this helps

 

Angela

 

Hi angela

Thats cool...... will defo look into that...is it expensive? I am hoping hands will get stronger again...normally typing aint prob... Teen would love to start small veg plot in miniture green house. what can i start to grow at this time of year? should i use grow bag? would love your advice. :dunno: love linda


LindyLoo xx

" This moment will pass " (Bono U2)

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Teen

Hmm :dunno: I'll have to think about that one Lindy,

 

Not much you can grow in July, but perhaps in August but not necessarily in a greenhouse. I'll take a look in my books and mags and get back to you (yes I do have a lot!).

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Teen

Well I've been going through some of my old mags and I was wrong there are still lots you can grow in July. Some of the salad stuff you could put in containers for anyone who has trouble getting to the garden.

 

OK you can still grow some salad stuff outside such as beetroot, lettuce, endives, pak choi and radish. You can also sow broccoli, peas (for autumn harvest), spinach (only if you can water it regularly), curly kale, overwintering onions (end of this month) and chinese leaves.

 

Spring cabbages can be sown and kept in your greenhouse. Purple sprouting broccoli can be sown in your greenhouse also and kept there until spring when you can harvest the crops. Swiss Chard, Kohl Rabi, Spinach and Parsley can all be sown this month also in the greenhouse.

 

You can sow French Beans at the end of July and these can be planted out in a couple of weeks to give you an autumn crop that will still have frost protection.

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Teen

I thought peeps might find this news article interesting and possibly inspiring (even though it is a little old).

 

Keep Gardening

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Lindyloo
Well I've been going through some of my old mags and I was wrong there are still lots you can grow in July. Some of the salad stuff you could put in containers for anyone who has trouble getting to the garden.

 

OK you can still grow some salad stuff outside such as beetroot, lettuce, endives, pak choi and radish. You can also sow broccoli, peas (for autumn harvest), spinach (only if you can water it regularly), curly kale, overwintering onions (end of this month) and chinese leaves.

 

Spring cabbages can be sown and kept in your greenhouse. Purple sprouting broccoli can be sown in your greenhouse also and kept there until spring when you can harvest the crops. Swiss Chard, Kohl Rabi, Spinach and Parsley can all be sown this month also in the greenhouse.

:hehehe: You rock Teen.... wow .... might start with lettuch.. sping cabbage sounds nice. My wee greenhouse is only a shelf one...and broccoli sounds good 2 thanks Teen much appreciated.. Love linda x

 

 

You can sow French Beans at the end of July and these can be planted out in a couple of weeks to give you an autumn crop that will still have frost protection.


LindyLoo xx

" This moment will pass " (Bono U2)

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gareth

no offence taken, it'd take a lot more than a piece of helpful advice to upset me!

 

we've got flowers and fruit on our chillis, a couple are almost ready to harvest but the seeds were planted pretty early - 19th march according to my veg diary.

 

lindyloo - you could also get some potatoes on the go, it's not too late. i've grown them in an old dustbin before. make some holes in the bottom, half fill with compost or growbags, plant 3 or 4 potatoes and top up with soil as needed.


everybodys got to believe in something

i believe i'll have another beer

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Teen

Good Gareth, so that means I can do this :smarty:

 

I did get my chillis in late I think so that could be why I'm behind. I have to get my mind sorted out as I'm bloomin' tired all the time. I've got spuds to be lifted for a start. I keep forgetting to water too. Not good.

 

You could grow the spuds in an old compost bag (the ones that are black on the inside) if you lack a large container :wink:

 

Spring Cabbage means that you can just pick of the leaves you need, a bit like cut and come lettuce. As far as I know.

 

I'm still new to veggie growing myself but I do enjoy it and learning more stuff. I like the whole recycling old stuff train of thought too. Like using old 2 litre coke bottles and cutting them in half you can use them as cloches, or as a funnel you plop in the ground and fill up with water and give the roots a good soak, or slicing them up into rings and putting them around your vulnerable young plants to keep the slugs and snails off. Apparently if you make them a certain height (don't ask me the measurement) they can't be arsed to climb over! According to Bob Flowerdew anyway. I've not actually tried, I resort to the dreaded slug pellets instead.

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mayb

Hi teen just found this topic and wanted to say I think it is great idea to have a gardening help forum. I used to be a really keen gardner and ran an allottment for a few years as well as a greenhouse at home. Gradually what I am able to do has shrunk down to pottering in the garden now.

 

Not sure if it helps anyone to know but I have redesigned my garden and many of my pots to be all year round and to look after itself as much as possible. I have shrubs and small trees with some of those in pots so they don't become unmanageable. I use ground cover inbetween these. I put miniature conifers and small shrubs in pots and plant pansies and trailing lobellia etc in the gaps round the edges each year. I have two hanging baskets and quite a few pots on the patio for colour and all are watered using the sprinkler on a hosepipe on a reel. I choose buzylizzies and new guinea impatiens for colour as they can stand a bit of dryness and stay in bloom all summer. The greenhouse has gone as has the allotment as I couldn't manage it anymore. My garden hass now only a small bit of grass as I have put shingle at one end where we sit and barbecue and have a small patio near the house. This means even I can manage to cut the back garden grass sometimes. I use weedkiller when I have to but must admit I would prefer to be able to hand weed. I have a halfbarrel which I have turned into a small pond with a couple of fish swimming in there.

 

My biggest problem is that it is all uphill and I have to climb stone steps to reach the top end. My OH put in a wooden rail along the steps so I have something to hang on to and balance myself on bad days.

 

It is all a bit wild looking but I have grown to love that randomness as it keeps me from fretting over keeping it in military order.

 

I am going to attempt some vedgs in pots next year but already grow some herbs in pots near the kitchen. I buy the rooted ones in supermarkets and put them in a pot outside for all summer use. Chives, parsley and basil all do well with little care.

 

Great to be able to chat about something other than the aches and pains isn't it.

 

Look forward to more gardening tips from you teen.


Mayb

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Teen

Good for you Mayb,

 

I think everyone can garden, even if its looking after a small window box. Like you say it can take your mind of your aches, pains and the next visit to the neuro/GP.

 

You should send us a picture of your garden so that others can be inspired :smarty:

Nothing wrong with it being a bit wild, the wildlife will love it!

 

Let me just say that I am in no way an expert in gardening, but I have plenty of books and have a small amount of experience and I'll do my best to help out. As far as I can tell so far on this new topic there are other like-minded people who can put their two pence worth in too. I am always interest to hear how you guys make gardening easier for you and Mayb you've started the ball rolling.

 

I have a tendency to sit on the floor and pull the weeds up at the moment, and carry a gardening tool to help me get back up from bending as my back goes a lot. I am currently trying to think of ways to make my allotment more manageable, such as raising them up. If my back is really bad I tend to shuffle about a bit and not feel like the weeding.

 

I think it is good for me too being more able than perhaps a lot of you guys and seeing gardening in a new light. It actually makes me want to find out or think about how gardening can be made easier and still look good. I'm sure it will be popping up more and more on my website too.

 

PS Gareth I think you should start a homebrew topic :wink: or perhaps you have and I have seen it yet :flowerface:

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