Little Garden Helpers

I believe they could be Ladybird larvae - so good ...

2010-07-30T22:57:44.461+01:00

I believe they could be Ladybird larvae - so good news for you and bad news for the blackfly!

It wasn't me honest guv.

2010-07-28T08:35:39.855+01:00

It wasn't me honest guv.

Funnily enough _vTg_ there is currently a hosepipe...

2010-07-24T14:29:03.183+01:00

Funnily enough _vTg_ there is currently a hosepipe ban in Lancashire, exactly where it flooded!

We try to keep our garden watered from rainwater t...

2010-07-24T12:14:05.618+01:00

We try to keep our garden watered from rainwater tanks, so every drop of summer rain is welcome! (Admittedly we would eventually have a limit...!)

When visiting the UK in the 1990s I remember lots of people in the south bemoaning water restrictions and hosepipe bans. Are these things of the past in England's Green and Pleasant Land?

You are right about seeing them grow. Like compani...

2010-07-18T11:09:45.612+01:00

You are right about seeing them grow. Like companion vegetable gardening, a plant supporting the other, kids too will become the greatest companions. But there will be tears and cries along the way..... haha.
~bangchik

HI _vTg_, We do make quite a lot of green tomato c...

2010-07-17T20:44:44.107+01:00

HI _vTg_, We do make quite a lot of green tomato chutney at the end of the season but not much red tomato chutney because Garden Girl and Garden Boy just help themselves straight from the plants and they don't leave many behind. We could do with an extra thirty really!

Wow- 30+ tomato plants! Do you preserve a lot of t...

2010-07-16T09:09:01.816+01:00

Wow- 30+ tomato plants! Do you preserve a lot of the harvest?

LOL I completely concur on the need to accept dela...

2010-07-07T22:07:44.323+01:00

LOL I completely concur on the need to accept delay when gardening with children! I have had complete planting seasons pass me by- I tell myself that my investment in them will be repayed one day :)

On the matter of weeds, another irritating point is that one gardener's treasure can become another gardener's weed. Hence I am plagued by canna lillies, mothweed and some irritatingly persistent running groundcover. And more broadly, Australians have gardeners of various scales to thank for blackberries, gorse, vinca, pampas grass, honeysuckle, freesias, arum lillies, lantana, banana passionfruit, waterweed...............

You know what else weeds do? They sneak their root...

2010-07-07T20:31:10.723+01:00

You know what else weeds do? They sneak their roots in to twine with the roots of your precious, but fragile whatever-it-is, so that if you try and pull the weed you end up destroying your precious whatsit-plant. So you don't dare. But on the other hand, if you don't it will grow twice as fast and four times as vigorously as your precious plant - so you're scuppered either way.

Weeds, in short, are devious.

I've just found this blog and I think it's great t...

2010-07-06T21:44:06.111+01:00

I've just found this blog and I think it's great that you are involving your children in gardening. This is something I'm trying to do but on a much smaller scale then you (I don't have the room to do anything grander) but I like to think that "every little helps" (to coin a phrase,

Glad you're feeling better- most important part of...

2010-07-02T11:03:31.205+01:00

Glad you're feeling better- most important part of the equation!

I wouldn't give up hope on the tomatoes- one of the Australian gardening gurus, Peter Cundall, advocates neglect as being a good way to force tomatoes (and other Solenaceae, eg eggplants, capsicums) to flower early. He says that if you nurture tomato seedlings then they just make more leaves, but if they are stressed (too little water, space and fertilizer) they turn on the flowering- so at that point you can give them all the water, space and food that they need.

As for the rhubarb, in my experience it is a true survivor- http://thisgrowinglife.blogspot.com/2009/09/lazarus-of-garden.html

Enjoy the garden and human growth!

Glad you are feeling better, we have had an issue ...

2010-07-01T14:53:30.314+01:00

Glad you are feeling better, we have had an issue with stunted tomatoes too and we have been looking after them so that was not your fault, not sure why they have done that this year :-(

Good to hear you are feeling better. Savor in wh...

2010-06-30T08:30:41.736+01:00

Good to hear you are feeling better.

Savor in what you can get from the garden this yea and put the rest behind you, your health is far more important and there is always the next season, next year to plan.

Take care of yourself, and enjoy your strawberries :-)
xx

Oh you poor thing! Pneumonia and a new-born?! Than...

2010-06-07T11:47:43.734+01:00

Oh you poor thing! Pneumonia and a new-born?! Thank God for Garden Dad!

Poor you! Take care, and hope the rest of the fami...

2010-06-06T02:07:37.279+01:00

Poor you! Take care, and hope the rest of the family stays well.

I hope you are feeling better now - take care.

2010-06-04T22:10:54.312+01:00

I hope you are feeling better now - take care.

Take care of yourself x

2010-06-04T17:06:51.172+01:00

Take care of yourself x

aah congrats, nothing like a new baby in the house...

2010-06-01T13:49:10.533+01:00

aah congrats, nothing like a new baby in the house to bring warmth to the heart. x

I missed this - huge congratulations to the family...

2010-05-29T10:37:05.489+01:00

I missed this - huge congratulations to the family.

Take care and look after yourselves xxx

Oh I am so behind with reading the blogs I follow,...

2010-05-28T09:16:27.829+01:00

Oh I am so behind with reading the blogs I follow, I completely missed your annoucement.

CONGRATES to you and the family on a safe and healthy birth & WELCOME little Garden Lass, may your fingers be dirty with soil soon ;)

Oh, congratulations! A baby just as the season beg...

2010-05-26T22:52:53.844+01:00

Oh, congratulations! A baby just as the season begins: You can all enjoy her -- and the garden -- together! Love and best wishes from Maine...

You have my sympathies. All three of mine have bee...

2010-05-20T20:27:10.739+01:00

You have my sympathies. All three of mine have been late, although the third less late than the other two (only 5 days vs 10).

Soon.

Let us know when you can, even if it's just Garden Dad telling us name and birthdate...

Still, lovely time of year to have a birthday. Well planned!

Well done for having your feet up and enjoying som...

2010-05-18T14:03:08.830+01:00

Well done for having your feet up and enjoying some well deserved sit down time...

I remember how frustrating it was for me when I was due with my second son. I wanted to 'do' so much stuff, gardening, fitting new kitchen... but bloomin big bump prevented me.

Dont fret... in a few weeks you will out there rummaging in the soil with baby 3 snuggled close to chest... enjoy x

Enjoy the calm! Our Little Bro was born in late Sp...

2010-05-18T12:38:42.689+01:00

Enjoy the calm! Our Little Bro was born in late Spring, so rather than let the garden go to waste over summer I was able to carry him in a baby sling and potter in between the plants. I'd like to think that all the smells (tomato leaves, basil, daisy leaves, fresh earth) will have imprinted on him... time will tell!

They grow up so fast, its nice you can enjoy these...

2010-05-07T13:42:50.651+01:00

They grow up so fast, its nice you can enjoy these night time chats but I am wishing you both a good night's sleep soon.