Advice for a hopeless gardener

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
Frnc
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Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by Frnc »

Quick update. Tried to give the peas a bit more height by loosening the netting. Looks like I need longer canes. How high to these things grow?!

Oh, looks like I'm not gonna find canes much longer without paying stupid money, forget that.
jennyjj01
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Joined: Sun Jun 04, 2017 11:09 pm

Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by jennyjj01 »

Frnc wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 1:30 pm Quick update. Tried to give the peas a bit more height by loosening the netting. Looks like I need longer canes. How high to these things grow?!

Oh, looks like I'm not gonna find canes much longer without paying stupid money, forget that.
Depends on the variety. 3 to 6 feet seems typical. 10 feet is the extreme, according to "the man on the internet". Do you know what variety you bought? google it?

I'm not sure that all peas are suitable as Mange tout.

Can't you stick canes together with duct tape? you'll need to make a little eiffel tower structure :)

On Sunday Dinner I served each of us a half portion of Asda tinned peas and a half portion of my own, which had been boiled 5 minutes. The brightness of my own grown was very obvious. The Asda ones were really rather dark. All got eaten.

Incidentally, BBC Gardeners world have an offer of 6 Months for £9.99.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
Frnc
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Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:54 pm

Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by Frnc »

jennyjj01 wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:06 pm
Frnc wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 1:30 pm Quick update. Tried to give the peas a bit more height by loosening the netting. Looks like I need longer canes. How high to these things grow?!

Oh, looks like I'm not gonna find canes much longer without paying stupid money, forget that.
Depends on the variety. 3 to 6 feet seems typical. 10 feet is the extreme, according to "the man on the internet". Do you know what variety you bought? google it?

I'm not sure that all peas are suitable as Mange tout.

Can't you stick canes together with duct tape? you'll need to make a little eiffel tower structure :)

On Sunday Dinner I served each of us a half portion of Asda tinned peas and a half portion of my own, which had been boiled 5 minutes. The brightness of my own grown was very obvious. The Asda ones were really rather dark. All got eaten.

Incidentally, BBC Gardeners world have an offer of 6 Months for £9.99.
Not all are mangetout, no. I have one that is, and one normal. I'm just gonna remove the netting at the top if necessary, but leave them on 7 ft poles and see how that goes. They might just stop where they are. Yes I could try duct tape or lashing, but either could fail, and that would be a pain, potentially very messy. I only have cheap garden twine for lashing (paracord wouldn't be good for this). I suppose I could lash and tape. They both say about 7 ft. Well the canes are 7 ft but 1 ft is in the ground. Anyway, it'll have to do. They can support themselves a little bit. My fault for skimping, not paying attention to detail, and being over optimistic. With me, everything either dies or turns into a triffid on steroids.
jennyjj01
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Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by jennyjj01 »

Frnc wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:19 pm Anyway, it'll have to do. They can support themselves a little bit. My fault for skimping, not paying attention to detail, and being over optimistic. With me, everything either dies or turns into a triffid on steroids.
I scrimped on canes too, peas much neglected. Still a fair harvest. Next year, I'm going to go big on peas because they seem so easy and popular and they enrich the soil.

Most gardeners probably have lots of failures, what with blights. critters, infections. It's part of the game. Feel no remorse, just sow like crazy and enjoy what works.

god only knows when tomatoes are going to show up.
Graceful Degradation! Prepping's objective summed up in two words. Turning Disaster into Mild Inconvenience by the power of fore-thought

Not Feeling Optimistic. Let me be wrong
Frnc
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Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:54 pm

Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by Frnc »

jennyjj01 wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 5:15 pm
Frnc wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:19 pm Anyway, it'll have to do. They can support themselves a little bit. My fault for skimping, not paying attention to detail, and being over optimistic. With me, everything either dies or turns into a triffid on steroids.
I scrimped on canes too, peas much neglected. Still a fair harvest. Next year, I'm going to go big on peas because they seem so easy and popular and they enrich the soil.

Most gardeners probably have lots of failures, what with blights. critters, infections. It's part of the game. Feel no remorse, just sow like crazy and enjoy what works.

god only knows when tomatoes are going to show up.
Yeah. By the way the mangetout were nice sauteed for a couple of minutes in 1 cal spray and with a tiny bit of salt and some pepper. Crispy but easy to eat and tasty.
Kiwififer
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Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by Kiwififer »

jennyjj01 wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 4:59 pm
Kiwififer wrote: Mon Jun 27, 2022 4:27 pm I got the job. 😉
Inspired by yourself, I just applied to join the waiting list for an allotment. No idea yet how long the wait is. (Will edit this if I find out)
Went to the biggest of the local sites and it looked really lush with loads of colour and greenery. No sign of ramshackle sheds. Not much sign of no-dig gardening. Plots seem to be rented out as whole, half, quarter plots or a few large raised beds which my be reserved for the less flexible.
Rules seem strict. Security is strong.This is a somewhat conservative village.
Couldn’t find anyone but I have just managed to get on what is a very long list for an allotment. I will probably be dead by the time my number comes up!
Frnc
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Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:54 pm

Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by Frnc »

My mangetout pea plants went yellow. I think it was the heat wave, but it could be fungal. The other peas seem OK.
jansman
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Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by jansman »

Frnc wrote: Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:24 pm My mangetout pea plants went yellow. I think it was the heat wave, but it could be fungal. The other peas seem OK.
Legumes tend to crop, and once finished, go off colour very quickly.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

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Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Frnc
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Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by Frnc »

jansman wrote: Mon Jul 25, 2022 2:39 pm
Frnc wrote: Mon Jul 25, 2022 12:24 pm My mangetout pea plants went yellow. I think it was the heat wave, but it could be fungal. The other peas seem OK.
Legumes tend to crop, and once finished, go off colour very quickly.
Sounds like it was probably that then.
GillyBee
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Re: Advice for a hopeless gardener

Post by GillyBee »

My Mangetout have quit as well now. I am about to pul them out and plant something else. Just trying to decide what