[~Kizwiz~]

I'm a very keen gardener and have my own allotment too.

Magic came up with the idea of a place where like-minded people can get ideas and share tips for green fingers

[Magic]

Wooo!

I need some tips on something... Chickens. Our always have been free range.. but recently our digging away at the border thing. Does anyone have any tips to keep them away?

[~Kizwiz~]

the chickens are digging where?

My sister used to keep chickens so I can ask her

[Magic]

In a flower bed... I guess ill just have to fence off with bamboo canes untill plants grow big enough to keep them away.



I couldn't find a picture of my garden bit before I started, but originally the Chickens used to live around there, then I turned the very top bit in to a Vegetable garden. This is it after I had taken down the face, but the main bit was still full of weeds. (The top bit is in use, and the worst of the weeds (Thorns) have gone.


This was it in November, and I'll get a picture of it now, alot tider tommorow.

[~Kizwiz~]

Chickens will eat any plant big or small so it best to keep them out altogether

[Magic]

Hmm, the Vegetable bit is fenced off with a gate thing I made, just the garden they get to. Usually they dont eat stuff, just scratchn around and dig up stuff newly planted.

[~Kizwiz~]

I know my sister had to forsake her garden when she had chickens. And the chickenwire had to be put in really deep to keep them off the rest of the garden

[Magic]

Originally posted by ~Kizwiz~

haha.... not quite but I'm working hard to get my garden lovely and my allotment full of crops

Our garden is rather big... and my mum and dad wont get anything done so really its just grass and a border. But then I made a mini-small one when I was like 12, and have kept it going and evolving ever since lol.

[~Kizwiz~]

Its good, this is my first year so I'm only just starting off

[Magic]

Yeah, when I was younger I just did a little garden bit, and then I grew tomatoes in pots. Last year I grew a few vegetables, and now this year I have a much bigger plot. But I'm teaching myself as I go, as nobody I know really does it.

[~Kizwiz~]

Its the in thing nowadays.........

Economist

[~Kizwiz~]

Here the only picture I have of my allotment.....
this is a 1/3 of it:

[Magic]

Ooh. I am so glad we have our own land to do it, as we have no allotments near. There used to be some in the village though before I was born.

[Magic]

ohh wow, its very smart and tidy Kizzy. I'll try and get a picture of my plot tommorow.

Ohh and you should watch that Gardeners World..some bits are abit boring, mainly the bits where they go off places but if you iPlayer it you can skip those bits, its quite interesting and they have lots of inspirational ideas.

[Fom]

I am in the middle of attacking my garden, I moved into my house in October and I have decided to get on to the garden, but it is over grown and proving a problem.

I have spent about 5-6 days of my holidays attacking it and not much is happening, I had a plan to dig up all the grass, turn it and then start from scratch after leveling the ground. The soil is so clay like and clumpy that its really hard, I have just invested in a spade so I have like 1/10 of the garden dug up... I haven't got much free time for it now so I am gonna get someone else to take over.


BUT, so far I have demolished a shed, dug up 3 bushes, had a fire, and moved a gazillion pieces of wood... as the previous owner decided to cut up the tree in the garden and not move anything. Hard work.

[Magic]

Ours is clay to Fomm. You should take a picture when you first start so you can compare, I wish I did. I guess with big things its best to just do it alittle bit at a time, whats the grass like? A good thing to do is maybe make a 'wildlife' area, which means basically you can be lazy and attract wildlife, and maybe dig a pond to suit the theme??

Our shed, which used to be mine and my sisters den/wendyhoyse which is like 15 years old was falling apart, but this holidays I replaced the rotten wood, sanded off the mould and painted it, so it should last abit longer now.

[Fom]

All the grass is over grown and clumpy, really hard to dig up. I am thinking of leaving the end of the garden for next year and just do the front. Next year I can work on the flowers and the seating area, but this year focus on the grass.

Most importantly I want an area where my niece can play safe.

[~Kizwiz~]

That sounds good Fom.

Best to tackle a bit at a time because if you look at the big picture then it will seem impossible.

Try and get the weeds up before they flower otherwise you'll have an even greater problem soon because all those seeds in the flowers will germinate.

I do a bed at a time because otherwise I would be out there all day in my garden and nothing would seem to get done.

I'll take a picture of my garden tomorrow because its full of spring colour but here is how it looked last year:

[Magic]

Yeah, sometimes if you just keep cutting the grass the worst of the weeds can be kept at bay; which will make it more useable. It's a shame Ground Force isn't still on, else they could go and do it haha.

Kiz - aww that seems really nice - our Garden is so boring.. I cant really do much to ours as they expect me to change how it looks with just like 10 pounds worth of plants etc. And TBH with the vegetable bit I doubt I would have time now anyway.

[Fom]

Your garden looks lovely
I have to think about how to style mine, as its on a big slope... I want to make it a level slope of grass, with a flat end with seats and flowers.

[~Kizwiz~]

Originally posted by Magic
Yeah, sometimes if you just keep cutting the grass the worst of the weeds can be kept at bay; which will make it more useable. It's a shame Ground Force isn't still on, else they could go and do it haha.

Kiz - aww that seems really nice - our Garden is so boring.. I cant really do much to ours as they expect me to change how it looks with just like 10 pounds worth of plants etc. And TBH with the vegetable bit I doubt I would have time now anyway.

ahh but £10 worth of seeds would go further.

Dead easy to grow now the nice weather is here. Pop them in pots and cover them with a clear plastic bag and put them on a sunny windowsill.

Once the shoots are thro and you can see small leaves remove the bag and let it sit until it gets a little bigger. Then you can start hardening off by putting them outside to get used to not having a level temp.

Bring them in if it gets too cold but after about 3 weeks they should be strong enough to split the shoots and plant outside

[Magic]

hehe you should put up a picture Fom..I want to see what it looks like now.

I found a picture of the little bit I first started on when I was like 12 lol... its very... unusual lol. The picture was taken when I was doing stuff, but it still looks abit odd haha.

[Fom]

Will take a pic tomorrow for you Sam

[Magic]

Originally posted by ~Kizwiz~

ahh but £10 worth of seeds would go further.

Dead easy to grow now the nice weather is here. Pop them in pots and cover them with a clear plastic bag and put them on a sunny windowsill.

Once the shoots are thro and you can see small leaves remove the bag and let it sit until it gets a little bigger. Then you can start hardening off by putting them outside to get used to not having a level temp.

Bring them in if it gets too cold but after about 3 weeks they should be strong enough to split the shoots and plant outside

Yeah thats what I've done with Vegetable seeds; for the last few weeks our kitchen window has been a greenhouse lol. This year I have grown Tomatoes, cucucmbers courgettes and Pumpkins inside, and the rest outside/in shed. And when we ordered our seeds we got free sweet pea seeds, so I've grown them for the hanging baskets. (Special type)

I have two problems though.

Broad Beans - Last year mine just didn't grew, they got black spots on the leaves and died. What happend?

Rose - Ages back, when I first started I planted two rose bushes. Anyway, they both grew really well and flowered, but now for the last three years one hasn't flowered at all, and has really small leaves. What has happened to it, and can I even turn it back?

[~Kizwiz~]

Originally posted by Magic

Yeah thats what I've done with Vegetable seeds; for the last few weeks our kitchen window has been a greenhouse lol. This year I have grown Tomatoes, cucucmbers courgettes and Pumpkins inside, and the rest outside/in shed. And when we ordered our seeds we got free sweet pea seeds, so I've grown them for the hanging baskets. (Special type)

I have two problems though.

Broad Beans - Last year mine just didn't grew, they got black spots on the leaves and died. What happend?

Rose - Ages back, when I first started I planted two rose bushes. Anyway, they both grew really well and flowered, but now for the last three years one hasn't flowered at all, and has really small leaves. What has happened to it, and can I even turn it back?

Sweet peas are my all time fav. Such a lovely plant and the smell of the flowers is devine.

Ok - I've got my books out.....