Thanks Mark - so useful reminders - I always get a bit panicky when I see the lettuce going over and hoping the next lot will catch up - cant bear the thought of not enough leaves for lunch.
I have a number of old plastic dustbins which I fill with water as its so much easier and quicker to fill the watering can. I empty water from water butts into the dustbins so I have capacity to harvest more water
Regarding watering, I have an automatic watering system set up which is a godsend, but I only use it in the large pots (courgettes, bush tomatoes, celery, bush beans, etc.) I find that 5 mins every morning works well for me, and if it is very hot or windy I will sometimes give extra water later in the day. I don't use it for smaller pots because they just get flooded.
That's an excellent way to use an automatic system - and good to hear it is working for you. When I had mine set up I used to do something similar - it helped save time on busy days and also made life easier for guest waterers. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I never see the method I use to reduce the need to water my pots, so just wondering if there is some reason why it is not recommend. I use plant spikes and bottles, both the screw-on plastic ones and the terracotta ones for wine bottles. I’ve now got enough glass bottles (blue, green and clear) for most of the garden, with extra plastic drinks bottles for fruit and veg. It seems to work very well for me, and kept all my plants alive for 10 days away last August!
Thanks for sharing your experience Alex - as you say, bottle waterers and ollas are another option to consider. I haven't seen the terracotta spikes for wine bottles, so I'll have to look out for those.
Unfortunately it's not a practical solution for me as a many of my plants - the tomatoes, fruit trees, courgettes etc - need more water than is easy to supply using the bottle method. For example, fully grown tomato plants will each drink 2 litres / half a gallon of water every day on hot or windy days. (When I grew tomatoes in hanging baskets back in the day, I used to use those plastic bottle waterers to help ensure they had enough water to last - and I'd fill them up every day.)
I'm surprised the bottles kept your plants healthy for ten days, but great they did! In general I'd recommend them more for shorter periods, like long weekends away.
Ah yes, my 'ten-day' plants weren't things like courgettes or tomatoes! But my main use for the spikes is reducing the number of times per week that I need to water. I have 3 tomato plants with beans in a raised bed (made out of 3 uncomfortable chairs!) and they have 6 plastic bottles of water on spikes which last a week, together with feeding once a week; the soil beneath the mulch always feels damp.
That’s a great way to use them - and the constant water supply will help reduce the risk of your plants getting stressed through fluctuating water levels.
I use cords too, one end in a jar of water, and the other in a hanging basket, as I grow all my salad leaves and strawberries in colanders and baskets now to avoid slug damage. Okay for these containers, but wouldn't last long in big containers.
So actually, yes! Sort of silly. I'm growing peas. They're full shoots are grown, but I'm not sure when to pick them! Very exciting - my first time growing them.
That IS exciting! Are you growing them to eat the shoots or the peas themselves? If the shoots, you can eat almost any size. I'd pick some soon to try and see what they are like. If good, eat more! But leave a few to get larger to find how you like them at different sizes. At this time of year they grow fast - which is good, but they can also go from being sweet and tender to being tough and bitter if you don't keep an eye on them!
Ah omgosh! I don’t even know!! I guess I will eat the whole thing? How exciting. Then I’ll wait and see if some of them get plumper. I wasn’t sure if I should wait for the peas to get really huge or not.
Sorry, I'm probably not explaining very clearly. All parts of the pea are edible, but the most common parts that people grow them for are: i) the leaves and tendrills - often known as pea shoots ii) the peas inside the pod and iii) the pod itself. The pod is technically always edible but some varieties have tender pods (often known as snap peas) that are delicious while others have tougher pods that are not particularly pleasant to eat! To eat the peas, you want to wait until the peas bulge up nicely in the pod - but do try one before too long as they taste best before they get too large and old!
Thanks Mark - so useful reminders - I always get a bit panicky when I see the lettuce going over and hoping the next lot will catch up - cant bear the thought of not enough leaves for lunch.
I have a number of old plastic dustbins which I fill with water as its so much easier and quicker to fill the watering can. I empty water from water butts into the dustbins so I have capacity to harvest more water
Good advice as always, Mark.
Regarding watering, I have an automatic watering system set up which is a godsend, but I only use it in the large pots (courgettes, bush tomatoes, celery, bush beans, etc.) I find that 5 mins every morning works well for me, and if it is very hot or windy I will sometimes give extra water later in the day. I don't use it for smaller pots because they just get flooded.
That's an excellent way to use an automatic system - and good to hear it is working for you. When I had mine set up I used to do something similar - it helped save time on busy days and also made life easier for guest waterers. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I never see the method I use to reduce the need to water my pots, so just wondering if there is some reason why it is not recommend. I use plant spikes and bottles, both the screw-on plastic ones and the terracotta ones for wine bottles. I’ve now got enough glass bottles (blue, green and clear) for most of the garden, with extra plastic drinks bottles for fruit and veg. It seems to work very well for me, and kept all my plants alive for 10 days away last August!
Thanks for sharing your experience Alex - as you say, bottle waterers and ollas are another option to consider. I haven't seen the terracotta spikes for wine bottles, so I'll have to look out for those.
Unfortunately it's not a practical solution for me as a many of my plants - the tomatoes, fruit trees, courgettes etc - need more water than is easy to supply using the bottle method. For example, fully grown tomato plants will each drink 2 litres / half a gallon of water every day on hot or windy days. (When I grew tomatoes in hanging baskets back in the day, I used to use those plastic bottle waterers to help ensure they had enough water to last - and I'd fill them up every day.)
I'm surprised the bottles kept your plants healthy for ten days, but great they did! In general I'd recommend them more for shorter periods, like long weekends away.
Ah yes, my 'ten-day' plants weren't things like courgettes or tomatoes! But my main use for the spikes is reducing the number of times per week that I need to water. I have 3 tomato plants with beans in a raised bed (made out of 3 uncomfortable chairs!) and they have 6 plastic bottles of water on spikes which last a week, together with feeding once a week; the soil beneath the mulch always feels damp.
That’s a great way to use them - and the constant water supply will help reduce the risk of your plants getting stressed through fluctuating water levels.
I use cords too, one end in a jar of water, and the other in a hanging basket, as I grow all my salad leaves and strawberries in colanders and baskets now to avoid slug damage. Okay for these containers, but wouldn't last long in big containers.
so many good tips!!
Ah, thanks, I hope they are useful for you Ariel. Anything you are particularly wanting to grow for your culinary adventures?
So actually, yes! Sort of silly. I'm growing peas. They're full shoots are grown, but I'm not sure when to pick them! Very exciting - my first time growing them.
That IS exciting! Are you growing them to eat the shoots or the peas themselves? If the shoots, you can eat almost any size. I'd pick some soon to try and see what they are like. If good, eat more! But leave a few to get larger to find how you like them at different sizes. At this time of year they grow fast - which is good, but they can also go from being sweet and tender to being tough and bitter if you don't keep an eye on them!
Ah omgosh! I don’t even know!! I guess I will eat the whole thing? How exciting. Then I’ll wait and see if some of them get plumper. I wasn’t sure if I should wait for the peas to get really huge or not.
Sorry, I'm probably not explaining very clearly. All parts of the pea are edible, but the most common parts that people grow them for are: i) the leaves and tendrills - often known as pea shoots ii) the peas inside the pod and iii) the pod itself. The pod is technically always edible but some varieties have tender pods (often known as snap peas) that are delicious while others have tougher pods that are not particularly pleasant to eat! To eat the peas, you want to wait until the peas bulge up nicely in the pod - but do try one before too long as they taste best before they get too large and old!
Fantastic! Thanks for that explanation! I tried one yesterday and it was so good. 🫛