Gardens and gardening 2025

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Hi everyone, I used to post a lot in a previous Gardens etc until my wife was also diagnosed with cancer just over 2 years ago and she went through such a hard time so my time was taken up with not just Mrs Tvman but I was not good because of the rise and fall of red cells, white cells, neutrophils and platelets. 

The good news is that I have a little bit more free time to garden. I never stopped because it's in my DNA to get working in the garden. I'm also a wheelchair user because of a serious back condition called spinal stenosis and the pain is so great that I'm only able to work in short bursts.

So let's see photos of your gardens or allotments, whether they be large or small or maybe you only have room for pots and troughs in a balcony or back yard. 

My speciality for the last 40 years is vegetables and I have won hundreds of prizes over the last 20 years or so. I have had vegetables in show that have made me Northern Ireland champion for my sins. Unfortunately, since covid some shows have ceased therefore I haven't entered any for a few years. 

I've a few photos below, that's if I can remember how to insert them! It's been a while.

Below is a photo of the contents of my greenhouse, there are tomato plants left and right of the pathway. Also just past the tomatoes are cucumber plants against that have frames for them to climb up. The cucumber variety is Mini Munch, they're a small variety that are sufficient for a few salads 

The plants in the large pots below are aubergines, variety Black Beauty and inbetween the pots is a seed tray in which spring onion seeds have been sown which of course haven't germinated yet. Over here in Northern Ireland we call spring onions "scallions" and apart from in salads we have them with butter in mashed potatoes and that dish is called "champ". Believe it or not that was served as a stand alone dish that we had when I was small, some 60 years ago. Just mashed potatoes with small pieces of cut up scallions, cooked slowly in real butter then a dinner plate was loaded up with champ, a hole made in the top and filled with more butter then everything was mixed together and eaten. Along with an Ulster Fry in the morning, no wonder we had the highest rate of heart disease in Europe! 

Last photo below for this post is a bed of garlic (on the left), shallots in the foreground and at the far end for those of you eagle-eyed is a few red and white onions that are just 2 or 3 inches high. They are grown from onion sets that are small immature onions and usually come in a net bag weighing 250g and there are about 70 in total.

You'll notice that I have wire netting around the beds, that's because 3 years ago I had a rabbit problem. 35 years without them, 1½ years of rabbits and none since! The wire netting is staying for a while yet!

What about some photos from anyone else?

Tvman 

  • We love lobelia too, we have blue this year but each year it depends on what colour scheme Mrs Tvman decides. 

    Love life and family.
  • Hi tvman, my partner is no gardener, 2 trays of whatever annuals Asda has on offer will do for her, I despair, though when you have a beautiful ancient woodland on your doorstep, whatever you do will never come close.

    love Eddie and Sheila xx

  • Although we have lots of troughs etc filled with flowers, my main concern is growing fruit and veg and also entering some of my produce in yearly shows. 

    A bed of potatoes growing well 

    Another bed of potatoes 

    And another in the field opposite. We like potatoes in Northern Ireland!

    A little bed of strawberries 

    Garlic, onions and shallots 

    And some tomatoes in the greenhouse 

    I also have carrots, parsnips, lettuces, leeks, spring onions, aubergines, cabbages, sprouts, cauliflowers, broad beans, sweetcorn and a few herbs. I think I may have missed one or two. It's not easy to keep on top of that lot especially when I can hardly walk because of a back condition. Once the weeding is reasonably in shape, it's not just as time consuming.

    Tvman x

    Love life and family.
  • How are your strawberries coming along Eddie?

    Love life and family.
  • Plenty of flowers, I've given them some super phosphate and a liquid feed due to  no rain, the drought has slowed them somewhat, but I'll make sure their well watered till harvest time then reduce it a little.   Tom's and peppers, spuds, and runner beans 

    Eddie 

  • Hi L, can't work out if your allium is in a greenhouse or not and I can't see the pot it's planted into. As Eddie is saying, if the no-stem one is getting too much water you'll know when you lift it because the base will be soggy with white spots/areas. I grow at least 100 onions every year for eating and showing and there are occasionally ones that get too much water. Alliums need a deep pot and your mix should be 50% compost, 50% horticultural grit or perlite. This mix opens up the growing medium to enable the roots to get air and food from the compost so the allium bulb isn't sitting in damp compost. If you put your finger in the compost and it's damp, you don't need to water. Alliums are suitable for flower beds also but again, drainage is key.

    There is a wealth of information online. HTH

    Tvman 

    Love life and family.
  • Yes Fleabane he kept the birds from eating the seeds and looked well too. Unfortunately he succumbed to the wet weather over 4 years.

    Tvman 

    Love life and family.
  • I don't grow as many runner beans because we can't keep up with eating them!!!

    Tvman 

    Love life and family.
  • Morning tvman, runners are a big family favourite, even the little ones love them, especially if I Put them through the slicer which turns them into a fab substitute for spaghetti.

    Talking of alliums  has allium leaf minor reached you yet?, what a pest, in every sense of the word, and no way of getting rid of it. 

    Eddie xx

  • Oooo like the idea of spaghetti ING your beans Eddie...going to try that Smiley