Stu's Inbox

http://www.thehydroponicum.com/acatalog/Self_Watering_Containers.html

Just read this question of yours, typed in "self watering wall baskets on the top address bar and lots of sites came up. This is the first one - not looked at the others yet. Hope this helps you. Pesonally, I use that water retaining dust/grain stuff which is marvelous, I find.

Charlotte is a second early maturity potato, producing moderate yields of uniform, smooth skinned tubers. Charlotte has a high resistance to foliage and tuber blight. The potato has a medium dry waxy cooked texture.

Yes please......I would like the beetroot chutney recipe! I haven`t grown any this year but have a weekly `organic` vege box delivered, and have a glut of it at the moment.

i have planted beetroot seeds too so i shall try apr boiling abd the roasting them ........... i would be interested in the chutney receipe

it could also be dr rupple its very similar to nelly moser.

Never heard of Carnaby...shall investigate, Stu!

No - 'Fireworks' has light filaments/anthers. Nelly as per your photo has dark. I still go with Nelly. Agree that the site is a helpful one! I have it as a favourite.

Could also be one called Fireworks. Best place for Clematis id is http://www.clematis.hull.ac.uk/

My immediate thought was 'Nelly Moser' - but there are several Clematis with bars. Are the flowers very large? The central filament colours are right for a Nelly. I'll go with her.

If you planted seeds from a bought squash they might not turn out like the parent plant. A few years ago, I planted seeds from a bought butternut squash and they produced horrible fruit - apparently the parent was a hybrid and the 'babies' mutated (I think that's what happened). I now buy squash seeds in packets and they always turn out fine - 'though they're not frost hardy.

Like pumpkins they are heavy feeders...and need good water.

Dont think they need greenhouse in uk either. Ive just planted pumpkins and some of my friends have been succesfull with courgettes. Plant in sheltered sunny spot, watch out out for snails.

Stu,
Here in US they do not need a greenhs. They will grow very quickly with lots of sun,heat and water. You didn't say what kind of squash this is, but most are very fast growing vines and will usually go from seed to harvest in 45 to 60 days.

Keep feeding, then, and it sound as though it is gradually building up to being a good sturdy plant! Fingers crossed for you....

Clematis are greedy plants and need lots of feeding, and the recommendation is a handful of blood, fish and bone forked around it in the spring with a mulch, then another dry feed at the beginning of June or give a liquid feed every three weeks during the growing season. Also, give it time, as it isn't meant to flower yet - it's a July - October one. It may yet surprise you!

I've checked in the latest RHS Garden magazine but £8 per 100 is the best price in there as well

Eurobulbs are £8 for 100 plus p and p and a£35 for about 500
http://www.eurobulbs.co.uk/acatalog/snowdrops.html

Hi Stu

I have been growing Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) bulbs for a number of years and have several on the go at the moment. I am like you I don't thow them away but pop them in the greenhouse water occasionally, let them dry out Aug/July then set them going end of October/November. I also give then a seaweed liquid feed. They are far to expensive to throw away and I have quite a collection. I get my large bulbs from the European market in Manchester at Christmas time 2 for £5 and use them as Christmas present with the correct instructions.

There was a really good article on them in Gardeners world a couple of Christmas's back.

Happy New Year

Debs

Hi Stu! I, like others, suspect that the supermarkets and chain stores tell us to throw these away so we buy new ones next season. I suggest typing "amaryllis" in the search box on this site, click on "questions" and look at the replies to ned's question, which suggests refidgerating bulbs for a while, as opposed to putting them in an airing cupboard. It is the same with hyacinths, etc, with same "discard" instructions. I always plant these out in the garden later, and they are still cloming up every year!. These stores are not as green as they claim to be! A very Happy New Year to you and yours!

I had a beautiful double Amaryllis last year, with two flower spikes. I kept it for this year and though it only had one this year, it was well worth keeping. This one came from Thompson & Morgan and DID have instructions with it. You are quite right about Supermarket purchases, they don't help and I suspect don't want to! Well, it would hurt their trade, wouldn't it?

hi Stu, yes i quite agree - it is unusal that you were not given instructions as to how to over winter this bulb - speaking as a working florist we sell lots of these in the shop i work and we always give the same care instuctions that you have said. - and you are right not rocket science! but then that is the type of uninformed comments you can expect to get from the many high street chains that are tying to muscle in on our bussiness and know nothing about it! need i say more - tesco, sainsburys, asda ect ect....... lol - best go to a florist or garden centre next time stu ! lol

yes stu you have done right, you should cut a Phalaenopsis down to just above the first node. i had one which repete flowered for 8 months solid because i did this. although i suspect it will now stay dorment for a while to recover. but the flowers were well worth the wait! to be honest don't know much about the orchids that you have bought from Madeira there not ones i have grown myself but i do know that there are so many different types of orchid that like different conditions - if they naturally grow in the ground i would put them into compost rather than bark. - good luck will be interesting to see your photos once they grow.

hi Stu, not an expert on all Orchids but i do know a thing or two about phalaenopsis orchids which are the type that you see everywhere with this bark in the pot, - the reason for this is in the wild they don't grow in the ground, they grow from trees, the big roots that hang out of the pot (air roots) attatch them to the trees, so i think the reason this type is grown in bark is because it is nearest to its natural environment! a lot of other types of orchids do grow in the ground so therefore the type of compost you have is ideal! - the ground growing ones generally don't do that well in the bark anyway, they do better in the compost you have. - good luck with it!

Hi Stu - the best people to give you advice and for you to buy the right type of growing medium for your Cattleya are Burnham Nurseries in Devon. Go to http://www.orchids.uk.com/contact.htm.
They exhibit at all the major Shows and win medals! I've visited them and bought some of my orchids there, too. They really know their stuff! They do mail order.

Probably a cattleya which is a family of epiphytic orchids from Central and Southern America.
As for sources of growing medium, if you have a Garden Centre near you specialising in house plants, I would give them a call

Hi stu. I guess not. I have had a look on ebay.co.uk searching for "self watering" - which returned a few hanging baskets with something similar to what you described but I don't think it is what you are looking for.

I would try Jersey Royals for the finest flavour, and grow them where the soil is fertile maybe add some calcified seaweed. Research shows liquid comfrey gives better results with potatoes than a general fertiliser.

I grew "Charlotte" this year in an old compost bag and they came out lovely (almost a carrier bag full) a few odd shapes but thats what you expect when you grow your own!!

Ok Stu. In that case I would definitely go for Spiro Mira.

Think you are a bit late to buy seed potatoes. I grew Red Duke of York with reasonable success. The amount of rain we had did not help.
What I am trying right now is to "chit" shop bought Maris Piper,
plant them 4 inches down and 12 inches between rows. They are excellent spuds.
Reading my Kitchen Garden magazine I read that a variety called Spiro Mira are very resistant to blight. But, again, I think you will struggle to find any seed spuds at this time of the year.

Good luck