… okay, a thousand seedlings may be a slight exaggeration but as I survey all the seeds that have germinated so far: petunias, basil, nasturtium and curly parsley to name a few, I don’t have enough pots to prick out.
Another week and another Six on Saturday (SoS). It is difficult to select my six this week as there is so much activity in the garden. I planted lots of seeds (seven different types in total), and as I opened each packet, I was surprised how tiny some of the seeds were. And as for the gold-plated, blight resistant Koralik tomatoes, there were only eight seeds which I had to hunt for in the corner of the packet.
1. Petunia Passion
It’s fortuitous I love petunias as I will probably have well over one hundred plants.
I pricked these out yesterday
These are another batch ready for thinning out but I’ve run out of multi-purpose compost AND pots. I will need to get creative and upcycle some plastic containers such as shampoo bottles, plastic bottles and various other containers.
I planted these seeds towards the end of January and they are now ready to plant in their final resting place. Does it normally take three months from seed to bloom?
These petunias planted last May are still flowering so I am loathed to discard them
2. Double Whammy – Blackspot AND Powdery Mildew!
I am cursed with this rose. Have I left this too late to treat? I was going to pick off all the leaves with blackspot, and then treat the powdery mildew with baking soda and neem oil.
3. Tomato Blight
Never count your chickens before they hatch… These tomato plants have only been out of the cold frame since April 4th and they are already showing the first signs of tomato blight. Sigh… any suggestions, please?
4. Lime Tree
The lime tree, dare I say, seems to be thriving in the pot and is already producing fruit.
**
5. Nêspera (also known as Loquat)
The nêsperas are finally ready for harvesting. I have yet to decide if I will make Loquat jam or chutney. Decisions, decisions!
6. Plant Display Stand
The OH occasionally has some good ideas and this is one of them. This display stand was relegated to the garage a couple of years ago due to lack of space in the house. I was going to give it/throw it away until he suggested we use it in the garden to display some plants! Ten out of ten for the initiative.
SSssshhhh…. It also gives me an excellent excuse to buy some more plants!
That’s it for this week. Why not click over to Mr. P’s blog to catch up with more gardeners.
SoS Posts for April:
Success, Failure and a Nice Surprise
Piglet in Portugal 
Wait, did that rose get pruned? It should have gotten pruned over winter. When pruning, all the foliage should be removed from the stems and the ground. That is where the pathogens overwinter. You can not eliminate it completely, but you can limit it. Pruning stimulates vigorous growth that tends to grow faster than the pathogens can keep up with. A lack of pruning is the MOST common problem that i see in roses.
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Hi Tony, OH pruned the rose in January. This is all new growth in last couple of months. there’s no sun forecast today, so I am going to pick all the leaves off, clean the top of soil and spray.
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Wow, those pathogens moved in quickly!
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You can make a very serviceable pot from newspaper. Cut into strips a bit wider than you need for the height of the pot. Roll loosely around a suitable jar or can with one end overlapping. Bit of sellotape down the side. Fold down the overlapping end and tape down. Remove from jar. Bob’s your uncle.
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Jim, you give me hope! Spraying and feeding is on my to do list for tomorrow.
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If you’re in a region that favours blackspot (like mild and damp Cornwall where I live) there’s no point trying to grow other than really resistant roses unless you’re prepared to spray regularly. Mildew is likely similar but is a relatively easy fungus to control because it’s mostly superficial, non-chemical treatments like SB Invigorator claim to be effective against it. It probably also needs feeding, roses are greedy feeders. I think that is likely to be the problem with the tomatoes too, I’m pretty certain it’s not blight.
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I also grow a loquat, but seeing all the fruits that yours has, makes me envious … I love them. Mine is in the ground for 2 years, and I have never had flowers … I don’t not know why but I find it sick because of some curled leaves just on the edge, with a little brown edge but otherwise it grows and always gives new shoots … weird. It’s certain that your climate does a lot to have fruit …
3 months to get petunia flowers …I have to sow mine…
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Fred, that tree is about 12 years old so it is now well established. Mine never had any fruit for years – please don’t feel disheartened. 🙂
Yep, you better get sowing! i actually think my seeds were planted too early and did not have enough heat.
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You’ve got some challenges there, but then those beautiful nespera — Mmmmmm. I think you may be giving away oodles of seedlings. I always transplant too many since it’s difficult to compost such successful sprouts.
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This is the best crop so far. I’m rather chuffed with it considering the strong salt winds. It must be a hardy tree to put up with that AND competition from the hedge. I have been picking out seedlings again this afternoon and have now completely run out of containers. Hopefully, some of the gardening group will take some of the petunias to grow on.
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Loquat! How wonderful and of course delicious. Are you sure that it is blight? Has it been very humid there? It could be a mineral deficiency. Give the rose a good feed and a talking to and I am sure it will be fine. Happy pricking out!
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Yep, it is VERY humid here as we are so close to the sea which makes gardening quite a challenge.I don’t think it’s a mineral deficiency as it is in new compost but I’ll give it a feed anyway. Nothing to lose 🙂
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I love your repurposed plant stand. I am concerned the rose may have had its day, though it is hard to make that decision when it has such lovely flowers. I have a feeble Rosa ‘The Pilgrim’ in a similar pot that really needs me to take my own advice. I seem to have to spray it every other day with soap solution to keep the greenflies off and if I miss a week they suck the young shoots to a shrivel.
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So far the greenfly have not discovered my rose 🙂 Last year it was my hydrangeas in pots that suffered from powdery mildew and I sprayed them with milk… Can’t take your eye off the plants for a moment… they are like children.
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Fingers crossed for this year!
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A great plant stand it is too! I don’t tend to treat blackspot. It doesn’t look very pretty but they pull through. Last year they all seemed to be blackspot free.
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I notice you use your garden swing seat as a garden stand. Is that temporary? As for blackspot… I thought it killed the plant if left untreated.
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The swing seat is the safest place for seedlings. The slugs have do far to travel bit many bother to try (though I found one had made it last night – it might have been hiding in the compost). We’ll get to sit on it later in the summer! The roses that have had black spot have come back so far – though they wouldn’t win any prizes. Feeding is supposed to help I think – I must look it up again.
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I’m seeing a lot of people returning to plant stands. It’s a tempting option to fit in even more plants.
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We can always find space for ‘just’ one more plant 🙂
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Love your posts!
Took your advice & went to the Albufeira plant centre & got some fab succulents 👍
Looking at your rose…only in my opinion….you need chop down dramatically & hope it recovers healthily…if not it will need destroying 😞
Keep up the good work!
Wendy
Sent from my iPad
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Hi Wendy, I’m so pleased you found your visit to Quinta da Ataboeira worthwhile. Did you join their loyalty discount scheme?
My next purchase from there will be a ponytail palm…. but I will message them via FB first to make sure they have some in stock.
As for the rose, sigh… I think I will cut it right back, then spray it.
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