Townie
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Share your gardening joys - JuneBroad Beans are through now - planted late may
Peas are through too - planted at same time as broad beans
Tomato plants inside the greenhouse - doing well but got sunburnt with the good weather last week.
Pepper/chilli plants doing great - now about 6-8 Inches tall
Basil smelling wonderful (in greenhouse)
Potatoes doing grand... both in the ground and in sacks.
Blackcurrant bush looking a tad worse for wear - blackfly got it and it has next to no leaves left, the fruit is all ok tho, but has no protection, guess the berries will be ready earlier than expected.
Lettuce and raddish looking fab.
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Smooth Hound
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sounding good  im jeolous  my gardens a disaster this yr  at least ive got the g house up though
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Forget-me-Not
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I built a pond todayHaving taken down and recycled two horrible old ever green trees. (I love trees but these were smelly and one had an about to be rebuilt wasps nest in it.) Also land beneath them, shady and very dry.
Today I dug a four wheel barrow hole, sunk our green lower part of tortoise sand pit into it, covered with plastic and built up around it. It's hopefully going to be great for wildlife. I'm going t get a couple of small oxygenators for it and plant something appropriate round it, plus have a rocky area full of crevices for wildlife.
First ever pond, both my parents are pond diggers, my childhood was punctuated by my Dad building bigger and bigger numbers of them He now has one the size of a swimming pool 
Beth  (I also cleared a bed and planted squash, beans and sweet corn re three sisters in a hot sunny corner and built a new bed and planted out mixed chard. Plus planted out more brassicas.)
Click to see full size image
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Smooth Hound
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i may get some advice off you then, i started digging a pond last yr, but what with one thing or another it got postponed, but its started, i wanted to get some frogs running around,
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Forget-me-Not
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PondI don't really know any more than I've just done but I can refer questions to my parents. I'd love some frogs. My mother has a newt. We used to have a toad (couple) who lived in herb bed at last house. Every year they appeared and then we built a toad house of slate on pebbles and it was adopted which was great!
Beth
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Smooth Hound
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 i also like to just look at a pond, i could stand for ages just watching
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Forget-me-Not
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PondI've already stood staring. I need a wee seat nearby, so I can gaze with a cuppa. When it was pouring the other week, it was wonderful watching the blackbirds all bathing in the puddles across from my garden. If a car drove past, they flew up into the trees then returned. I'm wondering how long it will be before the birds notice the pond.
Beth
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JamesB
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first saladhad our first salad from the garden, bit a mish mash, lettuce, radishs, chives (+ chickpeas and sorrel from the wild area). Admittidly had to add tomatoes and mushrooms but at least the mushrooms were from balmedie
James
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Diana
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Had the first of this year's strawberries yesterday - unadulterated and still sun-warmed. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Ina
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| Diana wrote: | | Had the first of this year's strawberries yesterday - unadulterated and still sun-warmed. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm |
Right - when can I come and help you pick? 
Just planted some broad beans - I hadn't meant to grow any, but last time I was in Montrose I saw those very healthy looking plants for sale... Sigh.
And I do a lot of slug collecting, morning and night (when I remember, that is!). They've even already heavily damaged my radishes - grown in containers, but that doesn't deter them!
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Maria
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Peas and nasturtiums are flowering. A lovely orange and white starting to appear at the base of my mini willow hedging.
Tomatoes are flowing too - and the carrots are peeking through. Last years chard are huge and has lovely orange, red, and white stems. The comfrey that i started from seed is huge, and the bees love them. There's plenty for the compost heap, and plant food. Just spotted some recipes on selfsufficientish...so might have a go at one of them too.
Have had many a salad from spring onions, radish, lettuce, mixed leaves, cabbage. And have plenty of herbs about to give everything a bit of flavour - chives, parsley, dill, sage, marjoram, lemonbalm, mint, hyssop, thyme. Summer is good and can only get better....as skys don't keep opening so often. Poor garden is still drenched from the last downpour. Think I need to think about better drainage - or wetter plants.
Roll on the cucumber, toms and strawberries - not had any yet. Unless you count blatent theft from Ironworkers garden.
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earthroots
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pak choi is our main harvest so far - very tasty in salad or stir fried - other than that spinach, chives and mint for the salad. Have to be vigilant on the slug patrol though cos they love pak choi.
Had a few rhubarb crumbles - and a batch of rhubarb and ginger muffins.
Blackcurrant bushes looking very heavy with green berries - can't wait for them to be ready. Raspberries still young canes so doubt we'll get much this year.
tatties, leeks, peas, carrots, broccoli and kale looking good but still got a long way to go. I think my one and only courgette plant is dying and my pumpkins need more feeding.
Lots of medicinal herbs growing fast and furiously too - hopefully I get round to harvesting and preserving this year - I didn't last year and we missed out on our winter remedies Got a patch of burdock - hoping to make dandelion and burdock cordial for the first time. Anyone got a recipe?
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wildgarlic
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Sounds yummy - especially the rhubarb and ginger muffins. Do you have a recipe for that?
I've not made D&B but I LOVE it. I think HFW had a recipe on the River Cottage site.
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earthroots
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The original recipe for the muffins is below - I did a vegan variation on it by omitting egg and using soya milk instead of cream and milk. I also sprinked soft brown sugar on top before cooking for a sweet crunchy topping.
Rhubarb n ginger muffins
280g plain flour
2 teasp baking powder
half teasp bicarb of soda
half teasp salt
1 teasp ginger
100g soft brown sugar
1 egg
150 ml milk
150 ml sour cream
3 tablesps veg oil or melted butter
150g rhubarb - raw and finely chopped
1. prepare muffin tins. Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, ginger and salt together.
3. In seperate bowl, beat egg, stir in milk, sour cream, oil or butter and rhubarb.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Stir just to combine. Batter will be lumpy but no dry flour should be visible. Do not over stir.
5. Spoon into greased muffin tins or cases. Bake for 20-25 mins. Tops should be lightly browned and spring back when gently pressed.
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Forget-me-Not
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RhubarbEverytime I make Rhubarb Crumble I get bad indigestion. I absolutely love it, which makes this sadder. Does anyone know whether this is a sign of something I'm doing wrong or just plain bad luck.
Beth
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Sassinak
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Try making rhubarb and ginger crumble because ginger goes really well with rhubarb and is good for the digestion.
Phil drinks rum and peppermint sometimes, he reckons that mixing the pep with the rum kills the indigestion before it has chance to start lol
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Maria
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Disgard any parts of the stem that are still green?? Seem to remember that these are not good for you - can't drag the 'why' out of my memory right now. 
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Sassinak
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Does the oxalic acid get converted to something else as it ripens?
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Forget-me-Not
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RhubarbWill check for green bits. I already use ginger in there.
Really fancy doing some at the weekend, so will try again. Thanks
bETH
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wildgarlic
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Thanks for that recipe - I'm going to give that one a go for sure!
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Smooth Hound
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i wouldnt hve thought of ginger, good idea
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MaidinBrit10
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After 3 weeks of neglect....(due to redesigning back 'yard') ..... went to allotment this morning.......
and yes lots of weeds...... BUT
I picked some strawberries..... huge red ones..... which had been overcome with the weeds..... and there are loads more there!
Picked some spinach..... never grown it b4.....
Brassicas lookin good.....
Was not really too sure how this new allotment would be..... but I am surprised.... EVERYTHING we have put in is growing! even the feckin weeds......lol
Must go.... back to allotment.... Cherio!
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andybebbington
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picked some raddish for tea last night all planted together was suprised to see the size of the bigger one
along side nomall raddish
with a 10p
cut in half
it was not blown like ones that get left for to long and tasted fine
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Smooth Hound
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just picked a pak choi, some spring onions, and i have 3 green tomatoes
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