Gardening Thread

[Mochamoos]

Thanks Matt!,

Have you tried the RHS plant selector?

Royal Horticultural Society - Plants

You tell it what you want it tells you what plants you need!

[Paradox]

Thanks mocha.

Does it translate into idiot?

Matt

[Mochamoos]

I can use it so I think that means yes!

[RLJ]

Got a plum tree thats loaded this year. Can i make wine out of them?

[Mochamoos]

Got a plum tree thats loaded this year. Can i make wine out of them?

Sure can! and yummy plum jam!!!

I saw a really cool wine website...see if I can find it again

Basic Plum Wine Recipe (One gallon recipe)
I think this recipe looks pretty good and you should be able to use any type of plums. The plums should be good and ripe but not rotten. Good Luck and let me know how it turns out and any changes in the recipe you may have changed.
3.5 qt. water
2 lbs sugar or 2 lbs. light honey
4 lbs. ripe sweet plums or 3 lbs. wild plums
5 tsp. acid blend (Do not use with wild plums)
1/8 tsp. tannin
1 tsp. yeast nutrient
1 Campden tablet (recommended)
1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme
Champagne or Montrachet yeast
Boil water and sugar/honey. If using honey, skim the scum.
Wash, stem, and pit the plums. Cut into small pieces saving the juice.
Put in straining bag in bottom of primary fermenter and mash.
Pour hot sugar water over fruit and fill up to 1-gallon mark.
When cooled add acid, tannin, nutrient and Campden tablet. Cover and fit with air lock.
After 12 hours add the pectic enzyme.
24 hours later add yeast and stir.
Remove straining bag after a week.
When must reaches Specific Gravity of 1.030, rack to secondary fermenter.
Rack again in 2-3 weeks.
Rack again in 2-6 months.
After it ferments out, stabilize with Campden tablets or stabalizer and add 2-6 oz of sugar to sweeten if needed.
Bottle and age 6-12 months.

[Mochamoos]

Here we go : Grape Stomper Home Page..Wine Info & Links to Grape Places!..Wine Making Supplies ..Beer Making Supplies..Winemaking Recipes

(not sure if Im allowed to put links in, please deleate if not!)

[Fendyweather]

Well I bought a loquat tree this year, planted it and its going bonkers......................... never eaten a loquat though, so will be a new experience once September comes around and it starts fruiting. And planted different grape vines, all going mental, utterly mental........... Yeeeeeeeeee, garden really taking off now after all the work we put in this spring........... building, digging, planting etc...........x

[Mochamoos]

I didnt know you could grow grapes in this country....very cool! Are you going to make us some wine Fendy?

[RLJ]

Wow thanks Moch. Will let you know how it turns out. May be a while they not ripe yet!

RLJ

[Fendyweather]

Yeah too right. Apparently we can grow them, but it takes several years for them to be edible though. Although one of the vines I bought was already 7 years old, so Im hoping they might actually be edible this year on that one. Fingers crossed anyway. Oh, and I planted an almond tree too, which apparently after about 3 years will actually give me real almonds. Really............ honest.

[Mad Hatter]

Anyone got a Monkey Puzzle tree?

[Happyolddog]

may I make a suggestion!
I love my garden and would like to see what others gardens are like, so lets take some pictures put those pictures in our photobucket albums and then post the url so that others can see our gardens.
I don't have any pictures of the garden as yet, I tend to take pictures of people or animals in the garden, rather than the garden. But here is one of paddy my Irish water hound, relaxing in the garden.
http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s...g/paddywad.png
best wishes,
Hod..Liam...

[Paule]

Hi all, though i'd stick my two penneth in here as well

I'm into unusual plants and not the avergae sort of stuff.

I have 2no desert roses which (from the name) normally live in deserts. They have a big bulbous base with lots of branching off, At the mo one is just starting to flower.
Le Jardin Naturel - Adenium obesum

I'm also growing sunflowers of which i have abou 2 dozen made up of Russian (heads about 1ft wide with stems about 1" thick), Some red ones and some Giant, whicha re slightly smaller than the russian. I also planted some sunflower seeds that i bought for the birds and they are growing good as well.

So a tip...If you want normal sunflowers go but a £1 bag of sunflower seeds for birds and plant them. You will get a few thousand seeds in a bag as oppesed to £1 a seed for the russian.

Paul

ps the sunflowers dont like the wind and rain weve been having lately

[strangewayofsavin]

Anyone got a Monkey Puzzle tree?

Are you after the seeds Mad? if so down our local library they have a couple of Chilean pines (monkey Puzzle), I can get you some seeds for you if you wish, about August.

[Fendyweather]

My neighbour has monkey puzzle, she grows seedlings every year, I can check and see if she has any spares that you could have ??? If ya like ????? Hers is humongous, and soooooooooo beautiful, but she brought it with her when she moved. She had it lifted from her old house by professionals and brought to the new one. Fendy xxxx Its a lovely tree.

I myself prefer mediterranean and exotic plants. I got the plain run o the mill stuff too, but this year planted, lots of weird stuff. Grapes, Italian Cypress trees, tall thin ones, Castor Oil Plants, Banana Tree, Peach trees, plum trees, Almond tree, calamondin orange which has to be lifted and brought in every winter, Lemon tree, same story, gooseberries, blueberries, cherry, twisted corkscrew hazel, loquat, blackberries, raspberry canes, bay trees, cordylines, anything at all that makes me feel like Im on hols.

Took some pics of the garden last year in spring before it really started to take off. I would do one of this years, but on account it has done nothing but piddle down all June, I cant really get out there whilst things are sopping wet without getting drenched and my digicam ruined. Tis coming down sideways again today. I am uber sick of the pigging rain now. When is it ever gonna end.

Fendys Pizza Bread oven we built in the garden. This is taken from the webby we bought the plans from, but ours is exactly like it. Its ace.............. Fendy xxx Can cook anything from pizza to bread to steak to whatever in it. Its fabby...........xxx complete with little patio on the front and I even planted a fig tree next to it like the one in the pic. Lol Lol xxxxx