Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: hubballi on June 28, 2013, 00:44
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I prepared a herb bed in sunshine, deep, moist compost mixed with soil for the deep roots. I planted out parsley and coriander as well as other salad leaves. All have done reasonably well but given the conditions of well prepared bed, plenty of early day sunshine they are looking well small. The coriander once the first cut is taken remains bare and spindly as does the one in the kitchen windowsill. All grown from seed but not lush like the lush Bunchy stuff you see growing and in Supermarkets. They have all been fed with nettle and chicken Manure, seaweed tonic at intervals for the nitrogen but it hasn't put any growth on. Looks like I am destined to grow bonsai everything in my garden despite giving ideal conditions. :-(
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Parsley takes it time to get going, it starts very slowly then suddenly takes off. Coriander can be awkward too and you can get two types of seed, seed to grow for the seed and seed for the leaf, for good bushy plants you need the leaf variety. If you can get it established in a spot that it likes it will often self seed and grow for you every year. Are you sure that they need so much feeding? I plonk mine in a pot of multi purpose, or in the ground wherever there is a gap (with no special preparation to the soil) and they seem to be just fine. :)
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Mine are very well deprived of goodness, mean is the way i treat my herb bed infact if it gets water its lucky.
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My coriander is coming along very slowly. I don't have any parsley in at the moment, but when I do have both the parsley is usually a little bit more vigorous.
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Ok, I will hold back on the feeding and see what happens. Thanks folks.
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Some good guidelines here:
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=679
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Well, the parsley has got SMALLER and one stem turned yellow. The coriander has disappeared and the rocket is small and pathetic. By now it should all be thriving in good, deep soil. >:(
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Hubbali, I notice you mention they are in the sun, a lot of herbs, including parsley and coriander like partial shade. My parsley definitely does better where it gets some shade. :)
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Not full-all day sun but some sun morning and early afternoon. Cut and come again rocket doesn't come again either. Just awful. I also sewed a lot of rocket seed 3 weeks ago too and nothing doing.
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Hubbali, given that I am someone who has tried to grow for many years in an unsuitable aspect, just how much direct sun do your plants get ? I believe you need more light, not less... all of them
Spindly plants are a classic symptom of poor light. Just how much direct sun do you get per day on any plant ? I have a garden that gets no direct sun for 6 months of the year and only 3 to 6 hours in one place throughout the other Summer months. And that is not enough for successful food growing ... well apart from the odd tomato, a bit of kale, and a few runners and French beans that make use of the July and August high sun. And that's before one even has to deal with the pests that dominate in such an environment.
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Not much sun in winter months as st walled but still, first I am told they are getting too much sun and now not enough. Which is it ?
I am talking about salad, herbs etc that thrive in summer when the sun is around most of the time. My garden gets sun all day in he spring and summer months.
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Most veg, salad, herbs like full sun. A few like a bit of shade.
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Not much sun in winter months as st walled but still, first I am told they are getting too much sun and now not enough. Which is it ?
I am talking about salad, herbs etc that thrive in summer when the sun is around most of the time. My garden gets sun all day in he spring and summer months.
You just have to work with what you have, look for plants that suit shade, sun. My herbs are in full sun and some died like parsley etc but others like rosemary, thyme and sage seem to love it. Only you know how much shade you get as you live in your house its hard for other people to advise, we can all only guess unless you fancy having us all over for tea :)
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Hubbali, I notice you mention they are in the sun, a lot of herbs, including parsley and coriander like partial shade.
That's true :)
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Well the parsley is shaded by a large flat leaf parsley (gone to flower) so it isn't in full sun. Sorry but it should be doing well where it is.
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I disagree Hubb.
It sounds to me your plants get no more than 4 or 5 hours direct sunlight. That is not enough for almost any food plant in this country, especially the likes of a healthy leafy coriander. Partial shade does not mean hidden by buildings for 3/4 of daylight hours.
I don't think you're listening to so many caring thoughts of other posters. That's a shame. It's your plants, your food, your effort.
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I disagree Hubb.
It sounds to me your plants get no more than 4 or 5 hours direct sunlight. That is not enough for almost any food plant in this country, especially the likes of a healthy leafy coriander. Partial shade does not mean hidden by buildings for 3/4 of daylight hours.
I don't think you're listening to so many caring thoughts of other posters. That's a shame. It's your plants, your food, your effort.
You seem to have a very good idea of how sunlight works in my garden having never visited. How come I have all kinds of plants that seem to thrive here if its too dark? You are a bit too pessimistic and others are not being kind to patronise, they are making helpful suggestions other than trying to discourage. To say a parsley plant that doesn't need too much sunlight is not doing well because the garden doesn't get much sunlight is contradictory. :nowink:
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Hubb you ask for help, people will have different opinions, usually we get 12 posts with 12 different ways to do something. What you must do is consider all the comments and work out what to do next. No-one knows for sure as we havent seen you location, but people are trying to help which is what you asked for. :)
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I recognise your logic and emotion. Suffice to say it's not mine and I don't wish to continue it further. Good luck. I won't be adding my opinion to your ongoing woes again.
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You seem to have a very good idea of how sunlight works in my garden having never visited.
If you took some photos for us, at say 3 hour spaces, then perhaps we might know a bit more about the light conditions in your walled garden, Hubballi.
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You could tell me I am wrong here folks ! but a lot of herbs are alpine derivatives and prefer poorer soils ! So maybe Hubbs soil is togood for what he/she wants to achieve ?
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I recognise your logic and emotion. Suffice to say it's not mine and I don't wish to continue it further. Good luck. I won't be adding my opinion to your ongoing woes again.
Why because I disagreed with you ? Good grief.
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I recognise your logic and emotion. Suffice to say it's not mine and I don't wish to continue it further. Good luck. I won't be adding my opinion to your ongoing woes again.
Why because I disagreed with you ? Good grief.
Everyone is here to help hubbs do remember that but no one wants to be arguing all the time.
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With limited sunlight in my garden (which I think to be fair every spot in everyone's garden gets) why have I managed this ? The sun does move for everyone ;)
(http://i803.photobucket.com/albums/yy311/marb67/Berryharvest.jpg) (http://s803.photobucket.com/user/marb67/media/Berryharvest.jpg.html)
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Hubbs no one is saying your failing at everything, people are trying to offer advice on problems you have asked about. You then get defensive and say not possible and wont listen.
Maybe ask yourself this before you post, do you actually want someone elses opinion or not.
Its not really a competition we are all trying to achieve the same end result, good food, healthy exercise, saving a few pennies on our food bills and to achieve something in the harvest.
You do have some issues growing, maybe just maybe more than others, or maybe you just post more abouit the problems than others.
My garden is rubbish for growing in the soil goes between a bog and a dust bowl, we have huge amounts of builders rubble just below the surface and nothing growing well. Havng said that we stuck in a load of fruit trees and bushes and some years they are good some not. We have issues with sawfly at home and aphids but every plum that comes off the fruit tree is a bonus i my eyes. I concerntrate more on the plot than at home, my garden doesnt even grow weeds well.
Everyone is trying to help, people cant see your garden in totality, they dont know how the sun casts shade or not. We all depend on you providing a bigger picture so people can see what is goingon and try to help further.
Maybe a few posts about the things that grow well for you. :)
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I thought about doing a video with an ipad to give an idea but would be too much to upload.
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The strawberries and gooseberries look great, Hubbballi :D
BQ is quite right in what she says, so listen and take note of her.
And some more pictures would be great. If you can upload a short (2-3) minute video to Youtube or photobucket we'd all love to see it.