Hi Trev my lettuce seeds going in end of week before i go away on holiday i grow mine indoors with heat mat then put them out march also spinach ive already planted seeds in cold frame at moment ive got some winter carrots but my spring ones i make sure the soil is warm i put some planks of wood down before i transplant ,oblong planters i put in bulbs for spring then bedding for summer climate here in scotland varies can get all the seasons in one day i also cover my seedlings when they are growing happy gardening
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That’s how call it too!!!
It will definitely help to cut them back. Ray is our expert here, but I cut out the big branches I want off right next to the main trunk to give the trees a general fashion and then lighten the crown on the inside.
There are pole mounted pruners with saws and chainsaws available, I only work standing on the ground, no ladders for me. Works well here 
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I found this little shrub today on my walk to the post office. It’s gorgeous!
Apparantly it’s a Callicarpa bodinieri Profusion aka BeautyBerry.
I’ll get one of these when I have a garden 
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After 7 months the garden is finally fully under irrigation and stuff is growing well during these cooler months. Still struggling to understand how to grow stuff in this climate, mainly during the very hot time when the sun is blasting furiously
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The seeds were small so I put a lot in the hole I dug .. I guess I’m going to seperate these and space the stronger ones out more.. also got these plastic grow containers my neigbor wasent using any more. I can’t wait to show you guys the huge garden she is making right now.. I helped on Saturday and its like a major production type garden. I will try to get some photos but I have been trying to listen to her advice and try to retain info. Right now everything feels like trial and error. Got some chamomile in some pots on the other side of the house. The bed is argula ( cant spell) and the back is these flowers I transplanted that aren’t doing that great. The blue pots is cucumbers but just planted so nothing is up.
I might scratch everything in that bed though and add way more soil and start over!! I was stupid and excited and planted even though I knew I needed to add a lot of soil to the bed
Most of the sun I seem to get for the plants is in the morning and earlier in the day. I wish that area got more sunlight but im just going to keep planting seeds over there and get a lot of different type beds and let it just happen
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Planted my carrot seeds in this bad boy today! All the greenery are also carrots from last year, so I’m leaving them because I’m hoping I’ll get more seeds as carrots are biennial! Fingers crossed 
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My bed. I mixture of plants from seed, a few transplants. Vegetables, flowers, and herbs. My neighbor was talking about companion planting or something and want to look more into that.. like growing things that work together or help each other out..
I don’t really know what I’m doing. I just put the seeds in the bed or pot and see what happens. The tomato plants are the only thing that were already started when I put them in the bed. I don’t think this area is getting enough light. Im not trying to go pro at gardening .. I just want to be able to feed myself as a back up plan. Or maybe one day be able to do everything myself and be totally self sufficient. I used to have this book called botany for gardeners but probably sold it for drugs. Need to get that book because it’s like a gardening bible.
PS: I dug really far into the ground bellow the bed and got all the roots and tree stuff.. it took like 3 weeks. It is some of the worst ground I have ever seen and I used to have a job going to peoples houses and planting trees and flowers. So ive seen a lot.
Also dug out the soil and put a lot of bags of this gardening soil that has nutrients and is for bed or container gardening. I still feel like I want to take everything out of here and start over. There should also be more soil in the bed because thats the whole point is a raised bed. I want everything right away so sometimes I rush things.
The Arugla I need to seperate but not sure if I needed to wait till they get bigger. The seeds are so small. I thought maybe you grow a bunch and then choose the stronger ones. I dont know why Im not spacing them out but maybe because I dont know where to put them. Im more focused on the cucumbers, tomatos, chamomile , and the flowers. Im going to make another larger bed and proably pick one plant to totaly figure out and master.
One of the reasons I’m so set on the bed working out in this location is because it’s right next to my guest room door and by my porch and area where I hang out a lot. I’m not giving up on this location. It’s hard to tell the total direct sunlight per day but I would guess over 4 or 5 hours. So at the very least 4 to 5 direct.. I feel like thats enough for herbs and flowers for sure but Im guessing vegetables need more sunlight ?
Do you guys have any advice on the sunlight issue or do you think 4 to 5 is enough.. also should I fence off the area? There is a lot of raccoon’s coming over here, possums, rabbits, deer, and who knows what else.. any advice or feed back greatly appreciated.. and no rush on getting back to me @Tragicfarinelli @Ray_M_C_Laren @Alexh666 @erntedank
Also I know I need to clean out the bed because it’s been windy and raining for 2 days I’m waiting for it to clear up so I can get the leaves and debris out of the bed. It bothers me when there is leaves in the bed. Even one single leaf will have me stopping whatever im doing and picking it up.
I think I might have some drainage issues also in the bed and the pots. There is so much to learn but honestly it’s hard for me to retain information. I really try but I really have spent my life doing things that don’t require learning or reading , remembering things so maybe this is good to challenge my brain
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I am not the one to ask, but I feel honoured you did. I’ll bow out to someone with actual green fingers… 
And good luck, I hope it all turns out beautiful for you!
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I’m gonna echo what @Tragicfarinelli said! I’m very new to growing plants, honestly I just hope for the best rather than use actual knowledge to get a good result 
I appreciate your dedication and I’m looking forward to seeing how things turn out!
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Look at you… thriving in sobriety, thriving in gardening.. you are amazing to watch..
Always a pleasure to have you drop in..
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Ray, Beautiful .. your diligence shows in every bloom.
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Thank you so much!! Thanks for being a good friend and sobriety twin! Glad to have you in my corner.
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No worries.. thanks anyway and thanks for the honesty haha!! I guess we can all learn together.. the prices at the store and the way things are going we need to be learning about gardening!! @Tragicfarinelli @Alexh666
I’m going to go to the library before the weekend and look for some plant and botany books. It can be a little adventure also because its been about 3 or 4 months since I’ve been to the library
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What better place to learn together than here?! I love my local library, I feel like a kid in a candy store when I visit!
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I feel the same way and especially if its raining when I’m there!! Be there for hours.. plus they have dvds , computer section and also some of them even have skateboarding magazines. Thats one of the reasons I miss living in the city is being a 5 minute walk from one.. but I’ll be back to the city in hopefully a year or so.. it feels like the downtown library locations are always better or atleast thats the case where I live.
Edit: to the community….sorry to derail the thread. Gardening is fun!! It calms me down and is one of the best hobbies I have ever started doing.. very beneficial to my recovery and growth..
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Definitely, rainy days plus the library are a great vibe. I really appreciate the available selection of manga and comics! 
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Hi Trev i grow with heat mats and led lights then transplant you can check your soil with a Ph tester , there are small propagators you can put on your window sill for starting seedlings as for light cant help you there ,there is plants that deter Deer used them on one of my customers gardens , as for leaves they make good mulch maybe put in a plastic bag and can be put on bed at end of season , worm castings can help with feeding in pots hope this helps, im going to do a instergram page like my Rays_sober_travels_ on gardening ,
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