I grow my veg in my garden surrounded by flowers , it’s lovely watching the bumble Beas going from the flowers in the borders to the peas or beans in the veg beds. Just like the cottage gardens of old.
Flowers and Vegetables need each other. Loved this video. Keep the flowers coming. I watch over and over all your videos. Love that you bring a hot beverage with you.
Hi Steve, I've been growing flowers and veg together for years I love to sit in the garden and watch all the creatures do their thing it's so relaxing, keep up the great videos your sharing And happy gardening
When I plan for my spring garden I make sure to have a variety of flowering plants on my list. I love to stop and watch the bees and other insects having a great time with the flowers.🙂 I also make sure to have blooming plants the hummingbirds enjoy.🙂
Hi Steve, I grow flowers & veg on my plot, I didnt know lot about them either when we got pur plot 7 1/2 years ago. So, we started our journey knowing nothing. Having said that, our journey has been amazing, we have learnt so much from growing, utube videos are a great source of information & guidance and there is always something new to learn. The way we grow has definitely changed over the years for the better especially the environment. Thank you for asking people to grow flowers as it is so important for our environment. Thanks for sharing & take care 🙂
Absolutely agree on flower growing. I love that you include this in your videos and have taken advice many times from you on these. I will try Ammi this time having seen yours . Thank you Steve. : )
As always I find your video’s really informative and learn something new all the time. It’s my first year of growing and inspite of my lack of knowledge I’ve been really grateful to learn from gardeners like you who take the time to do them. I grew flowers in the beds and I know my crops benefited from them. From one very grateful viewer 👍
Oh still here 😂😂 I intersperse flowers all through my veg garden and even have a 10% part of each bed that have spring bulbs, flowers and perennial plants. It benefits me as well as the wildlife as it make me happy. My lillies this summer we’re gorgeous and the smell was unbelievable. Thank you for sharing ✌️🇨🇦🐝 safe
As ever. Keep the great informative videos coming.. I guess the main bunch of your followers like all the aspects of the allotment veg and flowers alike
Spot on Steve. Couldn't agree more. We incorporated a load of flowers into our garden this year and it's amazing how much more wildlife visits your garden. Top man 👍
@@GreenSideUp We have lots. This was a hexagon box, as I made many hardwood boxes from work cut offs. Every 1 unique, but couldn't sell, as about £20 just in wood. Gather the bees found the shape interesting 👌
Excellent video Steve and good discussion of flowers especially flowers for pollinators. We need to have biodiversity and have a discussion about that subject.
Brilliant video I started to grow flowers as well as veg this year and noticed a big difference in the insects in my garden from the veg only the year before. I only started to plant flowers to add colour to the mainly green or bare parts of the garden and so happy I did. I am learning as I go along so thanks and hopefully you will also incorporate the care or advice for them throughout the season. Take care.
Hello from down in Lancashire, Steve 🙂 I love this video, you couldn't be more right about the necessity of flowers in the plot. Do you happen to know a good reference source (book, website, whatever) focused on companion flowers and herbs for vegetables and fruits? Been looking out but so far no luck on UK based resources. Keep the fantastic informative videos coming!
Hi John, I have a few books but I dont think I have anything that is dedicated to the subject, there are lots of lists out there on the net but they all seem to cover the same small handful of plant combinations. It is good to know those basic combinations but I have found over the last decade or so that it can be difficult to implement tham, especially so if you are trying to implement strict crop rotation, for example planting onions next to carrots to deter carrot fly because you have now introduced onions into the crop cycle. I am no longer practising strict crop rotation (3 or 4 years) but I am sensible with what I grow and where/when. And I now attract as much wildlife in as I can so that Mother Nature finds the right balance for me. I do still grow companions where needed though for example Marilgolds with my tomatoes, or onions in the bed next to the carrots...Steve...😃
Hi Steve I hope you don’t stop talking about the benefits of growing flowers alongside veg, I find it really helpful, I grew sunflowers at the ends of my bean cane run, dwarf sweet peas with my butternut squash and nasturtiums all along the front of the bed and calendula at the ends of this big bed and it’s been delightful to have flowers and see all the critters brought in by the variety plus the nasturtiums weakened the horrible marestail in that area so I bought loads more from premier seeds (I heard about them from you 👍) to grow as a spring and summer cover crop on any beds I don’t manage to get on top of next year as the allotments still new and being slowly built up. Nearly everyone grows flowers on our little site and it’s wonderful to see them all, thanks for keeping raising awareness! Xx
I have been enjoying both veg and flower growing since getting into gardening only last year. I'm attempting to have a go at crossing my fuchsias, most of which I've got from from work for free as they looked half-dead, or from the reduced shelf in the garden centre. I've got two faves and for a bit of fun I'm attempting to cross them and see what happens. I've watched as tutorial, seemed very simple, and done it myself. I've saved the seed pod so hopefully see if the seeds will germinate next spring. I'm also attempting to make a 'standard' from a cutting which I've got growing indoors and it's doing fantastic so far! About 30cm tall.
Loved this Steve. As you might already know, I'm not a massive veg grower and what I do grow I mostly give away. But I love love love my flowers! I'm no professional by any standards, but they just give me so much joy and a satisfaction to say 'I grew them' oh, and I always watch till the end even when you were building the poly tunnel lol 😀
Steve, I’m a new gardener (14 months), and have just bought a 6 x 8 greenhouse. I have a city garden and got the greenhouse to grow flowers from seed and thought I’d also trying my hand at veggies. I didn’t realise how symbiotic the relationship was between both (makes so much sense the way you explain it) so thank you and hopefully I’ll have beautiful flowers alongside some tasty produce next year!
Thanks Steve, great video. First time this season I've made a serious, conscious effort to plant flowers, bees absolutely loved the borage and lavender - Awesome results, loads of bees visited!
Thanks to you , I grow Ammi ,Omphalodes , larkspur, Appleblossom stock , sweet peas , calendulas of all kinds … it just perks up the garden and helps the 🐝 I grew Honesty for the first time too … the dried pods are in a vase. Great stuff. Thanks 😊
I’m definitely growing more flowers next year already got dahlias ready 👍always have marigolds sweet peas sweet Williams and then my spring garden as I call it 👍
Hi Steve, I couldn't agree with you more. I put up two arches with Sweet Peas and beans resulting in a win win situation. I also had two long rows of Lavender and it was a sight to see how many bees and insects came. I also leave a few Raspberries on the plants as I am still cropping quite a few. It's not working against but with nature that pays dividends in the garden.
Well, I personally love these types of videos Steve! In fact, I might just watch it again! Your allotment is an ecosystem all of its own, as are our gardens, and we need all the pollinators we can get! I think most gardens have become too 'sterile', with no room for wildlife! I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one who struggles with larkspur germination - it was very poor last year, but I'll give it another go - trial & error, right?! Take care 🌻
Hi Steve, another great video. I have just accepted an allotment after over a year on a waiting list. Have reviewed your advice on previous videos. On the plus side it is easy walking distance from home, it has a decent shed, water supply, good allotment shop, gated / fenced and cctv site, can park my car at the entrance, no shade casting buildings or trees. On the minus side there are lots of weeds to remove and it is not completely fenced. Wish me luck as I start my allotment journey and I will be using you start an allotment series as inspiration and I intend to go with the no dig method to start. Cheers
"Rome was not built in a day", dont try to get it all done straight away, unless of course you are fit enough to do that. I have seen too many plot holders give up in the first year due to the enormity of the work. The best of luck to you Graeme...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp Thanks Steve, going to use a strimmer on the weeds as they are very high and cover over as much as possible with weed membrane. Trying to avoid weedkiller where possible. Cheers
Good morning Alan, Greetings from Windermere, Florida zone 9b 🇺🇸 I like to grow edible flowers like Marigolds and Balsam. Coleus grows like a weed here and I try to keep a section going to seed so our bees 🐝 have something to work on. Zinnias and Milkweed for the butterflies are bees. I listened to the end. 👩🌾👍
Wow at last somebody talking about growing flowers on the allotment. I have been hoping a veggie grower would discuss this subject as i have dedicated quite a large bed on my plot just for cut flowers for next year. I tried larkspur last season with no success but i do have some seeds left so will try again. keep us updated on this please x
Think you need to sneak in an odd flower variety whilst you sow your veg. I also grow lots of flowers for cutting to reduce the amount my wife buys at Tesco. Saves me a fortune!
My Comfrey was swarmed with Bees this summer, I cut it down in parts to make tea from, that way there is always a patch in flower for the Bees...Steve...😃
For newbies with comfrey you cut leaves and stalks, no flowers and put them in a container and fill with water. Leave for a few weeks or months. Then you can sieve the mixture into another container then use 1 part comfrey tea to 10 parts water I think it is.
@@ameliabeeley4005 I steep all paarts of the plant, flowers included for about 4 weeks, then strain. For mixing up with water I go by colour not amounts, because one person may drown their comfrey at the start, so will already be a bit diluted. I use Comfrey tea mixed with water so it is the colour of tea without milk...Steve...😃
I will be growing as many flowers as veg next year. I managed to attract a lot more pollinators this year with all the flowers I grew. I'm planning to interplant flowers with some of my veg in containers next year. I'm glad you talked about the flowers - it's an interesting topic.
@@GreenSideUp Aww! Thanks, Steve! I'll subscribe to all my favourite garden channels when I've got the channel up and going. It'll concentrate mainly on container gardening, because we don't have an allotment and our Greyhound uses our garden to run. I'm also planning to do some interactive videos with viewers. Next summer, I'm planning to visit some gardens when we travel down South (I'm in Perthshire) for our annual holiday, as well.
Unfortunately I don't have an allotment. My gardening consists of a 'kitchen garden' and a patio garden so I grow veg and annual/perennial flowers. 2 years ago father-in-law said to me, are you growing bees out here?👍
Great video Steve the side of my plot that wouldn't shade the veg i grow a 24ft trellis of sweat pea what a site and scent they provide amongst the veg i have marigolds dahlia and in large containers various roses then i have daffs/tulip and crocus for a bit of spring colour and finally dozens off hanging baskets filled with various mini plug plants i grow on before planting out I'm not a flower grower but what i manage to grow makes the plot look and smell great instead of just looking at wall to wall vegetables
I took on a second plot this year, with the view of growing more soft fruit and cut flowers for the wife because she likes them and it makes her happy, also they are expensive to buy in the shops. I had not thought of sowing corn flowers in the autumn, thanks for the tip.
Totally agree. Also been sowing flower seeds as well as veg. I had a great book given to me. Dave Goulson, Gardening for Bumblebees. A practical Guide to Creating a Paradise for Pollinators. He tells you how to provide for pollinators all year round. Packed with information. I'm also still learning after gardening for many, many years in the Yorkshire coast. Thanks for the videos.
allotments have always had flowers. My dad used to grow Chrysanths and tried to get me interested with dahlia's ... it took 40 years till I did!. Now I grow all sorts from seed Cacti Maples as well as the normal stuff but the one thing I struggle with is blooy Cosmos ! Go figure 🤣
Very good steve please keep it going I was looking to add new things to my list of seeds to sow, I will have a search and see who dose the seeds, I assume you left the seed trays in one of your polytunnel kind regards rog
I have a small growing space currently (8'x16') so I don't have room to grow a lot of flowers just because they're pretty. Where I grow there are a couple of bee hives diagonally across the field and I like to encourage the bees to come hither to my growing space to increase my yield. I have found that there are a number of perennial herbs that produce flowers that the pollinating insects love, sage for instance, and lavender of course plus a few others that I plant in the corners of my growing space. Interestingly a lot of them are in the violet colour range (bees in particular seem to prefer that colour range) and some of the spring displays I get, especially from the sage are pure drama: they are gorgeous! I harvest and winter store the herbs of course. Double benefit. And it works. I have different perennial herbs that bloom right from early spring until late fall and it keeps the bees coming in droves. And so I get good harvests in my small space. I think that a largish part of the reason why many gardeners who are focused on growing veg and don't grow flowers, annuals for sure, is that annual flowers don't create an edible harvest in their minds. Large part of the reason I choose to grow perennial herbs instead. However, maybe as a chef you could do a few videos on how, as a chef, you would use edible flowers in your cooking to enhance the flavour and utility of the vegetables you grow. Marigolds for instance is good for more than an insect deterrent. I'm reasonably certain that has crossed your mind but you ARE in a unique position to push that forward. Just sayin'.
Have you tried African marigold 'Key Lime' Steve. It's lasts much longer than other marigolds in a vase and doesn't smell once it's been cut. Looks lovely on the kitchen table. Like growing everlasting flowers for the winter but having problems with Acroclinium. Every time I've tried they got munched!
Ok. What's the problem with the word biodiversity? That makes no sense to me. Also, thank you for saying 'fewer' not 'less' :D Great videos, I won't be clicking away! Many thanks from the South East of England.
Hi Steve, why do I usually click away from your flower videos? I don't grow on an Allotment, but in a garden. I'd say 10 to 20% is for edibles, the rest is my plant collection. I have >100 hebe varieties in my garden. There will be something in flower during most months of the year. I also am surrounded by native hedging, Hawthorne in spring, mature ivy Autumn and winter. The hebes have masses of simple tubular flowers visited by hover flies, butterflies and bees etc. Perennial herbs, sage, rosemary, lavender, oregano etc attract pollinators too. I have grown annual flowers as gap fillers, but I'm now using parsnips. So much seed in a packet, just a shallow drill and itvis surprising how much usable root is produced. Growing more annuals is too much to manage. I will probably continue to click away from your flower videos. Here's to a blooming good winter and spring. 🍻
Oh hit the wring button to early.... Would it be to much bother to you to add the names of the things you are sowing on screen or in the description below as i miss half the names while watching.. It. Might help many of us... Cheers
Hi Tony, thanks for this. I consistantly fail at writing the names and varieties...I must try harder. I will add the names/varieties in this afternoon. On the plus side I am working on something right now that I hope will make this easier going forward. Thanks for the reminder though and do give me a shove again if something is lacking anywhere on the channel as this improves things for everyone overall...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp it is or wasnt ment as a bad thing.. Nothing lacking on the channel it was just me i try to remember the names so i can try and grow them as proven plants to grow up here in the north..... I may of said im. In newcasle... Cheers
@@tonyforrest2724 I know you meant no harm Tony, a few others keep asking me for the details too, I will get on top of it though, another Tony from the north east, are you anywhere near that Smith fella?...Steve...😁😁
Hi Steve, I really enjoy your videos and watch them all, but I think the past couple have been too heavy on the intro, spending too much time talking about what you are about to speak about - in my opinion the videos are better when more succinct and streamlined, just my opinion. I Hen
I grow my veg in my garden surrounded by flowers , it’s lovely watching the bumble Beas going from the flowers in the borders to the peas or beans in the veg beds. Just like the cottage gardens of old.
Keep the flower and veg videos coming. It all part of a sustainable life. No pollinators no vegetables. Thanks for your videos.
You are spot on there Colin, I might have to nick "No pollinators no vegetables.", I love a good quote or saying...Steve...😃
Flowers and Vegetables need each other. Loved this video. Keep the flowers coming. I watch over and over all your videos. Love that you bring a hot beverage with you.
I have to have a flask of coffee with me, I always make a point of stopping and siting down for a while...Steve...😃
I saw how beneficial insects loved my garden this year when I left some plants to bolt. I’m proactively planting flowers next year.
That is good to hear Nneka...Steve...😃
Finally one that takes up the topic of what flowers I should use in my garden to attract insects. Cool! Looking forward to more videos.
Hi Steve, I've been growing flowers and veg together for years I love to sit in the garden and watch all the creatures do their thing it's so relaxing, keep up the great videos your sharing And happy gardening
When I plan for my spring garden I make sure to have a variety of flowering plants on my list. I love to stop and watch the bees and other insects having a great time with the flowers.🙂 I also make sure to have blooming plants the hummingbirds enjoy.🙂
Hi Steve, I grow flowers & veg on my plot, I didnt know lot about them either when we got pur plot 7 1/2 years ago. So, we started our journey knowing nothing. Having said that, our journey has been amazing, we have learnt so much from growing, utube videos are a great source of information & guidance and there is always something new to learn. The way we grow has definitely changed over the years for the better especially the environment. Thank you for asking people to grow flowers as it is so important for our environment. Thanks for sharing & take care 🙂
Completely agree with this one Steve👍
Always have flowers around the plot to attract the pollinators.
Ps
Stayed right to the end 😋
Absolutely agree on flower growing. I love that you include this in your videos and have taken advice many times from you on these. I will try Ammi this time having seen yours . Thank you Steve. : )
As always I find your video’s really informative and learn something new all the time. It’s my first year of growing and inspite of my lack of knowledge I’ve been really grateful to learn from gardeners like you who take the time to do them. I grew flowers in the beds and I know my crops benefited from them. From one very grateful viewer 👍
I totally agree with you, I had bad crops this year and I have put it down to not enough pollinators so I've started to include more.
I can't imagine any garden without flowers they add so much, as you cover in this great video.
Oh still here 😂😂 I intersperse flowers all through my veg garden and even have a 10% part of each bed that have spring bulbs, flowers and perennial plants. It benefits me as well as the wildlife as it make me happy. My lillies this summer we’re gorgeous and the smell was unbelievable. Thank you for sharing ✌️🇨🇦🐝 safe
Every plot should have flowers and a pond 👍🏻
I 100& agree, I have pond 1 in, ponds 2 & 3 to follow, possibly 4...Steve...😃
I agree too hence the reason why I've got plans for both. I'm following Steve and going for multiple size ponds.
As ever. Keep the great informative videos coming.. I guess the main bunch of your followers like all the aspects of the allotment veg and flowers alike
100% in agreement with you flowers are just as important as any other plant all plants are benificial in one way or another!
Jen
Spot on Steve. Couldn't agree more. We incorporated a load of flowers into our garden this year and it's amazing how much more wildlife visits your garden. Top man 👍
We had bumblebees in a bird box this year, plus 2 more in hedge base.
Thats great to have that, no birds in the birdbox?...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp We have lots. This was a hexagon box, as I made many hardwood boxes from work cut offs. Every 1 unique, but couldn't sell, as about £20 just in wood. Gather the bees found the shape interesting 👌
Excellent video Steve and good discussion of flowers especially flowers for pollinators. We need to have biodiversity and have a discussion about that subject.
Brilliant video I started to grow flowers as well as veg this year and noticed a big difference in the insects in my garden from the veg only the year before. I only started to plant flowers to add colour to the mainly green or bare parts of the garden and so happy I did. I am learning as I go along so thanks and hopefully you will also incorporate the care or advice for them throughout the season. Take care.
Hello from down in Lancashire, Steve 🙂 I love this video, you couldn't be more right about the necessity of flowers in the plot. Do you happen to know a good reference source (book, website, whatever) focused on companion flowers and herbs for vegetables and fruits? Been looking out but so far no luck on UK based resources. Keep the fantastic informative videos coming!
Hi John, I have a few books but I dont think I have anything that is dedicated to the subject, there are lots of lists out there on the net but they all seem to cover the same small handful of plant combinations. It is good to know those basic combinations but I have found over the last decade or so that it can be difficult to implement tham, especially so if you are trying to implement strict crop rotation, for example planting onions next to carrots to deter carrot fly because you have now introduced onions into the crop cycle. I am no longer practising strict crop rotation (3 or 4 years) but I am sensible with what I grow and where/when. And I now attract as much wildlife in as I can so that Mother Nature finds the right balance for me. I do still grow companions where needed though for example Marilgolds with my tomatoes, or onions in the bed next to the carrots...Steve...😃
Hi Steve I hope you don’t stop talking about the benefits of growing flowers alongside veg, I find it really helpful, I grew sunflowers at the ends of my bean cane run, dwarf sweet peas with my butternut squash and nasturtiums all along the front of the bed and calendula at the ends of this big bed and it’s been delightful to have flowers and see all the critters brought in by the variety plus the nasturtiums weakened the horrible marestail in that area so I bought loads more from premier seeds (I heard about them from you 👍) to grow as a spring and summer cover crop on any beds I don’t manage to get on top of next year as the allotments still new and being slowly built up. Nearly everyone grows flowers on our little site and it’s wonderful to see them all, thanks for keeping raising awareness! Xx
I didn't switch off Steve. I inherited a flower section on the plot I've taken on, and it is great.
I have been enjoying both veg and flower growing since getting into gardening only last year. I'm attempting to have a go at crossing my fuchsias, most of which I've got from from work for free as they looked half-dead, or from the reduced shelf in the garden centre. I've got two faves and for a bit of fun I'm attempting to cross them and see what happens. I've watched as tutorial, seemed very simple, and done it myself. I've saved the seed pod so hopefully see if the seeds will germinate next spring. I'm also attempting to make a 'standard' from a cutting which I've got growing indoors and it's doing fantastic so far! About 30cm tall.
Loved this Steve. As you might already know, I'm not a massive veg grower and what I do grow I mostly give away. But I love love love my flowers! I'm no professional by any standards, but they just give me so much joy and a satisfaction to say 'I grew them' oh, and I always watch till the end even when you were building the poly tunnel lol 😀
Steve, I’m a new gardener (14 months), and have just bought a 6 x 8 greenhouse. I have a city garden and got the greenhouse to grow flowers from seed and thought I’d also trying my hand at veggies. I didn’t realise how symbiotic the relationship was between both (makes so much sense the way you explain it) so thank you and hopefully I’ll have beautiful flowers alongside some tasty produce next year!
Thanks Steve, great video. First time this season I've made a serious, conscious effort to plant flowers, bees absolutely loved the borage and lavender - Awesome results, loads of bees visited!
Thanks to you , I grow Ammi ,Omphalodes , larkspur, Appleblossom stock , sweet peas , calendulas of all kinds … it just perks up the garden and helps the 🐝 I grew Honesty for the first time too … the dried pods are in a vase. Great stuff. Thanks 😊
And it is another harvest to take into the house!...Steve...😃
I’m definitely growing more flowers next year already got dahlias ready 👍always have marigolds sweet peas sweet Williams and then my spring garden as I call it 👍
Hi Steve, I couldn't agree with you more. I put up two arches with Sweet Peas and beans resulting in a win win situation. I also had two long rows of Lavender and it was a sight to see how many bees and insects came. I also leave a few Raspberries on the plants as I am still cropping quite a few. It's not working against but with nature that pays dividends in the garden.
Lovely video on growing flowers. I have Cosmos still in bloom on my allotment even after our first frost in Kent. 🌸🌼🌻🌺🐝🦋
Well, I personally love these types of videos Steve! In fact, I might just watch it again! Your allotment is an ecosystem all of its own, as are our gardens, and we need all the pollinators we can get! I think most gardens have become too 'sterile', with no room for wildlife! I'm relieved to hear I'm not the only one who struggles with larkspur germination - it was very poor last year, but I'll give it another go - trial & error, right?! Take care 🌻
I fully agree. I mean look at marigolds and calendula for example. The wonderful nasturtiums too
Hi Steve, another great video. I have just accepted an allotment after over a year on a waiting list. Have reviewed your advice on previous videos. On the plus side it is easy walking distance from home, it has a decent shed, water supply, good allotment shop, gated / fenced and cctv site, can park my car at the entrance, no shade casting buildings or trees. On the minus side there are lots of weeds to remove and it is not completely fenced. Wish me luck as I start my allotment journey and I will be using you start an allotment series as inspiration and I intend to go with the no dig method to start. Cheers
Good luck
"Rome was not built in a day", dont try to get it all done straight away, unless of course you are fit enough to do that. I have seen too many plot holders give up in the first year due to the enormity of the work. The best of luck to you Graeme...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp Thanks Steve, going to use a strimmer on the weeds as they are very high and cover over as much as possible with weed membrane. Trying to avoid weedkiller where possible. Cheers
Good morning Alan,
Greetings from Windermere, Florida zone 9b 🇺🇸
I like to grow edible flowers like Marigolds and Balsam. Coleus grows like a weed here and I try to keep a section going to seed so our bees 🐝 have something to work on. Zinnias and Milkweed for the butterflies are bees. I listened to the end. 👩🌾👍
Wow at last somebody talking about growing flowers on the allotment. I have been hoping a veggie grower would discuss this subject as i have dedicated quite a large bed on my plot just for cut flowers for next year. I tried larkspur last season with no success but i do have some seeds left so will try again. keep us updated on this please x
Lovely talk. I have three flower beds but also plant them in veg beds. The allotment looks better for it and insects love it. 🌹🌷🌻🙏
This was exactly what I needed to hear, thank you 😊
Think you need to sneak in an odd flower variety whilst you sow your veg. I also grow lots of flowers for cutting to reduce the amount my wife buys at Tesco. Saves me a fortune!
Lupins and calendula are good for bees and other insects. Borage and comfrey also flower for insects and you can make a tea which feeds your plants.
My Comfrey was swarmed with Bees this summer, I cut it down in parts to make tea from, that way there is always a patch in flower for the Bees...Steve...😃
For newbies with comfrey you cut leaves and stalks, no flowers and put them in a container and fill with water. Leave for a few weeks or months. Then you can sieve the mixture into another container then use 1 part comfrey tea to 10 parts water I think it is.
@@ameliabeeley4005 I steep all paarts of the plant, flowers included for about 4 weeks, then strain. For mixing up with water I go by colour not amounts, because one person may drown their comfrey at the start, so will already be a bit diluted. I use Comfrey tea mixed with water so it is the colour of tea without milk...Steve...😃
I will be growing as many flowers as veg next year. I managed to attract a lot more pollinators this year with all the flowers I grew. I'm planning to interplant flowers with some of my veg in containers next year. I'm glad you talked about the flowers - it's an interesting topic.
I am so glad it is useful, and a good topic to chat about...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp I'm launching a channel from Scotland in January and I plan to talk about flowers, too. They are so important for our biodiversity.
@@robinsmith6094 You now have your first subscriber!...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp Aww! Thanks, Steve! I'll subscribe to all my favourite garden channels when I've got the channel up and going. It'll concentrate mainly on container gardening, because we don't have an allotment and our Greyhound uses our garden to run. I'm also planning to do some interactive videos with viewers. Next summer, I'm planning to visit some gardens when we travel down South (I'm in Perthshire) for our annual holiday, as well.
Really like the tips about growing flowers. I am trying to grow flowers for cutting alongside the veg.
Unfortunately I don't have an allotment. My gardening consists of a 'kitchen garden' and a patio garden so I grow veg and annual/perennial flowers. 2 years ago father-in-law said to me, are you growing bees out here?👍
Wonderful advice as always. Thank you!
Thank You so much for all this information !!!!
You are welcome Michael, thanks for watching!...Steve...😃
Great video, thanks
Cheers Doug...Steve...😃
Great video Steve the side of my plot that wouldn't shade the veg i grow a 24ft trellis of sweat pea what a site and scent they provide amongst the veg i have marigolds dahlia and in large containers various roses then i have daffs/tulip and crocus for a bit of spring colour and finally dozens off hanging baskets filled with various mini plug plants i grow on before planting out I'm not a flower grower but what i manage to grow makes the plot look and smell great instead of just looking at wall to wall vegetables
I took on a second plot this year, with the view of growing more soft fruit and cut flowers for the wife because she likes them and it makes her happy, also they are expensive to buy in the shops. I had not thought of sowing corn flowers in the autumn, thanks for the tip.
Totally agree. Also been sowing flower seeds as well as veg. I had a great book given to me. Dave Goulson, Gardening for Bumblebees. A practical Guide to Creating a Paradise for Pollinators. He tells you how to provide for pollinators all year round. Packed with information. I'm also still learning after gardening for many, many years in the Yorkshire coast. Thanks for the videos.
allotments have always had flowers. My dad used to grow Chrysanths and tried to get me interested with dahlia's ... it took 40 years till I did!. Now I grow all sorts from seed Cacti Maples as well as the normal stuff but the one thing I struggle with is blooy Cosmos ! Go figure 🤣
Very good steve please keep it going I was looking to add new things to my list of seeds to sow, I will have a search and see who dose the seeds, I assume you left the seed trays in one of your polytunnel kind regards rog
Hi Steve, I really enjoyed the video today. I was wondering if you have ever grown frecias before?
I have a small growing space currently (8'x16') so I don't have room to grow a lot of flowers just because they're pretty. Where I grow there are a couple of bee hives diagonally across the field and I like to encourage the bees to come hither to my growing space to increase my yield. I have found that there are a number of perennial herbs that produce flowers that the pollinating insects love, sage for instance, and lavender of course plus a few others that I plant in the corners of my growing space. Interestingly a lot of them are in the violet colour range (bees in particular seem to prefer that colour range) and some of the spring displays I get, especially from the sage are pure drama: they are gorgeous! I harvest and winter store the herbs of course. Double benefit. And it works. I have different perennial herbs that bloom right from early spring until late fall and it keeps the bees coming in droves. And so I get good harvests in my small space. I think that a largish part of the reason why many gardeners who are focused on growing veg and don't grow flowers, annuals for sure, is that annual flowers don't create an edible harvest in their minds. Large part of the reason I choose to grow perennial herbs instead. However, maybe as a chef you could do a few videos on how, as a chef, you would use edible flowers in your cooking to enhance the flavour and utility of the vegetables you grow. Marigolds for instance is good for more than an insect deterrent. I'm reasonably certain that has crossed your mind but you ARE in a unique position to push that forward. Just sayin'.
I would add oregano/marjoram and chives although I don't fancy onion flavoured honey much!
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Keep up with the flowers please
i always grow flowers with my veg
Have you tried African marigold 'Key Lime' Steve. It's lasts much longer than other marigolds in a vase and doesn't smell once it's been cut. Looks lovely on the kitchen table. Like growing everlasting flowers for the winter but having problems with Acroclinium. Every time I've tried they got munched!
Thanks Anna, I will add the Marigold to the list for next year to try...Steve...😃
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I’ve had a wasp nest and left it, nobody got stung and the wasps ate lots of pests!
Ok. What's the problem with the word biodiversity? That makes no sense to me. Also, thank you for saying 'fewer' not 'less' :D
Great videos, I won't be clicking away!
Many thanks from the South East of England.
a gardens not a garden without flowers.............brian
60/40 flowers for next year, already given 12 ft by 60 ft space for flowers plus tubs and containers the more you have the veg will be better
Steve, just noticed you've broke a leg off your glasses. What's happened? 🤣
If he's anything like me - he probably fell asleep with them on. That's how I always break mine.
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Hi Steve, why do I usually click away from your flower videos? I don't grow on an Allotment, but in a garden. I'd say 10 to 20% is for edibles, the rest is my plant collection. I have >100 hebe varieties in my garden. There will be something in flower during most months of the year. I also am surrounded by native hedging, Hawthorne in spring, mature ivy Autumn and winter. The hebes have masses of simple tubular flowers visited by hover flies, butterflies and bees etc. Perennial herbs, sage, rosemary, lavender, oregano etc attract pollinators too. I have grown annual flowers as gap fillers, but I'm now using parsnips. So much seed in a packet, just a shallow drill and itvis surprising how much usable root is produced. Growing more annuals is too much to manage. I will probably continue to click away from your flower videos. Here's to a blooming good winter and spring. 🍻
To complicated for me, but yet i can rebuild an engine and plumb a house
Oh hit the wring button to early.... Would it be to much bother to you to add the names of the things you are sowing on screen or in the description below as i miss half the names while watching.. It. Might help many of us... Cheers
Hi Tony, thanks for this. I consistantly fail at writing the names and varieties...I must try harder. I will add the names/varieties in this afternoon. On the plus side I am working on something right now that I hope will make this easier going forward. Thanks for the reminder though and do give me a shove again if something is lacking anywhere on the channel as this improves things for everyone overall...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp it is or wasnt ment as a bad thing.. Nothing lacking on the channel it was just me i try to remember the names so i can try and grow them as proven plants to grow up here in the north..... I may of said im. In newcasle... Cheers
@@tonyforrest2724 I know you meant no harm Tony, a few others keep asking me for the details too, I will get on top of it though, another Tony from the north east, are you anywhere near that Smith fella?...Steve...😁😁
@@GreenSideUp no i watch him. As well.. Im in Newcastle upon Tyne... Hes more Sunderland.. Lol
Hi Steve,
I really enjoy your videos and watch them all, but I think the past couple have been too heavy on the intro, spending too much time talking about what you are about to speak about - in my opinion the videos are better when more succinct and streamlined, just my opinion.
I Hen
if we didn't have the insects we wouldn't have the food we grow
True enough Pauline, besides..flowers are good for the soul...Steve...😃
@@GreenSideUp that's is so true