Greetings from West London :)

[Goldcrest]

Looking forward to chatting to you all!

I only have a small(ish) garden so grow most fruit, veg and herbs in pots.

Can't resist unusual things and hope there are others on here who would like to swap stories, hints and tips. Don't care if I only get one perfect specimen; I carried round my beautiful spaghetti squash like a baby!

This year:
18 varieties of tomatoes - mostly cherries, all colours.
9 types of squash, 6 cucumber including Dragons Eggs and white ones.
Roots and tubers include Salad Blue pots, mashua, ulluco, oca, yacon, groundnuts, earth chestnuts, skirret and a few more.
Also walking onions, blueberries, pinkberries, red gooseberries, purple beans, yellow peas, 12 types of mint; if there's room to squish in one more plant ......

Also keen on birds - after 15 years there's over 70 sparrows in the garden, plus robins, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits and goldfinches (although my relationship with pigeons is frosty - I point and click my fingers and they fly away)! Have to watch the sparrows though - if I don't guard the chard with more security than Fort Knox, they strip it overnight ......

Worst habit - buying far more seeds than I could possibly grow.

[cariann88]

Hello and welcome
Oh my you are growing loads. Would love to see pictures of the nice things you are growing.
Your not alone on your worse habit, I am the same. Got plenty of seeds that I am not going to use.

[Bren In Pots]

Hello and welcome to the vine Goldcrest

I love having birds visit our garden and like you its the pigeons that cause problems, those that settle on the roof soon disappear when we throw a tennis ball in the air.

[Jeanied]

Welcome to the vine Goldcrest. We must be neighbours I envy you your sparrows, they are quite rare in this neck of the woods. The rest I get in abundance

[Greenleaves]

Welcome to the vine

Our small bird numbers have dropped off since the Red Kites moved in, but on a plus side, the pesky pigeons become rare.

[mothhawk]

Hi, Goldcrest, and welcome to the vine. Poor old pigeons have a hard life - I chase them off too I keep the sparrows off stuff by hanging fat balls out for them all through the year and that seems to keep them away from the veg.

[lottie dolly]

Welcome to the forum,sounds like you doing brilliantly,also welcome to the to many seeds club,there are a lot of us on here

[Goldcrest]

I'll post some pictures when things are larger!
I'm hoping in a few months I'll be able to give some seeds away; apart from buying them I save them as well
If the pidgies are really annoying, there's always the Supersoaker 5000 ....
As for sparrows, I get through 50 fat balls a week in the summer (loads of babies), plus a sack of sunflower seeds a month. They still eat certain plants though, and I have to grow them their own thyme because they pinch it to line their nests!

[veggiechicken]

Hello Goldcrest and welcome to the Grapevine.
I like to grow the unusual veggies too, especially perennial ones. There are a few on your list that I've not yet tried - mashua and ulluco for starters. You must let us know how you get on with them.

[Verinda]

Hello Goldcrest, welcome to the forum

[Knight of Albion]

A very warm welcome to the forum, dear Goldcrest.

[Bigmallly]

Hello & welcome to the vine Goldcrest............that's one big smallish garden you have to be able to grow that lot..................

[Goldcrest]

Thanks all for the warm welcomes - it's much appreciated.

I've been inspired to attach 2 photos - hope this works!

The first is my tromboncino - donated it to my friend who runs an Indian restaurant - he added it to the menu that night
The second is of my Chinese artichoke and oca crop last year - the latter lovingly washed and sorted into separate colours.

[Jeanied]

Do you get the green parakeets in your garden Goldcrest? They certainly fly everywhere squawking but this year they decided to raid my tiny garden for the feeders.

[Goldcrest]

Jeanied - fortunately not (only ever seen one) - I think it's a combination of my "friendly" sparrowhawk (who regards my smaller birds as elevenses) and the squirrel-proof feeders. My friends who live south of Heathrow used to get loads - but they bought the same feeders and since then, lots of squawking, but less eating.

The sparrows and I have an agreement - whenever Hawkeye appears, they fly into the mock orange bush and scream for help, and I run outside and chase her off