Growing your own - is it worth it?

[doversoul1]

Our lawns have a lot of clover - or at least they did until I set to work mowing or setting up the robot mower. I noticed that bees seem to like that. I have seriously wondered whether we (and others) should leave swathes of clover patches around lawns to keep the bees coming - or is that really going to make too little difference in the overall scale of things?

I didn't think too much of it, but we used to like clover honey from Sainsburys, though our favourite was probably the Australian leatherwood honey which doesn't seem to be available now.

Leaving a patch of clovers here and there isn’t enable bees in your area to make clover honey but it certainly helps. I don’t know why people are so keen on single-flower honey. There is no advantage in it although it is a guarantee that the honey is not ‘processed’ i.e. it’s not ‘product of more than one country’ honey. The best honey surely is your local honey which is packed with the summer of your area.

We do get oilseed rape honey because of the scale of the crop as well as their early flowering time but it’s a horrible stuff. It’s either as thin as water of it sets so hard in the hives that there is no way of extracting it.

[oddoneout]

Our lawns have a lot of clover - or at least they did until I set to work mowing or setting up the robot mower. I noticed that bees seem to like that. I have seriously wondered whether we (and others) should leave swathes of clover patches around lawns to keep the bees coming - or is that really going to make too little difference in the overall scale of things?

I didn't think too much of it, but we used to like clover honey from Sainsburys, though our favourite was probably the Australian leatherwood honey which doesn't seem to be available now.

A bit of trial and error with the height of cut could enable you to keep the clover flowers for the bees. As my apology for a lawn is demonstrating currently the clover is, like several other weed species, quite adept at lowering its flowers (and/or pushing the buds up quickly ready to expand after cutting) to keep below the blades, much to the delight of the bumble bees. As a bonus keeping the cut a bit higher is recommended as a way of helping a lawn to withstand drought better so it's a win-win.
As to making a difference, bearing in mind the amount of land given over to gardens* I would suggest that each gardener doing what s/he can has to be better than nothing. One action multiplied by however many million isn't negligible, and on a personal level has to be preferable to saying 'I can't solve this problem' and then doing nothing through feeling defeated?
* From the website of The Wildlife Trusts

Together, the UK's gardens are larger than all of our National Nature Reserves combined, making them as important for wildlife as they are for our own wellbeing.

[Dave2002]

How long does the clover flowering period last? I may have already put a big dent in the number of clover flowers in our lawns, though there are clovers around the periphery.Now that i know, I'd quite happily raise the height of the cut for a period to keep the bees happy, but it may be too late for this year. Regarding the size of gardens - that's also interesting, though there are nearby fields which are very much bigger, and sometimes thay have very wild plants - all sorts.

Also, a question for the bee keepers round here. How can one be sure that honey is clover honey, or indeed any other specific type? Is it just based on the most likely? In the case of rape, where there are rape flowers there is often so much of it that it might be hard for anything else to be collected, but surely that's not the case with other flowers.

[oddoneout]

How long does the clover flowering period last? I may have already put a big dent in the number of clover flowers in our lawns, though there are clovers around the periphery.Now that i know, I'd quite happily raise the height of the cut for a period to keep the bees happy, but it may be too late for this year. Regarding the size of gardens - that's also interesting, though there are nearby fields which are very much bigger, and sometimes thay have very wild plants - all sorts.

Also, a question for the bee keepers round here. How can one be sure that honey is clover honey, or indeed any other specific type? Is it just based on the most likely? In the case of rape, where there are rape flowers there is often so much of it that it might be hard for anything else to be collected, but surely that's not the case with other flowers.

The clover in my grass is at its peak now, and I expect it to continue for some time. There have been clover flowers for quite a while but not in quantity, the daisies were the feature earlier but they are less tolerant of dry conditions and tend to hunker down as a response.
A childhood home was a corner house on an openplan estate with a great expanse of lawn at the front. Despite regular mowing the turf was sprinkled with wild pansies which adapted themselves down from their original size to tiny; such a joy to see their little faces in varying patterns of purple, mauve, yellow and white turned up to the sun. Ajuga was another that so adapted but that was more inimical to the grass with its light-excluding tight rosettes of leaves, and so tended to be rooted out.
Single variety honey is a case of knowing the bees behaviour, what is growing in the vicinity, the balance of probability, and being able to identify from appearance, characteristics(eg chrystalisation tendencies), taste and smell. In my part of the world it is difficult to avoid rape altogether but hives in built-up areas tend to contain less(except where gardens/allotments back onto fields as an acquaintance has), and at different times throughout the season other nectar sources become available that the bees will use for a while - field beans, apples, lime trees etc - which make for a more interesting honey. Commercial beekeepers can get single variety honey by taking hives to relevant areas, eg heather moors or commercial orchards. I suspect that the changing practices of modern agriculture make clover fields much rarer as chemicals have taken the place of crop rotation to maintain fertility and soil health. As a small child there was a particular layby on the journey to my grandparents where we used to stop off for a teabreak, and to stock up on clover honey from the fields around sold from a rickety little hut. There's no mistaking it for any other - creamy colour,crunchy texture, delicate and fragrant.

[doversoul1]

How long does the clover flowering period last? I may have already put a big dent in the number of clover flowers in our lawns, though there are clovers around the periphery.Now that i know, I'd quite happily raise the height of the cut for a period to keep the bees happy, but it may be too late for this year. Regarding the size of gardens - that's also interesting, though there are nearby fields which are very much bigger, and sometimes thay have very wild plants - all sorts.

Also, a question for the bee keepers round here. How can one be sure that honey is clover honey, or indeed any other specific type? Is it just based on the most likely? In the case of rape, where there are rape flowers there is often so much of it that it might be hard for anything else to be collected, but surely that's not the case with other flowers.

To be able to sell as one flower honey, bees have to be kept in the middle of a vast area (can’t remember exactly how far bees fly) of the crop. In the UK, even when hives are placed in a commercial orchard, there is no guarantee that bees will stay within the crop, and the honey extracted while the hives are in the orchard. Anything you grow in the garden just doesn’t come into it. But it certainly helps bees very much if you have as many flowers as you can in your garden.

I’m sure there is a regulation about labelling as one-crop honey but I don’t think many of UK’s non-professional bee keepers are too bothered about it, as it is quite unrealistic.

[ardcarp]

The original thread title applies especially to leeks. We always sow loads in the early summer, then prick them out and dib them in in June/July. After that they look after themselves. They are slow but sure growers and, coming into their own now, can be dug up as and when required for the next few months. A lovely veg with multiple uses....as a mild alternative to onions, or as a dish in their own right in white sauce with or without cheese. Very good with roast lamb too. And we prefer them smaller than the whoppers you usually get in the shops.

[oddoneout]

The original thread title applies especially to leeks. We always sow loads in the early summer, then prick them out and dib them in in June/July. After that they look after themselves. They are slow but sure growers and, coming into their own now, can be dug up as and when required for the next few months. A lovely veg with multiple uses....as a mild alternative to onions, or as a dish in their own right in white sauce with or without cheese. Very good with roast lamb too. And we prefer them smaller than the whoppers you usually get in the shops.

I too prefer the smaller leeks and was pleased when varieties were introduced that produced thinner, taller leeks, several of which also came to cropping much earlier in the season. They weren't as hardy as the likes of The Lyon and Musselburgh, but meant it was possible to extend the cropping season - so at least we got to eat some in the years when a combination of rabbit population explosion and very hard weather resulted in the loss of most of the later crop. I don't really have the space any more but did try a row this year only to be defeated by the drought and heat. What has been 'worth it' this year is tomatoes - all outdoor grown as I don't have a greenhouse. After a dodgy and delayed start they eventually came good and I have been picking a selection of sizes and colours for weeks now. I've chosen some to save for seed for next year.

[doversoul1]

I had a couple of seasons when a lot of my leeks grew horizontal (flat on the ground) and then bolted. I had no idea why but was rather disheartened and nearly gave up growing them. Last year, I made sure that I planted the young plants extra deeply which seems to have done the trick. I had fabulous leeks. They were almost too good to cut up and eat. One odd thing was; something gnawed through a couple of plants when they were fully grown. They weren’t eaten but just left on the ground. Very odd. This year, I was a bit late planting them out but they have caught up now and are looking very good. As ardcarp says, they are very useful vegetable. Leek and bacon is my favourite cupboard/fridge food.

[Rjw]

The original thread title applies especially to leeks. We always sow loads in the early summer, then prick them out and dib them in in June/July. After that they look after themselves. They are slow but sure growers and, coming into their own now, can be dug up as and when required for the next few months. A lovely veg with multiple uses....as a mild alternative to onions, or as a dish in their own right in white sauce with or without cheese. Very good with roast lamb too. And we prefer them smaller than the whoppers you usually get in the shops.

I totally agree

[gurnemanz]

I haven't grown them for a long time but my memory of growing my own leeks many years ago relates not to horticulture but to infants' language acquision. Our daughter, now 37, was about one or two years old and learning new words on a daily basis. I pointed to the leeks saying "Leeks!". She then went round the garden pointing to every plant she came across, saying "Leeks!".

[ardcarp]

[Constantbee]

Dreadful year. Miserable even for courgettes. I managed to salvage a couple to use in a Piccalilli, apart from that, a write off Pheromone traps for plum trees were a complete waste of money. They seem to work on the same principle as pheromone traps for clothes moths. You'll see plenty of insects on the sticky tape in the trap but it's basically an indication of the extent of the problem, not the solution The only reliable remedy for Plum Sawfly larvae I've heard about was a winter tar wash that was taken off the market years ago.

[gurnemanz]

Picked a courgette today. One plant still going. Others alll dead.

[doversoul1]

Dreadful year. Miserable even for courgettes. I managed to salvage a couple to use in a Piccalilli, apart from that, a write off Pheromone traps for plum trees were a complete waste of money. They seem to work on the same principle as pheromone traps for clothes moths. You'll see plenty of insects on the sticky tape in the trap but it's basically an indication of the extent of the problem, not the solution The only reliable remedy for Plum Sawfly larvae I've heard about was a winter tar wash that was taken off the market years ago.

I am very sorry that it wasn’t a good year where you were. How very disappointing. Down here in Kent, fruit was poor in general but I can’t complain about vegetables. I pulled up my courgettes a couple of weeks ago having harvested half a dozen marrows. I was going to pull up the outdoor cucumbers yesterday. Instead, I found one quite a nice size cucumber and a few small ones. I can’t say they tasted fantastic but more than good enough for such a late crop.

[gradus]

It's a mixed bag as usual. yesterday I pulled up the outdoor toms in the garden. Massive fruits had developed on Ananas - great flavour - but I left it too late and they were blighted whilst the greenhouse toms are firing on most if not all cylinders and seem disease free although I'll pick them and clear the plants in the next few days.
Growing carrots was successful for the first time in years largely because I have a 3ft high raised bed and carrot fly hasn't been a problem. Courgettes have been ok but I did my usual forgetting act and ended up with marrows too often. Soft fruit was awful but top fruit quite good with some vars noticeably better.
Planted the first of the wallflowers today, I always buy them from someone who grows them outside and they're usually first rate, so fingers crossed. Going to start planting bulbs in pots this weekend but as ever I'll feel guilty when I scrap all the geraniums.