Stumped?: Gardening Q&AsGardening adviceShould I give up on them?I bought two hostas last year and planted them under an acer in a shady spot among ferns. First the slugs decimated them, then they turned bright yellow. Should I give up and go for something easier? Might they come back? The border is a raised bed in good-quality compost.
Hostas turn yellow when they start to go dormant for winter. I'm not going to insult you by implying it could have been that (but do have a little think about the timing) as earlier in the year it is also their stock response to stress. It could have been as a result of the slug attack, but other potential culprits include dry soil or too much sun. I'm sure they'll come back; in fact growth will be on the move soon and you must protect them from slugs from the off. I use a combination of copper rings from slugrings.co.uk and Advanced Slug Killer organic slug pellets from organiccatalog.com. Hostas like moist soil, and raised beds have a tendency towards dryness. Mulch around your hostas with leaf mould or garden compost (do this every spring or autumn), and water in hot weather.
I've for some years grown a variety of tomatoes in my greenhouse. What early, heavy-cropping tomatoes can we use for soups? I tend to grow them from seed indoors first.
Generally, the early-to-ripen types tend to be the smaller, cherry varieties. Big ones take longer to ripen, logically. However, you should have a look at the Real Seed Catalogue. Based in Wales, this small, family-run business specialises in vegetables that ripen early, as it's the only way they can get a decent crop in their own short, often cool and damp season. They offer several quick-growing Russian early salad types, the earliest being 'Latah' (customers have reported ripe tomatoes at the end of June). Key, of course, is to sow them now, in a heated propagator, and cosset them.
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