Gardening & Allotments

[Mawsley]

The Expert guides are a good start. Try your local charity book store first. Local council for subsidised composters, caddies & water butts. Stainless steel spade and fork. Bolt valuables to flagstones, through shed floor. Blank shotgun cartridges fitted inside the shed door.
Find a source of horse shit (away from this site).
Put the effort in quickly before the weed takes hold. Retire to the shed and enjoy.
Mead tastes shit.

Not leaving anything down there - not even a shed - there's a site for people who like to purloin just outside the next village and stuff has gone walkies from the allotments before.

I've been digging and weeding this weekend and managed to clear half the site, went down for another stint tonight too. Got my peas in and the rhubarb seems happy enough.

The composter is now full of what it had before plus my tonne of chicken crap & sawdust/straw. Should be decent in a year's time. I'm planning on building another two composters to start a rotation.

And nothing tastes shit if it has alcohol and you drink enough of it.:icon_wink

 

[MKFox]

just like to report that the first early spud i'm growing in a pot indoors is doing fantastically well. melons have started sprouting and peas and runners well enough advanced to plant a second batch for a longer season. happy days now it's rained too.

 

[Steven]

I think it is good that there is a place on this forum where the Alan Titchmarshs of this world can congregate.

 

[Mawsley]

I've completed one side of weeding and digging. There's a load of peas down, potatoes coming and I obtained some rhubarb but I'm dubious it'll take.

Sunday was a blissful day, so cathartic - I don't know why I never started this thing sooner. I met a whole bunch of nice souls and a woman who reminded me of Purdy from The New Avengers. Ace.

 

[Steven]

Make sure you physically fit enough to work an allotment. :icon_conf

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/apr/16/trevor-bannister-served-lucas-dies

 

[Mawsley]

I got a shed for my birthday - camping chair, stove and mugs of coffee will soon be in use.

Now to make a couple of cold frames out of waste plastic and some random wood.

Saturdays will never be filled with disappointment and wasted money again.

 

[The Major]

Happy birthday Dags.

 

[MKFox]

leeks and brussel seedlings coming along nicely

 

[Mawsley]

leeks and brussel seedlings coming along nicely

I'm there.

My Foxglove seeds appear to be a tad dangerous though.

 

[MKFox]

prob get a tomato plant or two tomorrow for some early cropping

 

[MKFox]

My Foxglove seeds appear to be a tad dangerous though.

Wow, do you extract glycosides from 2nd year leaves to make the heart drug digitalis?

 

[Mawsley]

Wow, do you extract glycosides from 2nd year leaves to make the heart drug digitalis?

There are people who don't? :icon_eek:

 

[Ian Marshall]

I don't grow my own veg and stuff but really enjoy gardening and do it entirely for pleasure. In fact, my garden would look half decent if I didn't have three cats.

One of them has destroyed all of my lupins and now twice dug up my hollyhocks. I also tend to find bulbs from all over the garden dug up and left in a neat pile on the garden. That's just weird. I've not said anything to my wife since I'm almost convinced she's involved.

Could do with a bit of advice, just moved some climbing roses and they've not settled in great. The area they've moved to is very shady. I'm assuming this is the problem, but it could equally have been that its been unseasonably warm and no rain (although they are watered every night).

Any rose experts on here?

 

[Mawsley]

I suspect there's more rosé experts.

 

[MKFox]

wouldn't move me roses once they're established. did you dig in plenty of manure into the new site? You may just have to keep them alive this year, cut them well back and see what 2012 brings.

Put me pea seedlings in yesterday

 

[Siouxsie]

I was talking to a landscape gardener today and she commented on how tough it has been recently with the harsh winter and snow killing off many, even long established, plants and then the exceptionally dry April.

My lawn already has cracks in it. As it's clay soil it always cracks but not usually this early.

 

[spionfox]

In fact, my garden would look half decent if I didn't have three cats.
<snip>
Could do with a bit of advice

Sack, bricks, river.

 

[Macky]

In fact, my garden would look half decent if I didn't have three cats.
<snip>
Could do with a bit of advice

House brick, sharp knife, barbecue.

Don't forget the Reggae Reggae sauce, it's great with cat

 

[MKFox]

My lawn already has cracks in it.

I may be able to help if you can post a picture of your crack?

 

[Macky]

My lawn already has cracks in it. As it's clay soil it always cracks but not usually this early.

Have you tried moistening your crack?