Search found 691 matches

by Tony Hague
Sat Feb 10, 2024 11:12 pm
Forum: Ask the team
Topic: Large seed potatoes
Replies: 7
Views: 294

Re: Large seed potatoes

My Dad used flowers of sulphur to dress the cut surface, which is somewhat fungicidal.
by Tony Hague
Sun Jan 07, 2024 1:15 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Early Winter Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 118
Views: 2947848

Re: Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

Presuming the lime is to raise pH, I just use wood ash, of which I have plenty, instead. My cabbages grew better than anything else last year, so can't be doing too much harm.
by Tony Hague
Thu Jan 04, 2024 12:41 pm
Forum: Cooking tips
Topic: Retro Food
Replies: 8
Views: 63655

Re: Retro Food

Vesta packet curries were part of my student survival kit. Kept indefinitely and could be turned into something resembling food quite quickly. A better curry was to be had from the Students' Union snack bar for 80p, but the beer that was somehow needed to wash it down made it more expensive.
by Tony Hague
Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:30 pm
Forum: Ask the team
Topic: Cool Chillies
Replies: 4
Views: 4785

Re: Cool Chillies

I'm rather in a different camp. I love chilli. 7 pot yellow is a favourite - named because one chilli is enough for 7 pots of food. Can't see the point of growing a chilli without heat - isn't it just a sweet pepper ?
by Tony Hague
Fri Dec 08, 2023 5:43 pm
Forum: Growing places
Topic: 2024 season begins
Replies: 9
Views: 30519

Re: 2024 season begins

I was thinking to ask when people sowed their onions. I can set up a propagator, so might do that soon. Only growing red onions and shallots I think, the allium leaf miner calls for lots of mesh, not worth growing regular onions that are cheap in the shop.
by Tony Hague
Wed Nov 22, 2023 1:46 pm
Forum: Readers Recipes
Topic: Exploring Cream Coffee
Replies: 9
Views: 24148

Re: Exploring Cream Coffee

I see this is related to the Greek Frappe, which I rather like. I only drink it in Greece though, and I guess it may be like so many things on holiday, good when you're there, but doesn't really survive being brought home. You need the other crucial ingredients - Greek sun, relaxation, convivial sur...
by Tony Hague
Tue Nov 21, 2023 1:26 pm
Forum: Readers Recipes
Topic: Exploring Cream Coffee
Replies: 9
Views: 24148

Re: Exploring Cream Coffee

robo wrote: Tue Nov 21, 2023 9:41 am One can not beat a cup of tea
Well you can, but it is a bit overkill. A stir with a spoon is usually enough.
by Tony Hague
Wed Nov 15, 2023 12:56 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 182
Views: 668042

Re: Autumn Bits and Bobs.

Presumably gravel boards are intended for a similar use, and are fairly cheap. If you want to DIY something. I've been skeptical about raised beds, they often seem to consume a lot of time and energy for little gain - or at last what people build at our allotments ! What has changed my view a little...
by Tony Hague
Sun Nov 12, 2023 11:32 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Oh Deer
Replies: 17
Views: 36203

Re: Oh Deer

There must surely be some wider consequences of the introduction of red kites. They seem very successful, they have quickly become the most common large bird you see.
by Tony Hague
Sun Nov 12, 2023 10:16 am
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Oh Deer
Replies: 17
Views: 36203

Re: Oh Deer

In the case of Muntjac, they were accidentally introduced by escape from Woburn abbey grounds, near to OH and I, so we have quite enough of them around here !
by Tony Hague
Fri Nov 10, 2023 2:33 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Oh Deer
Replies: 17
Views: 36203

Re: Oh Deer

That's sad ? I get the little blighters making holes through the (wire) allotment fence to eat my veg. I would do better taking a shotgun to the plot rather than a trug !
by Tony Hague
Fri Nov 10, 2023 2:27 pm
Forum: Best practices
Topic: Flood Prevention
Replies: 14
Views: 24192

Re: Flood Prevention

If you make a raised bed, it will need to be raised , not just a border of wood round a negligibly higher bit of ground as you often see. One way might be to dig the paths between the beds lower, to get the earth to fill them. Even better if there is grass, cut turves and put them in a fair way down...
by Tony Hague
Fri Nov 03, 2023 3:54 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Death list
Replies: 14
Views: 29845

Re: Death list

It can be difficult, depressing and patience taxing to visit people in care homes, I know from personal experience. It can also feel a a bit pointless, once the stage is reached that effective communication isn't possible (they usually aren't in a care home without good reason). So, I have sympathy ...
by Tony Hague
Thu Nov 02, 2023 1:28 pm
Forum: Best practices
Topic: What are you going to use when peat is gone ?
Replies: 11
Views: 23624

Re: What are you going to use when peat is gone ?

Peat seems to have an ability to stay just moist. Kind of nice light spongy stuff. Many of the wood fibre based composts can go dry on the surface whilst still being soggy below. The JI loam based composts always seem rather cold and heavy to me. Leaf mold is often suggested as an alternative but is...
by Tony Hague
Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:53 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Raised bed the Hugel way
Replies: 7
Views: 6638

Re: Raised bed the Hugel way

Just to follow up on my experiment. Another year or two on from the last report, I decided actually things were doing worse on this bed than on the flat. It didn't seem to need less watering in a couple of very dry summers, if anything the opposite. So, I dug it up. Despite ash wood being a type tha...