Search found 515 matches

by vivienz
Thu Mar 21, 2024 4:35 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Spring Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 41
Views: 817

Re: Spring Bits and Bobs.

I've been out with the nematodes today. The blighters are having a nibble on my newly emerging asparagus, and that just won't do. I don't mind losing a bit of excess parsley, but I have limits to my mollusc feeding generosity. It has been a glorious day here in Deepest Darkest and the first of last ...
by vivienz
Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:26 pm
Forum: Seed Swop-Shop
Topic: Collard greens
Replies: 0
Views: 85

Collard greens

Anyone fancy a freshly opened but mostly unused packet of collard green seeds? See the post in 'Best Practices' first, though!
by vivienz
Tue Mar 19, 2024 7:20 pm
Forum: Best practices
Topic: Collard greens
Replies: 3
Views: 112

Re: Collard greens

Oh blimey, thanks Westi! Forewarned is forearmed! In that case, I'm not sure that I will give the plot space to them. I prefer to lightly cook my greens and don't fancy anything that needs boiling to oblivion and back just to make it edible. There are so many delicious things to grow that I don't be...
by vivienz
Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:28 pm
Forum: Best practices
Topic: Collard greens
Replies: 3
Views: 112

Collard greens

Has anyone tried these? Apparently, they're very popular in the US and I've seen them mentioned in lots of cookery articles. They're not quite the same as kale or spring greens.
I saw some seeds for them, so bought a packet and have now sown some, so I can report back later in the year.
by vivienz
Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:22 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Late Winter Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 201
Views: 74875

Re: Late Winter Bits and Bobs.

It's a squelch-athon in the bog that passes for our garden. We're on heavy clay and I can't see this much water draining properly much before mid-April. My kitchen garden is all raised beds, but the greenhouse borders are flooded as they're at regular ground level plus a few inches. Anyhow, I've got...
by vivienz
Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:09 pm
Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
Topic: Woodlice eating strawberries
Replies: 4
Views: 652

Re: Woodlice eating strawberries

I have a border of early strawberries in my greenhouse and last year, the woodlice scoffed most of them. There were only enough left for us once they were in full production. I have strawberry beds outside too, but these weren't bothered by woodlice at all. Plenty of other pests, slugs, birds, husba...
by vivienz
Wed Mar 13, 2024 1:28 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Late Winter Bits and Bobs.
Replies: 201
Views: 74875

Re: Late Winter Bits and Bobs.

Afternoon all, popping my head around the KG door to say hello. I tried posting a while back, but the /remlins seemed to be having a party on the forum and only gremlins were allowed, so they didn't let me in. I'm off for some quality time in the greenhouse this afternoon - I had a dumpy bag of comp...
by vivienz
Tue May 16, 2023 10:16 pm
Forum: Cooking tips
Topic: Have we done the air fryer thing on KG?
Replies: 13
Views: 5991

Re: Have we done the air fryer thing on KG?

I wouldn't dream of shouting at anyone for their choice of kitchen equipment, @stravaig! I don't have a vast number of kitchen gadgets.....well, maybe lots, but not vast! But my curiosity got the better of me and that was me down the rabbit hole. I fully appreciate the gas v. electric argument, too,...
by vivienz
Mon May 15, 2023 9:27 pm
Forum: Cooking tips
Topic: Have we done the air fryer thing on KG?
Replies: 13
Views: 5991

Have we done the air fryer thing on KG?

I'm onto my second air fryer now. I used to have a single drawer one, you know, the ones that look a bit like the helmet that Darth Vader in Star Wars wore, but I was so smitten by them that I gave my old one to a friend and bought a double drawer one. The point of this random waffle is to say what ...
by vivienz
Mon May 15, 2023 9:11 pm
Forum: Harvesting Q&A
Topic: How long can I harvest my asparagus?
Replies: 2
Views: 2896

Re: How long can I harvest my asparagus?

Thanks, Westi, that's just the sort of advice I was after. I had left a couple of skinny ones to go frondy, thinking I might be being kind to it, but I shall snip them off first thing in the morning. I'm still in my wooly jumpers with northerly breeze; bikinis are a distant memory for decades! I'm s...
by vivienz
Mon May 15, 2023 6:44 pm
Forum: Harvesting Q&A
Topic: How long can I harvest my asparagus?
Replies: 2
Views: 2896

How long can I harvest my asparagus?

This is year 3 for my asparagus bed and it's been cropping heavily for about 2 or 3 weeks now and I've been harvesting the spears for the first time. The first flush seems to be coming to an end. Should I stop cutting the spears now, or can I have more once another flush comes along? The bed has bee...
by vivienz
Mon May 15, 2023 6:20 pm
Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
Topic: Is this Box Blight?
Replies: 14
Views: 3213

Re: Is this Box Blight?

Sorry! Having attachment problems - will sort later:(
by vivienz
Mon May 15, 2023 6:12 pm
Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
Topic: Is this Box Blight?
Replies: 14
Views: 3213

Re: Is this Box Blight?

Hello Westi, I'm a bit late to this, but it does look like a nasty infestation of box moth. We had an awful lot of this come in a couple of summers ago and it's a familiar pest. It's a nasty thing but with diligence, and the right treatment, you can get rid of it. We used xentari. It's not licenced ...
by vivienz
Mon May 15, 2023 5:56 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Long awaited Spring Bits and Bobs…
Replies: 339
Views: 70279

Re: Long awaited Spring Bits and Bobs…

Evening, all, waving from deepest darkest Dorset after one of my shamefully prolonged absences. I've just been having a catch up on posts and see that everyone else seems to be having what is, at best, a mediocre season. Lots of things in my kitchen garden are struggling, except for the snails and s...
by vivienz
Sun Apr 18, 2021 4:44 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Early Spring Bits and Bobs
Replies: 166
Views: 30348

Re: Early Spring Bits and Bobs

I've been fleecing up in my cold greenhouses despite what the weather forecast says - it's been at least 1.5 below the forecast temperature quite regularly here over the last few nights and so they've been frosty ones. One pot of early spuds in the greenhouse got its leaves nipped by frost when I mi...