Search found 18 matches

by spinningfishwife
Tue May 30, 2006 8:13 am
Forum: Best practices
Topic: Night time temperaturres
Replies: 25
Views: 9504

Here in East Lothian, Scotland, we`d be mad to have anything tender planted out yet. We`ve been getting night temperatures of -3 quite regularly. I`ve only just taken the squash seedlings out the propogator...another 3 weeks minimum before they go out.
by spinningfishwife
Tue May 30, 2006 8:10 am
Forum: Seasonal tips
Topic: Are squashes safe outside yet?
Replies: 9
Views: 5194

I always put a cloche over my squashes etc when I plant out....either a cheap plastc bell one or one made from a big water dispenser bottle with the base cut off.
by spinningfishwife
Sun Feb 12, 2006 10:44 am
Forum: Seasonal tips
Topic: Wood for raised beds
Replies: 13
Views: 9545

Every last one of my 22 raised beds was built from scrap timber out of skips etc. The last six were courtesy of my neighbours loft conversion. It took a while to find enough, but I couldn`t afford to buy that amount of timber new. Over the years it starts to decay a bit, but there`s plenty more out ...
by spinningfishwife
Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:54 pm
Forum: Best practices
Topic: How do you dig?
Replies: 21
Views: 9370

I originally double dug every single one of my raised beds to the traditional two spits deep plus manure formula. It was hard work at the time....but I don`t have to dig at all now. I`m short so use a stainless steel border spade, and work left to right then right to left on the next row. Lots of te...
by spinningfishwife
Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:48 pm
Forum: Seasonal tips
Topic: Raised beds - what and what not to plant
Replies: 17
Views: 11394

My entire plot is made up of 22 raised beds, marked, dug and mulched over the course of my first five years on the plot. Now they`re no-dig and a great timesaver. They`re all 4ft wide and vary in length to suit the plot. However the 18` long ones I find a bit too long to walk round so I`m going to d...
by spinningfishwife
Mon Feb 06, 2006 4:41 pm
Forum: Seasonal tips
Topic: Planting Aquadulce
Replies: 10
Views: 4897

I put a bed of Aquadulce Claudia in at the weekend....up here in Scotland I find they`re more sucessful planted now than in autumn. I`ll put in a bed of another variety when it gets a bit warmer.
by spinningfishwife
Sat Jan 28, 2006 7:12 pm
Forum: Readers Recipes
Topic: Jam pot covers
Replies: 4
Views: 4119

I get them in my tiny local newsagent! But yes, John Lewis or posh cookshop places have them too.
by spinningfishwife
Fri Jan 27, 2006 12:53 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Cat litter: any use for this in the garden at all?
Replies: 23
Views: 13472

. (Some countries even use human excrement as fertilizer.) The U.K and most of the EU, pumps almost all its sewage sludge (solids from sewage farms) onto farmland. Have you never seen tankers parked in small country lanes attached to tractor driven pumps and miles of pipe? Sorry, I expressed myself...
by spinningfishwife
Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:43 am
Forum: Harvesting Q&A
Topic: bottling passata
Replies: 34
Views: 19294

There is a particularly fine Readers Digest publication called "Food From Your Garden" that claims to be "All you need to know to grow, cook and preserve your own fruit and vegetables". To my mind it`s one of the best books I own and though it`s somewhat out of date because it wa...
by spinningfishwife
Fri Jan 27, 2006 10:31 am
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Cat litter: any use for this in the garden at all?
Replies: 23
Views: 13472

Women in France can get vaccinated against toxiplasmosis when pregnant, so they can carry on eating all the food they like. I wouldn`t be happy putting cat litter into the garden. The general rule for compsting excrement is herbivore stuff is fine, carnivore stuff is not. (Some countries even use hu...
by spinningfishwife
Tue Jan 24, 2006 3:43 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Dye plants in the allotment.
Replies: 1
Views: 2593

Dye plants in the allotment.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good book on how to grow dye plants? I`m a spinner and am interested in learning to dye my wool and yarns with natural dyes. I feel I need to get the dye plant area of the allotment going this year, so that I have enough plant material to use next year. But ...
by spinningfishwife
Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:32 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Worm book
Replies: 1
Views: 2665

Well, with a title like that I have to have it, if only for leaving around on the coffee table when my sister visits. :shock:
by spinningfishwife
Mon Jan 16, 2006 4:19 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: bee keeping on my allotments
Replies: 12
Views: 7237

I`d like bees, but to the best of my knowledge there are at least two plotholders on the site that have the kind of allergy to bee stings that require the immediate use of an adrenaline injection pen. It might of course be argued that there are plenty of bees and wasps on an allotment site anyway, a...
by spinningfishwife
Mon Jan 16, 2006 4:10 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: roottrainers and garlic
Replies: 9
Views: 4962

I`ve got several sets of rootrainers in the frames that hold them and they have lasted for six years now, often being used twice per year. I bought them at a Potato Day though, so no idea of manufacturer. Would I buy them again? Well, possibly not. They don`t fit that well into a propagator, if that...
by spinningfishwife
Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:29 am
Forum: Best practices
Topic: Digging up grassland
Replies: 8
Views: 5368

It`s wireworms that are the problem, isn`t it? They live in permenant pasture, then when you start cultivating root crops they go for these instead. There was a article in Kitchen Garden about making lazy beds in grassland, btw. Perhaps one of the forum admin folk can help if it`s availible online? ...