Whatever you grow keep the chucks off the veg with some netting or the like. They'll devastate it before it gets an inch high. If we'd have eaten from the veg garden this xmas we'd have had roasted Jalapenos with an Oregano sauce, roast oregano with a Jalepeno sauce. Or roast chicken. She started la...

Thanks guys, Some good suggestions and thanks for the seed web links. This year I have time to order some rather than run round the shops in March panicking that I've got nothing started, usually ending up with a crappy selection pack from a DIY store. Keep 'em coming, I've got lots of greenhouse to...

Johnboy, I have a soft spot for pigeons. But it tends to harden in the oven! My evidence is largely anecdotal, although I can recall a few references to this in the odd book I've read on the subject of pigeons. Woody's and Feral pigeons are on open general licence meaning that they can be shot where...

Forum, I grew some really nice cucumbers last year - F1's. Alas I lost my record sheet with the variety. Any ideas from this description. 8-12 inches long, 1.5 inches thick. A bit prickly with quite a tough skin (compared to the watery supermarket pap). Skin darkish with very little variation. I fou...

Hey Forum, Just a quick line or two on your tomato and pepper successes. I grew a variety of yellow toms last year for the visual impact and was v. dissapointed with the flavour. What vars give the best flavour? Also what variety of peppers has the best flavour? Shape and size unimportant. Thanks al...

Some thoughts for the mixer. I have a polybcarbonate one and a horticultural glass one. The polycarb came from e-bay (welsh farmer's wife with huge cakes - nice). It was brand new and boxed. The glass one was from my next door neighbour (free but no cake). Both are quite exposed to the elements and ...

dispic, I grew three varieties of carrot last year. Since they're cheap as chips in the supermarkets (well cheaper actually) I decided that purple, red and small and sweet was good idea, you can also sow every two weeks or so to ensure constant supply through summer (if you've got enough pots). Good...

Guys, There are battles to be won with admired allies such as pelicans, cats, foxes etc. The war is being lost. Pigeon numbers are on the increase. Winter rape helps them through the hard months, spring drilling gives them a boost through to harvest and the spilled grain. They suppliment their diet ...

Any cat providing for itself, hunting for food will take the easy (lowest energy cost) option available and the results tend not to get back to the kitchen lino. It's usually ground mammals (sadly not squirrels) which, it appears, no-one really cares whether it lives or dies. Its likely that such a ...

Hiya, See if this helps. Its like water pressure. If you compare the pressure 200m down with 1m down the difference is significant. The difference in 'pressure' across the bird's feet is insignificant. I guess that, even if they were hungarian hugging starlings the same would apply given their close...

A scale developed by Wilbur Scoville in 1912, to measure the heat level in chillies. It was first a subjective taste test, but since, it has been refined by the use of HPLC, the unit is named in honour of its inventor. The test officially measures the pungency level of a given pepper. There are othe...

Thanks Deb, Its looking good. I've got room for two more raised beds as as well as the line of the trellis. I'd thought about espalliaed (sp) fruit. Is it difficult and what are the yeilds like? I've got a bed full of soft fruit and maybe that will transfer to the trellis (rasberries, logan berries ...

Lizzie, On my subject here. A bit Chemical! But I don't know the specific chilli's characteristics........but its how you use them (broadly). The recepetors that 'feel' the heat are defined by proteins in the mouth which 'receive' the chemicals in chillis that are 'hot'. Heat (temperature) will chan...

Try this.... Fill roasting dishes with your XS toms. Add the odd clove of garlic and onion/shallot. Drizzle with Olive oil sprinkle with sea salt and roast in a hot oven for 20-30 mins. After about 10 mins pour off the liquid at the bottom of the roasting dish, keeping the 'solids' in the dish and r...

Hi All, Perhaps you would put your collective expertise to work for me? Yesterday I had my veg patch separated from the rest of the garden with 35ft of 4-foot-high trellis. It cuts a swathe across the grass at the moment but I'd like to grow stuff up it. Given that (other than grass) if it doesn't c...