ALL my parsnip seedlings (Countess and Student) are now through and growing apace. This damp paper method really works.

I use Renardine (which was originally formulated against foxes), too, and it works well, but it does smell quite revolting. If your raised beds are not too large or you don't have too many, you could also cover them with chicken wire. It will come in useful later when you want to protect your seedli...

I bought a juicer a few years ago but gave up using it because it was such a palaver to clean it! Took ages! And even when properly clean, the fruit juices had marked all the white plastic bits into a dirty grey. So we actually threw it away.

My Countess and Student took about 10 days to germinate with about 80% germination. They are now in rootrainers but I notice that not all of them have survived the transfer from paper to soil, I would think about 10% have not come through - yet. There is still hope, I suppose.

We are actually in Embsay, Catherine, about 35 minutes sharp walk from Skipton. And our allotment is on a steep southwest facing slope from where we can clearly see Pendle Hill (with some snow on it today!), about 14 miles away in Lancashire.

Good to see you back on form, OH!

Catherine, you are not far from Colne, are you? Do you ever shop at LBS at Cottontree? They have a wonderful selection of all kinds of traps, staging, pots, trays, cloches, fleece, polythene sheets etc. Well worth going to. Their website is lbsgardenwarehouse.co.uk

We have given up growing winter caulis because only about 50% produced good heads and they take up so much room for such a long time, BUT they never ever had caterpillars! On the watering front: I put a bottomless plastic bottle upside down next to each plant and water into that, so that the water g...

Metcheck gives a rather gloomy forecast for the next ten days or so: snow, sleet, rain and certainly night temperatures below freezing. It was lovely and warm in the greenhouse today, though, with the sunshine!

WHICH magazine presented a report on their compost tests recently and, in a nutshell, they found that B&Q compost was best and FOCUS didn't do very well. I use Humax multipurpose compost (which was not tested by them) and always found it reliable and with enough nutrients to see plants through f...

A clump of rhubarb might suit her very well, but be warned, they make an awful mess of your garden with their thick webbed feet. They also turn any pond into a murky syrup by proddling about in the vegetation. With you feeding her, she might very well stay and be joined by her mate again!

Plumpudding, it stayed for 10 days, swimming and diving, and lots of birdwatchers came to see it (somebody, not me, had reported it on Birdline Northeast, on the internet and in the Yorkshire Post), then one morning it had disappeared. We very much hope that it has now found its way to the coast!

Another grand picture! We know it well, my son lives at the foot of it and thinks nothing of walking up to the top early in the morning and then starting work at 10am on his return, especially when the dotterels pass through in May!

We had the same problem a few years ago and found the only remedy was to surround the feeders with a home made "cage" of chickenwire which let the tits, siskins etc through but not the starlings. Unfortunately, it also kept out the great spotted woodpecker. Since then, our starling populat...

Get well soon, OH, I wondered where you were!
We had the first swallow in the village today so spring must be on the way, and you'll want to be there to see it arrive!