Search found 3270 matches

by PLUMPUDDING
Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:29 am
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Wildlife photographs
Replies: 414
Views: 153434

Re: Wildlife photographs

We get quite a few moorland birds and an occasional sighting of winter hares. My son had a strange encounter with a red grouse last week when walking on the moors. It was standing on the path and didn't fly away when he walked past it, then it flew onto the back of his neck and clapped it's wings ha...
by PLUMPUDDING
Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:18 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn bits and bobs
Replies: 293
Views: 90621

Re: Autumn bits and bobs

I was replying to Geoff about the scabious but my message vanished.

It's worth trying to overwinter your favourites indoors, but have you any seeds from them as an alternative? Ive never had much luck with them apart from one Knautia Macedonica which has been coming up withough fail for years.
by PLUMPUDDING
Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:32 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Cake
Replies: 10
Views: 4953

Re: Cake

Just a different way of mixing the ingredients John. Fat and sugar and milk with the fruit as the liquid ingredients and added to the rest of the dry ingredients and eggs so you don't have to cream the fat and sugar. It makes the fruit nice and moist as well, so it is a boiled fruit cake, not a boil...
by PLUMPUDDING
Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:39 am
Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
Topic: Rats - yet again !
Replies: 9
Views: 8812

Re: Rats - yet again !

There's a brown rat the size of a guinea pig on the bird table. I'm not using poison as the cat eats any he catches and it's difficult to find a safe place to put humane traps that the hedgehog won't go in, I've caught it twice. My son shoots two or three a week but there must be dozens of them. The...
by PLUMPUDDING
Sun Nov 25, 2018 6:17 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Top three veg?
Replies: 11
Views: 5159

Re: Top three veg?

It's difficult to choose only three Tony. I would grow Charlotte potatoes as they taste lovely when new but grow quite large if you leave them in longer. Leeks would be useful as they stand in good condition for ages and then it's a toss up between carrots which should do well in sandy soil, or clim...
by PLUMPUDDING
Fri Nov 23, 2018 7:44 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: We all have these in our gardens
Replies: 11
Views: 3949

Re: We all have these in our gardens

I was just going to ask if it was an ant and then saw Alan's comment about Dec so it probably is. Insects are amazing when you look through the microscope.
by PLUMPUDDING
Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:34 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn bits and bobs
Replies: 293
Views: 90621

Re: Autumn bits and bobs

I got a nice surprise this afternoon when having a look round the garden. I picked a small dish full of Autumn Bliss raspberries that were in excellent condition and still very tasty. I didn't think they would be worth eating but they were really nice. Then I shovelled up four big trugs of leaves fr...
by PLUMPUDDING
Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:20 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Wildlife photographs
Replies: 414
Views: 153434

Re: Wildlife photographs

The siskin is lovely Tiger. We're getting a small flock on the feeders every day at the moment. Your photos are better than a lot of wildlife pictures I've seen. You could publish your own wildlife calendar with your talent. The ones you've put on here are greatly appreciated.
by PLUMPUDDING
Tue Nov 20, 2018 8:44 am
Forum: Best practices
Topic: Soil Testing
Replies: 9
Views: 5724

Re: Soil Testing

I don't test mine very often, but use one of the spike type meters. It does give varying readings around the garden and tends to be slightly acidic. I haven't been able to obtain any manure for a few years but add lots of home made compost plus blood fish and bone and organic extra which has seaweed...
by PLUMPUDDING
Mon Nov 19, 2018 9:15 am
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn bits and bobs
Replies: 293
Views: 90621

Re: Autumn bits and bobs

It's good to know you're out and about Pa. There are a lot of pests still about aren't there. I've been trying to rub the brassica aphids off some of the curly kale. I've not grown so many varieties this year but have had a very good crop from the calabrese. My main jobs at the moment are rat proofi...
by PLUMPUDDING
Sat Nov 17, 2018 7:05 pm
Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
Topic: Wildlife photographs
Replies: 414
Views: 153434

Re: Wildlife photographs

I've just taken a photo of the baby hedgehog but it just looks like fuzzy blob. It is still coming every night and looks quite round but I don't fancy it's chances getting through the winter if it's a bad one.
by PLUMPUDDING
Thu Nov 15, 2018 6:06 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn bits and bobs
Replies: 293
Views: 90621

Re: Autumn bits and bobs

There were bees out too this afternoon OH. I spent an hour emptying the full trays in my wormery and starting a new one for them to move into when they've finished breaking down the current one. I've put some special worm food pellets, a bit of kitchen waste a layer of leaves and a few sheets of new...
by PLUMPUDDING
Fri Nov 09, 2018 4:18 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn bits and bobs
Replies: 293
Views: 90621

Re: Autumn bits and bobs

I think they are used for making the wooden bits on guns (very technical) and need to be at least 80 years old and fetch a very good price for furniture making etc too. Definitely not for firewood.
by PLUMPUDDING
Fri Nov 09, 2018 3:07 pm
Forum: General chatter
Topic: Autumn bits and bobs
Replies: 293
Views: 90621

Re: Autumn bits and bobs

You don't have to wait so long for the nuts Primrose, my 8 year wallnut tree had 7lbs of nuts this year. I think the next generation wait is if you're going to chop it down for its wood.
by PLUMPUDDING
Thu Nov 08, 2018 4:36 pm
Forum: Ask the team
Topic: Why has this happened.
Replies: 2
Views: 2776

Re: Why has this happened.

Perhaps it is because it is younger wood and is taking longer to produce the chemical changes that cause leaf drop. One of my red acers has done something similar with a new shoot but it is on a much larger tree.