I've read a few times that the inks are not so bad as they once were, and are mostly of vegetable origin. Whether to believe it, I don't know. On the other hand I've read thermal printer rolls are not so good, containing BPA or BPS. Those go through the stove, I presume burning will destroy them wel...

How many thousand tea bags have I emptied out since I got married ? I'm a coffee person myself, but DW drinks enough tea for both of us. The bags are plasticised paper, and never completely decompose. I find myself picking out long ribbons of hot melt glue, all that remains of cardboard boxes that g...

Compostable doesn't necessarily mean it will in an ordinary heap, either. Some need specific processes. I had a pint "glass" which said on the side "I am not a plastic glass; I am 100% compostable". 1 year in a regular compost heap, and it was completely unchanged. Still shiny, p...

Thought it would be American from the transitional planes, which were more popular there. A feat of organisation, but what a pain to use. So much stuff behind other things, you'd end up spending a lot of time digging, or have tools everywhere because it wastes so much time getting them in and out.

The point of this diet, is that it is contrived by scientists to feed a world populaton of 10bn in a healthy way that is not completely destructive to the environment. It does include small amounts of meat and fish, but is heavily based on pulses, nuts, fruit and veg. I don't understand how you mana...

Would pop over to Sandy for a look if I wasn't working.

Went Christmas shopping in Chester by Tornado last year. Lookin forward to Ribblehead behind Union of South Africa in March

I know a bit about this because of my work. As mentioned already, it is because of hoeing and access that it became normal to drill crops in rows. I have somewhere an agricultural seed catalogue - Sakata I think. It does list sugggested plant/row spacings, but more importantly, a range or set of ran...

l - peruse a number of seed catalogues (rather than on line) and take your time choosing your varieties .... But be aware that looking at pictures in seed catalogues is rather ike looking at photos of models on the cover of Vogue. They have been carefully selected, been through make-up, the lightin...

Be prepared to spend more time on weed and pest control than anything else. Get yourself a decent hoe, and use it before you think you need to. We have a stream of newcomers at the allotment who spend a while on civil engineering, digging and sowing, then seem to expect to come back a few months lat...

We once grew sugar beet in an experimental field that had been previously used to grow borage. There were a lot of volunteer borage plants that got out of control so we attempted to hoe them out (tractor hoe, that is). I've never seen so many angry bees ! So I conclude borage is an excellent bee pla...

I generally come across a "Tools for Self-Reliance" stall once a year, they sometimes have rather nice old traditional tools. I've acquired an old-school swan necked hoe with a long handle, it is great. The modern Wolf tools can be pretty good too though. The soil mill thingy can be good t...

Good luck old chap. Only you know how you feel. You are an inspiration in many ways. I hope we can enjoy your humour for a while longer

Whst heavy trusses of tomatoes ! Superb. Fingers crossed you avoid blight. I can't grow toms outdoors here, always get blighted.

Funny business this. A jury of ordinary people expected to weigh far from conclusive scientific evidence on the safety or otherwise of an agrochemical ? Bayer are surely right to appeal. In the meantime, the anti-glyphosate backlash in France is having peculiar effects. We are working on an agricult...

They don't save you money, but the idea is to make the user more conscious of their consumption. I have a pretty good idea already, and the metet itself consumes extra power and possibly batteries. Whilst maybe setting fire to your house, if installed as carelessly as some have been.

Just say no.