Search found 1182 matches
- Fri Aug 03, 2012 4:01 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Trace elements in soil, can you replace them?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 2173
Re: Trace elements in soil, can you replace them?
Rock Dust? However I wonder if the position on trace elements, takeup by plants etc is as straightforward as this? For example, Comfrey is a well known example of something we grow to then use to provide nutrients to other plants (e.g. by making a comfrey "tea" or adding the leaves to comp...
- Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:19 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Breakfast: the most important meal of the day
- Replies: 26
- Views: 7925
Re: Breakfast: the most important meal of the day
I'd happily eat several of the ones on your list Alan. My daughter loves cooking Indian food and often used to cook wonderful savoury breakfasts for us. Apart from the usual toast, I quite like porridge when I'm organised enough to make it. This sometimes gets tinkered with to include dried fruit, s...
- Thu Jul 26, 2012 1:41 pm
- Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
- Topic: blight watch 2012
- Replies: 30
- Views: 9320
Re: blight watch 2012
Virtually all my spuds (salad & maincrop) have blight. They were slow getting going so I don't expect we've got much.
Double irritation as I usually rely on spuds keeping a good bit of our plot covered and clear of weeds
Double irritation as I usually rely on spuds keeping a good bit of our plot covered and clear of weeds
- Wed Jul 25, 2012 3:41 pm
- Forum: Seasonal tips
- Topic: Garlic for winter planting - where to source them
- Replies: 8
- Views: 8674
Re: Garlic for winter planting - where to source them
Like Geoff, I'd suggest starting with good stock, then aiming to keep a few back to re-plant in Sept/Oct.
I've used Garlic Farm before and got good results.
I've used Garlic Farm before and got good results.
- Tue Jul 24, 2012 11:54 am
- Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
- Topic: No Bees
- Replies: 27
- Views: 10047
Re: No Bees
no hover flies at all; not seen a ladybird since April; But at least there are no aphids at all either. Sorry to hear this Alan In our back garden and conservatory, we have had a steady supply of hoverflies and aphids. Because of the latter, I gathered some Ladybird larvae to bring in and put on ou...
- Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:35 pm
- Forum: Birds, Animals and Livestock
- Topic: No Bees
- Replies: 27
- Views: 10047
Re: No Bees
Sorry to hear about this Colin.
We have good numbers round here. Plus a Mason Bee nest in the garden and an impromptu nest of medium-sized bumbles in the roof of our porch (scares the bejesus out the delivery drivers!)
We have good numbers round here. Plus a Mason Bee nest in the garden and an impromptu nest of medium-sized bumbles in the roof of our porch (scares the bejesus out the delivery drivers!)
- Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:17 pm
- Forum: Cooking tips
- Topic: Garlic Scapes
- Replies: 4
- Views: 3419
Re: Garlic Scapes
Tony Hague wrote:. Mind you, this year my hardneck garlic has 1" bulbs and the scapes are covered in rust, so you've done better than me !
Ditto with many of mine Tony. And they were doing so well up to early April.
- Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:15 pm
- Forum: Harvesting Q&A
- Topic: Well at least the Pea harvest has been ok
- Replies: 5
- Views: 4206
Well at least the Pea harvest has been ok
Out of a dismal crop of veg so far, the ones that have seemed to thrive on our plot despite the the wet and lack of warmth are:
- Climbing Peas
- Calabrese & Oriental greens
How about the rest of you?
- Climbing Peas
- Calabrese & Oriental greens
How about the rest of you?
- Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:11 pm
- Forum: Seasonal tips
- Topic: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
- Replies: 12
- Views: 7031
Re: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
And at this time of the year - when we've run out of room to top up the soil - lots of regular feeds. So out of interest, if these were growing in an open field, you wouldn't be adding feed at the same rate? Just relying on sufficient natural or added levels in the soil? I assume the more limited r...
- Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:23 pm
- Forum: Seasonal tips
- Topic: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
- Replies: 12
- Views: 7031
Re: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
Thanks Colin Miles, I have always had "adequate" results in the allotment and only rarely watered. Certainly I'm not scientific to know at what stage in the growing cycle the two points you mention occur.
Guess anything in a container needs closer attention than plants in the ground.
Guess anything in a container needs closer attention than plants in the ground.
- Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:30 pm
- Forum: Seasonal tips
- Topic: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
- Replies: 12
- Views: 7031
Re: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
Hi Colin_ M, Do you think that the choice of growing medium had anything to do with the final outcome? JB, It's possible. I used the same JI multipurpose compost that I use to pot on all seedlings and which usually works well. In addition, Marshalls provided a small quantity of Potato fertilizer wh...
- Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:35 pm
- Forum: General chatter
- Topic: Compost tumbler
- Replies: 3
- Views: 2169
Re: Compost tumbler
Whilst attending a workshop with Charles Dowding a few years back, he showed us a couple of rotating ones he'd been trying, neither of which he considered worth continuing with.
- Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:33 pm
- Forum: Weeds, Pests and Diseases
- Topic: blight watch 2012
- Replies: 30
- Views: 9320
Re: blight watch 2012
Quite a few of my Charlottes have got brown patches on the leaves & overall growth looks like it has slowed down. My Maincrop however look fine & vibrant.
I'm near Bristol.
I'm near Bristol.
- Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:32 pm
- Forum: Best practices
- Topic: Garlic hasn't formed cloves
- Replies: 9
- Views: 5735
Re: Garlic hasn't formed cloves
Does anyone know if you use a piece of a big bulb if you can keep the rest as I read that you can easily end up with food poisoning if you eat garlic that has been exposed to the air? I don't believe there's any danger of food poisoning by doing this. Whether the remaining garlic keeps well is a se...
- Thu Jun 21, 2012 1:27 pm
- Forum: Seasonal tips
- Topic: Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
- Replies: 12
- Views: 7031
Dissapointing Patio Potatoes
As well as the allotment, I decided to get one of Marshalls set of 3 Growing sacs, plus spuds (Mozart, Accent and Charlotte). I started these indoors in February, and had to put them out by March because they were growing so fast. I protected them from frost, continued to earth up and the foliage lo...