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Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:22 pm
by Ricard with an H
Im getting neurotic about weeds, in fact I was about to ask if I was doing something wrong. Last year I sowed a whole box of mixed flower seeds in a strip of soil thats had a lot of attention changing it from claggy/stony soil to a fairly loose soil. The weed seedlings showed their heads first and how would I know the difference between what I had sown and what had emerged naturally, not one of the flower seedlings came up which brings me to asking for the second time. Some plants/seedlings give of a chemical that inhibits the germination of others, it's what I read on a bag of grazing rye and was a warning about sowing seeds after grazing rye had been dug in.

I'll be on my fourth day of five hour shifts weeding today and still have more to do.

The strip of soil I referred to has again sprouted masses of seedlings which I have to assume are weeds so this year i'll burn them of and then sow my seeds, any advise or criticism is gratefully accepted as helping.

Regarding hoops and netting, seems to me it's the only way. I had clean carrots and kale last year, i'm sowing cauli though I bet the slugs will get them but at least if I net them my dog wont eat the slug pellets. Does cauli suffer those tiny slugs that always devastate my cabbage ? and do those tiny slugs respond to slug pellets ?

People round here think i'm an expert, when I die i'll have faffed with many things but never became an expert at anything. Take bread making, like gardening the marketing people tell us its easy so they can sell paraphernalia to us but after two solid years of obsessive-ness I'm still throwing bread and cabbage away because it's crap. Though it's rarely as bad as that bread in the Co-op or even M&S. Candy-floss made out of flour.

I just needed a rant, better now.

Byeeee.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 12:43 pm
by Primrose
Read in the paper today that Monty Don has kicked up a fuss about the BBC regularly dropping his Friday night Gardeners World programme to accommodate various sporting programmes, and that a petition has apparently been launch to stop the BEEB messing with it. (On Change.org) I think Monty's right. This gardener here looks forward to his brief Friday evening slot. Surely the BBC could put the sport either on BBC1 or BBC4 for a change. As long as they show it, surely which channel doesn't matter?

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 1:08 pm
by Pa Snip
Primrose wrote:Read in the paper today that Monty Don has kicked up a fuss about the BBC regularly dropping his Friday night Gardeners World programme to accommodate various sporting programmes, and that a petition has apparently been launch to stop the BEEB messing with it. (On Change.org) I think Monty's right. This gardener here looks forward to his brief Friday evening slot. Surely the BBC could put the sport either on BBC1 or BBC4 for a change. As long as they show it, surely which channel doesn't matter?


See also Cider Boys thread on this subject

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=13369

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:45 pm
by PLUMPUDDING
Had an exciting afternoon. My son fixed polycarbonate sheet in greenhouse roof where youths had kicked their football through the highest pane of safety glass last week, my partner (think Frank Spencer) ran over my friend's mobility scooter and got it wedged under the back of his car - she wasn't on it, and the rest of the time I've been chasing all the local cats out of the garden to keep them away from the fledgling blackbirds.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 5:12 pm
by Primrose
My goodness, your fledgelings are early. We haven't seen a single baby bird yet. Not even the odd broken eggshell which one often sees lying around.

The starlings are the most amusing ones to watch. We always seem to have several families of arriving on the bird feeders together and the squawking the babies make is noisy enough to waken the dead. I wonder if they lay their eggs and fledge in unison when they are part of a flock.

It's fascinating to see how quickly the babies learn to start searching around for their own food when the competition is so fierce. Birds get lot of help from humans round here. Our village pet shop has a constant queue of customers renewing their daily depleting stocks of bird food. Suet pellets and sun flower hearts seem to be the fastest selling items. The goldfinches always used to go for the Niger seeds but now totally ignore them and go straight to the sunflower seeds.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2016 7:48 pm
by Westi
I had a stern chat to Mr Asparagus yesterday!

Purple up first but green has showed as well! Not actually growing as such - poking it's nose up & saying NO! I'll stay here for a bit until it warms up a bit more! Loving the sunny bits that come out between the clouds but there is still a chill wind!

Westi

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:52 am
by Ricard with an H
Asparagus, that's what I would like to grow. More learning.

Once again birds have built a nest into the post box, they do it every year without fail but have never investigated what species it is. I'm guessing robin. Once the postman opens the box to find eggs or a nest we stick a notice on the box so no one posts letters.

When I ask the postman what type of bird it is I get the shoulder-shrug and, " I don't know, bird chicks". I don't look for fear of disturbing them.

Fortunately the post box only serves 4 dwellings 2 of which are mostly unoccupied, this must have been a grand farm in its day. It has its own chapel, it's own graveyard and a post box all at the end of a private road but the bin men don't come down. We don't have village status, just an area name and names of dwellings.

So, birds nesting, chicks hatched, swallows and cookoo. Definitely Spring.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 7:13 am
by Pa Snip
Ricard with an H wrote:Fortunately the post box only serves 4 dwellings 2 of which are mostly unoccupied, this must have been a grand farm in its day. It has its own chapel, it's own graveyard and a post box all at the end of a private road but the bin men don't come down. We don't have village status, just an area name and names of dwellings.



β€œTo be or not to be that is the question.”
― William Shakespeare,

Forsure Richard, thou's abode doth sound like a Hamlet

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:21 am
by Ricard with an H
The son of the schoolmaster of the the nearest village wrote a book about the area, called,

, "Schoolings log "

Our hamlet wasn't even mentioned we are two miles away at the most, I suppose two miles was like another county in the 1800s.

One of the area celebrities was the owner of a sought-after boar who would travel round servicing each family sow and the story goes that whilst waiting for the boar to complete his responsibility the owner was know to also service the lady owners whilst the men were out in the fields.

Disgusting.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:25 am
by Pa Snip
Servicing the lady of the household whilst the menfolk were out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They don't come much rasher than that.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 9:36 am
by Ricard with an H
Rasher ? (Smile)

The story goes even further though artistic writing may have crept in because all the ladies over the area this rascal traveled were known to get their Sunday frocks on and have a wash. The part that made me smile was that the wash came after the frock went on.

12 degrees outside today, lots of cloud but bright. I do wish I had a days work in me, so much to do.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 12:29 pm
by PLUMPUDDING
Yes Primrose, very early blackbird fledglings. I was pleased to see one had managed to fly into the tall pear tree this morning and was trying to look grown up preening the baby fluff out of its feathers.

And further to my partners accident yesterday, my friend is still talking to me, but she may have a large repair bill for him.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 3:42 pm
by oldherbaceous
Dear Plumpudding, i bet your partner has heard the last of that tiny mishap..... :)

Really is gorgeous out there, infact, i'm going back out to do a little more.....just had a tea and cake break.... :)

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 5:28 pm
by Geoff
Glorious day up in the frozen north too. Planted Sweet Peas this morning and first cut some of my rough grass this afternoon. Planning weeding this evening, can't have Ric(h)ard getting ahead. Worried we are going have another year with few Plums and Damsons (and possibly Pears), the blossom is coming out fast and the dire warnings about next week's frost sound grim.

Re: Now it is Spring Time (Confirmed)

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2016 8:41 pm
by Parsons Jack
Lovely day down here again :)

Over the last few days, I have planted out broad beans, sowed Kelvedon Wonder peas, and weeded the onions.

Finished building the 8ft x 6ft x 18inches raised bed. Just got to fill it with a mixture of top soil and multi purpose compost now.
I shall use it for carrots and parsnips this year I think.

Lots of blossom on the plum tree, and lots of buds on the bramley apple. The bramley is growing in a large tub, so it will be interesting to see what ( if anything ) I get from it :)