Late Winter Bits and Bobs - 2017.

[robo]

I ordered some on line about four years ago, I've never been as disgusted in my life tiny little things that were top price from dt Brown's never again I always inspect before buying now

[oldherbaceous]

It makes you wonder if they don't send the odd size ones out, if you order online!!!

[Westi]

Actually they are being really silly if you think about it! If someone orders online chances are they are confident growers, know what they want, go for a deal & know how to complain both directly & on multiple forums. If someone is just browsing at the garden centre looking forward to cream tea & stumbles across a seed potato pile they get a notion to try growing something they would probably go for the big ones. They will probably get a crop of sorts & be pleased at their efforts, or if not it is the garden centre's fault, not the suppliers.

[Westi]

What a productive day! After 2 weeks of rain & no lottie, today was cloudy but no rain, so able to muck in. Got 3 large trugs of burn ash for the onions & even managed to put individual piles at the end of the onion beds ready to scatter. Then Mr Westi's xmas present of a pile of old horse stall manure & straw was spread all over the this bit where we burned & even got the black plastic down, with enough manure left over to mulch the 4 soft fruit beds & another dormant bed.

Harvested loads of kalettes, kale, turnips, mooli, leeks & celeriac & even though left them, got some nice looking January King & Savoys ready & my cauliflowers are looking just so perfect - not ready, but hearting up & curd covered completely! Dog unfortunately has re-dispersed the marker with her tennis ball obsession so probably burned it so unsure of variety.

I will pay for this load of activity tomorrow but feels really good to be muddy & in touch with nature just now. Oh & Plum Beauty is in bud...damn fool thing!

[Pa Snip]

Was a nice start to the morning earlier, now @ 08:30 the fog has rolled in and visibility is down to about 100yrds.

As long as the rain stays away I may well do a complete wrap up and visit the plot.

OR

I may make the last batch of marmalade as Mrs S got 2kg of Seville oranges from Waitrose for 49p, less her partner discount !!!

[Shallot Man]

I ordered some on line about four years ago, I've never been as disgusted in my life tiny little things that were top price from dt Brown's never again I always inspect before buying now

Drove the six miles to a nursery, selected my own, chicken egg size. [ well that's the size my late father always said was the ideal size for a seed potato. ] Should have done it in the first place. [ no fool like an old fool ]

[oldherbaceous]

Shallot Man,....

[JohnN]

Lovely morning here in the deep south so I was tempted to give up lying under the palm - sorry, quince - tree and go and dig the garden. Oh, dear, back is aching after 20 minutes, I really think I'll have to find someone to do the heavy work next year.
What's the going rate for simple gardening, not expert, just a labourer with a bit of common sense? My wife's cleaning lady - Hoover Tottie! - charges £10/hr, which would suit me, or should I expect to pay more?

[Shallot Man]

JohnN. Why not hire a rotovator for a day.

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon John, the answer to your question should certainly be a yes but, trying to find a good person for that price is another matter. I know it's an awful thing to say but, there would be a lot of European workers that would be very pleased to work for that and there work ethics wouldn't go a miss either.

[robo]

£40 a day up north if you look around you can get a dad and lad for the same price

[Pa Snip]

£40 a day up north if you look around you can get a dad and lad for the same price

And what's more for that price the lad will go up the chimney for fresh soot for the plot.

EE ecky thump, sweep t'yard for a balm cake missus

Aint life reet grand.

[Monika]

Dry with quite a bit of sun today, so I took out all the remaining brassica plants which have done us particularly well this year, especially the flower sprouts/brukale/kalettes, and dug the bed so that the forecast frost can get into it!

Then spend an hour or so steaming and chopping the harvested brassicas to freeze them in two-person-portions - enough in the freezer now until the summer broccoli matures.

Overwintering shallots, red onions and garlic coming on nicely.

[oldherbaceous]

I cleared all my Brassica plants today too, except for the Brussel plants, as they are still cropping well. I managed to get that area dug, so not a lot left to dig now....

[robo]

Busy day nice bright blue skies today jayes fluid the Polly tunnel ,dug some fly eaten carrots up and discarded planted a couple of dozen onions, burnt some rubbish returned home to partly fit a new uv lamp on the pond then went to my daughter's to pick up her old fridge freezer badly needed for my fish baite