Late Summer Bits and Bobs 2021.

A place to chat about anything you like, including non-gardening related subjects. Just keep it clean, please!

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Shallot Man
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oldherbaceous wrote:Thank you for the info, Monika….I will try and get them in sometime this week then….


O.H. When I had my plot. Would grow garlic for my Daughter.. Cloves would be put in the fridge for a week or two. Then planted out. As I have mentioned in an earlier letter. Planted one year cloves from a well known seed merchant, same amount from a supermarket shelve, . At the end of the season after they had been hung to dry, Couldn't tell the difference.
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Geoff
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I asked two of the Big Six about the apparently compulsory smart meters. EON tried to install one for us when we were last with them a few years ago and the installer couldn't make it work, there is no mobile phone signal in the part of the house where the meter is so it wasn't a surprise, they wouldn't believe me in advance of course. When I explained this to potential new suppliers they said I could still have their tariffs, not sure if just saying you don't want one is acceptable. I don't want one anyway because I have solar panels and I get paid on the assumption I export 50% but in fact I export just over 30% so if the smart meter measured it I would get paid less. Yesterday was supposed to be my switch to a new contract, 19.43p/unit instead of 13.88 now with EDF, until the events of the last few days I thought I hadn't done very well but as it is fixed until March 2024 with no early exit charge it might prove a wise move. I don't have gas but I guess that makes things even more difficult.
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oldherbaceous
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Thank you for that, Shallot Man, very helpful.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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Shallot Man
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oldherbaceous wrote:Thank you for that, Shallot Man, very helpful.


O.H. Didn't mention the hell of a difference in the price.
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Went in my poly tunnel this morning to find all my grapes gone ,I didn’t have a lot but was looking forward to eating them
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Primrose
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Robo - so annoying. Rats possibly?, We did have squirrels and wood pigeons descending on cur outdoor vine some years ago but no longer have it now as it became diseased. .
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My outside grapes are ripening but not the whole bunch so I just pick individual small grapes & nibble when down there. I am hoping it is because they are relatively young, although probably 10 yrs old now & they are dessert grapes not wine grapes. There is one plot on the site that has rows of grapes that has been there for maybe 30+yrs, but they are wine grapes, but none of theirs look no near ripe but their bunches are huge. (But they are French so way more knowledge)!
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Primrose
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Interesting thought about the way fruit ripens, especially grapes which are bunched tightly together. Even bunches not shaded by leaves will presumably have individual fruits shaded from sunshine so possibly some may be a little riper than others. Whether foraging animals are capable of noticing the difference and only the riper ones is a debatable point. I notice the very pale orange pyracantha berries I could see from my window have already been eaten. Those facing. North on another fence have barely started changing colour yet and are still u touched.

On the question of larger fruits like apples, pears or plums, does the side facing away from the the sun ripen at at slower pace, aI wonder, or does the sun,s heat permeate theiught the fruit and trigger even ripening. Next time I eat an apple I must do a more stringent taste test on both sides!
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retropants
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Primrose, I have long noticed that the riper looking side of most fruit, even strawberries, taste sweeter!
robo
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Yesterday I put two blocks of poisen wired together and pegged down in the poly tunnel thinking I might have a mouse or two this morning I found both blocks gone I’m now thinking it could be rats seems the whole allotment is having trouble with them
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Primrose
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Robo - sounds as if you need a collective effort to get rid of them then. If the weather starts to get really cold it won't be long before everybody's crops are stripped. If the situation is that bad would it be worth clubbing together to get a professional vermin extractor guy in?
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Primrose
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Incidentally with autumn now arriving, I assume anybody with a wood burning stove or who burns logs on an open fire is familiar with the new legislation which came in on log burning in stoves, etc in May 2021? If not, details can be found on this link

https://ncc-flue.co.uk/blog/the-new-reg ... ing-stoves
robo
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Primrose ,we have the council vermin control guy he is a top lad but is only paid for one visit a month and all his poisen has to be in black box’s Witch I think are a waste of time he douse have success but once a month is not enough
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We have a huge rat problem due to the chicken keepers as the only allotments that allow them now & the rules are not being adhered to regarding the number nor their wellbeing. The site did respond to the number of cockerels after the houses across the road reported the noise, as our contract specifically says none & especially as most are selling their eggs (also not allowed in the contract, but yuk maybe fertilised). It is pretty obvious when some have a dozen hens plus ducks it is not for their consumption so selling. It is seriously time we had a vote for a proper chairman not an 'acting' one as the current one is also in breech of contract.

We have a guy that comes very, very early in the morning to shoot the rats every fortnight, weirdly I have met him but on predicted hot days I like to nip down to water & get things done while a little cooler. After the mad gunman shock subsided & a chat he said he can get up to 20 some days. He was also the guy that was initially employed to sort the rabbit issues & not seen them in number. He told me until the rules are enforced he is happily employed! We have also had the council guy in the past with the poison before the surge & it had no effect on them.

Any registered shooter in your area Robo that might be more effective than the poison that could get in the food chain of other critters? Our guy is officially employed by the big farm behind & humane shooting is their way of dealing with them as they don't use poison so this is his extra income.
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Shallot Man
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After 65 years of marriage bliss, the light of my life passed away some 6 months ago. I thought of a park bench. [ £1000.00 inclusive ] Footings would cost as much as the bench. So I have decided to spend said amount with one of the tree charities. I would like to thank my local council for being so unhelpful. :( :(
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