Spring proper, Bits and Bobs.

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

Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter, Chief Spud

User avatar
oldherbaceous
KG Regular
Posts: 13822
Joined: Tue Jan 24, 2006 1:52 pm
Location: Beautiful Bedfordshire
Has thanked: 254 times
Been thanked: 295 times

Now you are making good progress, Clive.....
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
User avatar
Geoff
KG Regular
Posts: 5575
Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2005 5:33 pm
Location: Forest of Bowland
Been thanked: 129 times

Also spotted and heard skylark, whilst walking the dog on the moors. The swifts are back and we've eaten our first strawberries, only three between two but very nice, so things are looking up.
robo
KG Regular
Posts: 2808
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:22 pm
Location: st.helens
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 56 times

It must be thirty years since I heard a skylark it's one of the things I miss this time of year
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

We are lucky up here that the farming is mostly less intensive, so we still have good numbers of field birds including Corn Buntings, Yellowhammers, Linnets and Skylarks, I can hear Skylarks in my garden when the village is quiet and the kids are not in the play ground.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5910
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 674 times
Been thanked: 238 times

They promised rain, it didn't come so I went down & watered - you guessed it, almost as I finished down came a gentle rain that has continued for about 2hrs. I can compensate though as the tunnel didn't get the natural & was pretty dry & if those ants don't leave soon I might not have any sweet peppers or chillies! They have their dripper bottles but the ants are pretty much ignoring the damp & pretty sure their nest has grown even though they have been swamped!
Westi
tigerburnie
KG Regular
Posts: 2084
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2017 10:12 am
Location: Angus by the sea
Has thanked: 322 times
Been thanked: 194 times

I've re- roofed our summer house over the past two days, then trimmed the privet and watered the raised beds, greenhouse is now getting fuller with pots coming from the conservatory ready for planting in the borders, Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Butternut Squash are all acclimatizing now
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
Colin2016
KG Regular
Posts: 944
Joined: Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:33 pm
Location: North Norfolk Coast
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 57 times

I too have ants Red ones that love to bite me.

Tried different remedies which have failed so borrowed a stove to boil some water to give them a hot wash...If that does not work I can have always have cuppa.
Stephen
KG Regular
Posts: 1869
Joined: Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:03 pm
Location: Butts Meadow, Berkhamsted
Been thanked: 2 times

Ants usually move on when disturbed. Fork over the nest and they fork off! :lol:
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
User avatar
Primrose
KG Regular
Posts: 8054
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:50 pm
Location: Bucks.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 281 times

I appreciate some gardening help these days and this morning my husband (who hates gardening) offered to help with some diggong so I asked if he could dig out the remaining leeks which had all gone to seed.
Left him to go back into the house for a few moments and came out to find him digging out my garlic plants!!

I admit the two species do look quite similar but after staring out at them from from the kitchen window every day I would have hoped by now he might have recognised the difference!

Anyway I now have a nice bare patch so have been able to sow some Cavalo Nero and Swiss Chard. I worry i'm a bit late this year but guess they will soon catch up now the weather is hopefully warming up.

I have limited growing space and in the past have sown my vegetables quite close together but now weeding is a problem am realising that leaving enough space between rows for hoeing weeds will probably save me a lot of bothersome kneeling down to hand weed.
User avatar
Shallot Man
KG Regular
Posts: 2653
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 9:51 am
Location: Basildon. Essex
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 30 times

On lifting the lid on my water barrel. Noticed a slug some inch & a half long [ sorry still imperial ] green & grey. Tipped it into the barrel and watched it sink to the bottom. Low and behold some time later it was climbing back up to the top. Again sent it to the bottom. Which must raise the question, do they breath, or can they hold their breath. :? :? :?
User avatar
Primrose
KG Regular
Posts: 8054
Joined: Tue Aug 29, 2006 8:50 pm
Location: Bucks.
Has thanked: 37 times
Been thanked: 281 times

Shallotman. This is a question that has often puzzled me after throwing slugs into a bucket of water, only to find them climbing out later. So this is not an effective way of killing them unless you add something of a killing agent to the water and then you can,t necessarily throw it onto the garden afterwards.
I think they obviously have some means of retaining oxygen in their bodies but how long they can stay submerged I don't know. Yiu have to give them 10 out of 10 for their resilience and survival techniques.
Maybe we should be harvesting them as a viable food product! Yuk
User avatar
Diane
KG Regular
Posts: 1640
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2005 3:08 pm
Location: Wimborne, Dorset.
Been thanked: 1 time

:shock: I saw, on the telly (so it must be true) that our next food source will be jellyfish.
'Preserve wildlife - pickle a rat'
robo
KG Regular
Posts: 2808
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2012 10:22 pm
Location: st.helens
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 56 times

There are turtles in our seas that swim up to 2000 miles to feed on them so they can't be that bad
User avatar
alan refail
KG Regular
Posts: 7252
Joined: Sun Nov 27, 2005 7:00 am
Location: Chwilog Gogledd Orllewin Cymru Northwest Wales
Been thanked: 5 times

Diane wrote::shock: I saw, on the telly (so it must be true) that our next food source will be jellyfish.


Plenty in Oriental stores.

Image
Cred air o bob deg a glywi, a thi a gei rywfaint bach o wir (hen ddihareb Gymraeg)
Believe one tenth of what you hear, and you will get some little truth (old Welsh proverb)
Westi
KG Regular
Posts: 5910
Joined: Thu Oct 30, 2008 4:46 pm
Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Has thanked: 674 times
Been thanked: 238 times

I'm not sure! Got stung by one when a teenager & my midriff looked like a cauliflower! Trip to the Ambulance station for treatment (not UK Obvs)! It cannot taste nice as too jelly like with no texture & that package is not appealing to me either! And how to they ensure the sting is out - my chance encounter hurt like hell, but wouldn't want that in my stomach.
Westi
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic