Summer Bits and Bobs.

[Stravaig]

"God morning", OH?

That reminds me that I used to have a T-shirt with the slogan, "I am good in bed...I can sleep all day". Just a silly bit of fun that I got from a market in KL, Malaysia. Unfortunately a moth, or maybe some other beastie ate the second "o" of the shirt so it ended up saying, "I am god in bed". Oh, maybe you had to be there.

[Westi]

Plodding on regardless, but another warm day so apart from watering I avoided the tunnel. Not an issue for the plants in there & finally have some toms colouring but the couple of sows I did when it was cooler are not playing, but was just filling gaps & they might show a bit later! I keep finding cauliflowers at the moment as found some seeds in a snail chewed packet with no idea just what they could be so just, threw them on a wee patch to see what they would grow, kinda forgot them but found brassica like little plants so cleared the weeds & transplanted them apart a bit. I have brought 3 home with the plan to find something other than cauliflowers cheese to use with them, but have 4 more to bring home & this is without taking into consideration this years crop...STAVAIG!

Next time down I will be starting on Plot 2, mostly some simple weeding on that side as things have actually grown as more shade.

[Myrkk]

I’ve just been harvesting my female nettles Stravaig. You wait until the flowers have finished and the seeds are there then cut off the tops of the nettles and hang upside down in a paper bag until they dry and drop off the stalks. Dry them out a little further so they don’t mould in storage.

The seeds are great at supporting and rebuilding the adrenals and also for detoxing the kidneys. there’s also some research that suggests they might be helpful for prostate issues.

Best to take in the am though or you might be a bit too alert to go to bed.

[Stravaig]

Blimey. I think I shall flee elsewhere if this is what Scotswomen are like.

Male and female nettles? I did get "The Facts of Life" at school, but never got anything like that. If you have a dog or a cat, or even a coo, ye can tell male or female. What the heck am I supposed to do with a nettle? Look for its willy?

Pretend to be a lesbian and chat it up - see how it responds or doesn't.

Pretend to be a guy. (An American Special Forces guy once told me I have more balls than most men he knew.)

I just want to make nettle soup and perhaps some other things.

[tigerburnie]

I tried making nettle tea as a plant food, never smelt anything quite as bad before, but nettles do have lots of uses, a great substitute for Spinach, but as I don't like that, I don't eat it. You can make strong string from it like Ray Mears, but it's a right faff, so not done that either.

[Myrkk]

What the heck am I supposed to do with a nettle? Look for its willy?

LOL, funnily enough the seeds hang down like floppy green tossle’s (what we called willie’s when I was growing up).

[Stravaig]

I tried making nettle tea as a plant food, never smelt anything quite as bad before, but nettles do have lots of uses, a great substitute for Spinach, but as I don't like that, I don't eat it. You can make strong string from it like Ray Mears, but it's a right faff, so not done that either.
[/quote

Plant food? Food for your plants? Veggie for you?

Who is this Ray Mears guy with a strong string?

And never smelt anything so bad? Whose pants have you smelt recently?

If you don't like spinach you'll never be as tough as Popeye. I didn't like it either as a child because it was either tinned or frozen. Not nice. You want home grown or a supermarket bag of fresh stuff. It can be lovely!

Oh, thank goodness it's Friday. As a treat I'm having an Ivor Biggun's pie. (It's Charlie Bigham really but husband insists on calling him Ivor.)I don't care. I can make a much better pie myself, obviously. But that takes effort. An Ivor pie, OTOH, just requires me to turn the knob on the oven. Bliss.

[Westi]

Well proud of myself today as moved to Plot 2 & really progressed. Every time I thought I had covered Plot 1 it was covered in weeds again, but Plot 2 has the fruit trees so less to do overall. All cleared, weeded, cut back, fed, harvested to the little entrance from Plot 1. Just the 3 Brassica beds, the ever bearing strawberry bed grow wise to do & the attack the bindweed in the compost, but it will be the bind weed first, as per my other post. Also as feeding the neighbours chickens it will be a pm visit so hose will be available!

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds like you have achieved a huge amount, Westi….nice when you stand back at the end of the day, and see what you have done!

I’ve been suffering with Vertigo for a week, and does it make work seem hard….had to leave all the ladder work for a while….

[Westi]

Don't envy you OH, horrible sensation. I got some virus a few years back which gave me vertigo, no medical treatment as a virus going around, so had to ride it out for 3 weeks until it sorted itself out, but way dodgy getting downstairs. I hope yours settles quickly.

[oldherbaceous]

Thank you Westi, it’s loads better than it was, thank goodness…..

Just been working over the allotments and it was so peaceful…..makes me realise just how lucky I am, just couldn’t imagine not having my allotments….

[tigerburnie]

Lovely morning here today, not much gardening to do really, mostly in the greenhouse now. I have some Pink Fir Apples, Red Onions, Peas and Broad Beans outside and that is about it now.

[Clive.]

Another pick of Radeo peas about to go in the freezer here and some more to get of Early Onward that by virtue of how things went earlier in the year are 'later' Early Onward

Then I need to have a crawl about to do some hand weeding, again..

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Started lifting 4 x 80 foot rows of Shallots…..probably not the best job to do with a slightly spinning head….returned to base for refreshments.

[Westi]

Way too hot today as I went down in the afternoon & didn't have any acclimatising from my usual early morning start. Won't be doing this again in the next few days as temp going higher, the shed thermometer said it was 30C today; that is more than enough. But got some of the chores done & 2 small Trugs of bindweed from the compost is cooking on the front path & another pile of random weeds from it also having little fry off. Was easier than expected as my neighbour had squeezed in the gap behind & pulled lots of surface bind weed through the fence wire to his side, so I just had to do the digging out of the established ones. The dog was actually very helpful digging where I pointed & loosened the soil so I was able to lift it easily with the Japanese knife without too much snapping off, but I was diligent with these & kept following them.

Gave the overbearing strawberries at the front a weed & feed as starting to flower again & deadheaded the front flower beds that side & pulled any easy weeds. Got the watering done & filled the butts just before the join in the hose gave up the ghost. So just the 3 brassica beds to weed. Took my first toms & a nice savoy cabbage was ready, but the broccoli is not hearting but I got lots of tasty wee heads so no problem. Deffo a rest day tomorrow though!