Kitchen Garden Forum

We were just about able to get back on the ground today. The NE winds of yesterday just did enough to temper the wet top so I was able to stand in and around Fantasia, the blackberry monster...old pruned out new persuaded into place and tied in to the frame with tarred twine.

I'm sure I have pondered on this before...how come Loch Ness sounds like a monster but is thornfree whilst the the lovely Fantasia is a thorny thug

C.

Probably just one of those things, we never will know, Clive!!

It must be all about the berries

C.

I've not been out for what seems like weeks! I am very busy with christmas market season, but it's just so foul out there all the time. I'm looking forward to some crisp, sunny days

I was thinking about you and the Christmas stalls, with this bad weather, Retropants…..hope trade hasn’t been too bad!

Made good progress with the conifers this morning!

I agree about the weeds growing OH. I don't think you are supposed to use Shepherd's Purse as a green manure!

A fine crop, Geoff!

Did I say it had dried enough to get back on the ground.... Well today it has been mizzly drizzly for a lot of the day...so I need to retract my previous statement.! I did get tidied up around the big blackberry and got dug over along one side of it.

C.

Well I had to move to the later bus as just too dark in the morning; not helped by the persistent thick cloud. Usually there is enough light from the rising sun behind the horizon to at least see the numbers on the padlock, but as it's pretty old the numbers are scratched & long ago it lost the black infill in the numbers & that's with my specs on & the torch.

Had a pretty good day ripping up old mossy paths & re-designing some of the long term brassica beds. Got them all relayed where wanted & weeded but not dug over or fed yet. That will be Saturday's job, but hoping I might squeeze in some weeding of the onions beds & giving them a top up of compost as well as nearly all have pushed up through the soil & blown around a bit so some roots exposed. Done those showing roots above soil as a quick fix, but want to do the lot as not secure & I don't want to force them back in the soil & cause damage to the roots. It looks like we will have sun on Saturday so might revert back to the earlier bus as it's only 15mins difference & there should be a glow of light....will see on the day, but would like to see the guys on the early bus. The dog loves all 7 of them as they all give her attention.

Thankyou OH, I've managed to book mainly indoor ones this year luckily! Last week was an evening outdoors one just as the storm arrived, it was ghastly. I'm outside next Saturday in Chesham, so fingers crossed it'll be dry

So soggy here, daren't walk on my plot!

Evening Westi, i’ve been in contact with a Lady that lived in the village over 40 years ago and I haven’t seen her for all that time…..anyway, it turns out she lives in Portland, so I take it she won’t be far from you! I’m going to warn her about a Lady who goes on a bus, with a dog and all sorts of gardening stuff……

Well it’s happened, Cook and Lily have gone down with the Christmas lurgy……so i’ve been dusting and hoovering, (a job i’m not very good at and loathe) before the Christmas decorations go up!
Just making a bacon sandwich, so there will be plenty of smoke about.

Hi OH! Your friend would have a long journey to meet up with my bus route. I'm directly opposite the Isle of Wight, Portland is a fair way to the west opposite Weymouth, a very nice spot to live, I really like it there. The way our bus services work we'd both be going around every wee village or town in circles for some hours & probs in opposite directions! There is the train option but not reliable in the least either as always some rail works going, strikes, etc. It's the first railway that is going back into the care of the government & loosing it's privatisation...I wonder if train fares will go down? Doubt it; props straight into the government coffers to build all the new houses that are going to be built anywhere they please!

I'm sure you very handy & adept at the household chores. I'd but the tree up first just in case of fallen glitter & broken baubles! Probs a bit late to tell you that though!

The fox has to go! Has now tried to get in the back door, so the only intact panels I have now are the smaller ones beside the back & front doors & the one behind the water butt. I have received a new sonic thing from Mr for Xmas that is for larger animals not rats/mice/birds etc. It even has a spot light on it & a sound activated thing which I can put a message on or just use the pre-set noise ones. I'm so angry at the git I thought it might be best not to put my own message on! It's not ready to go down yet as is still charging.

I'm going to see if someone on the site has a trail cam thing they might let me borrow & set up so I can confirm it is a fox, (I've never found any poo), & find out where he is entering & focus the smelly deterrent things that area, along with land mines! I am wasting so much time sorting & repairing his mess! I did do the last 2 beds for next years greedy squash & pumpkins though!