Kitchen Garden Forum

Anyone for string? I looked around for a new supply of garden string and, like with most things, I was horrified by the prices. In the end I went bulk buy and it has been delivered today and looks excellent. So if you don't mind stocking up try https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325753669001

Thank you for the link, Geoff.

Proper rain showing again down here at the end of the week, but seems only for one day, drizzle for a few days either side.

Today I tackled the tunnel & got it all tidied, weeded, dug or fed. It was pretty compacted where it had got soaked with water coming under the cover during the storms & I had put stuff in there from the mess up deliveries I had which were well heavy & put on pavers I put down so I could return them. Early broad beans are in flower, still have lettuce; celery & watercress really liked it as constantly damp as right beside the frame. Sweet peas in big pots needed a few twigs as growing well & the nipped off tops I planted on after reading you could actually have rooted!

One lesson learnt is Physalis is a thug & not worth the space. It got nipped by the one below zeroC I've had & basically just went soggy. It's roots went about 3ft plus either side so that explains some of the summer fails!

I've been having another housework day...I keep looking at the clutter...and then go to work, gardening...
..but then I really needed a new mattress and have been pondering and researching....today though I made the purchase and that has then driven the room tidy and also the delivery route clearing. A load more dusting and cobwebbing and discovering of books that I had forgotten that I had bought...
The PC, at which I am sat, is just inside the front door utilising a space in the hallway that is really sort of room size as when my mum and dad had the house built, my dad being very tall, had the stairs set back well in to give clearance relative to the ceiling edge below the small front bedroom...stairs are also rather steep to help achieve the height separation too..
...I tend to make notes and aide memoire on a bit of note paper...things to look up, part numbers, machine numbers, plant lists...it's on a note pad...and they build up on the PC desk... a folding leaf table. and that leaf now needs to fold down to get delivery route clear....so the shredder has just processed much of these notes.....and the table and key board surround is clear.! The mouse mat had glued itself to the table.!..so no more Radio Caroline, Ross Revenge mousemat...but now Vulcan XH558 mousemat...drawn from stock in hand.!!

..of course I will want to know how many onion sets fit the front beds one day soon....don't worry I spotted that note and saved it

C.

...and this morning I am watching a delivery van make its way from Kettering... makes a change from aeroplane tracking...

C.

I repotted my column apple tree ‘Lord Derby’ yesterday and scrubbed and disinfected the strawberry buckets ready for planting the new stock, which are currently soaking in water. I’ll need some more topsoil for them, as I only have one bag left, and that won’t do for 6 buckets! I had an infestation of strawberr chafer, which was destroying all the plants and getting worse for a few years.

Lovely posts, Clive…..all the notes, sounds very much like my way of working….

...delivered, unpacked and airing, 41mins up on schedule

C.

Excellent, more time for a little hoovering then Clive!

Just watched Country File & a bit confused about the weather as they are so indecisive they are using models of other countries tracking our weather fronts end of the week. From what I can assess it will either snow up North, in Wales & the Midlands or down South - or not! Back to looking out the window & covering all possibilities by taking down light fleece, ultra warm fleece, wet weather gear etc. Or just wait until they make up their minds!

I've done it again. I just can't say no! I am now the owner of a free bag of onion sets that came in a neighbours order. Not needed as I have 70 baby plants from seed all up & looking OK but.....these are supposed to big ones, (name alludes me just to be unhelpful)! I was pleased with last years crop & it was nice to have an onion the right size for just a meal for the two of us, but they are doing the lottie show again this year after a break so thinking if I treat these right I could have some good specimens.

What advice can you offer for growing these on to be of show size? (We are only talking a lottie, not a world record). Soil ph, in or outside, super secret feeds, etc.

What make of mattress did you buy Clive as I need one myself ,forecast snow for us tomorrow it’s supposed to be heavy snow as in plenty of it I guess these forecasters have to be right eventually

Hello Robo,
My purchase was from Mattressonline.co.uk and was the Sleepeezee, Perfectly British Strand 1400 Pocket Mattress which is classed as Medium-Firm.
I did a lot of pondering and researching round the websites as there are hundreds of choices and many suppliers. I tend to be brand loyal and the previous that it replaced was a Sleepeezee 800 pocket spring...and maybe quite a museum piece
I also wanted to keep the divan base and headboard, as perfectly ok and in good condition and minimise upheaval shifting stuff about . However, mattresses seem to be much deep these days and my starting point was higher up the range but 30cm depth wouldn't suit the headboard set up. The one purchased was 25cm in depth and with two new holes in the headboard timber 'legs' there was enough length to adjust up all ok. Another thing for my choice of supplier was their very good upfront info' on delivery times as I needed delivery to fit in with my work patterns.

C.

It must be getting closer to spring as Plum Beauty is now in flower, mind it has been slightly earlier! I haven't seen the little bees around since the blossoms opened but they were around earlier just as it was breaking bud. I left them a little feed of the caramel from the Yum Yum I bought down & some sugar water, but that was quickly diluted! It is semi self pollinating but more fruit if helped along. Mind with the rain around the poor things aren't going to venture far.

I wish I knew the type of bee as I would build them something suitable on the plot, so might get Mr to try to get a pic with his big lens then I might be able to get them id'd! They are about fly size.

Bit of a treat on the bird table the last few days with a handsome Bullfinch.