Kitchen Garden Forum

Westi. That's a thought.

I hate price comparison sites. The lot with the Meerkats sent me a survey to ask why I hadn't taken up their suggestion so I replied that even if they were the cheapest I wasn't going to contribute to their inane advertising budget. I use them to get company names then go direct. The insurance ones are particularly dangerous as they take no notice of what you say; my last hunt was for motor insurance and I said I wanted £100 excess, all the best buys they came up with were £250 or more excess. I wonder how many people jump at the headline price then find when something happens they haven't got anything like the cover they expected.
I am however getting my electricity through a comparison site. I have been on various E.ON tariffs for many years, often the Age Concern ones, but E.ON proudly say they offer existing consumers their best tariff. So I got my proposed tariff for the new year and started checking it against comparison sites and thought I had done OK until I found E.ON uSwitch Fixed Collective which was way below what E.ON had quoted me direct. I signed up for it and then had a moan at E.ON with no response. The important thing with energy deals is make sure you can set the direct debit, I'm convinced the basis of a lot of the deals is that they set the monthly charge to get you paying in advance instead of the old 3 months in arrears. I make sure I'm always a bit in arrears, if I switch I don't want to be fighting for my money back.

Blimey the raspberries are really prolific this year, 4 more containers collected this evening & I was quality controlling!

My prophecy about ordering courgette & squash plants after the no show scenario has come true as the last sown seeds have germinated - & I had the plants delivered with 2 extra as an apology for being late! I think I now have 4/ 5 courgettes, 2 yellow patty pan, 1 white patty pan, 3 QLD Blue, 2 Crown Prince & some other pumpkin with a French name! My saving grace is if the weather improves everyone else's plants will be exhausted & I can still give away the surplus! OK it's a plan at least!

Westi

Dear Westi, i just love your positive attitude......

As some of you may have noticed I love it when I get the opportunity to make a play on words.
A problem with a tap at the plot gave me this opportunity to humour myself thanks to some Dymo tape

That's terrible... Although I have to admit I'd have made the same joke

Made me smile Pa Snip, thank you...

Pa Snip wrote:As some of you may have noticed I love it when I get the opportunity to make a play on words.
A problem with a tap at the plot gave me this opportunity to humour myself thanks to some Dymo tape

DSC_588917.jpg

I suppose some drip had damaged it

So close to the truth Fred.

Carefully put my leek seedlings tray in a shady spot after watering it on Monday.
Got home yesterday to find a tray of soil topped with slime.
****ing slugs and snails had eaten every trace of leek.

One less job to do this weekend I suppose.
New lot sown.

What an uncomfortable night for sleeping that was !!!!!!

Allegedly going to be rain this morning but think I shall water the plot just in case it doesn't rain. Things in raised beds on plot need a good soak. Beetroot in particular, leaves are flat on the ground

Onions are coming on well, Poddington reckons they are the biggest we have even grown. I'm hoping the exhibition onions, Mammoth and Bedford Champion, grown from seed will leave these 'Troy' ones standing eventually

I'm sure the Bedford Champion will prove reliable in the toughest of times Pa Snip....

oldherbaceous wrote:I'm sure the Bedford Champion will prove reliable in the toughest of times Pa Snip....

HHMMM let me see now, I wonder if there is the slightest chance You're biased !!!

Drizzly showers this morning have given way to warm sunshine.
Picked 12lb of raspberries in the drizzle and split the last of the whole logs in the sunshine.

Back to work tomorrow.

Damp first thing on lottie but soon picked up & the sun showed itself. Took up the onions & garlic today. Garlic was pretty poor & small, will dry if off so can see it better but not looking promising so may end up in the compost. Didn't even smell very garlicky. Actually pleased with the onions, thought a lot more had flowered than actually had and most a good size. All in the greenhouse to dry off.

Last of the first sown broad beans harvested, with the second lot with good size beans on the bottom & still flowers on the top so will be harvesting again in 10 days or so. Harvested a fantastic cabbage, but the caulies are not setting a tight head but lots of florets of different sizes & heights & the calabrese is doing the same. More raspberries than I can deal with!

My courgettes & squashes are looking good, so put up the dog barrier to prevent any more mishaps & took a lovely bunch of flowers Just watched the 7 day weather on Country File & pleased to see yellow & orange colours on the map from next weekend to co-incide with my weeks leave.

Westi