Kitchen Garden Forum

Wow! That's a lot of waffle! Well done OH.

Very mild here today so hoping to get out into the greenhouse for a while. Plenty to do before the seed planting starts. One greenhouse is wall to wall geraniums saved from last year, they need a lot of tidying up.

I'm not sure what you mean by, 'waffle', Chantal, as there were at least 10 helpful posts in that figure...

I used to run a big forum but Facebook kinda killed it off. Some drifted off to make their own little FB groups, others got into spending their days posting about everything they did (what they had for breakfast, what their cat did). FB was the death of several other forums around that time.

This one has done very well to survive - and I'm pleased to have found it.

Anyway, the real reason I wanted to post in this thread is because the Met Office predicts our temperature will plummet by the end of the week. We're talking -18C for Friday and Saturday. Luckily I have plenty of thermals.

We had the tree surgeons in today - did not envy them because it's rather wet and windy, but they did a great job cutting back a lot of ivy on a long dry stone wall, trimming several hawthorns and reducing the height of a large bird cherry, all jobs which we might have done ourselves in the past, but old age (and especially lack of transport to get rid of the cuttings) has curtailed our former efforts!
The long rose hedge, the buddleias and all the dried herbaceous plants will get their turn in mid to late February. We'll be doing that ourselves and get a mini skip.

When we first got the plot we had a massive tree right at the side we’re I put the shed it must have been 80 cm diameter and 20 meters high , we were due for our four weeks in Spain when I was told the council was going to remove it as the branches were sagging over the security fence and this enabled vermin to get over the fence ,it was only when I was on the plane flying out that I thought I would come back to a mess the chicken coup tight on the back the security fence tight on one side and my shed restricting access the other ,I was amazed on my return all that remained was half a bucket of saw dust no damage to anything

Headtorch.

You have to smile, don't you! The washing machines 5 year warranty ran out 10 days ago and today it broke down...i'm sure it is the control panels, so hardly worth chucking anymore money at it...annoying, as it's an AEG but, it's been nothing but trouble over the last 18 months.
Better get down to the brook and clear a space for Cook....

Annoying OH. These things always happen in winter when you really need your washing machine to work as you can,t hand wash and dry laundry out in the hot sun in the garden.

Better get down to the brook and clear a space for Cook...

I have been fortunate in my white goods. Washing machine dates back to 2002 when I moved into the current abode. A fridge-freezer is older, I must have bought it in 1997.

I got a new Bosch washer recently....scared me when I gave it its first cleansing run....so quiet I thought it was not running The old one, can't remember the brand, sounded like a Paxman Valentia powered High Speed Train pulling out of Kings Cross when spinning up to max speed..actually sort of liked it really

C.

I did it officially today! The original first compost bin (14 or so yrs worth), which was about 10' x 5' with fill to about 4'+ as well, has been emptied, tidied, nettles, bind weed & brambles removed. (I didn't build it - helpful ex neighbour). Raised bed made on that site for the new rhubarb which is planted, membrane down for access as bottom layers very fine & slippery in the wet. It's been on the '2 Do' list for years & years & I finally did it! Took a long time spreading the contents as quite heavy as way too much rain. Hopefully the other beds will appreciate it but I just know I will be weeding more as can never get that size hot enough to kill the weed seeds!

Fortunately I quite like weeding!

I recently replaced my 22 year old dishwasher. It still worked fine, but bits were beginning to fall off it.
My parents' boiler is on its way out. Why do they always do this in January? When ours went, in January, we had six weeks without heating, luckily we have an immersion heater in the hot water tank, so we had hot water. The open fire saved us from freezing.

Well done on the compost bin clearance but it,s S*d's law that the best time for emptying and spreading their contents is during winter when the contents are soaked and at their heaviest. It,s always more difficult spreading the material then because it,s often still cloggy.

I'm about to head out in the rain to our allotment, mercifully it's only half a mile away. I need a bunch of rosemary and a few other herbs. I do have some in the garden, but I need my exercise and we have sleet/snow forecast for later today.