SteamyTea Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 18 minutes ago, Jilly said: fruit and veg area. Just plant fruit trees. Preferably fruit you like. 15 minutes ago, Onoff said: imagine that would keep the temperature up even through winter Then put an A2AHP in it. Move your inflatable spa, a sunbed (I can deliver that) and a massage table (can deliver that as well). Then charge the locals to enjoy the facilities. Put in a couple of webcams and @pocster will be entertained for hours. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 Yup, fruit is the way to go for beginners. How ever badly you neglect the plants, they usually manage to produce something tasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patp Posted September 14, 2022 Share Posted September 14, 2022 12 hours ago, Jilly said: I've run out of money for the garden so was going to get loads of manure dumped to kill the grass and make a simple no dig fruit and veg area. I've done it previously with just straw bales which worked OK. That's an interesting solution. We have access to both of those resources. My only problem would be that the following year might be a difficult one? We are getting on in years and really don't want a lot of work. We are thinking of a wildflower garden which would mean the opposite to your solution. We would need poor soil which would mean disposing of our heap of topsoil. Seems such a waste I suppose we could try a half and half solution by making one half wild flower meadow and the other a more productive area. Our garden wraps around the bungalow. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Found these gardening gloves. Funny how different products share the same name, eh @pocster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 1 hour ago, Onoff said: Found these gardening gloves. Funny how different products share the same name, eh @pocster? Oh what memories they bring back ! Do you remember the automated neutral analysis localiser I used on you ? ( for dumb asses that’s A.N.A.L ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 52 minutes ago, pocster said: Oh what memories they bring back ! Do you remember the automated neutral analysis localiser I used on you ? ( for dumb asses that’s A.N.A.L ) No memory of that, it got wiped straight after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Did I leave those gloves in the box of bits I dropped off, the one with the long, temperature controlled, glass dildo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pocster Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/16/oklahoma-lorry-full-of-dildos-and-lube-overturns-and-spills-its-load-17387874/?ito=article.mweb.share.top.email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 2 minutes ago, pocster said: https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/16/oklahoma-lorry-full-of-dildos-and-lube-overturns-and-spills-its-load-17387874/?ito=article.mweb.share.top.email Did the driver have a semi when he spilt his load, alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 1 hour ago, pocster said: https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/16/oklahoma-lorry-full-of-dildos-and-lube-overturns-and-spills-its-load-17387874/?ito=article.mweb.share.top.email How typical, stories like that are right up your street! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markc Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 Think the thread needs a name change Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 9 minutes ago, markc said: Think the thread needs a name change Must be because the growing season is over. No seed spreading till spring. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 Environment How to make leaf mould to nourish your garden Autumn leaves provide a free and easy way to make leaf mould, a useful growing medium and soil improver, says Clare Wilson 14 September 2022 By Clare Wilson Deborah Vernon/Alamy WITH the dry summer the UK has had, some trees are already shedding their leaves. To me, that means one thing: leaf mould. This unappealingly named substance, made by collecting autumn leaves and letting them rot for a year or two, can be used as a growing medium and soil improver and is easier to make than garden compost. Compost heaps are a great way to get rid of garden and kitchen waste, but they take work to build up and feed with the right mix of materials, and turning them over can be heavy going. Dry autumn leaves, though, can be collected in just a couple of hours. As leaves turn brown in autumn, the tree is reabsorbing many of their nutrients. By the time they fall, they have a much higher carbon content relative to nitrogen than fresh leaves do. This means that autumn leaves can’t be broken down by the bacteria that feast on green garden waste, and are instead broken down by fungi. Dry autumn leaves therefore take longer to rot than fresh leaves, which is why it isn’t a good idea to add them to compost bins in large quantities. But, once collected, you can more or less leave them to it. If you have the space, you can build a small cage for storing the leaves, using chicken wire for the walls and a post at each corner. An easier option is to store them in black plastic bin bags. Leaves from most deciduous trees are fine, but bigger and thicker ones, such as those from horse chestnuts, take longer to decompose. One solution is to shred them before bagging. If the leaves are lying on your lawn, run your lawnmower over them and tip the grass box straight into the bin bags. It doesn’t matter if some grass clippings are mixed in. I have previously “harvested” leaves from the street, where they were conveniently swept into piles. But don’t take them from busy roads in case they harbour pollutants. Nor should you take leaves from forests – the woodland soil needs them more than you. Fill the bags about three-quarters full and dampen the leaves with water if they are dry. Tie the top, then stab with a garden fork so air can get in. You can help the decomposition by shaking the bags a couple of times per year. It takes a good two years for the contents to rot down into leaf mould, which is a dark-brown, crumbly and light-textured substance. Once sieved, it is good for sowing seeds in, unlike home-made garden compost, which would be too dense. For potting on young plants, mix one part leaf mould with one part garden compost and one part horticultural sand. If you can’t wait so long, after one year you can use the partly rotted leaves as a general soil improver or an organic mulch, a substance used to cover the soil around the base of plants to reduce moisture loss and keep down weeds. What you need Black plastic bin bags A garden fork Storage space Autumn leaves Clare Wilson is a reporter at New Scientist and writes about everything life-science related. Her favourite place is her allotment @ClareWilsonMed These articles are posted each week at newscientist.com/maker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted September 17, 2022 Share Posted September 17, 2022 1 hour ago, SteamyTea said: Environment How to make leaf mould to nourish your garden Autumn leaves provide a free and easy way to make leaf mould, a useful growing medium and soil improver, says Clare Wilson 14 September 2022 By Clare Wilson Deborah Vernon/Alamy WITH the dry summer the UK has had, some trees are already shedding their leaves. To me, that means one thing: leaf mould. This unappealingly named substance, made by collecting autumn leaves and letting them rot for a year or two, can be used as a growing medium and soil improver and is easier to make than garden compost. Compost heaps are a great way to get rid of garden and kitchen waste, but they take work to build up and feed with the right mix of materials, and turning them over can be heavy going. Dry autumn leaves, though, can be collected in just a couple of hours. As leaves turn brown in autumn, the tree is reabsorbing many of their nutrients. By the time they fall, they have a much higher carbon content relative to nitrogen than fresh leaves do. This means that autumn leaves can’t be broken down by the bacteria that feast on green garden waste, and are instead broken down by fungi. Dry autumn leaves therefore take longer to rot than fresh leaves, which is why it isn’t a good idea to add them to compost bins in large quantities. But, once collected, you can more or less leave them to it. If you have the space, you can build a small cage for storing the leaves, using chicken wire for the walls and a post at each corner. An easier option is to store them in black plastic bin bags. Leaves from most deciduous trees are fine, but bigger and thicker ones, such as those from horse chestnuts, take longer to decompose. One solution is to shred them before bagging. If the leaves are lying on your lawn, run your lawnmower over them and tip the grass box straight into the bin bags. It doesn’t matter if some grass clippings are mixed in. I have previously “harvested” leaves from the street, where they were conveniently swept into piles. But don’t take them from busy roads in case they harbour pollutants. Nor should you take leaves from forests – the woodland soil needs them more than you. Fill the bags about three-quarters full and dampen the leaves with water if they are dry. Tie the top, then stab with a garden fork so air can get in. You can help the decomposition by shaking the bags a couple of times per year. It takes a good two years for the contents to rot down into leaf mould, which is a dark-brown, crumbly and light-textured substance. Once sieved, it is good for sowing seeds in, unlike home-made garden compost, which would be too dense. For potting on young plants, mix one part leaf mould with one part garden compost and one part horticultural sand. If you can’t wait so long, after one year you can use the partly rotted leaves as a general soil improver or an organic mulch, a substance used to cover the soil around the base of plants to reduce moisture loss and keep down weeds. What you need Black plastic bin bags A garden fork Storage space Autumn leaves Clare Wilson is a reporter at New Scientist and writes about everything life-science related. Her favourite place is her allotment @ClareWilsonMed These articles are posted each week at newscientist.com/maker For BHers I'd say use bulk bags that materials came in. Fill with leaves, possibly stack up 2 high, and leave for 18 months-2 years. It contains little nourishment, and is good for soil structure - which is why I'd guess the person quoted suggests mixing with compost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 I've just been reading about this. I'm not disagreeing with the article as such, but putting a different slant. Woodland lives on very low nutrient levels provided by fungi breaking down leaves and fallen timber. Adding any extra nutrient encourages alien plants and kills the woodland very quickly, then it takes 300 years to recover. Taking leaf mould away from woodland is a bad thing. Meanwhile, leaves similarly provide negligible nutrient to a garden, as the trees have already sucked back the sugars etc. The fibre isn't that useful either but is better than throwing the leaves away, or burning them. Leaves in woodland...leave them alone. Leaves in garden: I have given up on leaf mould, and just add them to the compost, and they will be broken down by the spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted September 23, 2022 Share Posted September 23, 2022 The beans are poor, with insufficient pollination / too hot being the issues I think. The tomatoes are mixed, but one is stunning. This confirms my strategy of having several varieties, one of more of which will do well according to the circumstances. These are all about 75mm and 4 already harvested. And note the threaded rod for support.. recommended. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 Swede harvest time. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saveasteading Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 I'm pretty sure we used to call them turnips, until the posh and tasteless white ones became more available. When Safeways arrived, it was a thing of wonder to see the exotic offerings such as peppers. How are the haggae coming along to go with it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted September 24, 2022 Share Posted September 24, 2022 1 hour ago, saveasteading said: How are the haggae coming along to go with it Probably still attached to the nether regions of a ram. When they are the colour of tartan, it is time to cut them off. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 Still picking runners here: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteamyTea Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 (edited) 1 minute ago, Onoff said: Still picking runners here: Just as well because the air lift from Thurrock won't start for a few more days. Edited October 18, 2022 by SteamyTea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 6 minutes ago, SteamyTea said: Just as well because the air lift from Thurrock won't start for a few more days. The only good thing to come from Essex is the road back here. (This from a man who only just found out his forebears are from Latchingdon!) Anyway you can't eat white stilettos and fake tan. Or can you... 👅? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patp Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Wildflowers will grow on good soil but they get smothered by grass and other plants that like it too. Yellow rattle is parasitic on grass so might be worth considering? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpd Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 Not been keeping up with the forum as I have been so busy all summer…. One of my long standing projects is the construction of my polly tunnel, 8 years ago I planted the wind brake and last year I excavated the site and this year I got the frames up, hopefully get the rest of the structure up In feb and plastic on in April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted May 24, 2023 Share Posted May 24, 2023 50 bean seeds planted. 47 new seeds and 3 saved from last year. Rather than last years paper mache/compressed cardboard pots, I've used compostable espresso cups I got given for nothing. I just punched a single hole in the base. It's taken 13 days for the seedlings to appear as opposed to 9 days last year. Not helped by the cloudy and wet month we've had here along with some morning frosts still. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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