Grow Your Own Magazine

today i have lamented the state of our lawn!

today I have turned my chitting potatoes up the right way, as I discovered I had them the wrong way up the the shoots were in the dark (oops!). then I looked for baked potatoes for dinner, but they were all shooting away lovely in the cupboard, so have decided to plant 3 of them as an experiment (sainsburys king eds, any tips?) also looked at kitchen garden, sleet came down, so came in again.

Today I emptied my two council supplied Dalek compost bins, and was pleasantly surprised at the quantity and quality of the contents - almost 75% is now incorporated in my raised beds, the remaining 25% is back in the bins. Checked the pH of my own garden soil and that of the topsoil I brought in to fill my beds - both showed pH neutral, though the clay content of my brought in soil is slightly greater than my garden soil. Moved two shrubs and some perrenials to extend my veggie border, dug it over and weeded it - had good time trying to follow the bindweed roots under the fence into my neighbours garden! Started to build a new log store. Got dark so came inside!
Rat

Today I played Zoo Keeper with my worms and then shifted all the plant in the greenhouse around so that they get a share of good light.

Today was more weeding and possibly even more gossiping up the allotment. Those lovely long roots of couch grass are almost as satisfying when you manage to grub out the complete thing as pulling a long strip of wallpaper off when you're decorating. Judiciously edged the allotment boundary with all the perennial weed roots when everybody had gone home. It's either that or the council green waste bins,though I've read that as they're full of nutrients the best thing is to put them in a bag with grass cuttings till they rot down and then add to your compost. The roots not the council bins! It was a piece of advice on HDRA website. Anybody tried it?

Today was the first time this year I have been to my allotment .

I handweeded 1 garlic bed, 1 winter onion bed and 1 spring cabbage bed. My neighbour forced 2 mugs of tea into me and a visit to the hut put paid to the est of the morning. Nothing like easing yourself back in gently!

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Geordie

Te audire non possum. Musa sapientum fixa est in aure

Yesterday I inspected the garlic for any signs of shoots, I can see one but there are some signs that blackbirds have been doing the rounds before me, fingers crossed they are still down there somewhere, I would cover them with fleece but I only have one piece big enough and that's protecting the autumn onions, I'm hoping they are still there because these are my own garlic bulbs that I saved from last year and my 2 yr old granddaughter helped me plant them and I know her Mum is already looking forward to reaping the rewards
Looked at the 8ft high buddlea that needs cutting back badly but decided I couldn't be bothered

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www.poultrychat.com

Put some mung beans to soak. In about five days time I will have wonderful sprouts to eat

Went and admired the staying power of frost on the allotment!

Gave up smoking after 27 years !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure if I'm or or or just .
Just as a matter of interest, how cold has it been in your part of the UK the last two mornings. We've had -10 and -13 !!!
Rat

Hi Rat or should that be cold turkey

It's been quite warm in Warwickshire by comparison, -5 & -2

keep up the no smoking and get digging in the muck heap .... it'll stop you biting your nails

NTG
Have been working in and around farms / drains most of my life - learned to stop biting my nails at an early age !!
This is my first serious attempt to give up the old C-sticks - went to stop smoking clinic last night - the health visitor tested me for CO in my breath - scared me sh****ss!
Rat

Perhaps I should go rat, it might help me. Daft thing is I stopped for about 6 month then started again. If I packed in I could afford to buy another greenhouse ! No there's a thought

Best of luck to you, I hope you kick the habit.

-2 and -1 not so bad eh??

keep it up Sewer Rat, i gave up 6 months ago after smoking for the best part of 15 years, never looked back.

although it does help that my wife found out she was pregnant 6 months ago!

i now need to find some way of giving up beer!

try rhubarb schnapps!!!!

Keep up the good work Rat. I shall keep my fingers crossed for you!

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well done all of you.....not being a smoker, I probably have no idea what you are going through although I have observed others giving up over the years and have deep respect for your self control.
As a well earned reward why don't you put the money you would have spent in a jar and after say a week/month/year spend it on something for your allotment that you would otherwise wouldn't have bought due to it's expense or extravagance. Maybe a greenhouse heater, replacement wheelbarrow, chair,lawnmower,strimmer,shed, fruit bush,secateurs....and then you can be reminded on a regular basis how well you have done for years to come (as well as get even more pleasure from your fruit and veg growing!) Keep up the good work.

You could pay to have a gardener and just soak up the sun in a deck chair

I gave up five years ago and so did my other half (2 days after me). We now have a top of the range greenhouse, wide screen LCD television, new computer, constructed 50 meters of Garden fence, power tools for the garden and best of all more money in our pockets.
I used the Alan Carr book, which has a permanent success rate of 97%. The good thing about using his books method is that it does not take any willpower to succeed.
Jax

Thanks to you all for your encouragement - wish I could say that any money saved will be going on pressies as some of you have suggested, but as me and the OH are finally getting married in May, that's where any immediate savings will be going - still, it's nice to dream and there's always next season to spend on the garden
Rat

Today I checked that the propagators are still working.( Mice had nibbled through the cable on the heater this winter).
Re-read the seed packets to see which I will sow 1st!
Going to eat the last 3 Red Baron onions tonight. May have rhubard for pud -again!

Today I erected a post and rail fence and built a cold frame that is 15 metres long but alas, not for me, for my boss
He then turned round and asked what he should do with the area that I had fenced off for him - when I suggested it would be ideal for growing veggies, he said he reckoned that veg from supermarkets tasted as good or better than GYO, and was cheaper .
Just proves what I always believed - bosses don't know their a@#e from the elbow.
Rat
P.S Not finding it too bad being off the ciggies - the heavy duty patches are obviously a help. This weekend will be a big test as I'm a bouncer ata alocal club on Saturday nights and they are always smoky.

I'll see if I can find the article about the water in spain being full of pesticides from the hydrocultured Tomatoes Rat, that should have a similar affect on your boss as the nurse did to you the other night

Today I dug and levelled a small area beside my raised beds, covered it with Terram, then gravelled it, and placed my 2 victorian chimney stacks and large stone sink on it. Behold, the Rat's Herb Garden. Admittedly all I have at the mo is Thyme, Lemon Thyme and Oregano -transplanted from elsewhere in the garden ( I have Fennel but as it grows so tall, it can stay where it is).

Made 2 x fleece covered tunnels / cloches.

Sowed 20 seeds of Cauliflower Idol (a miniature variety) and 20 of Cabbage Minicole into cells and they are now sitting on one of the kitchen windowsills - trying to get a flying start on the season but in reality am probably just trying to satisfy my imaptient streak!

Still off the fags