Chitchat thread #24

[Snoop Puss]

I cannot for love nor money get my French beans to do anything this year, LD. Know how you feel. Me too, I'm banking on next year!

[bramble]

Good morning all.
Just back from a grory hop.
The weather is much cooler, only 15 degs and dull with it. No sign of any rain.
Today is Thursday which means playtime with my grandson this afternoon.
Some gardening before that and of course domestics.
Have a good day all.

[lottie dolly]

We had some gentle rain,better than nothing,Snoop seems peeps i have connections with here are the same,seems they grow to a point,some are struggling,i know its usuall for them not to start setting first of,BUT when they do start setting,the things do not want to grow,the beans are nothing like they should be,what few broard beans i had set,will not fill out,now they gone yellowing,will not bother withthem again,for what few i eat,easier to buy,but i would like the bigger ones to shell and use as butter beans ext,son has some cue growing in a green house,they should be long,but are short and fat instead,i am not posting as a moan,but,if we can share what is happening,we will not feel like we done something wrong,but show just how odd things are this year,and try tothink,what the heck can we do,i am thinking

[Snoop Puss]

I've given up growing broad beans, LD. Always a disappointing harvest here. I don't even bother buying them fresh, as I can get decent frozen ones here that aren't that expensive (cheaper in fact than fresh).

[nick the grief]

I've given up growing broad beans, LD. Always a disappointing harvest here. I don't even bother buying them fresh, as I can get decent frozen ones here that aren't that expensive (cheaper in fact than fresh).

I gave up growing Runner beans for the same reason - poor flavour and tough and stringy ... I just grow French beans these days.

LD - I grow crimson flowered broad beans and to ensure I have enough seeds for the following year(s) I grow some in 8" pots in the greenhouse ... theyre well worth growing for the colourful flowers and the scent is unbelievable! If you have borders in your greenhouse then try sowing a few in the autumn and see if you have more success growing them early undercover.

For drying beans then you want Borlotti climing french beans or for a white seed try Czar runner beans and just leave them to go over and save the seeds when the pods go brown and just save a few (don't eat them all) and you've got next years crop

ntg

[Snoop Puss]

Good to see you, nick the grief. Been a few weeks. Hope you've been having fun. I don't bother growing any kind of climbing bean due to wind (meteorological variety ).

[lottie dolly]

hi all,Nick thank you,i have grown the crimson ones in the past,have to try some again,i not eat a lot of them,so been getting the frozen ones,the barlotta i already have growing,but i freeze mine,as in previouse years i lost them to mould,plus from the freezer no need to soak,i also grow a white bean for the same reason,they make nice butter beans,other good in hot pots ext,in fact any bean seed,i will plant more in the poly tunnel along with some courgette,hope to get a few before the frost has them seeing what i do have are not doing so well,they could just suddenly pick up and grow,still time before that dirty word frost comes around

[Bren In Pots]

Evening

I stopped growing Broad beans when I realised I didn't really like them only used them in one recipe and I can use other beans instead. The Crimson ones are pretty I used to grow a few early ones to eat like french beans.
My favourite beans are Blauhilde a climbing bean with purple pods making them easy to find amongst all those green leaves, pity they turn green when cooked though.

Enjoy your evening.

[Nicos]

Evenin n’alln’all.
Darn wasps!
they’ve suddenly arrived this evening.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve only seen them drinking from the bird bath first thing in the morning.
They we’re even on the handful of plums on one of the trees.
Oh well. I don’t wish them harm - just wish they’d keep away from the food we are trying to eat!
Enjoy your evening peeps!

[Snoop Puss]

Maybe the wasps lost their larvae in the heat and are looking for other sources of sweet stuff, Nicos? I'm getting better at feeling sorry for wasps.

Though I did have to kill a European hornet the other day. It was coming into my basement office several times a day, looking for a nesting space, and because it's quite dark down here, it kept hitting things. The other day it hit a screen on my desk and landed on my hands. Not good, so I decided to put a stop to it. There are more outside, as I've seen them. Interestingly, since I killed it, we now have spiders in among the tomato plants.

Anyway, anyway, I scratched a very old itch yesterday. An itch I've had for about eighteen years but which has been impossible to do anything about till now. My flour supplier has just started distributing Ankarsrum mixers, so I ordered one. Diet, what diet...? Mr Snoop is reconciled to the idea. Says 'I'll never complain about anything that involves having bread in the house'. It's pretty hard to justify except on the grounds that my Kenwood has started rattling away with bread doughs - I make about two-thirds of its stated maximum - so at least its life will be extended if I stop using it for bread.

Excuses, excuses. But there, that's two confessions out the way and I feel better for it. The smiles were extremely sorry for the hornet - a proper big buzzer it was - but are looking forward to meeting Eggo, as I've decided to call the mixer (it's Sunbeam yellow in colour). They set off in a good mood, despite not doing a once around the plot with me. Really busy day again and watering will have to wait for a bit till I've got a job out the way.

Have a great day everyone.

[Nicos]

Mornin Snoopn’all n’alln’all

Dull, humid and warm. Perfect blight weather

On the upside I’ll not be complaining - anything is better than that heat earlier in the week.

Good for you treating yourself to a new mixer Snoop - love the name!

I played with our Omnia yesterday but the bread wasn’t as successful as it could have been - I need to play with the racks and temperature more. But it’s all about getting the feel of it apparently on different hobs. I just want to work out what works at home before trying it out in the camper.

I need to do a grory hop soon, so today might be the day. Well it beats ironing!

Anyone got exciting plans for the weekend?

I’ll get a brew going…..

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

Snoop I've found your new mixer on line, it does look good, especially with its 5kg capacity happy baking.

No real plans here Nicos but we'll probably be at home.

Enjoy your day.

[greenishfing]

Morning. I had to google an Ankarsrum mixer. It looks very professional. I love the colour and the name, Snoop.

Iit's a pleasant 15°C here and drizzling. I hope the forecast is right.....rain likely for the next several hours. It might damp things down a little. In fact if the radar is right we'll be getting a big yellow splodge (storm) over us around lunchtime. (My stupid phone kept changing splodge to sledge). If anyone sees any big yellow sledges floating around you can keep them).

I had the weirdest dream this morning (even by my standards). It involved a "self climbing ladder" which could climb up the side of a house and then tip forward and climb across the roof. I remember that in my dream I was mesmerized by it...... until it fell off the roof bounced into the gutter, which broke off, and ended up on the ground. I awoke at that point.

See you all later.

[lottie dolly]

after noon all,nice mixer snoop,lovely fresh colour,enjoy it lass,it is just a nice temperature now so much better,have a good afternoon,savour the freshness,until the next promised one hits

[nick the grief]

Good to see you, nick the grief. Been a few weeks. Hope you've been having fun. I don't bother growing any kind of climbing bean due to wind (meteorological variety ).

yes I'm fine Snoop, I 'retired' early 3 years ago but not I am fast approaching the time where I'm officially a grumpy old Guru so I've been sorting out be works pension which is due any time soon now so thats a job out the way, and planning a couple of holidays to mark the occasion - week in Devon for christmas in a thatched cottage about a mile from the sea with Mrs G and a week ish in Scotland with No1 Daughter so far we seem to be doing a tour of the western isles so thats took up most of my time

now I'm back to re designing the garden welll reclaiming is more like it and trying to decide on boring things like shed size, and do I keep both greenhouses or just the big one ... that and hiding away from the heat !

I'm thinking of getting a new mixer but I was going to get one from screwfix that does about a barrowfull of concrete at a time

ntg