Chitchat thread #24

[burnie]

Morning it's raining here, watered the greenhouse, might get some more tommies tomorrow, picked another handful of Sweetpeas, growing them under glass means I could pick them whilst it was hammering down outside, Strawberries straight off the plants for breakfast, it doesn't get any better does it?

[Snoop Puss]

Afternoon all.

Been very busy so far today but got next to nowhere. Ah well. There's always the rest of the day.

In fact, it sounds like everyone is being very busy.

rary, I'd be glad to hear your experiences of hugelkultur. I read that the wood takes a lot of moisture from the soil as it rots down, so at the beginning you have to water a lot. Given the lack of rain here, that rather put me off. Have you reached any interim conclusions? Might it be worth starting a thread?

Glad you spotted the smiles, NIcos. They're probably keeping out of my way today... They weren't best pleased at me trying to sweep the floor rather vigorously while they were still getting up.

Right, I'd better get back to getting nowhere fast.

Have a great day, everyone.

[Nicos]

Yet another torrential downpour. Great fun watching the river of rain flown down the centre of the road.. And now the sun is shining.

Hmmm…I get a feeling that if this continues it’s going to bring on blight

Burnie- remember to take piccies of your sweet peas!

Snoop - you mentioned tinned chopped tomatoes. Can you get the Italian Mutti ones?
More expensive but you can buy much larger tins which work out cheaper than the Lidl small tins g for g . I buy them at Intermarche and split the tin and freeze packets of them . Top quality flavour!

[Snoop Puss]

Snoop - you mentioned tinned chopped tomatoes. Can you get the Italian Mutti ones?
More expensive but you can buy much larger tins which work out cheaper than the Lidl small tins g for g . I buy them at Intermarche and split the tin and freeze packets of them . Top quality flavour!

Not locally, no, but I can buy them online. Thanks for the recommendation. I'll get them when my stock of tinned toms has run out.

Every supermarket here sells stuff called 'tomate frito', literally 'fried tomato', but it's more like very thick passata cooked down with a fair amount of olive oil and herbs. A lot of the brands are very waxy in texture but we've found one that is amazing, 'epic' in the words of one young visitor. I've got a few bottles left and have been eking them out while using up tinned stock. Maybe it was just a rogue can. I store tins upside down to stop dust accumulating on the tops. So the toms looked relatively reasonable when I opened the tin, albeit pale, still sitting on the top of the juice, but when I poured them in, there was a lot more juice than tomato underneath. Anyway, I've lived and learned there. Back to the epic tomate frito, I reckon, at least while I've got some.

[Bren In Pots]

Afternoon

No rain here today even though two weather sites have given it out.
Been out for lunch then gardening this afternoon.

[rary]

rary[/USER], I'd be glad to hear your experiences of hugelkultur. I read that the wood takes a lot of moisture from the soil as it rots down, so at the beginning you have to water a lot. Given the lack of rain here, that rather put me off. Have you reached any interim conclusions? Might it be worth starting a thread?.

This is the second growing season with the wood in the bed Snoop, I thought last year after the tree being buried for about six months it was working OK, as everything grew well with no watering, but this year not so good, I didn't water anything and a number of my onions have shot, cabbage and lettuce are both doing well, but on reflection they are growing in the area the onions were in last year and that area of the bed was filled with thin branches of mixed wood, Ash, sycamore, rowan and birch, along with a lot of garden waste, where the onions are now is where the larger tree trunk was placed, along with the contents of the compost bins, I think it would have been better if I had split the trunks into thinner pieces but not really possible with just an axe and heavy hammer, and yes I did try, I am altering my raised bed again, as I intend creating three narrower beds, and to do that I need to extend the area will be using a birch tree that was cut down last year as this is a softer wood and what I have lying in the shorter time appears to be rotting and more sponge like, so from that I recon thinner wood, if possible softer wood and as much vegative waste as possible, when I do the alteration (making the beds smaller in preparation for when I get old😁) I will no doubt have to cut some of the wood in the bed, so will let you know what it's like, as for using this method in a drier country, I would suggest that you collect tree cuttings of a soft wood or if possible wood chippings or untreated sawdust and garden waste

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, rary. A lot of the stuff I have going spare is very old almond. Very hard to cut for the fire and extremely slow to rot in the open air. I might just leave it where it is... Snow-felled pine might work though. I shall ponder on. Thanks for the report back.

[rary]

Snoop after my previous post I was giving it a bit of thought, I remember many years ago being told to mix any leaves I collected, as a mix of types of leaves make leaf mould quicker, so possibly a mix of wood chippings would rot quicker and create a spongeier? body for holding water, possibly wouldn't make any difference, but as I always say, you don't know till you try😁 though OH has threatened to hit me with something when I say that to her, so give it some thought

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks, rary. I've been looking at all our wood with new eyes but I think hugelkultur might be something I leave for later. To do it properly will require more time than I have at the moment. But I will give it a try.

Morning all.

It's like autumn out there this morning. Really fine drizzle, what some of you would call smirr I believe. We had a very small amount of rain last night, enough to dampen the surface of the soil and to bring the flying ants out. We have bee-eaters busying themselves on the other side of the valley, presumably feasting on the ants. Our recent visitor asked what they were, describing them as rainbow birds, which is apt.

The smiles had a flitter about with the bee-eaters but have now moved on, heading in your directions. I presume like me they find clouds of ants interesting to observe but not nice to be surrounded by.

Have a great day, everyone.

[Florence Fennel]

Good Morning Snoop and All Fine here at the moment, but a bit cloudy. GG has her first patients today as an Orthodontic Therapist - she passed her exam this week with flying colours but was too nervous to eat her breakfast! Frank is oblivious to all the fuss and is snoozing in his bed already Himself was a brave soldier yesterday for his bloods. It's a very efficient service at the drive through, better than going to the GP.
Don't fancy encountering those ants Snoop.
Have a good day All.

[Bren In Pots]

Morning

It's fine here as well Flo, all the best to your GG xx

Grory hop for me today and some sewing my messenger bag needs a bit of attention.

Enjoy your day

[greenishfing]

Good morning. I've not been in here for a few days as I've been a bit under the weather and would just have been a moaning Minnie. However, I'm feeling back to normal now. My brother-in-law evidently spread his nasty germs in my direction. He unfortunately is still suffering.

I'm going to make some blackberry buns shortly and then set some more bread and butter pickle off because although we thought it was okay at four weeks old we thought it was excellent at six weeks. It is only a cucumber pickle but is very easy and very moreish.

[bramble]

Good morning all.
The sun is shining now but a wet and windy day on the way.
Finally the day has come for my visit to the hairdresser,

Bren, thanks for the loan of your flower pot, it was better than the paper bag,

Not a lot on the cards otherwise.

GF, glad your feeling well again.

Have a good day all.

[Nicos]

Mornin n’alln’all
Ta muchly to whoever shared their sunshine with me….it’s a beautiful day here.

OH set off early to the local sawmill with a couple of oak railway sleepers to see if they can be sliced into planks for our patio surface. Sadly not as they are too knotty…so we’ll need to sell them to go towards the cost of Indian sandstone slabs.
We have over 30 of them. So buying them was a big error a few years back, although they were ‘end of line’ ( pun not intended) and we paid 15€ each for them. Apparently the going price is at least 23€ each so at least we should make a bit of a profit
I actually originally wanted sandstone as it’ll be less slippy so I’m quite content with the outcome although it’ll probably end up being more expensive as paving slabs here are ridiculously expensive compared to the uk.

good luck for you GG Flo…so grown up now eh?

I best go and make the most of this sunshine…I’ve berries to pick!

Enjoy your day peeps- see you later!

[burnie]

Morning(just) it's not hot at 16 degrees, but it was way too hot to set about my big wild hedge with a very heavy large electric hedge trimmer, ginger beer ice lolly hit the right spot though.