Newbies - post your one-offs here

[mothhawk]

I spent an age wondering what on earth FYM (farm yard manure) was...felt far too dumb to ask.

Yes, me too. Round here we call it cow muck!
edit: good thread Zaz - I suspect I shall visit it a lot.

[di]

A back to front one, a couple of years ago I got myself in a pickle when asking some of the old boys tips on hardening off...don't assume that just because someone's a fellow gardener, they'll take everything you say in gardening terms.

[horticultural_hobbit]

Hardening off acclimatising plants to lower temperatures. This time last year I had no idea what that meant.

Powdery mildew white powdery residue that covers large leaf foliage when there is moisture in the air and can be nasty to courgettes and things.

Blight occurs on tomatoes, is windborn and makes them look a bit manky. Rife in Birmingham. Can also affect spuds, but not sure if it is the same.

[bearded bloke]

Bummocks - the favourite technical term of G4

[lottie dolly]

DEBRIS NETTING = green netting either used from a scaffolding company,or new of ebay,
often used to give plants especially brassica's,protection from pests,also good to put around carrots to help with root fly,also a screen around peas to deter birds from nibbling and pea bugs

[di]

DEBRIE NETTING = green netting either used from a scaffolding company,or new of ebay,
often used to give plants especially brassica's,protection from pests,also good to put around carrots to help with root fly,also a screen around peas to deter birds from nibbling and pea bugs

OOh, I've still got loads left, didn't think to put it around carrots. Thanks. x

[veggiechicken]

Morrison's buckets - the black buckets that contain cut flowers and are sold off by Morrisons in packs of 8 for about £1 - or given away free by most other supermarkets and florists. GYOers usually mutilate them by drilling drainage holes in them, or cutting the bottoms off. They are used for planting or a myriad other things. No self respecting gardener can live without at least 20 of them.

[Pa Snips]

No self respecting gardener can live without at least 20 of them.

I have no self-respect...and a paltry 16 Morrisons buckets *hangs head in shame*

[veggiechicken]

Chris has 100 - that's just boasting!!

[Bigmallly]

So I thought - if you want to post 'what is this/does that mean' on here, it can become a bit of a reference for other newbies who come along.

So ask away - and the oldies [like G4] will come along and answer them for you.

Sorry Zaz, was only replying to your OP.

[chris]

Chris has 100 - that's just boasting!!

He's obviosuly compensating for something!

[Florence Fennel]

I have a tendency to refer to some veg as legs and bras, so to save you confusion, I actually mean legumes (peas & beans etc) and brassicas (sprouts and cabbages etc). Humour me, I sometimes feel I am in my dotage

Oh and I've got well over a hundred flower buckets, not counted recently

[Bren In Pots]

Having a Furtle means using your hands to dig around under your potatoes checking if any are ready to eat.

[Kaiya]

Mulch - to cover the ground with something either non-alive (cardboard, manure, leaves, leafmould, weed suppressing membrane, gravel, grass clippings, newspaper etc.) or alive (other plants, usually ground covering like squash) to suppress weeds, assist in water retention, and in the case of biodegradable substances add humus to the soil.

Humus - the organic component of soil. i.e. that which is not mineral or animal - decomposted leaves etc. (I had to look this one up!)

Green manure - to plant something (specific 'somethings', best to google/search the forum) with the intention of cutting it down and digging it in a few months later. When alive it mulches the soil (see above), when dug it in adds humus (...see above).

[Florence Fennel]

CACA Just typed that on another thread so nipped in here to say Cut And Come Again (Salad leaves)