The Gardening Splinter Thread
Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
I've just built a raised bed! I only paid for the nails, so that's good. I'm going to build another one soon, and I need to get my hands on some more free compost, as mine has been mined as much as was possible.
God tupping dammit, shoveling compost is hard work. I'm trying to gather the energy to waddle over to the fridge for beer.
God tupping dammit, shoveling compost is hard work. I'm trying to gather the energy to waddle over to the fridge for beer.
- ol bofosh
- Smeric
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
God, you must be tired!Gulliver wrote:I'm trying to gather the energy to waddle over to the fridge for beer.
A few days ago I did some work on my garden. I now have carrots, cucumbers, corn, nasturtiums and pumpkins.
My rocket, radish and spinach in the first section are doing very well. A bit patchy, though. Perhaps in some places there was too much mulch, in others, too little, and in others the ground may not have been soft enough. In these areas I'm going to plant other stuff (got some more carrot seeds lined up) just to fill up the gaps. I planted a few garden nasturtiums in these spaces. One I dropped and couldn't find.
Speaking of which, just outside the border of my garden I found some little lettuces growing amongst the grass, so I've put some stones around them. I must have dropped them before. If they're anything to go by, the lettuce seed I did sow can't have worked, because I can't see them.
Everything else isn't growing. There was a second section of radish in which I haven't seen a sigle radish growing. There's been enough months, so I planted carrots with less mulch on top (and it wasn't much, but still too much- "light sprinkling" should be enough, with hands). I really must not put so much mulch on top; just enough to protect them from birds. And if there is low grass already, the seeds will be protected by them.
It was about time I changed this.
- Ketumak
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
That's a lot of vegetables for February! You're in Spain, yes? All the same, I'm impressed.
Here on our northern hill, the snowdrops and crocuses are out and that's about it. I put in some more purple crocuses last year and a load of them have come up. The mild winter must have helped.
Here on our northern hill, the snowdrops and crocuses are out and that's about it. I put in some more purple crocuses last year and a load of them have come up. The mild winter must have helped.
- ol bofosh
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
Yes, and we're up on the mountains. Things are still a ways off from being harvested, but perhaps next month the radishes will be ready.Ketumak wrote:That's a lot of vegetables for February! You're in Spain, yes? All the same, I'm impressed.
We have daffodiles growing up. They usually come up about now, sometimes even earlier (I miss snowdrops, and bluebells for that matter).Ketumak wrote:Here on our northern hill, the snowdrops and crocuses are out and that's about it. I put in some more purple crocuses last year and a load of them have come up. The mild winter must have helped.
Has it been incredibly wet and floody where you are?
It was about time I changed this.
- Ketumak
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
Daffodils are another month away here, but you see a lot when they do come, even on roadside verges.
We missed the floods, fortunately. They're mostly in the Thames Valley, along the Severn and over the Somerset Levels.
We missed the floods, fortunately. They're mostly in the Thames Valley, along the Severn and over the Somerset Levels.
- ol bofosh
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
My family lives in Kent. Their town got flooded, but they live on the side of a hill, so they missed it themselves.
It was about time I changed this.
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- Avisaru
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
Where did you get the wood from? I know where I can get treated wood for decking (length 3.6m) for about £5 each, so I was thinking of making some raised beds of size approx. 2.6m x 1m. The total cost would be about £20 given the depth I want (depth = 2 boards), excluding the cost of acquiring top-soil and/or manure and/or compost to fill it with.Gulliver wrote:I've just built a raised bed! I only paid for the nails, so that's good. I'm going to build another one soon, and I need to get my hands on some more free compost, as mine has been mined as much as was possible.
God tupping dammit, shoveling compost is hard work. I'm trying to gather the energy to waddle over to the fridge for beer.
I also bought a lemon tree recently to keep in the conservatory. My wife is from Seville and loves the smell of orange/lemon blossom in spring. On the same trip I found a young Amelanchier 'obelisk' for about £10, which is cheaper than I've seen elsewhere. I like fastigiate plants because it means I can easily fit a more diverse array of shrubs into the same space.
Try the online version of the HaSC sound change applier: http://chrisdb.dyndns-at-home.com/HaSC
Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
It's a mixture of fencing I got off freecycle as firewood and broken pallets. My local Wicks has a box of free scrap timber out the back, and I got a carload of broken pallets out of a skip in a reclamation yard by asking nicely.
Do you know any builders or plumbers? Anyone who usually has to pay to get rid or scrap wood will almost certainly give it to you for free.
Do you know any builders or plumbers? Anyone who usually has to pay to get rid or scrap wood will almost certainly give it to you for free.
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- Avisaru
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
Really? I've never seen free scrap wood at Wickes before. I'll have to have a look.Gulliver wrote:It's a mixture of fencing I got off freecycle as firewood and broken pallets. My local Wicks has a box of free scrap timber out the back, and I got a carload of broken pallets out of a skip in a reclamation yard by asking nicely.
I do, but they all have wood burners in their houses! Now gas prices have gone up, burning wood to heat your house has become a lot more common. Of course some things you can't burn because of paint / chemicals... but I think you have to be careful about building a raised bed out of that if you don't know what the chemicals are. I know that using old tires to plant in became cool a while back, but I've read that they can contaminate the soil in them with some fairly nasty things you don't really want to be eating.Do you know any builders or plumbers? Anyone who usually has to pay to get rid or scrap wood will almost certainly give it to you for free.
Try the online version of the HaSC sound change applier: http://chrisdb.dyndns-at-home.com/HaSC
- Ketumak
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Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
Good to hear they missed it. It's times like these when living on a hill brings peace of mind - knowing you're not likely to get flooded.ol bofosh wrote:My family lives in Kent. Their town got flooded, but they live on the side of a hill, so they missed it themselves.
Re: The Gardening Splinter Thread
We had a very long winter here, to the point that roughly a week ago we still had below-freezing weather. Not frost, mind you, but round-the-clock weather. Then, suddenly, the winds became warm and the sun came out to stay. It's been bizarre, but pleasant.
Tomorrow I brave the chilly winds of Spring to start the planting!
Tomorrow I brave the chilly winds of Spring to start the planting!