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The great, good and not so good bits about growing your own dinner 2017
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Feet shoulder width apart, lift to waist height, slight bend in the knees and then let its weight pull it downward. Idea being you only use effort to lift it.
The ladies all told me 'you don't use you, you use the head'.
They did also tell me to get a hand one, and a smaller headed one for the smaller areas. As well as to buy a shorter handle for mine as I'm a shortie
Manifesting Abundance in 2023Fashion On The Ration 2023 36/660 -
Feet shoulder width apart, lift to waist height, slight bend in the knees and then let its weight pull it downward. Idea being you only use effort to lift it.
The ladies all told me 'you don't use you, you use the head'.
They did also tell me to get a hand one, and a smaller headed one for the smaller areas. As well as to buy a shorter handle for mine as I'm a shortie
Brilliant description (and pretty much what I do). DH uses the big one, which is too heavy for me. Another tool I use - I don't want this to sound funny but I also bought a mini-hoe (a triangular head, not the wide multi-toothed kind) - I think it might be a children's one (or intended for an older person) but it's great for getting in between the onions to weed when I'm on my kneesSave £12k in 2024 - #2 target is £5000 only £798.34 so far
OS Grocery Challenge 2024 31.1% spent or £932.98/£3,000 annual
I also Reverse Meal Plan on that thread and grow much of our own premium price fruit and veg, joining in on the Grow your own thread
My Debt Free Diary Get a grip Woman0 -
My DH bought me a small azaeda as part of my Christmas goodies. It's brilliant on the raised beds. I think the make is Stanley but he got it from Screwfix. I really need to invest in a slightly bigger one so I can use it standing up on the flat ground.
Very hot here yesterday, all I did was some hoeing and watering apart from clearing the last bed of winter brassicas and giving the remnants to the mini dustbins (chickens). Also picked the strawberries in the morning before any birds found them and dug up a few charlotte potatoes for dinner.
Today, providing it's not too hot I need to clear the brassica bed of weeds and plant out some more sweetcorn and sow my parsnips before it's too late.
Have fun and try not to get burnt as I believe the UV levels are high today. Rain forecast here for tomorrow and Sunday
I must get to updating my signature on the saving from the plot.0 -
Morning Everyone
Lovely light rain all night here in Gloucestershire - so the garden has had a good watering. Everything is very lush at the moment.
I agree with you all about about the azaeda - a very useful tool. My other favourite is a Japanese hoe. I do a lot of weeding on my knees (back problem) and it's so good at snatching out the weeds with tap roots. I wouldn't be without it.
I need to get going soon and plant up those pumpkins and courgettes and that should be the end of planting until the first potatoes are used up. So after weeding I can sit back and grow.
Yesterday I spent most of my time potting up bare rooted plants for a neighbour I garden for - I got her one of those deals £70 worth of plants and bulbs for £10 (Van Meuwen) and I must say I'm impressed with them. I'll grow the plants on and then plant them out for her. Just to make sure they all come up.
I mentioned sprouting a while ago and I'm finding it's becoming quite a useful supplement to meals. And quite cheap to do as I have quite a lot of lentils in store. And pea shoots to - very nice and fresh whilst I'm waiting for the peas to come through.
Hope the weather is being kind to you all and happy growing.0 -
Suffolk_lass wrote: »Brilliant description (and pretty much what I do). DH uses the big one, which is too heavy for me. Another tool I use - I don't want this to sound funny but I also bought a mini-hoe (a triangular head, not the wide multi-toothed kind) - I think it might be a children's one (or intended for an older person) but it's great for getting in between the onions to weed when I'm on my knees
I was just thinking I need a small head hoe for exactly that purpose. I use my son's (hes almost 7) rake that we got from aldi as its just the right length and I can control it - most long handle tools I cant really direct the ends very well :rotfl: But yeah he's almost 7 and past my elbow so that gives an idea of the height I'm working at LOLManifesting Abundance in 2023Fashion On The Ration 2023 36/660 -
Far too hot a day for me to be out, either in the garden or the plot.
So it'll be mooching online for things I want instead.
We had a thunderstorm about an hour ago, was glorious downpour, lasted about 20 minutes and already much of the paving is dry & the sun is back out again.
Plot plans for tomorrow include removing net from the onions, planting out my french climbing beans and planting out courgettes, brussel sprouts and some squashes.Manifesting Abundance in 2023Fashion On The Ration 2023 36/660 -
Hi People
Well it was windy up at the plot and I had to put a temporary wind shield up around the pumpkins but I got them in. So I have 2 each of butternut squash, Rouge Vif D'Etamps, Potimarron and crown prince. 2 yellow and one green courgette.
Back at home I'll plant some red kuri to run up an obelisk and through the garden a couple more of the potimarron and crown prince. That should give me plenty of choice and last right through to next spring.0 -
Just looked on the weather radar and it looks like I will be in for some serious weather this afternoon. I had better go and do my gardening tasks now and maybe it's time to do some paperwork this afternoon.
Happy gardening to those who aren't going to get drenched
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I've missed out on a lot on here in the last couple of weeks.
I had an issue with a health problem which has left me extremely limited when it comes to my growing so other that watering what's already in I haven't been able to sow anything new or pot up. The only things I've missed out on completely are parsnips and French beans, it's a bit late for them but I might try to at least give them a go and hope it's not too later for them.
My first lot of calabrese was killed by OH so I started a few more only for them to go really weak and leggy, I'll give them a bit longer but if they don't get stronger I'm just giving up on them for this year.
My indoor sown sweet corn is huge and really needs to be planted out but I just can't manage it right now, same for sowing my outdoor crop. Same with my melons, they are getting pretty big indoors but need to go out soon.
Everything already out seems to be doing well except my lettuce which was completely destroyed by slugs a few days ago, I was so close to being able to harvest some of the outer leaves but the whole lot has been eaten down to soil level. I'm hoping they will come back from it but if not I'll get some more in.0 -
Sorry to hear you've been poorly Fosterdog. I still think you have plenty of time to sow some more and the French beans will be fine.
Shame about the lettuce but it's pretty cheap seed - just get some more in. I keep a few trays of cut and come lettuce on the go all the time re-sowing every few weeks and then the hearting lettuce up at the allotment where it has more room. Can't you get someone to help you get the sweetcorn out. Maybe under your direction.
Hope you feel better soon.0
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