the daydream fund challenge thread

alfie_1

Rummer wrote: »

My beetroot has started to poke its head out and my peas have sprouted! Finally planted some more cauliflower to replace the ones I killed and I have sown some cabbage too. The first round of lettuce is in and I have marked in my diary when to resow it, I really am aiming to keep a regular crop through the summer so for all the plants I can successively sow I am writing the dates in my diary (much to my OHs amusement!) Over the next couple of days I will get some other bits and pieces started but as we have had a few snow flurries today I will keep them indoors with the hardier things going in my newly clean greenhouse.

Compost wise I have a bit of a dilemma, we have some of our own but it is not enough to fill the new pots I have or to completely top up the beds we have not to mention the new planters I am saving for. In the past we have bought giant bags from DIY stores when they have been on multi-buys but I feel this is not cost effective and I was wondering if buying in a load of compost would be better? How would I go about calculating how much I would need bearing in mind it is to fill containers and beds? I have checked with my local council and they do not sell compost so I will also have to figure out where to get it from.

i use 6x as a good dry manure. it is like stinky peat but is brilliant, a handfull in each pot is enough. its great if you havnt the space for a pile of "pooh" !!

CHOILLE when your ready, no hurry... just let me know.

LIR AROUND HERE WE HAVE BEE KEEPERS THAT ARE DESPERATE FOR PLACES TO PUT THIER BEES ! MAYBE YOU COULD GET SOME IN FOR SAY A YEARS TRIAL TO SEE HOW PRODUCTIVE THEY ARE ON YOUR LAND/AREA AND IF IT PROVES VIABLE...GET SOME OF YOUR OWN ??

RAS

alfie_1 wrote: »

LIR AROUND HERE WE HAVE BEE KEEPERS THAT ARE DESPERATE FOR PLACES TO PUT THIER BEES ! MAYBE YOU COULD GET SOME IN FOR SAY A YEARS TRIAL TO SEE HOW PRODUCTIVE THEY ARE ON YOUR LAND/AREA AND IF IT PROVES VIABLE...GET SOME OF YOUR OWN ??

Very good idea actually. I know that most of our local bee-keepers have hives on other people's land.

I wanted to do it but do not have the time to travel to yet another piece of land every week.

LIR, if you have not kept bees before you can apprentice as well, loads of folk are happy to act as mentors.

lostinrates

RAS wrote: »

Very good idea actually. I know that most of our local bee-keepers have hives on other people's land.

I wanted to do it but do not have the time to travel to yet another piece of land every week.

LIR, if you have not kept bees before you can apprentice as well, loads of folk are happy to act as mentors.

This one is DH's project:) I like honey...but tbh...just feel spread thin enough already. I did suggest having someone else's bees here first but he went on a course and wants his own bees. TBH he's pretty meagre in his requirements so I don't feel its greedy of him or anything.

we're covered by two local bee keeping groups, not sure which to join. they have meetings mid week though....a bit pants for DH. Its obviously a very bee=ey area.

Davesnave

Hmmmm....the free barn thing looks interesting lir, but I don't think we can manage the 75 m to 3 phase electric, as I think the current barn has just 'ordinary' electric and the pole/transformer is a good 100m from there. Maybe the thatchers next door have 3 phase though???

Amazing how the weather varies as we report it here. We had another dry and reasonably warm day, but it was blowing very hard! I angled my incinerator into the wind and it soon had a real blaze on, which was needed, because I was burning up roots and stumps. It's been so dry I could removethe mud from the stumps just by wacking them with a hammer.

Choille, nice to hear from you again, even if it reminds me that I too have a mountain of paperwork to sort out!

choille

Alfie - been trying to contact OH's bro to come & let us away but he seems AWOL at the mo. Think he must of taken off for a few days.

Not fit for outdoor stuff & the garden is a disaster - still haven't got all my beds prepared & not feeling up tp battling the elements at the mo.

Rare breed sale on in Dingwall on saturday so that'll be interesting.

We lost Mrs Chuckles the Buff Orpington after a struggle & a bit of a sickening time, so be nice if I could get a replacement & also some lavendar pullets.

rhiwfield

Stacked half the green wood, but need to build a rough and ready store for the rest. Finish it off today with any luck, but wet outside atm (not forecast), will have to wait to use electrics o/s.

Well, the garage pv was installed precisely 1 year ago and has generated 1325 kWh vs a prediction of 1475, so 90%. Return on cost is now 10.54%., payback forecast 9.5 years. Mentioned before that we have a copse on the ridge to the east so we do lose out some morning sun, especially when the trees leaf up. Happy with return, though those of you who will be installing later should hopefully do better. And FITs rise at beginning of April to 43.3p per kWh and 3.1p export.

House pv installed in July last year and will see a much lower return (prob 7.5%) due to aspect being less favourable and no grant assistance. But it does give us usable power early, and evens out the peaks.

And you attune yourself to the generation, running appliances when the sun shines, slow cooking during day, rather than a quick cook at night. Not all to do with pv but our leccy grid import is just 1/3rd the amount that we were importing 3 years back.

And RHI, wait till late next year unless you're running a business, hmmm Lir and her GSHP raking in 4.3p per kWh

COOLTRIKERCHICK

sorry to hear about the chickens choille, but this is the reality of having livestock/pets.. I have def hardened up with the chickens over the years ( I know this sounds horrible to some people, but thats the way it is )

I have been soooooooooo wanting to put eggs in the incubator, but i know i have got to be realistic....but i know hwn we go to hte smallholders show in may, i will be itching to buy eggs and a few birds:rotfl:

Davesnave

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

sorry to hear about the chickens choille, but this is the reality of having livestock/pets.. I have def hardened up with the chickens over the years ( I know this sounds horrible to some people, but thats the way it is )

That's why we don't give them names here. Get our new Welsummers today, and we have a new isolation pen for them, named 'Peckadilly Circus' :rotfl::

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

That's why we don't give them names here. Get our new Welsummers today, and we have a new isolation pen for them, named 'Peckadilly Circus' :rotfl::

Great name! we name ours. It makes it easier to tell them apart for purposes such as treating, worming, powdering and doling out treats .

''Supper'' is however a really good and reused name for the boys. Before Sir Tweed we had roosters named things like Gregory Peck, walter Pidgeon. Apart from Holly wood greats I've always quite fancied a Bertie wooster-Rooster, but its probably overdone.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

Great name! we name ours. It makes it easier to tell them apart for purposes such as treating, worming, powdering and doling out treats . QUOTE]

Ah, we have leg rings for that: Mrs Green-leg Dorking, Mrs Blue-leg Vorwerk etc. I suppose that is naming them:o.....but not sentimentally!:)