Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

tomterm8

RenovationMan wrote: »

It looked like an effortless way to put nutrients back into the soil.

Things often look effortless on gardners world. I wouldn't believe a word of it.:D

lostinrates

GDB2222 wrote: »

You could always call the dog Yappy instead. It's a really good name for a small dog.

we got a name. Its so unique I call her dog-dog on line because I', sure there isn't another one yet.

lostinrates

tomterm8 wrote: »

Things often look effortless on gardners world. I wouldn't believe a word of it.:D

Anything that involves the word ''dig'' is not effortless but can be fun and rewarding. The better worked it is, of course, the less effort it becomes.

We're hoping to mark out a veg bed or two this weekend, and start filling it with muck heap stuff. we're having ''heated'' discussions about the size of beds. Too small they are fiddly, fussy and you lose growing room, too big and they are hard to work and daunting. I like them to be a size I can work over with a hoe in the time it takes me to drink a cup of tea between other jobs.

PasturesNew

SingleSue wrote: »

I'm mentally shattered!

Spent all morning catching up on study and then doing an online tutorial. The online tutorial was fun, never used it before and neither had the tutor, so at times, it was like the blind leading the blind but it was very beneficial despite the teething problems.

I never had tutors with the OU. Is that a new thing? Used to get the stuff delivered to the door and you got on with it. No Internet, theoreticaly tutor, who you never met. Just do it and post it off.

What about people who work? Won't they have missed out as it was in the daytime?

SingleSue

I have had tutors on each of my courses but this is the first time I have been able to do the tutorials as before they were always in real life and not via the internet and with the boys, I couldn't attend.

My brother doesn't have internet so his only communication with his tutor is sending off his TMA's.

This wasn't the only tutorial, she had planned to do one on Friday (evening) but had to cancel and do that one this afternoon plus there was one on Satuday, so hopefully between the sessions, those who have to work or those who have children at home are able to attend.

tomterm8

PasturesNew wrote: »

I never had tutors with the OU. Is that a new thing? ...
What about people who work? Won't they have missed out as it was in the daytime?

Some courses have always had tutors. My father taught a course in sociology for over a decade. Other courses don't.

A lot of people can't attend the tutorials, but you can always contact him by phone / email or a forum, and even in the tutor lead topics, there is more than enough course material you could pass the course without ever meeting him.

Davesnave

RenovationMan wrote: »

I saw a TV program (gardeners world?) where they grew comfrey in empty (harvested) vegetable beds and then dug it all into the ground in spring when they sowed the next lot of veggie seeds. It looked like an effortless way to put nutrients back into the soil.

Are you sure it was comfrey? Comfrey wouldn't have time to do much over winter, as it has large tap roots and its purpose is to bring up nutrients from deep down over a period of years, rather than months. Also any small pieces if the root can re-grow, which would make it a serious problem in veg beds.

I imagine you are thinking of green manure crops like, alfalfa, or even clover.

Davesnave

lostinrates wrote: »

We're hoping to mark out a veg bed or two this weekend, and start filling it with muck heap stuff. we're having ''heated'' discussions about the size of beds.

Yes, we started making deep beds, and then one day I asked, "Why?"
It's not as if we're short of space and, eventually, we'll probably rotovate.

We have a choice of horse, pig, goat or chicken poo to spread this winter, but while the weather is still benign, we're neglecting the garden and focusing on building stuff. Put a polythene roof on an outhouse today. In a year or two, it's coming down, but ATM we can get 15 tonnes of logs in dry storage there.

lostinrates

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, we started making deep beds, and then one day I asked, "Why?"
It's not as if we're short of space and, eventually, we'll probably rotovate.

We have a choice of horse, pig, goat or chicken poo to spread this winter, but while the weather is still benign, we're neglecting the garden and focusing on building stuff. Put a polythene roof on an outhouse today. In a year or two, it's coming down, but ATM we can get 15 tonnes of logs in dry storage there.

We need deep beds because we've ecided, I think, on the patch between the muck heap and the pond for veg...and I think there is a track and probably a lot of other hardcore underneath the grass and weed...so raised beds it is. The track will be useful, and must stay, so any where else can be productive.

GDB2222

lostinrates wrote: »

we got a name. Its so unique I call her dog-dog on line because I', sure there isn't another one yet.

Mother-in-law named her dog Kiri (after Kiri Te Kanawa). So bear in mind that fame is a two-edged sword, and if you are unlucky some old biddy will name a wee mongrel from Battersea after you. It was a rescue dog, really rather well trained when it arrived, but MIL does her best to untrain it.

The funny thing is that the dog answers better to the name Dog than to Kiri.