A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

mardatha

Ginny nothings growing up here, not even weeds. In the fabulous week in March that was our entire spring LOL we dug over two beds out the back. Those beds are still just brown earth - not one single weed has grown in them, its been too cold. trees are barely in leaf and the leaves are very pale yellowish green. In the old days as somebody else said, that would be famine and starvation. So it shows that you cant depend on growing your own either really.

Softstuff

GreyQueen wrote: »

Remember, ladies, if the brown stuff hits the spinner, and you're in dire straits, all alone in the world and desperate need of a tin of tomatoes or a FB pie, I'd just like to say....... forget it, pal!

Only joking...........;)

Your pies and tomatoes are safe from me now GQ. I folded on tomatoes in food poker when they were deemed unsuitable for me to eat. And I gave up FB pies when they started igniting fires in my chest I couldn't put out for days.

You may however be quite jealous of my supersoft loo roll stocks which are now in this house deemed essential :rotfl: Still, what I save on not having wine I now spend on that....

Had a bad day yesterday so pretty exhausted today. Hoping to feel well enough tomorrow for a trip to a cello concerto we got free tickets for.

fuddle

I hadn't realised there's lots of useful information on the 'no t' thread. I'll have to keep popping in there too. Since that person has had their posting privileges removed, has there been any trouble on this thread while I've been AWOL?

I've checked out accuweather (I don't know if it's accurate) and Mardatha is so right for where I am.. sun all next week and temps creeping up.

I tried my hand at growing my own last year and was so hopeless at it. I didn't reap anything, not even a little red tomato, just tiny green ones.I was really hurt and gave up. All I have this year is my strawb plants and even they are tiny for coming into the summer. My puppy chewed up my rhubarb, blackberry bush and red current but I still have the black current and fingers crossed, that looks healthy with some growth to hopefully reap. I'm really bad at growing things.

GreyQueen

fuddle last year was a diabolically-difficult growing season so please don't feel that it was your fault you didn't get good crops and give up. It's always difficult to get tommies to ripen outdoors in this climate at the best of times. We don't really have enough sun for it, even in our better years.

It's dry at the moment in my neck of the woods but a bleurgh grey overcast. Not sure what the weather may do in the next few hours so I shall make a flask, have another cuppa and fix a packed lunch and head lottie-wards.

I've been astonished at how slow the tatties are this year. I'm growing my usual variety (Kestrel 2nd early) and planted them the weekend before Easter. They had sprouted very well indoors and I baulked them up as I planted them. A good half of them haven't even breached the surface yet, and those that have come through are on the south side of the southermost baulk. My lottie aligns approx n-s. The biggest of them are about the size of a small lettuce. They are normally about 2 foot high and starting to flower by now. Since I typically harvest them when the tops have died back at the end of June-beginning July, I know I won't be eating tatties at that point. Thank goodness I stocked up on value pasta when it was cheap......

Mar, your experience sounds grim. I do have some weeds germinating but they are few and small, nothing like the rampant growth one expects in May but it's far too cold. The broad beans seem to be the happiest things and some stuff just hasn't germinated full stop. I will try re-sowing the beet.

I'm seriously-considering prepping another batch for broad beans as they seem to be a steady performer in these unchancy times. I will have to pace out the lottie and work out where to put them. I did buy courgette seeds but haven't bothered to plant them as the weather is so atrocious I don't think they'll crop. Hopefully, they'll still be viable for 2013.

Ooof, well, this ain't getting the gardening done. Have a good day, peeps, GQ x

mardatha

We all thought last year was the worst it could get for growing things eh! I honestly dono what to do now. No point in growing tons of greens for hens as there is now no hens. No point in trying to grow tatties as by time they come up I can get a sack of farm ones here for a fiver. Think the flu has wiped out my ooomph altogether.. what supermarket has ooomph on special?

GreyQueen

mardatha wrote: »

We all thought last year was the worst it could get for growing things eh! I honestly dono what to do now. No point in growing tons of greens for hens as there is now no hens. No point in trying to grow tatties as by time they come up I can get a sack of farm ones here for a fiver. Think the flu has wiped out my ooomph altogether.. what supermarket has ooomph on special?

Have I missed some news? I thought you had a couple of hens?:(

fuddle

I too recoiled in horror when I read you had no hens, what's happened Mar?

[Deleted User]

Morning Toughies, please come and play on the Not Mentioning thread, you are always welcomed with open arms, it's lovely when someone from this thread pops in, like a friend you haven't seen for a while turning up for a chat unexpectedly. I like to play on both threads as I feel we may not be singing the same hymn all the time, but we're only separated by a verse! Come and join us whenever you want to we'll always be pleased for your input Cheers Lyn and Docky x.

mardatha

Awh thats great mrs L, I thought half of the people had just left MSE then saw them over there. Totally forgot about that thread since I come in here via email subscripts not main forum page.
I was in bed with the flu GQ, could hardly make it to the loo nevermind the back garden. The RV built the henrun and made the door only 4ft high (dont ask cos I dont know lol) and he was too big to fit in, had to wriggle and struggle on hands and knees in the mud to get in, and it all got too fraught. I put out a shout locally and a nice family came and took them and the coop. They email me pics of them wandering around the new home. But I miss them very much, they were my wee pals .. Just me and the cat together forever against the world and the RV now

bogwobbit

Morning all
Something strange is happening here. After two days of rain, wind and hail....it's actually sunny. Well, maybe sunny is a bit of an exaggeration but at least it's dry which is a bonus. Still flipping freezing though.
Felt depressed last night. Went to my old boss' funeral on Thursday. She was only 56 and had had a long battle with cancer Very sad and also got my thinking about the meaning of life and whether it's worth working yourself into the ground, as she did....
Anyway, feeling a bit more cheerful now. Up early and already been shopping. One washing on the line and another in the machine. Youngest dd is playing football and dh and ds have gone to watch so a chance to tidy and clean in peace and quiet (after a quick shotty on the computer while I can). Then it's out to collect my Christian Aid envelopes (which I vow and swear I am never going to do again - one because it's so time-consuming and two because people are SOOOO rude! I can understand people not giving, but some of the looks and comments are just not nice :mad:. In saying that, some people are lovely usually the really old people who probably don't have much money anyway)
Then after than back home to watch the Hibs v Hearts game on telly. I am strictly neutral (ish) but dh is a Jambo
Well, hope everyone has a good weekend and that the sun shines where you are.
Hope everyone has