No T Words mentioned at all - a fresh start

fuddle

Can I ask you gardeners if it's too late to sew lettuce for the summer? I feel the need to grow something and as my strawbs are still puny I'm not holding out much hope for them this year now.

I paid £1 for a bag of mixed lettuce yesterday and got really cross with myself for not thinking ahead.

boultdj

Your fine doing lettuce fuddle, also radish, beetroot,carrot's,turnip[not swede] french bean's,pak choi.

mama67

I live on a disused RAF base in Lincolnshire which was sold off during the 80's, we still however get the planes flying way too low over when they are doing target practice at the bombing range up the coast.
We have also had Chinooks land on the old airstrip due to mechancial problems, as there is a flying club so it is still maintained.

Where Dh works is part of the old base and in one of the old hangers the brackets are still there for storing the missiles which were flown from here during WW2.

[Deleted User]

Morning all, just off to the vetty persons place with the lurcher, he's been a bit off for a couple of days and pulled up really lame on his right back leg after his walk last night. Lounge currently has things stood all over the 3 piece to keep him off and stairs are blocked off to stop him climbing. He got very enthusiastic chasing a squirrel yesterday so may have pulled something, but he had a suspected neck vertebrae injury last year so we are taking no chances. Its another georgeous day here and DH has been in the garden and polytunnel since early on as its just too hot in the middle of the day, we were up to 36 in the polytunnel yesterday.scorchio indeed! Will report back on the lurcher later on. Hope all poorlies are feeling better today and isn't it nice to have friends drop in from the other thread? Makes me happy Cheers Lyn.

Kaz2904

Hi guys, sorry I've not been around for a while . I've been mad busy with work and DD's appointment in Bristol. She didn't need another op thankfully as she had some new bone growth and one of the bones has straightened itself out correctly. I have also been catching up with long overdue knitting. I finally finished my Manu cardigan and it was beautiful and a lovely fit. Then I washed it to block it and it felted . You could probably hear the howl of frustration from the street .
I have also started a baby blanket for a friend. I measured it last not when I managed to get it onto 2 cables. It' 5 feet wide :eek: so is going to take quite a while. I want to crack on and get it done though because I want to make another Manu and would like it finished to take to Florida with me. I don't think it will take me as long this time to make it because I know the pattern a bit better and won't keep having hiatus(s) while I work out whatnot do with it.
I apologise in advance if I'm a little less available .
:eek: at all the scary stories going on, I leave you for 10 minutes and you've got bee attacks, plane fights and general trying to maim yourselves! Will you be alright if I get on with my knitting for a bit today? .

Kaz2904

Oh, we have friends who are based at waddington. We went to visit them a few years back and DS lost Owen (his teddy). He was distraught and cried all the way home. In desperation, I posted a thread on the armed forces board here. They actually wandered off to the park on their own to look for him (sneaked off out of the back garden) and got lost and ended up being brought back by armed MP's :eek:. My thread featured in Martin's weekly email, apparently came up about third on googles hits for RAF waddington and got us Owen returned to the spar shop on base. DS was delighted .

[Deleted User]

Hi KAZ - so glad all is proceeding well with DDs broken arm and nature is fixing it rather than man, loved the teddy bear story, will keep me giggling all day. Poor lurcher has a strained tendon in his back leg and is on strict rest (if we can!) for a week the vet also picked up a very slight heart murmer but he's not getting any younger and has been a very active boy in his time, also nothing to worry about and nothing needed to treat it. I don't know why but I worry more about him than I ever did the girls. DH says I am a softie!!! Lovely next door neighbour has just given me some wild strawberry runners which I have planted around the raised pond, will be lovely if they establish and colonise the bank. Another lovely day am washing duvets as they will dry in no time flat. Will try some pillows later and hope they dry too. I love this weather! Cheers Lyn x.

[Deleted User]

have a look at your garlic, if you are growing any? My whole crop is devastated by rust, wet weather and now humid as well. Neighbour never bothered taking her rust ridden plants out and now whole (small ) site has it. I am taking it out today, wearing gloves and I`ll be bagging and sealing it. It is a fungus that will spread in compost. The same plot cannot be used for three years. There are no rust averse garlics and the big american growers spray with strong fungicides. I have 100 plants and no bulbs to rescue as the rust is sapping the plants

Just as well that I have so much garlic/olive oil in the freezer.

Also spring caused soft sappy growth and aphids are out in force, including on strawberry plants. I am trying to encourage lacewings, hoverflies and ladybirds but the attractant flowers aren`t out yet. In the meantime I am making a liquid from quassia chips (ebay) also good for head lice. Soak, boil, strain, spray. I strain through a nut bag and use a fine sprayer. The aphids don`t disappear but they do die

Watering is a problem now that container soil is so dry: add a couple drops of washing up liquid or bottom soak in a big tray of water as watering from above is useless as ir runs through

Tomatoes are growing very quickly, you need to take side shoots off and tie up. Flowers are out also water every day, sink a pot if needed. I use growpots so it is easy

Have a lovely day, I am indoors most of day when hot with two fans on, can`t take it too long

boultdj

Thank's for the head's up on the garlic kittie, I'll tell my Dad [the perishing thing's refuse to grow for me:mad:] and bother to losing whole crop, but to having garlic in freezer.

prepareathome

Thanks for the info Kittie, as I am basically knew at vegetable growing I am very grateful for all the hints I can get - have just grow a few plants in pots these past 5 years but this year putting in ground and growing more.

I will have to look up what aphids look like, but so far my strawberry plants are growing and most are flowering now. My garlic are all new plants this year, but only 8 of them and so far they are two to a big deep pot as I know they will be in the ground for a long time and not decided where to put them but they seem happy enough and growing.

I really need to watch youtube video ( am sure there will be a few) on cut to deal with tomato plants, up till now I have just let them grow and grow and they have just grown up and up but not to bushy and last year only one tomato out of over 100 turned red, all stubbornly stayed green. This year I have ( was given ) two F1 tomato bushes so I know they will branch out as the photo shows a big, big bush, but I also have my usual tomato plants ( moneymaker is the one sold most round here, was told by garden centre its the best for local climate) plus just one, as only saw on plum tomato plant.

Do I have to decide on what the main shoots are on the normal tomato plants and then snip off any others growing, or take off the side shoots off the main shoots I never know, but like other plants like strawberries etc I do not touch the flowers, only on actual flower plants do I ever dead head.

Do you know how long gooseberry will take to come to life - I put in a selection of fruit bushes in December, I know will not see fruit on them for at least a year, but gooseberry still looks like a dead spiky twig. I know some things can take a year or two before coming to life, so not panicing, they - have two, will be left in situ for few years.

My aim is to help with our food supply, but not this year or next its more a long term project, so turning the side garden in a growing area, but with it being so open and only the 3ft fence round it until the bushes I planted ( 100 mixed british hedging including dog rose- which already looks lovely and hawthorn) I cannot plant out to much as it its all on veiw, would love a big 6ft fence but the area is a conservation zone and no fence higher than 1m allowed, but no rules against hedging and as I am not on top of next house on side garden side the hedges can grow to full height and will not affect anyones light thankfully. A few people have told me my side garden is far bigger than average allotment so I know once I can get it fully operational I should be able to live off the produce all year, so long as weather permits and other things like slugs, but my biggest worry until hedges grow is people helping themselves. I live in a lovely area on edge of a city and fields that go on for miles and farms just 5 mins round the corner but I have a very busy main road going right past.

Neighbours told me last time side garden was dug up for growing was during second world war and I have found quite a few 1930's pennys and half pennys as I have dug out the new beds. Even found a secret cache of old pennies in a tub, all daring before 1940, but that was years ago when we were putting in new fence as was down deep at edge of garden

I have all sorts of plans I hope to use once side garden is contained and concealed.

I noticed when sitting out in back garden yesterday a lot of greenflys I am sure they are a pest for something so after I get back from hospital ( appointment at 9.20am) I will have a read up and see how I can deal with them without nasty chemicals, but so far nothing seems to be harmed, no sign of any mold, mildew or anything else as yet.

Right am dry after shower, hair I will just leave down to dry so better get dressed and get going.

Thanks to everyone for all your wonderful info am so grateful.