Awful weather - typical Brits talk

twopenny

You'll only need one sock sliced - unless you're planting an orchard 

Yes Farway, always worth waiting.

YoungBlueEyes

Ah what I wouldn't give for an orchard...

Mild and still here, with persistent drizzle. Them drunkards say it'll rain all day and I bet it does too cos my windows have only got the last bit of external titivation to go...

I saw a fox first thing. The Oracle has a motion activated light over her front door and he set it off. He had a good mooch round and then just strolled away, calm as you like  

Dustyevsky

Still largely absent here, but reading....

Neighbours who border on insanity have called in the heavy guns in the form of a council official, whom (they hope) will put an end to our development plans. Said official did not see fit to call on us, though, so what it all means is unclear. We don't act on hearsay, so out came the chainsaw and I finished the job, much to neighbours' dismay! She fled when I mentioned her unlawful extension to a stable, but like me, she can always apply retrospectively.

Easter is happening, apparently. I know it's the time the arrival of chocolate in the world is celebrated, though I'm sure it was once for something else. Anyway it's when living in a nice spot on the way to other nice spots means your life is very busy with visitors. Who's going to get the tent? That is the question. No frosts imminent, fortunately. As major hunter-gatherer, I'm off now to forage among the tall stands of Sainsburyii officinalis and probably get mighty cross when unable to reach their higher growing fruits!

RAS

If you are looking for a super offer for the Easter season try Lidl, supporting all the home growers.

Loads on offer at £1.59.

Six pea plants in a 75mm pot, or you could try 3 anaemic French beans. Yes, 6 peas! amongst the red and yellow tomato plants.

Chocolate's cheaper.

wort

Morning all ,apart from some random tidying a few days ago when I cut one of the wrong bits off the clematis 😔 I haven’t done much,the garden looks nice and tidy to most folk flying by on their broomsticks.
Up until yesterday when it was grey and miserable with drizzly rain,it has been sunny but cold! Looks to be back to sunny today, but having tooth problems at the moment which has meant 2 visits to dentist in two weeks and then a piece came off after I got home yesterday ,so will need to ring again today.
Farway your snakes head fritillary is ahead of mine it was in bud last week, might need to check if it’s out yet. It’s never spread I literally only have one and it’s been in years. 

Good luck with hot lips , also everyone planting trees etc.

Farway

Rain first thing, but sun was trying hard a few minutes ago

At least the rain has watered in the couple of plants I put in this week, should it dry up enough I may just mooch down there and check them

Wort, my snake's head also never spreads, I think it's due to its position being on the flight path for slugs and lily beetles. I did have about six at one time, both white & purple ones, but I guess they've mated and left a lovely child behind, nevertheless, despite everything they continue to grace my garden

My canna from seed have broken cover , sticking white shoots above the compost this morning, so I've moved them from the airing cupboard out into the real world of daylight on the window sill

My plum blossom has started to open, in the rain , fat chance of a pollinator swimming up to the blossom in this weather

Easter weather is supposed to be OK here, at least not snowing

Dustyevsky

Woken at 04.30 by two-year-old, so I'll probably just chill today with my seeds/plants as compensation. No rain or other adverse weather conditions predicted here till Monday, which might give us a chance to dry out and smarten-up.

Hearing tent-pitching and barbecuing was imminent, I somehow cut two lawns last night...and not with the ride-on either, which doesn't pick up. It can do the job in minutes, but then clippings magically get into the house.

I don't give Lidl's plant offerings much more than a cursory look. The same goes for the ones in my local farmers' store, which are incredibly expensive. It's no wonder people think farmers are loaded! None of those I know would spend like that on plants, but I suppose someone must buy them there, rather than at the nursery on the other side of town.  I've also noticed the shrinkflation on compost; now coming in 50 litre bags, when it was 60 litres previously, or 30 litres when it was 40 litres etc. I'm currently using Melcourt at  £8 for 50 litres, but I mess about with it a lot; adding grit, vermiculite, coir, soil, and home-made compost, all according to usage.

As for fertiliser; glad I bought 20kg of Osmocote last year on a hunch. Perhaps I should have bought 20 bags. About £50 more this year, so doing better than gold! It's obvious where this is going with food prices.

YoungBlueEyes

0430 here too. Screaming heathen scum totally delightful neighbour decided that was just the very time to check the blaring sound system in his car by whacking it up to full blast and opening the windows to make sure we all got a share. He's a treasure. 

Hopefully this isn't pride cometh-ing before a fall, but I've done ok from Lidl plants and compost... bit early to tell for definite really but they're no dead yet And if that's how prices are increasing I'm sticking with what I've got and not buying any more, I'll have to make do with books and progs ha haa!  

Dustyevsky

What I meant about Lidl plants is the relatively poor value compared with growing your own, or the poor health if they've been around for more than few days in the 'care' of some outlets. At this time of year, plants may also get set-backs, coming from the soft conditions of polytunnels to some cold, windy corner outdoors. I believe the fruit trees and some shrubs may be OK for the money, and their tools etc are good value.

I'd be interested to hear about people's experiences with the compost. It surely won't be any worse than some others I've tried!

Edit: Just remembered, I bought living parsley in Lidl yesterday. Mine were deemed prolific but not yet useful!

YoungBlueEyes

Ah yeah, probably poor value in those terms.

I'll have to check if I got my compost from Lidl or B+M. It might have been B+M....

Yep tomato bag and compost are B+M.