Awful weather - typical Brits talk

YoungBlueEyes

Oh aye, the pea shoot thing. I grew them last year from a box of dried peas (like you’d use for soups). Bit of compost in a tray, plant the seeds in so they’re covered, water well, and sit somewhere warm. They grew like topsy. If you can’t find any I’ll send you some pp. 

Don’t spend too long feeling sorry for yourself., remember - you have the same number of hours in a day as Einstein, use them  

YoungBlueEyes

I don’t know where gorse will go Farway, I really truly don’t have any more room It’ll maybe die on me yet and that’ll solve the problem Shirley it’ll be fine. Or not. Shawshank *shrug* Fingers crossed for your Love in a Mist, is there still time to sow more do you think? 

ArbitraryRandom

I'm glad I'm not the only one out of space. I've decided that anything still in seed form/that's failed to germinate will now have to wait until next year as I've even run out of tubs at this point...

Lots of what I've planted are perennials, so that might not help much; but not everything will survive/come back and now at least I have a better idea of how much space things take up in beds even with tight spacing (so know not to get 3 rows of onions PLUS 2 rows of shallots PLUS 2 rows of leeks PLUS a row of garlic PLUS probably 3 or 4 rows of beetroot for in a space that can realistically take half that).

Vain hope is that not all the onions etc will actually sprout, so will naturally thin themselves - then I can harvest some small/early and end up with a reasonable/manageable crop down the line. Tomorrow's problem  

On other news - I put the bins out   

EDIT: Calling back the discussion from a few weeks ago re determinate (forms one layer of tubers regardless of planting depth) vs indeterminate (forms several layers as you earth up) potatoes - found this useful list (the article is about nitrogen update that I didn't really understand but might be useful for some). It seems more comprehensive than most I've been able to find elsewhere online: https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/potato-nitrogen-groups 

LessImpecunious

ArbitraryRandom said:

EDIT: Calling back the discussion from a few weeks ago re determinate (forms one layer of tubers regardless of planting depth) vs indeterminate (forms several layers as you earth up) potatoes - found this useful list (the article is about nitrogen update that I didn't really understand but might be useful for some). It seems more comprehensive than most I've been able to find elsewhere online: https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/potato-nitrogen-groups 

 The idea that indeterminate potatoes produce tubers in several layers is apparently a myth... see https://www.cultivariable.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-indeterminate-potatoes/ and https://www.cultivariable.com/potato-towers/

-taff

ArbitraryRandom said:

YoungBlueEyes said:

Well I don't know what happened to the weather but who ordered all that rain??

Sorry, I think they spilled some on the way to me - I've only got a bit of a drizzle today when I ordered two day's worth of buckets...

Yes, thank you for your buckets, you must have misread the size of the buckets, because it lasted all of Saturday and Saturday night all the way through. Please take reading specs next time...

Went to a massive gc/farm place just outside Oxford yesterday, dear god, they must be made of money..so expensive!! that did not stop me buying three plants though..oops. Too windy to garden today, I've done the compost and that's about it. I have sown more herby type things but I did buy some cornflower seeds , yet to be sown, just because. I did scatter quite a few freebie with a mag packets on the front garden, I thin some of them may be sprouting in time to be slug breakfast.

ybl, glad you cheered your cousin up and she gave the vet what for. And the gorse sounds nice. You haven't read Jogn Connolly have you? Only I remember reading about someone joking about tearing someone's face off and it was basically a wall st thing about ripping them off for lots of money. He met a bad end though. anyway....

Farway, it's reassuring to know that no one is above resisiting acquiring plants of whatever stripe so we might as well embrace it. Although I always buy a bunny ear lavender and they never live. Any advice? Besides don't buy them.

Dust, that's an impressive amount of letters used, I've had to look three of those up!

2p, it is, and it's not your fault, those plants just didn't try hard enough..

ArbitraryRandom

LessImpecunious said:

ArbitraryRandom said:

EDIT: Calling back the discussion from a few weeks ago re determinate (forms one layer of tubers regardless of planting depth) vs indeterminate (forms several layers as you earth up) potatoes - found this useful list (the article is about nitrogen update that I didn't really understand but might be useful for some). It seems more comprehensive than most I've been able to find elsewhere online: https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/potato-nitrogen-groups 

 The idea that indeterminate potatoes produce tubers in several layers is apparently a myth... see https://www.cultivariable.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-indeterminate-potatoes/ and https://www.cultivariable.com/potato-towers/

Hmm. Those links aren't working for me for some reason (safari can't find the server apparently), but a quick google shows there's not a strong consensus either way. 

I've got about 6 King Edwards which were delivered today that are about the same size and sproutyness - I've also got two 35L containers and they'd both be filled with the same tomato grow bag soil... 

twopenny

Well the rain didn't come and apart from wild winds it seemed to be an ok day.
Unfortunately I've got ear ache and shivers having felt out of sorts for a few days so i did what I always tell others and slobbed between bed and sofa staying in an even temperature. 

On the up side I was just gazing at my garden and it's real lush and homely in the spring  and gave myself a mental pat on the back. Had time to notice the birds coming in to feed too.
Ha! That's until I'm back in action again trying to put my wishes into action.

Gorse? Just move down here
https://www.richardkiftphotography.co.uk/exmoor-gorse-above-porlock

Thanks Taff 

Farway, did you say Love in the mist wouldn't grow? Can't turn over the page.
Mine doesn't show for ages then suddenly appears late May. 89p packs or the ones that fall in my boots as I walk round the block.

Abs, sounds exciting. Looking forward to photos.

Bluey, glad you're cousin feels better. Good job done. 
If it was a service dog will she get another soon - my friend struggled getting another guide dog and transferring affection.

Dustyevsky

Farway said:

I feel same about buying in plants, sometimes it is not cost-effective to get seeds, especially now compost is expensive & mostly carp plastic & mini dibbers and seeds not showing

Yes, I'm looking at you, Cosmos and Aquilegia

I've had no bother with Cosmos, bog-standard 'Bright Lights,' but Aquilegia are probably best sown fresh, or given a winter to break dormancy once it sets in. Anyway, although I had my tiny 'white' ones growing slowly through winter, they all perished eventually, so we're in the same place!   Lots of self-seeded ones from previous years around, though.

Glad your cousin's over the worst, Bluey. I never wanted another dog after losing mine far too early as a teenager. Mrs Dusty's dog became 'ours' when we married, but although she was good and loyal, there wasn't the intelligence or initiative I was used to.

Gorse is quite hard to place. I have 5 bought in a moment of madness plus the one that arrived naturally in the road hedge, Maybe field hedges are where the others will go!

I'm too tired to think straight tonight, so I'll leave you with a threatening sky I snapped last night. Not much in the way of rain today, despite the dire predictions. Bitingly cold wind, though.

LessImpecunious

ArbitraryRandom said:

LessImpecunious said:

 The idea that indeterminate potatoes produce tubers in several layers is apparently a myth... see https://www.cultivariable.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-indeterminate-potatoes/ and https://www.cultivariable.com/potato-towers/

Hmm. Those links aren't working for me for some reason (safari can't find the server apparently), but a quick google shows there's not a strong consensus either way.

Sorry Arb don't know why they're not working, OK here on Firefox...

If you look elsewhere on the AHDB database it explains what they mean by determinacy in potatoes (https://potatoes.ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/in-field-method-for-assigning-nitrogen-group-determinacy-in-potatoes) and that this all relates to the above-ground part of the plant. I think the nitrogen bit means that adding more N to indeterminate potatoes will feed them as they continue to grow and will keep producing more potatoes until killed by frost, whereas the determinate potatoes stop growing once they've set their tubers so don't need more nitrogen. So earthing up indeterminate potatoes could help because its feeding the potatoes for longer/with more compost, but won't (according to Cultivariable, anyhow!) produce additional layers of tubers... Always room for an experiment tho!

YoungBlueEyes

Jeez Arb, you're packed out there. Fingers crossed you get a few suicidal ones or your neighbours will be eating well ha haa. I think experimenting is in your future, you've plenty of tatties and nice fresh beds (even if it is a Sisyphian task filling them)

Thanks for the kind thoughts re cousin folks I haven't read Jogn Connelly taff, no. I've never heard it used in a monetary sense... taking someone's face off means excoriating someone with very harsh words. Think of a cartoon where a guy is being reprimanded by a sargeant major - ears back, eyes wide, hair blowing backward etc. I'll not go into details but the vet absolutely deserved it, she's lodged an official complaint against him too. Dog wasn't a service dog, he was her pet but I doubt she'll get another one. This'll stay with her for the longest time  

So where've you got lurgy from 2p, you been kissing dirty boys..? Hopefully it'll move along soon and you can get out in your lush garden The pics in your link are beautiful, I could smell it from here - creamy and coconutty and heavenly. 

Gawd that's some sky Dusty, were the shepherds delighted..? I know what you mean about different dogs, in some ways it's refreshing that they're all different but frustrating sometimes too. That's the joy of them I spose... 

Lovely sunny day here and it's forecast to stay all day, possibly. No more rain needed here, I've multiple big trugs sat full of rain cos himself had to let some out of the (still full) water butt it was raining that hard at the weekend. Instead of waiting for it to die I've decided to look for a home for my gorse when I'm out later, much as I love it I really don't have any room and they grow so big. I might go out late and plant it in the verge on the corner so I can walk past it every day, and that'll have to do.