Awful weather - typical Brits talk

ArbitraryRandom

-taff said:

I have a lot of little applets on mine too, first time ever, no idea what type though, I lost the sticker thing, but they are reddish purple, is that the colour they all are or does it point to the colour of the final apple?

Assuming my tree wasn't mislabelled, they are supposed to be a golden yellow when it's fully ripe in October - so I don't think the current fruitlet colour is any help unfortunately. 

I very nearly spent £70 on various bits from T&M this morning. I went looking for a pollination partner for my conference and very nearly bought a concorde... then there was a tricolour sage, and some cabbage postiplugs, and a special offer on aquilegia plugs... It quickly adds up. But I decided (very bravely) I shouldn't get anything else this year. At least not until Farway posts the next free postage code  

Not much done today. A few more bind weed shoots trying to make their way up into the beds and dug out as best I can. I also used a couple of grow bags to earth up my potatoes and half fill a 130L tub that's going to either take my rhubarb or raspberry (I have two tubs to fill but I'm a little short on decent compost/soil). I didn't water the garden given the forecast - and I was feeling lazy. That's the problem with work (she says, dreaming of being a lady of leisure!) it's busy in the morning, then it's too hot by lunch time to actually do things. When it's starting to cool off again this time, I'm sat down and comfy thinking about dinner and shopping around for compost deliveries   

How do people feel about spent mushroom compost? I can get it delivered for a reasonable price, but the internet tells me it's low on nitrogen, so I'm wondering if it would be much better than the poor quality stuff I can buy cheap? I could also just go for 60 bags of manure...? 

-taff

Spent mushroom compost - I had a big bag delivered a few weeks ago. It has filled all he beds I want it to fill but it's weird so far. I think the lumps in it, although they do hold onto moisture, it's just too rough for roots to grow much in the big spaces in between. I think once it breaks down a bit, it'll be brilliant next year. I think it's probably be alright for things like pumpkins because they're heavy feeders and there's a lot of manure in it. Unfortunately, I can't let you know until the season is over what did well or not. I will say as a mulch it's been brilliant,the arums absolutely loved it. The rose too.

greenbee

I'm after spent mushroom compost as a mulch/soil improver. Ironically I can get compost delivered for less so will be mulching with that. I currently have 4000l sitting in the drive that I need to deal with. 

twopenny

It's tipping down here, half dark with cloud and I don't mind the rain but does it have to drop from 25 - 13c 
The blackbird sounds a bit down in the mouth but he's still singing.

The broccoli plants I put in yesterday look like they don't know whats hit them.

So looks like house and entertaining myself today.
May do some seedling repotting if it stops later. Glad I didnt take time out to clean the windows and hopefully it will stop the ants scouting into my living room!

Dustyevsky

-taff said:

And yes Dusty, it was a cirsium, they're all over Chelsea...do the plant sellers get a heads up from designers before the show about what's going to be popular?

I expect the plug producers do. Most nurseries buy plugs nowadays, rather than produce from scratch. There's a lot of tissue-culture in today's scene. Cirsium were due for a revival now many will not know about their propensity to vanish after a few years.

YoungBlueEyes

Ooh bang on trend am I? Well get me ha haa! I promise to love my honeybells even when they go out of fashion. For a cheapo box of bulbs I'm quite taken with them I've gotta say, I'm with your OH on the teabags, I would have bought them too. Think of it as price per cup, then it's not dear at all. I spend more than that on proper Punjana teabags and bottles of Bushmills (when p+p is counted in) but when you work it out as price per drink it's not dear at all. I'd give up the fags before I give up my tea and whiskey   Are you close enough to go back and lift a couple of boxes...?

"Bloom Me Away" I love that! They'd want to be something swish for that price though, or a good bit bigger at least.

I can't help at all with apple colours or mushroom compost *shocker*  But if it's only low in nitrogen isn't there a way a full bladdered person can regulate that...? Or maybe get a few bags of each medium - 20 bags of mushroom compost, 20 cheapo stuff, 20 manure - would that be an option?  Also - they do T+M things on QVC you know. Can't comment on how the prices compare, but if you've money burning a hole in your pocket and no offers on the horizon...

For ants - I had ants in my last house. They're like most bugs in that they don't like the smell of lavender, so have you got some dried bits to sprinkle about they're entry? Or lavender oil on a tissue would maybe work the same.

OT It's alternating between absolutely persisting it down and merely lashing down out there. It's that dark I've got my lights on Not cold though, but high humidity. I was going to get some more boxes sorted in the conservatory but I've lifted all my delicate plants and seedlings and trays and bits into there to keep them out of the deluge, so that's out. I need to catch up on BeechGrove actually while I've got peace to do it. Himself is off from tomorrow 'til Tuesday and I haven't got any jobs for him yet....

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

It's tipping down here, half dark with cloud and I don't mind the rain but does it have to drop from 25 - 13c 

25c? You were lucky! We never saw more than 20c yesterday. (Said in voice from Monty Python's Four Yorkshiremen sketch.)

Going back about 5 days to when the better weather began, walking  friend and I visited the wood yard where our big gates were made to collect an item missed off the delivery. We arrived at 13.30, and it was like the Marie Celeste there; totally silent with everyone, including the 3 office staff, obviously secreted away in some distant building, having lunch. However, we were prepared. Just a mile away, was the one short section of the Tarka Trail in that area we'd missed-out. Even better, it was the bit where a statue of Tarka himself is stationed, so....

We saw lots of wildlife in that 5km walk: an orchid I didn't recognise, orange tip butterflies that wouldn't pose, and a jay that left its branch a second before my camera fired-up. There was also a slow worm that was far from slow, so I didn't get a picture of that either. But wait! There was Tarka, and he wouldn't get away! It came as quite a shock to find he wasn't an otter at all, but possibly a dinosaur! 

Now I'm not one to be unkind, and I've been involved through Sustrans with cycle trail projects elsewhere, so I know what's designed doesn't always turn out as planned. Therefore, I'll add that Tarka as depicted, is a truly monumental effort by kids at a local special school, far exceeding the impact of the metal signs my class designed. Awesome....though that's not quite what my friend said!

-taff

2p, same here...it's not nice is it after a promise of summer..going to have to do stupid housework chores today then, and maybe some small destruction

YBE, so I had a thought  You know how the compost has been a bit dire for mine and your [ and others!] plants, it might be that that is low in nitrogen too. It's showing the same kind of stunting growth pattern. Mabe I'll go all nitrogen friendly in a bit and see what's occurin'.

Dusty, I had to google [or should that be duckducked?] to see what that originally looked like..That's like the god of otters with the looming presence. So you are definitely one geranium up then?

I think, on balance, I was going to be houseworky today, but I remembered I have some vouchers to use up, so I may trot myself off to a GC and avoid the expensive plants if I can. 

twopenny

Are we all coming into sync being on here?
I was just having a ciggie and I've a bottle of Bushmills in the cupboard  well half of a bottle. 
I was also a teacher along with many other jobs. Multi skilled but still broke.

Little birds are foraging under the raspberry leaves for shelter.
My aim today is to tidy up. I'm good at that. I'm also good at littering the place up shortly after.

Hmmm time to yourself Bluey. Long hot undisturbed baths/showers. Your choice of telly to watch.

Oh and lavender......I've got ant powder, ant spray, ant traps, sprayed vinegar. Just don't know how they're getting past it. It's like tomb raider round here.
I could do sandalwood, cedar and tea tree too. It'll smell like a - well you know.
I've got loads of lavender needs using up, and oil and homemade spray. 

Anyone looked up how to enrich mushroom compost?

Dustyevsky

twopenny said:

Are we all coming into sync being on here?
I was just having a ciggie and I've a bottle of Bushmills in the cupboard  well half of a bottle. 
I was also a teacher along with many other jobs. Multi skilled but still broke.

Guilty as charged, your honour, though I gave up the fags and most of the booze when I had my nervous discombobulation in my early 40s. Before teaching, I had a multitude of jobs, some of which I scarcely believe now! Of course, when the government discovered education and decided to get involved, I made plans to escape; hence the plant propagation on the side. Mrs Dusty was fed up making £££ for others, so our business gradually fell into place. Now, it seems, I'm back where I started, dabbling in farming and rural stuff. I rebelled at 19, but it got me in the end! Mrs Dusty was great at selling, but I could never make enough plants to rake in the fortune we deserved. It goes that way with most small nurseries, but the owners have fun.

Well, we had orange warnings and all sorts early this morning, but now the imbibers in Exeter say, "Only joking!" and it's even somewhat sunny out there. :*Some drizzle around, but I'm declaring false flag!

Here's the blue camassias I was talking about a day or two ago.