God I love growing our own

[Skinfaxi]

My most irritating weed at the moment (with the exception of sycamore) is hairy bittercress. You only have to miss one plant and suddenly it's all over the place I pulled loads out today when I was spreading the compost. I've no idea where they all came from because I thoroughly weeded the entire plot a month or so back and there were absolutely none then. Even the bindweed isn't as persistent.

James

Use a flame weeder for weed seedlings.

 

[a-way-with-the-faeries]

Our first harvest of skerrit

 

[JamezF]

Strawbale toilet over looking your cabbages

You know, you've very close there

I am taking inspiration from this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Humanure-Handbook-4th-****-Nutshell/dp/0964425882/

James

 

[JamezF]

You know, you've very close there

I am taking inspiration from this book: The Humanure Handbook, 4th Edition: **** in a Nutshell : Joseph C Jenkins: Amazon.co.uk: Books

James

I see the forum software broke the link because it contains a banned word. Just searching for "Humanure Handbook" should do the job (as it were).

James

 

[JamezF]

Use a flame weeder for weed seedlings.

I don't like to use the fuel that way, to be honest. I'm happy enough to spend a few evenings weeding by hand. It's quite therapeutic in its own way.

James

 

[Amari]

My most irritating weed at the moment (with the exception of sycamore) is hairy bittercress. You only have to miss one plant and suddenly it's all over the place I pulled loads out today when I was spreading the compost. I've no idea where they all came from because I thoroughly weeded the entire plot a month or so back and there were absolutely none then. Even the bindweed isn't as persistent.

James

 

[Amari]

My most irritating weed at the moment (with the exception of sycamore) is hairy bittercress. You only have to miss one plant and suddenly it's all over the place I pulled loads out today when I was spreading the compost. I've no idea where they all came from because I thoroughly weeded the entire plot a month or so back and there were absolutely none then. Even the bindweed isn't as persistent.

James

My most irritating weed is what we call trefoil = Oxalis corniculata. Low growing, bronze-green leaves, tiny yellow flowers, spreads like mad. No good hoeing because roots are deep. We have just had to abandon a strawberry bed which became infested - impossible to weed it - so I've sprayed glyphosate and will repeat next year when doubtless myriads of seeds will germinate. I note on Ebay six plants for £25. I could undercut that.....
Second irritating weed is chickweed (2nd pic) - carpets grow if you turn your back. At least it's easily hoed.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/14321842...006&customid=d910ad3cc32969bab4472c154bd888e3

 

[Amari]

Just harvested my last two tubs of sweet potatoes. A really good year for them, grown from rooted cutting last year so ..... Free......
Rigged up a hose from my well that reaches all parts of the garden and greenhouses. I can turn it on and off on my phone and put a timer on to turn it off in case I forget! Should have done it years ago!

If only.........

The 'submersible' pump in our well is still hanging above the water level - only 2ft of water.

 

[Amari]

I always compost my horse manure for at least one year but I get it fresh. I still get a few nettles but easily sorted.

Fresh horse manure is sold in 50p bags up the road - 1 jar honey = 10 bags. Yes, weeds do sprout but manageable (I don't think that's where the Oxalis came from).
Each year we grow five rows of spuds, the manure is dug in, two spits wide, per row which means most of the area is not dug = my version of no-dig!

 

[Bryang]

I always compost my horse manure for at least one year but I get it fresh. I still get a few nettles but easily sorted.

Same with me.. My compost heap is 8 feet square, 7 feet high. I sprinkle some blood-fish-bone and chicken manure on it (in layers) to speed up "fermentation".. From November on I usually add 5/6 trailer loads spaced approx 2/3 weeks apart and keep it covered with old carpets.

 

[JamezF]

Fresh horse manure is sold in 50p bags up the road - 1 jar honey = 10 bags. Yes, weeds do sprout but manageable (I don't think that's where the Oxalis came from).
Each year we grow five rows of spuds, the manure is dug in, two spits wide, per row which means most of the area is not dug = my version of no-dig!

I plant my seed potatoes just by making a hole with a trowel, dropping the potato in and covering it up again. Then I cover the whole bed in compost again when the time comes for earthing up. Harvesting, at least for the early potatoes, is just a case of grabbing the base of the haulms and lifting the plant out. Main crops usually need a little help with a fork. I've decided that next year I won't grow any main crop spuds though, just first and second earlies, and far more of them. We eat a lot more of those than anything else and I can get a second crop in on the same ground as well.

I'm pretty much done spreading compost for the moment. I've done the equivalent of three of my eight beds -- all the bare ground -- and now have a much-needed empty bay that we can start re-filling (and I have already done so). Out of interest I put the compost thermometer in the one we've just finished filling. It's 54°C, which looks pretty good to me.

I see DT Brown are selling some seeds off at £1/packet, including broad beans, so I think I'll order a couple of packs and use them as ground cover for the winter. I need to order garlic anyhow. Sadly we had a poor harvest this year because the outdoor plants suffered very badly from rust so I don't have spares to use for next year's crop. This year I think I'll just plant the lot in the polytunnel where they've always done very well.

James

 

[Bryang]

I plant my seed potatoes just by making a hole with a trowel, dropping the potato in and covering it up again. Then I cover the whole bed in compost again when the time comes for earthing up. Harvesting, at least for the early potatoes, is just a case of grabbing the base of the haulms and lifting the plant out. Main crops usually need a little help with a fork. I've decided that next year I won't grow any main crop spuds though, just first and second earlies, and far more of them. We eat a lot more of those than anything else and I can get a second crop in on the same ground as well.

I'm pretty much done spreading compost for the moment. I've done the equivalent of three of my eight beds -- all the bare ground -- and now have a much-needed empty bay that we can start re-filling (and I have already done so). Out of interest I put the compost thermometer in the one we've just finished filling. It's 54°C, which looks pretty good to me.

I see DT Brown are selling some seeds off at £1/packet, including broad beans, so I think I'll order a couple of packs and use them as ground cover for the winter. I need to order garlic anyhow. Sadly we had a poor harvest this year because the outdoor plants suffered very badly from rust so I don't have spares to use for next year's crop. This year I think I'll just plant the lot in the polytunnel where they've always done very well.

James

What variety of garlic do you grow? An old RAF mate of mine who lives on the Isle of Wight sent me a couple of bulbs 8 years ago and I've kept back some bulbs every year.. They are a "stiff neck" type.

 

[JamezF]

What variety of garlic do you grow? An old RAF mate of mine who lives on the Isle of Wight sent me a couple of bulbs 8 years ago and I've kept back some bulbs every year.. They are a "stiff neck" type.

Usually I grow Solent Wight. Mostly because when I started growing it I had no idea what to choose and it was one of the varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit, which tends to be my fallback if I don't specifically know what I'm after. It's a softneck variety, which I chose because it's claimed they store more reliably (and for longer) than hardneck types. And I can play at plaiting them

(I did manage a bit better than that after a few practice runs

Irritatingly, DT Brown do normally stock Solent Wight but don't appear to have any available at the moment, so I can't piggy-back it on the broad bean seed order

James

 

[cwinte]

Really can't beat the no dig gardening method and have watched and followed charles dowding for many years. You hardly have to water, very few weeds and its just a joy. However last year I did my compost top up using horse manure and its the worst thing i've ever done. Got to cardboard the whole patch and buy in some mushroom compost for next season. I've not got a large area of the garden as veg, so only really do Lettuce, Brassica, Sweet Corn, Runner Beans, onions and Spring Onions, but I do always get a nice tasty crop of a variety you will never find in the supermarket. In the Greenhouses, it tomatoes, cucumber and peppers... the same as everyone else!

what went wrong with fresh horse manure - too new/hot, or seeds/weeds or?

 

[Moobee]

Really can't beat the no dig gardening method and have watched and followed charles dowding for many years. You hardly have to water, very few weeds and its just a joy. However last year I did my compost top up using horse manure and its the worst thing i've ever done. Got to cardboard the whole patch and buy in some mushroom compost for next season. I've not got a large area of the garden as veg, so only really do Lettuce, Brassica, Sweet Corn, Runner Beans, onions and Spring Onions, but I do always get a nice tasty crop of a variety you will never find in the supermarket. In the Greenhouses, it tomatoes, cucumber and peppers... the same as everyone else!

Horse manure is terribly weedy. I tend to mix it into my compost heap to let it rot down more.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

what went wrong with fresh horse manure

Horse manure is terribly weedy

horses have very inefficient digestive systems, so all the seeds pass through untouched.
Cowdung is best, nothing much seems to survive their stomachs. When I worked on a dairy farm, the first thing my grandfather did waa quiz me on the state of the manure pile, how accessible was it by car and when could I find some time to fill a few sacks for him!

 

[enrico]

If only.........

The 'submersible' pump in our well is still hanging above the water level - only 2ft of water.

What variety of garlic do you grow? An old RAF mate of mine who lives on the Isle of Wight sent me a couple of bulbs 8 years ago and I've kept back some bulbs every year.. They are a "stiff neck" type.

Mersley white, Provence white and rhapsody white but this year we bought them from kings seeds in suffolk. The bulbs are far superior to the isle of wight ones and are a good price too. All three are softneck and apart from Provence they are new varieties for us as the usual Solent wight and early purple had bad rust last year or two.
Keep our own elephant garlic each year.

 

[Bryang]

Mersley white, Provence white and rhapsody white but this year we bought them from kings seeds in suffolk. The bulbs are far superior to the isle of wight ones and are a good price too. All three are softneck and apart from Provence they are new varieties for us as the usual Solent wight and early purple had bad rust last year or two.
Keep our own elephant garlic each year.

As you... I also keep back elephant garlic, but I can grow it in the poly..

 

[Erichalfbee]

As you... I also keep back elephant garlic, but I can grow it in the poly..

What size poly does everybody have? Peppers aubergines tomatoes melons carrots and peas…, no room for anything else
Oh …. two grapes but they are in the roof

 

[Bryang]

What size poly does everybody have? Peppers aubergines tomatoes melons carrots and peas…, no room for anything else
Oh …. two grapes but they are in the roof

Mine is 20 feet by 10 feet. Also have a 15 feet by 7ft lean to greenhouse., and a cold frame, 12ft by 5 ft.