God I love growing our own

[Amari]

I agree
New builds should have solar for roofs,

The A14 near here is the route from the west, midlands and north to Felixstowe, the largest UK container port. Huge recently-built warehouses line the route. Not a solar panel be seen on their roofs............

 

[Erichalfbee]

The A14 near here is the route from the west, midlands and north to Felixstowe, the largest UK container port. Huge recently-built warehouses line the route. Not a solar panel be seen on their roofs............

That’s a shame.
Here in the village we have a Honda outfit selling quad bikes. They have three large hangar type buildings and every inch is covered by solar panels. Quite a few of the farms have their own turbine too.

 

[roche]

The A14 near here is the route from the west, midlands and north to Felixstowe, the largest UK container port. Huge recently-built warehouses line the route. Not a solar panel be seen on their roofs............

Absolutely criminal. It should be part of the planning requirement/building regs for any new building - houses included.

 

[JamezF]

I love seeing new things...

Over the last week or so I've been finding quite a few things like this around the veggie plot:

Obviously caterpillars don't lay eggs, so when I first saw them I thought it must be something that had laid a load of eggs and then stuck a caterpillar corpse nearby to feed the emerging larvae. Turns out it's a bit more gruesome than that.

The yellow things aren't eggs, but wasp pupae. The parent female wasp actually injects her eggs into the caterpillar, which emerge and consume it from the inside, but not so much as to completely kill it. They are also somehow able to control the caterpillar's behaviour so that it does what suits them. When they reach the stage of their last moult the larvae eat their way out and start to make their cocoons, but apparently sometimes the half dead caterpillar still assists them by weaving silk to protect the pupae and even defending them from predators.

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Wow James Well spotted.

 

[JamezF]

I've sown loads of broad beans over the last few days, mostly as a ground cover crop for the winter as I mentioned a short while ago. We may get some actual beans if they get through the winter ok as I'll remove the plants when I need the space for next year's crops to go in. I've covered them with fleece for the time being to try to keep the soil a little warmer and in an attempt to keep the mice out.

As it turns out however, I have plenty more space that's going to be empty. Probably the equivalent of two 15m long beds worth. A friend has suggested sowing field beans as I can probably get some from one of the local farmers for next to nothing. I thought field beans were grown for animal feed (that seems to be the common practice here), but I gather much of the UK crop is actually shipped to the US for humans to eat. Has anyone tried growing/eating them?

Speaking of space reminds me that in my permanent bed (black & red currant, green and red gooseberry, asparagus and perennial kale) I have a space of about 3m x 1.2m. I am half-tempted to get a couple of blueberries to put in that space if I can talk myself into dealing with the requirements for an acidic soil. I'm wondering if planting them in a hole filled with ericaceous compost and then adding another layer on top of the soil each year as I do for the rest of the plot would be sufficient.

James

 

[pargyle]

I've sown loads of broad beans over the last few days, mostly as a ground cover crop for the winter as I mentioned a short while ago. We may get some actual beans if they get through the winter ok as I'll remove the plants when I need the space for next year's crops to go in. I've covered them with fleece for the time being to try to keep the soil a little warmer and in an attempt to keep the mice out.

As it turns out however, I have plenty more space that's going to be empty. Probably the equivalent of two 15m long beds worth. A friend has suggested sowing field beans as I can probably get some from one of the local farmers for next to nothing. I thought field beans were grown for animal feed (that seems to be the common practice here), but I gather much of the UK crop is actually shipped to the US for humans to eat. Has anyone tried growing/eating them?

Speaking of space reminds me that in my permanent bed (black & red currant, green and red gooseberry, asparagus and perennial kale) I have a space of about 3m x 1.2m. I am half-tempted to get a couple of blueberries to put in that space if I can talk myself into dealing with the requirements for an acidic soil. I'm wondering if planting them in a hole filled with ericaceous compost and then adding another layer on top of the soil each year as I do for the rest of the plot would be sufficient.

James

My broad beans are in 4" pots in the greenhouse ... planted last weekend and already breaking through the surface of the compost.

I tried growing blueberries ... tried with holes in the ground filled with ericacrous compost, tried in pots full of ericaceous compost .. just never managed to get a decent crop from them ... they just never seemed to thrive. Gave up on them in the end ... Good luck, my grandaughter loves blueberries and I'd love to be able to grow them for her to pick and eat ....

 

[JamezF]

I came across this information entirely by chance, but I shall definitely bring it into a conversation at some point

"Theoretical models of the Sun's interior indicate a maximum power density, or energy production, of approximately 276.5 watts per cubic metre at the center of the core, which is about the same power density inside a compost pile"

I love the sense of scale that gives: If I could grab a piece of the core of the Sun as big as my compost heap then I could put my hand into it and whilst it might be quite uncomfortable, it wouldn't burn my arm off or anything like that. Stick millions (probably billions) of those compost heaps together however, and the energy given off can be enough to burn one's skin even at a distance of 150,000,000km.

James

 

[JamezF]

My broad beans are in 4" pots in the greenhouse ... planted last weekend and already breaking through the surface of the compost.

I decided to sow direct in this instance. I couldn't handle the idea of sowing 300-ish broad bean seeds in pots (even if I had enough pots

James

 

[pargyle]

I decided to sow direct in this instance. I couldn't handle the idea of sowing 300-ish broad bean seeds in pots (even if I had enough pots

James

That is rather a lot to start in pots and then have to plant them out. I've started in pots and planted in the ground .. I don't think there's a lot of difference. I've had success both ways ... I have had the occasional failure when planting them in the ground ... very wet weather after sowing has resulted in poor germination and I've had the young plants decimated by a heavy frost and damaged by high winds. I solved much of the problems by putting a screen of polythene around the young plants to protect them from the wind and I had horticultural fleece to cover them over when there was a risk of frost. On balance I think they do better if you can get them in the ground either to start with or as soon as the seedlings are big enough to plant out - mine won't be left in the pots for too long.

Today I'm going to sow some peas into some old guttering I have and get them started for planting out in the new year for an early crop. The nice thing about starting them off in guttering is that all you have to do when you plant them out is dig a shallow trench and then slide the peas which are already rooted in the guttering along with the compost and their root sytems out of the guttering into the trench - saves disturbing the young plants.

 

[enrico]

Mice/voles are our biggest problem! We found that planting peas and beans on a bed of old holly leaves stopped that! But to be sure we now plant most things in pots first.

 

[Bryang]

Picked these on Monday 24/10.. The last of the cues, some toms (more to pick later) and a mix of peppers and the last of the courgettes..

 

[JamezF]

I spent a bit of time in the polytunnel today, removing tomato plants that no longer have any useful fruit and generally tidying up the rest to make their removal a little easier on Saturday. Pretty much everything is going to come out of the polytunnel on Saturday, with the possible exception of the pepper plants which still have fruit ripening. After spreading compost on the beds I'll then have room for the remainder of my winter salads which are already quite stroppy with me for not having planted them out yet. I've saved one fruit from my Amish Paste tomatoes to try to save the seed from. If I get enough I'll try germinating a few so I know if I need to order more for next year or not.

Out in the main plot I've also been doing some weeding and spreading woodchip where some of the paths are starting to get a bit muddy. I've no idea where all the woodchip I spread on them last winter has gone. Some of it was dug about by blackbirds, but at least I could see where they'd spread it. In other places it just seems to have disappeared completely. Fortunately I'm not short of woodchip at the moment having taken a few tonnes off the hands of some people doing tree work locally (they'd have to pay to dispose of it otherwise). I was hoping to get some more in a similar way -- the road past our house has theoretically been closed for the last two weeks to allow tree work and telegraph poles to be replaced prior to Openreach running fibre. Two mornings have been spent replacing poles, but I've not even seen anyone doing tree work

Whilst working on one of the paths I found a clear set of deer hoof prints that must mean they visited on Thursday night. They're probably my main animal pest at the moment. They seem to have a hierarchy of "preferred plants to eat". Beetroot leaves and chard are clearly well up there. They gave the parsley a serious hammering last year too, but I don't have any growing outside this year. Then they go for the leaves of the strawberry plants and after that my father-in-law's alstroemerias. I also have a few major weed "pests" that are proving hard to clear up. Hairy Bittercress for a start. I'm wondering if it might be self-fertile as I'm finding plants that must presumably be at least the second generation this year in areas that have been covered by mesh for months. I also suffer a fair bit with Galloping Buttercup, which is very similar to Creeping Buttercup, but you get the idea. And White Clover. I'm quite happy to have White Clover elsewhere, but it really does seem to want to encroach on my veggie beds, and to try to do so in a big mat of leaves and roots when it does. I might have to try smothering it with more cardboard.

James

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I spent a bit of time in the polytunnel today, removing tomato plants that no longer have any useful fruit and generally tidying up the rest to make their removal a little easier on Saturday. Pretty much everything is going to come out of the polytunnel on Saturday, with the possible exception of the pepper plants which still have fruit ripening. After spreading compost on the beds I'll then have room for the remainder of my winter salads which are already quite stroppy with me for not having planted them out yet. I've saved one fruit from my Amish Paste tomatoes to try to save the seed from. If I get enough I'll try germinating a few so I know if I need to order more for next year or not.

Out in the main plot I've also been doing some weeding and spreading woodchip where some of the paths are starting to get a bit muddy. I've no idea where all the woodchip I spread on them last winter has gone. Some of it was dug about by blackbirds, but at least I could see where they'd spread it. In other places it just seems to have disappeared completely. Fortunately I'm not short of woodchip at the moment having taken a few tonnes off the hands of some people doing tree work locally (they'd have to pay to dispose of it otherwise). I was hoping to get some more in a similar way -- the road past our house has theoretically been closed for the last two weeks to allow tree work and telegraph poles to be replaced prior to Openreach running fibre. Two mornings have been spent replacing poles, but I've not even seen anyone doing tree work

Whilst working on one of the paths I found a clear set of deer hoof prints that must mean they visited on Thursday night. They're probably my main animal pest at the moment. They seem to have a hierarchy of "preferred plants to eat". Beetroot leaves and chard are clearly well up there. They gave the parsley a serious hammering last year too, but I don't have any growing outside this year. Then they go for the leaves of the strawberry plants and after that my father-in-law's alstroemerias. I also have a few major weed "pests" that are proving hard to clear up. Hairy Bittercress for a start. I'm wondering if it might be self-fertile as I'm finding plants that must presumably be at least the second generation this year in areas that have been covered by mesh for months. I also suffer a fair bit with Galloping Buttercup, which is very similar to Creeping Buttercup, but you get the idea. And White Clover. I'm quite happy to have White Clover elsewhere, but it really does seem to want to encroach on my veggie beds, and to try to do so in a big mat of leaves and roots when it does. I might have to try smothering it with more cardboard.

James

Ah - Venison - delicious!
I can't ever recall seeing wild deer in my locality throughout my entire childhood or up until middle age. Now they're almost commonplace. Last year we regularly saw a herd of six in our bottom paddock but following a series of loud bangs in adjacent fields outside our boundary hedge over about a period of a month their number dwindled and this year we seem to have only two.

 

[enrico]

Ah - Venison - delicious!
I can't ever recall seeing wild deer in my locality throughout my entire childhood or up until middle age. Now they're almost commonplace. Last year we regularly saw a herd of six in our bottom paddock but following a series of loud bangs in adjacent fields outside our boundary hedge over about a period of a month their number dwindled and this year we seem to have only two.

Lovely creatures until they find their way into your garden and then try and stop them!

 

[JamezF]

Whilst I was talking to people about bees yesterday I was offered a taste of a syrup made by reducing apple juice until it becomes "gloopy". I guess a lot like maple syrup. It tasted amazing: a very sweet initial hit followed by loads of apple sharpness. I've never heard of anyone making something like that before. Is anyone else familiar with it?

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

Whilst I was talking to people about bees yesterday I was offered a taste of a syrup made by reducing apple juice until it becomes "gloopy". I guess a lot like maple syrup. It tasted amazing: a very sweet initial hit followed by loads of apple sharpness. I've never heard of anyone making something like that before. Is anyone else familiar with it?

James

Easy enough to make your own


3kg sweet apples

Juice the apples in a juicer.

Allow the juice to sit for 5 minutes so the foam rises to the top. Scrape off as much of the foam as you can so you are left with only juice.

Pour the apple juice through a cheesecloth into a wide frying pan or saucepan. Bring it to a simmer.

Simmer on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Scrape off any dregs accumulating on the sides of the pan with a spoon.

After about an hour or two the syrup should have reduced by a lot (about 5/6ths) but it should still be still runny. The exact timings of this will depend on the number of apples and the saucepan used.

Drop a spoonful onto a cold plate and leave it to sit for a few seconds. Run a finger through the syrup on the plate. If it leaves a line that doesn't run back right away, the syrup is ready.*

Leave the syrup to cool for 10 minutes then pour it into a clean jar. The syrup can be stored in the fridge for up to three months. Alternatively, it can be frozen. ice cube trays are handy

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Whilst I was talking to people about bees yesterday I was offered a taste of a syrup made by reducing apple juice until it becomes "gloopy". I guess a lot like maple syrup. It tasted amazing: a very sweet initial hit followed by loads of apple sharpness. I've never heard of anyone making something like that before. Is anyone else familiar with it?

James

what a waste of good cider

 

[JamezF]

Easy enough to make your own

So this is something you're familiar with then? I was initially surprised because I've just never even heard of such a thing. Does it have a name?

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

So this is something you're familiar with then? I was initially surprised because I've just never even heard of such a thing. Does it have a name?

James

Just Apple syrup. Picked up the recipe from a friend in The States
Hate cider....it was the first booze I every got thoroughly drunk on as a teenager....nasty memories

You can also get Apple Molasses which is similar but made from boiling cider and it's thick and dark...
What was it like?