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Tomato Seeds Swaps Only GB

I have to say I love this Facebook Group, if you are a sad individual who likes to grow different types of tomatoes each year then this is the group for you. 

I exchanged a couple of messages with Col and sent her a SAE with some of my excess tomato seeds and today I received these 12 packs of seeds in the post:-

Althaea

Artisan Pink Tiger 

Delta Dawn (Dwarf) bi-colour 

Garden Pearl 

Golden Sweet

Large Barred Boar (Dwarf)

Moscow Long 

Noah's Stripes (Dwarf)

Orange Banana 

Orange bush - medium size fruit 

Purple Smaragd (Dwarf)

Santarini (Greek Tomato)

 

The only one that I have grown previously is Garden Pearl, I'm looking forward researching and finding photos of these varieties and choosing which ones I will grow this year. 

Greenhouse Loft Extension

Over the last couple of days, I've sealed up the twin-wall polycarbonate with clear silicon on the ends and around the hole, and white frame sealant along the Dormer Cheeks to stop water getting into them as rain flows down the roof.

I brought home another sheet of Twin-Wall Polycarbonate sheeting and have used the elements of the first loft conversion to make a second one for the greenhouse on Plot 1A as that vented window also has slid and twisted this year, it's just not blown off like the one on plot 1

I mounted the louvers grills over the holes and the fans internally tonight. Tomorrow I will add a strut at the rear and get the roof sorted as I've made the support for the solar panels which will be mounted on the roof.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Louver panels glued over the holes to stop any water ingress.

Fans glued in the corners then top and sides. but bottom left so any water can drip away. Tape only temporary, to be removed before the roof goes on the extension.

Dormer cheeks fixed to front panel with the Ryobi glue gun. Fans fitted, wires tapped and tack fixed to the polycarb with glue gun.

Tomorrow I sort out the roof and the mounting of the solar panels on it. 

Drying Coffee Grounds

My sister treats herself to a Starbucks coffee in the morning and has asked them if she can pick up some Coffee Grounds for her brother, as he can use it as fertiliser, in the production of compost and to build little walls of grounds around plants to ward off those nasty slugs and snails!

The first batch is now sitting in the plot 1A greenhouse drying and it will be added too each week as she is picking it up for me 3 times a week. The last time I did this I ended up with a Dalek full of coffee, which lasted me ages once dried. 

Backyard Forest Garden

 

I read this book whilst sitting next to my wife when she was sleeping most of the day in hospital at the start of her stay. It's well written, informative and highlights a lot of what I have been doing right, but also pointed me in directions I had not contemplated before. It explained and demystified the permaculture design process. 

One tends to think more of larger scale permaculture and food forests, like the Weedy Gardener has on his videos, but for me this shows how one can apply the concepts and make a small-scale Multi-layered Forest Garden in your own back yard or for me at my allotment.   

Pippa Chapman is an RHS trained gardener who designs, plants and maintains abundant, biodiverse, edible and beautiful forest gardens. In this book she shares her practical tips for realistically transforming your own plot, whatever its size, and with limited time, money and resources. 

She explains that a forest garden doesn’t have to be big; you can grow a productive edible paradise in pots and containers too. Pippa explains how to create multiple layers on a small-scale to maximise your growing area, using polycultures and guilds for healthy, low-maintenance food. 

She shares how to use perennials for structure and for year-round food, and how to incorporate flowers for beauty, wildlife and for the kitchen. 

Chapters on permaculture design and forest gardening give practical advice on how to plan and plant your own garden, with guilds and plant profiles to give real-life examples to help you get started. 

The book also includes useful tips on propagation and seed saving help keep plant costs low and a handy chapter on the soil-food web will help you understand your own soil and how to keep it healthy.

It's full of illustrations and photographs and was such a joy to read

£16 from Amazon but only £14.40 direct from Permanent Publications 

I really can't recommend this book enough it gets a 5 star rating from me! 

Photosynthesis

 

This story is about photosynthesis. It starts roughly 147.000.000 KM away from earth, in the sun and ends underground in my garden with a rather unsuspecting ending. Are plants carnivorous? Weedy had never known this part of the story, but to him it seems so!

Plants have a beautiful story to tell when it comes to the sun. He and I hope you enjoy this episode of The Weedy Garden and perhaps discover something new about plants. His videos and film are well worth watching and his YouTube channel worth subscribing too.

Watch Weedy`s feature length movie on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/downthecar...

Support The Weedy Garden and help Weedy continue to create free videos for folks to enjoy and be inspired to grow food - be fresh and feel good.

Check it all out in one place https://www.theweedygarden.com

Seeds To Suit - New Arrivals This Season

 

 

New arrivals this season Discover the latest additions to our store.

 

Lettuce Lambs/Corn Salad Broccoli Broccoletto Tomato Alicante Chervil

 

Shop arrivals

 

Currently loving

 

Broccoli Early Purple Sprouting

 

Broccoli Early Green Sprouting - Organic Cucumber Marketmore Lettuce All Year Round

 

Browse more

 

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The Love Of My LIfe!

 

I've lost the love of my life......

We found each other on the CB (Citizens Band) Radio in the late 80's as Lancelot & Miss Softy, and married in the early 90's, Despite her body not even liking itself she managed to carry Emma & Kelly full term, but Holly didn't quite make it to her first Christmas.  

There are many words to describe my wife and most of them were height related, she was Short, Cute & Dinky and Hobbit like. I told her that Harry Potter had Dobbie the house elf, and that I had "Gobby" the house elf!, she would just smile and roll her eyes up.  

Jen would remind me that good things came in small packages and then I would remind her that so did poison! We did laugh a lot, and it was humour that got us through our married life's journey.

She told me on the CB before I physically met her, that she once had a black white and red cat, I said "Red"? and she said "Yes, well he was when he got run over!"  

One thing she did have was a huge heart, and I was so very lucky that she gave it all too me!  I would tell her on a daily basis " I love You" She would reply "I Love You Too" I would reply "I Love You More", Then she would say "I Don't Think So", I would reply "I Know So" and finally she would reply "OK Then!" 

It was as if together we made a whole, we fitted each other like a very simple two piece jigsaw, which would have been ideal for Jen because quite frankly she didn't have the stamina for finishing Jigsaws despite trying, she eventually gave up on them. 

I would tell Jen that she was my favourite wife, so far, this life... well I couldn't have her taking anything for granted now could I?  

She knew that she would be the only wife, this lifetime, If I searched the whole planet, I would never find anyone who would love me, as much and the way she did, and that I could love as much as I loved her. I was blessed and I know it!

Loosing Jen hurts so bad, if you love that hard, you know you are going to hurt that hard when something happens to them. I learnt that when I lost my Mum and Dad, and it has broken my heart watching my girls go through, what I have already been through twice in my life with people I've loved so much, and now with the love of my life.

Jen is now with her Mum, Dad, Brother and our daughter Holly, and I will not feel whole again until I am reunited with her when it is my time to join her once more, which (forgive me darling, but) I hope is a really long time, as I'm hoping to be a whole lot older and perhaps even a grandad one day, before I leave our children here and join you and Holly.

Belgian White Chicory

This is the famous Belgian White Chicory, also referred to as "French Endive". By covering the heads near to the time of harvest you develop the distinctive white/yellow colour and superb flavour. 

So versatile is this wonderful veg that yon sow it all year round for salad leaves. 

January to April for an early summer harvest and again from May to September to harvest from October to December. hardy annual.

Sow Under glass or indoors January to April for an early summer harvest 

Sow May to September to harvest from October to December.

Sow All Year round under glass for salad leaves.

Sowing Depth 12mm (1/2") in well-draining seed compost. 

Temperature 15 - 18C

Days to germination 7 - 14

Days to maturity 80 - 90

Keep weed free and well watered 

Cover the heads approaching harvest to force the colouring and flavour 

I saw this vegetable for sale in the Seeds To Suit December Newsletter and although I had heard of Chicory I had not grown it so I did a little google surfing and this is what I found out. 

How to grow chicory / RHS Gardening

Normal Service will be resumed shortly

Normal Service on this blog/ journal will be resumed shortly .. I hope 

During December I saw the worse service from a GP Practice and the NHS for house bound patients first hand. Since my wife collapsed and was taken to St Georges Hospital I have see the best of the NHS and the pressure doctors and nurses are working under. 

3 days in A&E as they didn't have a bed on a ward with the skills to look after her and they could not find room in intensive care. 

Once I hopefully get my wife back and she is hopefully fixed and better than she went in, I will be able to visit the allotment and de-stress like hell. 

I fully support the nurses strike, however I have seen the stress these people are working with already before they strike. All the staff at St Georges have been so professional, caring and kind.  

This government is working to cripple the NHS and are privatising it by the back door in stages. They want it broken, so they can sell it off and make them and their mates shed loads of money and possibly adopt a more American type system that if you have not got the money or insurance you will not get the level of care that every human should regardless class or wealth. 

Those members of parliament who gave themselves an 11% pay rise when they only gave the nurses 1% after the pandemic should all be kicked out of office IMHO.