My Garden

Idle chat

Last post 22-11-2009 2:37 PM by EvaInNL. 4426 replies.

• 21/10/2009 09:53 PM	In reply to
  RogerBee Location: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Joined on: 14 Jan 2009 Posts: 84	Reply | Contact Glad I've got it done and out the way, Richard. A bit like you with your attic no doubt. Give it a go - it might just work!

• 21/10/2009 10:12 PM

  In reply to

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200

  Reply | Contact Does your greenhouse sit directly on the ground RogerBee?  If we had done that and put bricks under the staging, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'd keep stubbing my toes on the bricks as I quite often wear my slippers in the greenhouse (and around the garden when it isn't too wet).  The wood we used was the same stuff as shed bases, it's lasted nearly six years so it hasn't done too bad.  One corner has completely rotted away and was growing a wide assortment of fungi at the beginning of this year.  OH thinks some of the wood is salvageable and if the underside of it is ok, he will use it to make a workbench in his shed. When we put the greenhouse in, we built a timber frame (like on decking) and laid the flooring on top of it, and once it's all been taken out, the hole is there already so we won't need to be digging out any extra earth.  The new base will sit a couple of inches higher than the ground so I'll have to remember to pick my feet up properly when I'm going in there sue1002

• 22/10/2009 08:38 AM

  In reply to

  Roundelder Location: NW Cumbria Joined on: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 176

  Reply | Contact Good luck with the GH Sue, although the weather doe not look good for the next few days (mind, it's not bad here in NW Cumbria at present). I keep looking at the box of assorted Garlic bulbs/cloves that we received a couple of days ago (from Isle of Wight 'Garlic Farm') and knowing I must do them soon. It appears to contain just about every type of Garlic I have ever heard of! Must get a good stock of breath freshseners in...   Wide awake Roundelder

• 22/10/2009 08:56 AM

  In reply to

  RogerBee Location: Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire Joined on: 14 Jan 2009 Posts: 84

  Reply | Contact Sue, I moved the greenhouse a little while ago and put it directly in front of my garden shed. This means that one long edge of the GH is on the front of the concrete base I put in for the shed to sit on, the other long edge is on an old concrete clothes post that I have sunk in the ground. This means that I have to step over the door sill when I go in or out of it as the bottom of the door frame is about 6inches in the air. A set of old paving slabs run down the middle for me to walk on and the top of the bricks the staging legs sit on on are level with the paving slabs. The rest of it is just soil. Give it a go - it might just work!

• 22/10/2009 09:39 AM	In reply to
  Digger Location: Northern UK Joined on: 18 Jul 2005 Posts: 4,743	Reply | Contact Hi all, Glad you like my new avatar RogerBee Miranda liked it too, Yesterday i got some bits and bobs from the sales tables, I got three new tatersall shirts for £12:50, we got some "don't feed the horses" signs and other bits and pieces, Today and tomorrow I'm just spending some time relaxing before the weekend digger

• 22/10/2009 10:32 AM

  In reply to

  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 809

  Reply | Contact  Morning all-its fine here at the moment.You take it easy and relax before the weekend Digger-sounds good to me. My greenhouse is quite small but it is large enough to start off enough plants for our needs and will  house  3 tomato grow bags. I have some garlic to plant out Roundelder-I read about someone who plants it out on the shortest day Dec 21st and then its ready on the longest day June 21st-has anyone else heard of doing that? Hope you get on OK emptying your greenhouse Sue. Richard

• 22/10/2009 10:40 AM

  In reply to

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200

  Reply | Contact Good luck with all your different sorts of garlic Roundelder, and in finding good breath fresheners It sounds like your greenhouse is ideally suited RogerBee, the step up into mine when it's done will only be a couple of inches so not as high as your six inches, I'll only probably stub my toes once or twice before it sinks in that I will need to pick my feet up a bit higher  With all being well, it will probably be Tuesday before the concreting actually gets done as we have a prior engagement on Sunday (pub lunch with friends) and OH can go and collect the ballast and concrete on the Monday, it will probably take him most of that day to wheel it all round the back and I won't be here to help him as I was a naughty girl and have to take my punishment that day (I got caught speeding a few weeks ago and opted to take a speeding awareness course instead of having the points put on my licence...) Hope you enjoy your couple of days rest before the weekend Digger, it sounds like you got some good bargains yesterday.   sue1002

• 22/10/2009 10:42 AM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  We crossed Richard, it's nice and sunny here today - much different to yesterday. I've heard of the same with planting garlic. sue1002

• 22/10/2009 01:11 PM

  In reply to

  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 809

  Reply | Contact  I think the course sounds better than having points on your license  Sue I think you made the right decision We just had to dash outside to get the clothes in as a quick shower just started - now theyre and the sun has come out again! I've just been potting up some basil that I have been growing on the kitchen winowsill. This afternoon will be taking more things up the attic-it takes ages sifting through papers,old boxes, cupboards etc to see what to keep and what to throw out. We had a canteen of cutlery, loads of glasses, bowls, dishes etc when we got married so we decided its not worth keeping them 'for best' so we will be using them now. Richard

• 22/10/2009 02:07 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  Good luck with more sorting out Richard, your cutlery and crockery must be almost antiques by now? Yes, I think I made the right decision too and would like to keep my licence as clean as the day it was issued. sue1002

• 22/10/2009 03:44 PM

  In reply to

  David Location: Sevenoaks Joined on: 11 May 2009 Posts: 98

  Reply | Contact Richard. The very helpful people at the Garlic Farm suggested to me that for many of their varieties the best results are achieved from an Autumn planting (October- early Nov.) Grown in this manner I would normally lift my early "green" varieties in the beginning of June and the later ones by the last few days of June.If your soil is the least bit acid an application of lime or seaweed is of benefit and in order to help reduce rust a generous dose of potash in February is recommended. Toughens up the outer leaf apparently. To avoid the antisocial aroma try to eat it daily (the digestive system seems to tolorate garlic better)  and try not to eat the green growing shootlets which appear in the cloves from sept. onwards. These can give garlic a bad name! Member 29971

• 22/10/2009 04:48 PM

  In reply to

  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 809

  Reply | Contact  Thanks for the tips wth the garlic growing  David. I may get my cloves in over the next week then as  they should be OK. I will have to remember to put down some potash in February-I'll write it on the calendar to remind me. Yes Sue some of the china we have is getting quite old now, and so are some of the brass bits and pieces we found in the cupboards.I remember my grandmother polishing the brass every Friday people don't seem to have brass about now as like us, we found polishing it is a chore, and time consuming, and that is why we keptit in the cupboard! I hope BB is OK as she hasn't been on the 'idle chat' for a few days. Richard

• 22/10/2009 06:22 PM

  In reply to

  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200

  Reply | Contact  My nan used to have lots of brass too Richard, which she spent a lot of time polishing.  I used to have a couple of bits of brass and other ornaments which got sent to a charity shop when I started collecting the German Shepherd ones.  Most of them are in a cabinet so they don't need dusting as often as the others and at the last count I counted 73 of them Yes, I hope BB is ok too. sue1002

• 22/10/2009 08:55 PM	In reply to
  richardpeeej Location: Leicester Joined on: 22 May 2009 Posts: 809	Reply | Contact Thats quite a collection of German Shepherd's Sue-its good that you don't need to take all of those for a walk. How did you get on with Sasha can she sit on the settee now and run around off the lead in the park Sue? Richard

• 22/10/2009 08:59 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 5,200	Reply | Contact  We will find out the answer to that on Wednesday of next week when we take Sasha for her check-up. sue1002