The latest oddity to be offered by the T&M group is the Hararasp. https://www.suttons.co.uk/SUSGWE249/rubu...5280109%5D

Here's the hype:-

Who says raspberries don’t grow on trees! This miraculous space-saving raspberry tree has been developed by an ingenious breeder from Japan named Toshikhiko Hara. His groundbreaking new raspberry develops thick overwintering stems which are trained to form upright ‘trees’ with a strong, central trunk supporting a crown of fruiting branches.
Instead of rows of sprawling raspberry canes which need space, support and tying in, you can now enjoy this neat ‘Hararasp' raspberry. With its small footprint, it can easily be accommodated in a sunny spot where it will make both an attractive and edible feature. From April to May it is covered in white blossom followed by an abundance of tasty fruit from June to August that is easily reached for harvesting.
The fruit is unusually attractive, as unlike the dull fruit of other raspberries, ‘Hararasp’ bears especially glossy and shiny berries. ‘Hararasp’ is also a disease-resistant Florican-type, with excellent tolerance to heat and drought plus early fruit ripening and a long harvest period. Maximum height: 175cm (69in). Maximum spread:100cm (40in).


Gimmick or reality? Would you buy it???

Share your favourite photos of your crops or of your garden, in 2024. 
No Prizes, just a lot of Likes.

Can anyone put a name to this sedum please?

   

Can you see the smallest sunflower?      

Here’s a close up in case you can’t spot it in the mess that is my emergency “they have to be planted somewhere bed” .

   

He is 39cm tall and the flower head is 4cm wide.

I've just acquired a 6.5 litre slow cooker - its BIG. 

I confess to having a smaller one, sitting in the back of the cupboard. Think I've only used it twice.     So why have I acquired a second one, you may ask? I'm hoping that I could use it for slow cooking chutneys - the sort that simmer away on the hob for hours and need constant attention, stirring and to control the heat . 

So my question to the panel is, will it work, and are there any other uses for a slow cooker apart from meat, stews and pulses. I think I've read about making bread and yogurt in one ?
All ideas welcome.

Today I’ve made bathroom tile templates ( the real ones are very heavy) . Had a go at laying them in lots of configurations to see what works. Anyone want to have a go   ? 

Bathroom measurements

   

Door is on right hand side of the 210cm wall
Sink & toilet are back against the 167cm wall ( tiling underneath them)
Shower is 1m square located on the 104cm measurement ( which is actually the front edge of the shower not a wall) 

The tiles 
8 big = 61cm x 61cm light colour 
3 medium = 40cm x 40cm light colour  ( also 7 half’s and another 5 with big corners missing)
7 medium = 40cm x 40cm dark colour  ( 1 with corner missing) 
15 small = 20cm x 20 cm light colour 

So if anyone is really really bored. 

I've just had a trip down memory lane , reading an old thread (2021- 52 weeks of doing something different). https://gardenandgossip.org/showthread.p...=challenge
In 2021, we were dealing Covid, Small Chilli started building her house, Pyrenees Plot became a French Citizen and JJB and I were muddling our way through the year. Its worth a read - better than watching the box.

I surprised myself by realising that I stopped drinking wine and using paper tissues in 2021 and I've not done so since.

It struck me that its time to do this again - starting this week, the first week of September and try to keep going until 2025. 

Anyway want to join me?

   

Your September Butterfly spotting challenge has arrived.

    This is an old photo of GH2 as pictures speak louder than words. GH2 has been there for 40+ years. 

Its on a concrete base - no soil. There are beds on 3 sides. 

Initially, the beds were lined with clear plastic to hold water, and topped with a layer of gravel.  I grow tomatoes and cucumbers in open bottomed, "ring culture" pots that sit on the gravel beds, sending their roots into the gravel for water. You add feed to the pots but water to the gravel. 
At the end of the season, I've been emptying the soil in the pots onto the gravel. At some point, I cleared out all the gravel and soil and started again, just using a plastic liner and a layer of compost (no gravel). After many years or emptying the old compost into the beds, they are about 6" deep, enough to grow beetroot, lettuce etc in. 

This year, for whatever reason, the tomatoes in GH2 have been very poor and there have been lots of ants in the soil. I've decided to empty the soil out of the bed on the right (the sunny side) and line it with the wool insulation that I'm collecting. This will hold the water. I'll put some coir & compost on top of the insulation then move the supermarket crates (with their seedling salads) into the GH over winter. In spring I'll start again with ring culture pots and hope for a better season next year. 

Does anyone else grow with ring culture?