No room at the inn ......again, and it's only going to get worse.

   

Scarlet I have a couple of questions?   

I’ve just sown your lovely mix of CFBs.
I know one is Tresnejavec = best for shelling & Meuch = fresh or shelling
Do you have any idea what the black seeds might be? 
The other seeds you narrowed down to cosse violette or Kew blue. How do I tell which one I’ve got when they start growing? Any difference in leaf, flower or pod colour? 

Thank you 

I have a packet of mixed herbs I picked up from Aldi methinks.It was 99p and the herbs are:-

1) Parsley Italian Giant
2) Basil Sweet Genovese
3) Chives
4) Dill
5 ) Mint Spearmint
6 )Thyme
7) Marjoram Sweet
8) Garlic Chives.

I will try and sow all these today and if successful it should make for a cheap selection of herbs.

I feel a little guilty I didn’t introduce you all to skew ( the crazy one    ) months ago. 

He’s a very vocal little fella, always has to have the last word.

He lives for his orange ball and he’s a bubble blowing water baby. Told you he was nuts    .

                     

I fancy sowing some more perennials flowery things. I want to get the seeds now

So anyone have that plant that's a keeper?

I'm sure I have some agastache somewhere? Anyone have it. Nice not nice? 

Ideas please...would like my greenhouse chugging out some plants for next year. Happy to overwinter them in the greenhouse.

Hi all,

We recently and enthusiastically demolished the old shed on our allotment as it was a genuine danger.

We only keep basic tools at the plot like trowels, garden form, hoe, etc. I wanted to get a nice wooden shed as replacement, but by nice I really mean cheap and that doesn't leave great options. 

My husband wants to get a plastic tool storage box like those by Ket@r.

Anyone using something similar and like it? I hate that it's a big hunk of plastic, would still not fit all our tools and wouldn't really facilitate rain collection.

For a similar price I could get a cheap tunnel or greenhouse that would keep rain off the tools and let me collect rainwater. It wouldn't be secure but the tool storage and sheds are only nominally safer, I think. However, we can't get to the plot multiple times a day, so a GH is impractical. I could cover it in net instead but then the tools aren't dry again!

So basically I don't like any of our ideas or options. We don't have the time to build from scratch. Our plot is so messy right now, we definitely need something.

Any ideas for me?

Thanks in advance.

I have been watching Jessie at Plot 37 - YouTube find it very enjoyable apart from the piano music

Do you have a favourite?

MrPP spotted this male blackcap picking the blackfly from the broad beans this morning. It then came out into the open for a preen and to pose for some photos!
   

A good reason to not use pesticides

Has anyone had any luck sowing Tarragon seeds?

Been trying for years but anything that germinates soon decides to die. I know French Tarragon seeds aren't viable, but Russian is supposed to be

Any tips?

I have amassed loads of cardboard which I planned to cover my paths with then add wood chippings. Because of time limitations I won't be able to take delivery of a load of wood chippings and do as I first thought...........not for now anyway as I have other commitments.

I know from various experiments with paths in the past that the wind plays a big part in what you can and can't do. I once laid carpet paths and even though it was pegged down, it still landed in next doors allotment.

My latest idea is to lay the cardboard anyway and put sand on it to hold it down until I get the time to do a better job with wood chippings. Sand is fairly cheap to buy and should hold cardboard down and help to drown out weeds?

Or should I just store the cardboard in the shed and keep on hoe-ing the weeds on the paths. I have a lot of narrow paths so am wondering whether hoe-ing is feasible once weeds start into full growth?

The wide damp proof course I originally anticipated isn't really satisfactory and would work out quite expensive to do all paths.  will use what I have , but buy no more.