I get the Harrod Horticultural email newsletter, just in case they have any special offers, but today's edition left me scratching my head...

It started off mundanely enough, talking about growing leeks, then took a left turn into surreality with the suggestion that I might want a walk-in fruit cage to (and I quote) "help your leeks grow to their full potential".

Clearly this is why my leeks failed last year - I only had hoops and butterfly netting over them (the netting was there for the neighbouring kale). WTAF??

Anyone got a 3D printer? 

Real seeds have got plans for seed measuring cups. 
I think that’s brilliant and could be very useful to some of the seedaholics among us. 
I really do like the way real seeds do things. The information they share is just fantastic. Also a very good selection of some very interesting seeds. 

https://www.realseeds.co.uk/handscoops.html

Following on from Eyren post on another thread. I thought lettuce should get a little slot of its own. 
There are so many different varieties, shapes, colours and some very interesting names. 
Do you have a favourite? Any varieties you have trouble growing? Any you don’t like? Do you think they have different flavours? (Also mentioned in a reply in the other thread   ). 

I really like lolla rossa, Tom Thumb, and Morton’s secret mix ( from real seeds ). I grow these every year. Along with lots of others. I’m not a fan of lobjoits green cos & little gem ( also a cos, I think ). I find them to bitter,  but I still grow them! I just like growing lettuce. 

I grew a red iceberg lettuce a few years ago, I liked that. Never found any seeds again unfortunately. Iceberg not the most flavourful but I do like the slight crunch to it.

         

This photo won photo of the year here in Ireland, the photographers spent 56 days photographing starlings they had seen numerous shapes and finally seen this one and entered it in the competition.

 Just had to share it. 

   

I have a massive outbreak of these pests amongst my seedlings this year, despite keeping the compost frighteningly dry and only watering from below. 
Given that each female can lay 200 eggs I'm wondering if I should try and repot as many as possible to try and limit the damage?
I also have some pyrethrum based insecticide (for cat fleas etc) which I'm contemplating diluting and using as a drench or spray. Although organic, I'm not happy about doing that, but at the moment all chillies,  peppers  & aubergines are infested.
Nightmare 
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

So do any of you ladies suffer from veins bursting in the fingers? Sorry gentlemen I don’t mean to be sexist but apparently you don’t suffer from it. But if you do please contribute.

It’s damned uncomfortable when it happened.

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Not the clearest photos in the world, sorry. But you get the idea. It’s more obvious when it starts before it bursts. It’s to painfully to photograph then. You’ll just have to use your imagination   
Just wondering if I’m the only weirdo here 

The past 2 years when I have grown cucumber they have been in pots and  placed in the back right hand corner of the greenhouse, the greenhouse runs north - south, so that position is slightly shaded but having altered my benches I can no longer grow them there, so would there be any problems if I grow them in the same bed as the tomatoes, this bed is on the left hand (West) side of the greenhouse and full sun, when it's out, growing outside is not an option.

Hi Folks

After some advice as to went to pot these on / plant them out.

Two rows on the left are crow garlic, two rows on the right are welsh onions (finally!!, 5th attempt albeit with new seeds). They were sown 3rd Feb.

   

I follow this guy on youtube and like his trials. This is a review of 54 tomato varieties he grew last year in his polytunnel in Ireland. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khnl-zs_Zoo

   

Another little game for you to play. 
Don't give the answers until you've guessed them all and we've all have a chance to try it. 
I should add that I don't have the answers to them all so will need some help with a few.