Fascinating website with plenty of information about seeds/plants/growing. https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/
Unfortunately its in the US so buying seeds may not be easy but some of them are sold by Real Seeds, maybe others.
I'm fascinated by the Landrace seeds - they look a bit like some of my random assortments!

I have last year's small shallots saved for planting.  Last year they went into pots on 1st  Feb as the ground wasn't ready.   They took a month to pop and were finally planted out 23 March.  The crop was harvested along with onions etc when they had died down and was quite acceptable. Are they like garlic needing a cold spell?

Would I gain much by setting into pots  earlier  or do you think they would just stay dormant til it warmed up?   If that's the case I might as well wait till later.

This may be a sensitive topic. 

I was very surprised to have our GP contact me today. I have been given an appointment for getting my vaccine next week at our GPs - I am  happy. I am CEV Shielding group in Wales, and didn't think we had even rolled out to our group yet.

I have been so aware of my own mortality the last year, this feels like there is light at the end of the tunnel finally.

As a few of you know from another thread I’ve recently watched the David Attenborough life on our planet. One of the changes I intend on making is have at least one vegetarian meal a week. Bob doesn’t know yet, it’ll be a surprise      . Yes me ( and him who’s even worse & doesn’t know yet ) , the one who has no issue naturally being an omnivore with very high carnivorous tendencies     . So I’d like as many vegetarian or even vegan . I don’t really care what it calls itself as long as it tastes nice. I do have one stipulation. I refuse 110% to eat that meat replacement stuff quorn or any other make/ variety. I’m sorry it might just be me being a bit weird. But I really don’t see the point in meatless sausages, burgers, mince or whatever else they make. 

I’ll be starting with a veggie lasagna one night this week.  
As many recipes as you like please.

My friend has recently signed us both up for a subscription to GW magazine. Which was very kind of her. I had no idea until today when my first issue turned up today. A very interesting review on compost bins. And 2 pages on how to sow our free seeds, that we didn’t get    .
Does anyone else get the magazine?

Today's Blue Monday, supposed to be the most depressing day of the year.

How about sharing all the Blue things that you like - to cheer us up!

I know many of you will be well in front of me in preventative action, but after reading Sc's comment on another thread and something clicked, I have decided to take a step back and stop using, as much as possible, plastic, once all the cell trays that I have are used up I will be using wooden trays for sowing seed with cans and unavoidable purchased plastic bottles for potting on, I will also concentrate on making my own seed and potting compost and once all the larger pots and buckets have been used up I will go back to clay pots
What will you do

Well you should know by now that I like a photo or two. So all photos welcome. 
I have been trying to search through my photos but I can't remember the names of the pods  I did have a reference but sadly thats disappeared into the ether.

Anyway hopefully we can start a new little bean bible again

I love beans, grow many more than I can eat fresh but am not that keen on frozen so I prefer to dry them for use later in the year. They look pretty amazing in a jar or two on the kitchen shelf
too.

Nothing fancy for me - I use two frames made from bamboo. About 24 canes each side. So about 50 canes each...maybe two beans per can, sometimes more. I used to put a bean by each plant but I get rodents eating the beans and then the plants can be disturbed so I don't bother anymore.

And yes, I never learn - everything is always planted too close together

   

No doubt you have came across plant partnerships that help one another, but what about partnerships to avoid, or possibly use to suppress growth of some other plant like yellow rattle to suppress grass though the one I was thinking of is avoid planting marigolds near peas or beans, or avoid planting brassica near potatoes, there are several plants that you should avoid planting beside potatoes, if it hasn't been done previously, could someone start a list that could be added to, to give quick guide of such plants

What would you plant in it?

   

Just knock ideas around. We do need a retaining wall. Not necessarily made of tires. It would be cheap and it could be hidden with lots of trailing plants. I’m thinking for a start aubrieta & thyme. I want low maintenance, low growing trailing perennials. Some evergreens? Fuchsia? Any petunia perennial? Is there a perennial alyssum? As you can see I’m just going through a list of things you’d find in a hanging basket. More flowery gardeners input please.