One mystery I believe is solved. I’m 99% Sure My accidental overwintered chilli is sugar rush peach.

   

The other 3 are still a mystery.
The 2 big ones, I found as seedlings in the compost I saved from last years chilli pots. 
So they will definitely be offspring of a named variety I grew last year. Don’t know if they’ll come true Or be crossed. 
Probably crossed.

The little one I found coming up in the raised bed in the first tunnel. Last year had my mystery chillies (never did identify any of them) in there. I only kept it because it had purple seed leaves. 

Only time will tell if any of them will be any good.

   

Hello Folks

I'm getting about 5 bags of clippings a week from a friend and want to store them for later use.

If I leave them in the bag they are steamy and hot within about 2 days, if I spread them out they dry in clumps in about the same period.

Obviously I could put them in the compost heaps but I wondered if there were any other ways to store them to eventually use as layers for the future raised beds?

The only other thing I thought of was to initially mark the beds out then cover with cardboard / grass and install the wooden sides as and when I get them? (I think this will be Vinny's view)

Spent lots of time in the tunnel tying up & isolating. And getting very hot.

   

   

   

   

   

Tapestry lawns are Grass-free and need less mowing than a grass lawn. Also better for wildlife, absorb more rainfall and need no fertilisation. They also look good!

I'll be honest, I've never heard of Tapestry lawns before but there's a website, a book and a 4 year study supporting the concept sponsored by the RHS.
Have a read - I think it looks great but I'm not sure I'm up to stripping off the "lawn" to start afresh. Maybe small patches at a time, more of a patchwork quilt than a tapestry!
https://www.grassfreelawns.co.uk/index.html

As I was thinning out the carrots and saving those big enough to eat I pondered: does anyone eat carrot tops?  I cut some of the leaves of the baby carrots, but did I need to?  Answers on a postcard to..............Jen

Hi all,

We're experiencing the exciting phenomenon of growing more fruit on our new plot and having most of it eaten by birds...I'm considering the value of building a walk-in-height fruit cage for next year. It feels like something we could do with some chunky posts and chicken wire, but perhaps I am being overly optimistic/simplistic. Does anyone have any advice or experience of building a <ahem> very cheap <ahem> fruit cage that was worth the effort in protecting your produce and not too much of a pain to deal with for weeding/harvesting?

We're pretty low-tech with tools, though we do have a circular saw. The soil is pretty heavy, but I reckon we could work with it when it's as wet as it is at the moment.

Thanks!

Morning Folks

Does anyone grow them?

Mrs B surprised me with one as a present

Next year I would like to extend my strawberry harvest, can anyone recommend good, reliable, and fairly disease resistant early, mid, and late varieties please?

I had  some old pattypan seeds with sow by dates between 2012 and 2017.  An easy and cheap way to test viability is to put them on damp kitchen roll in a tray, inside a plastic bag and wait and see.
Here are some I set out on 14/6 - 4 days ago.

   

      

Can you see that little sprout? There are 4 like that to date!!

Remember, every seed deserves a chance.

I'm not sure this is possible.....but is there anyway that when I make a post, straight after posting a previous post the two aren't combined.

I want to post photos of my dahlias - each with their names but I can't work out how to stop all the photos getting grouped at the bottom - rather than separate posts with a new photo in each?

Any help appreciated xx