Anyone got it yet? Pretty sure I've found it on the leaves of Kestrel potatoes and the nearby Maskotka bush tomatoes. The potato foliage has been cut down and I've cleaned the tomatoes of any spotty foliage. I'm going to check on the Cara potatoes in the front garden, though they are blight resistant so fingers crossed. Must be the earliest I've ever seen it! Luckily a lot of the tomatoes I'm growing outside are blight resistant, but it would be incredibly disappointing for blight to take hold so early.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-66340849

I won't be queue-ing up for this one I am afraid!

Happy Birthday Scarlet. 
Hope your day is filled with flowers, cake and prosecco.

Do we have any beer sommelier among us? 
We’ve started using pint glasses that I call vases   .  The ones with stems, like big wine glasses.  Mostly because I’ve packed all the normal ones. But what I’m finding very confusing. Is the lager (in this case) taste completely different. Much much nicer. Anyone capable of shedding any light on why? 


I’m also a little annoyed. We’ve had these glasses for about 3 year ( they were left at a holiday cottage, definitely not the style for that property) . I just kept them to look good in my little bar area, collecting dust     . Never considered using them!

What does everyone feed their flowers? 
Do you have different feed for different things? 
Do you bother feeding if they’re in the ground? 
Is your feeding routine different for the cutting patch?
Do you buy pre made or just use homemade? 

I’ve been looking at rose feed. Then started wondering what everything else might need. Then got overwhelmed by the choices! 

A priority to try to keep in excellent condition is roses, peonies & camellias. 

Other questions when and how often to feed flowery things?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/color...-hampshire

Also found in Kent on 11th July. https://www.potatonewstoday.com/2023/07/...-46-years/

Be alert!

After shredding all the bills and other paper (not glossy stuff) I put a layer in the hotbin and I used to put the remainder in the chicken run for the chooks to kick around.  Now that I'm chookless I've been wondering how else to use it. 
Has anyone used it as mulch - wetted to stop it blowing away?

At one time I was putting all P's banana skins in an MFB placed inside the covered kitchen waste bin with perhaps a view to making high potassium feed for the gh toms (it only half-heartedly happened). Anyway the  bucket was sinking lower and lower so I hoiked it out. On the top of the gloop, along with the brandling worms, were several  grubs about half inch long with a long tail. I'd never met these before, so googled before declaring outright war.  They are rat tailed maggots, the larvae/pupae of hover flies, so they're welcome to make their home in my compost gloop. You still learn things even at my age 

I hope you're all saving seeds for this year's Seed Swap.

Please add your name below if you want to be part of it.- and a list of the seeds you'll be sharing if you know now.
We'll aim to have the seeds sent to me by 20th November and sent back to you in December - to take our minds off anything else that may be happening that month. 

Any questions - just ask.

1. Veggie - RECEIVED
2. JJB - RECEIVED
3. doublyjonah - RECEIVED
4. small chilli - RECEIVED
5. Farendwoman - RECEIVED
6. Garrett -  RECEIVED

I have a book somewhere that has suggestions for all the things you can do in the garden apart from gardening.
I'm sure we can all think of something so lets list 50 activities for a start!!

1. Read a book about things to do in the garden.