Got a few moans and groans.
Don’t know where to post them

I'd like a garden filled with sunflowers, poppies, cornflowers - nothing unusual there. However, I fail miserably with them all. The sunflowers end up about a foot tall with a flower no larger than a dandelion. Poppies that apparently self seed everywhere for others, put in a meagre show then disappear. Cornflowers, those bright blue flowers that are included in Easy-grow packets for children, are not so easy for an old biddy like me.

Am I alone or do others struggle with certain flowers?

Have you noticed how every day seems to be a Special Day of some sort? It can mark an Anniversary, a Saint, an Animal, an Event or even, like today, a Food. I thought it would be nice to get in the spirit of these Special Days and do something appropriate to mark them. 

Today, 10th February is World Pulses Day. https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-pulses-day
I'll celebrate by cooking some beans to eat tonight.

Have a lovely day Danny, it looks as if it's a milestone.  Don't be despondent,  you're still a baby compared to some of us, me included 

Has anyone ever had any success with any of the mushroom kits, plugs, spawn.
I’m considering having a go at growing some of the slight more unusual varieties. I’ve been looking at buy fresh mushrooms deliveries online. Oddly enough I’ve not found any that offer delivery up here. So growing my own is the way forward, if it’s worth it. Obviously there will be foraging in the autumn of the well known wild varieties.
So any advise would be appreciated.

I have started chitting my first earlies, they are called Solist. I will only grow them in the poly tunnel in raised beds. I grew them last year and they were a great success, so I ordered 2 x 2kg bags of seed. I will not grow any main crops this year as the last 2-3 years were disasters. They will be sown in March after St. Patrick’s Day and the shoots will be covered with fleece at night when they appear.

I grow a few toms in pots on the patio usually small determinates. They always get straggly and droopy.  As  I'm fed up with twigs, sticks and string, I'm considering buying something st4onger that will poke into the pots to give a bit of support.  Along the same lines I don't grow bush toms in the ground outdoors because they droop and get manky. I might even consider a support or two for bigger varieties. 

Any advice on what and where to start looking?

Anyone counting birds this weekend?

https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/act...birdwatch/

Not quite sure how this has happened but I’ve been roped in to organising a seed swap table on the 11th March     . As part of a potato day. Both a first for mull as far as I know. Certainly since I’ve been on mull. 

So I’m thinking 
Baskets of seeds on a table and people just bring say 10 packets and choose 10 others ( very similar to our swaps )

Was going to have flowers, brassicas, legumes, roots, salad, tomatoes, cucurbits, alliums, herbs, others .
And a basket of out of date that people can take as many as they like. 

Also seeds can be full or part packets and self saved. 

Do I need to do anything else? 
Want to keep it as simple as possible!! For my benefit mostly     . 

How do I get a stock of seeds to start the ball rolling? Obviously my seed will be in the baskets, but not sure I’ll have enough. Was going to ask on the local gardening group but if they donate them they won’t have any to swap. Because it’ll be all the same people probably.

It's nearly that time of year again. 

Greenhouse:

grown before...

Mat-Su Express - dependable, big producer, very good taste, one which I grow every year now
Girl Girl's Weird Thing - amazing tomato, great taste, looks beautiful, huge producer, another one which I will grow every year
Rosedale - probably the best tasting tomato last year, a few weeks later to ripen but very good yields
Daniel Burson - black beefsteak, 1st year died early, 2nd year not true to type, let's hope it's 3rd time lucky now I have reliable seed from the USA

new for this year...

George Detsika's Italian Red - big red beefsteak, supposed to be quite early for a big tomato
Polaris - black beefsteak, early and very meaty, bred by Karen Olivier from Canada (she grows outdoors so many of her breeds are early and hardy)
Longhorn - elongated black ox-heart, supposed to be a big producer
True Colors - beautiful multi-coloured ox-heart bred by Karen Olivier again

Outdoors:

Nagina F1 (Crimson Plum) - blight resistant plum
Rose Crush F1 - blight resistant pink beefsteak
Pink Honeymoon F1 - blight resistant pink beefsteak
Maskotka
Reinhard's Purple Sugar
Sweet Aperitif

..and whatever comes up from the 'Melange Surprise' free packet I received last year in my tomato seed order from Cultive ta Rue (https://cultivetarue.fr/boutique/?lang=en).

Some pictures of the new-to-me varieties attached.

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