Sorting through a heap of beetroot seed packets and thinking aloud about the differences between varieties - or not.

Beetroot come in different colours - red, yellow, white and stripy (Chioggia).
They come in different shapes - small ball, big ball, flattened and cylindrical/conical.

There are several with similar names - starting with BO - Boltardy, Bono, Boston, Boldor (which is yellow)

Detroit 2 is the same as Crimson Globe

Real seeds say that Beetroot seeds are viable for 2-3 years.

Beetroot leaves are edible as well as the roots. use like chard or leaf beet.
Bulls Blood beetroot is grown primarily as a cut and come again salad leaf. 

Anything you can add? Favourite varieties? How to grow? When to sow?

Any ideas?

   

How many of us do big batch cooking? 
I do sometimes. But not often. I’ve stopped big batch soup making. It’s never as good from the freezer as it is just cooked. I do like to chilli & lasagna ( meat or veg ) big batch. But it doesn’t happen as often as it could. 
Yesterday I did a big batch of Staffordshire oatcakes.

         

The quality control area
   

Cooling racks filling up
   

35 oatcakes later. 28 made it to the freezer. A couple sampled and some for tea.
         

I want to know all about your Bells, Flaps and Knockers - but, you'll be relieved to know, there's no need for photographs.

As you know, I've been out and about recently, calling at strangers' homes to collect their unwanted items. The assortment  of Bells, Flaps and knockers I've  had to touch is quite amazing. 
This morning, I was forced to stand on tiptoe to reach the lady's knocker. Why she needed it that high I've no idea.

Anyway, tell me what you have and whether its user friendly please - just in case I ever come to visit.

Still finding things to surprise and delight me in the garden.
Pure chance that these are growing together.

Attached Files

Thumbnail(s)
       

Can anyone name these please. Collected cuttings from these yesterday.

   

   

   

Also got these which I’ve named. But am I right?

     Persicaria affinis ‘Darjeeling Red’ 

    anemone ( not a cutting, I got a big chunk of root ) 

I have a packet of 200 Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds. https://www.kingsseeds.com/products/vege...ntic-giant.
Does anyone fancy trying to grow the biggest pumpkin from these seeds next year? I'll send you some seeds and all you have to do is grow them.
Add your name below. If you're in the Seed Swap, I'll send you the seeds then.  Even if you're not in the Seedswap, I'll still send you some seeds. 
 Go on, you know you like a challenge. 

1. Veggie
2. Sarriss
3. Small chilli
4. JJB
5. Proserpina
6. Pyrenees Plot
7. doublyjonah
8. Broadway

So just after lunch yesterday Bob came home. My first question when he walked through the door was “what have you broken now ?” . Reply nothing. Question 2 “ are you damaged? “ . Reply no . Question 3 “ what are you doing here then? 
He’d come home to get his climbing gear. He’d been contacted to see if he could retrieve a drone stuck up a tree.

The blue circle is the drone location. 

   

The view just before he reached the tree canopy. He couldn’t see out any higher up.

   

Drone owners on the ground.

   

He thinks it was about 25m . He did recover it safely. He did get paid.  He did have a tour of that very large house. Which was very impressive apparently as it’s been in the same family since the 1800s. So lots of history. 
But still…….. hero or idiot?

I know that probably none of you do this - me neither until recently but Ive been asked by the local school to do a xmas wreath making class. Obviously I agreed straigh away
OMG - its not even October and Im already having slepless nights about foliage. I
have a hedgerow of amazing rosehips - i searched loads last night but couldn't find anythinh - is there a way to preserve these?

Any ideas on foliage I could gather now that would look good in December would be appreciated.

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.

Who's IN:-
1. Sarriss RECEIVED

2. Veggie - Mountain Princess, Rambling Red tomatoes, Cedronella canariensis, Aztec Sweet herb. Bijou mangetout RECEIVED

3. Small chilli - Nicandra violacea, Nasturtium, Carrot autumn king, Allium christophii RECEIVED

4. JJB RECEIVED

5. Scarlet RECEIVED

6. Garrett - Tomato Chadwick Cherry (large red cherry vine)Tomato Auntie Madge's (small red plum vine)Tomato Ciliegia Cerise (small red cherry bush),Cerinthe, French Marigold Tall Scotch Prize, Nicotiana Sylvestris RECEIVED

7. Proserpina - Marrowfat peas, Giant tomatillos, Hollyhocks, Mixed cosmos, Mixed radishes RECEIVED

8. TMTT - three blight resistant cherries, Sgt. Pepper's, Girl Girl's Weird Thing and maybe Reinhard's Purple Sugar. For flowers: dwarf cosmos (a mixture of Sonata and Casanova), red gem marigold, gazania (possibly 'Talent' mixed?) and maybe some lamb's ears. RECEIVED

9. DoublyJonah RECEIVED

10. Farendwoman -  Tomato Matt’s Hornet, Tomato Galina, Eryngium Little Hobbit, Bupleurum Bronze Beauty, Allium Hair, Echinops Veitch Blue, Tagetes Lemon Gem RECEIVED