Hi Folks

I'm planting up some baskets tomorrow for Mrs B and wondered if I need to add anything to the store bought compost, say some bfb?

What seeds are you planning/ hoping to save this year ? 

My plan to save primrose seeds for the second year running isn’t going to happen. Voles are taking them long before they’re ready to collect. 

I’m hoping to save autumn king carrots this year. This will be a first for me. I left half a tub in the tunnel over winter and flower spikes are starting to appear. 

Also planning on saving honesty , rock roses , Aubrieta, sweet pea & beans ( 1 runner, 1 DFB, 2 CFB)  . Lots can go wrong before that happens.

Anyone got any recommendations for a multi spray gun / head for the hosepipe.

I’ve had Hose lock before but if fell apart after it’s first winter outside. To expensive to replace regularly.
I currently have a flopro .

   

which has lasted pretty well apart from the bit of plastic that controls the on off broke fairly quickly. But I’ve continued to use it for a good few years. You can still see where the on off strip of plastic used to be ( shiny bright blue, between the white cracked edges)

   

 It’s now becoming a pain ( literally at times). As all I have to turn on off & control the flow is this little sticky up bit of white plastic.

   

Now I’m using the hose more often ( more pots to water) it’s becoming quite annoying/ uncomfortable. 
No bob can’t fix it, he’s already laughed at me when I asked him   .
Any recommendations would be great. Thank you.

Tell us how you start your seeds, especially those you start indoors prior to planting out.
Do you chit them, soak them, in bags of compost, straight into pots/trays of compost or any magic mixture.............or do you just ask them nicely to grow?
Different techniques for different seeds? 
Please share.

Can you help please?

I want to grow a squash/pumpkin (going to call them all squash from now on) that is:- 
......not too big that it takes a week to eat, and not too small that you need 4 of them for a meal. 
......that keeps well over winter.
..... tastes good, fresh or after storage
......doesn't have a lumpy skin that's difficult to cut
......easy to grow and a reliable cropper
......productive - more than one squash per plant.

Don't say Tromboncinos, but something with similar virtues. 

Some of you may remember growing Carosello a few years when a very kind member of another place shared some Italian seeds with us.  I wasn't very successful with mine IIRC but I bought some seeds from Franchi last year planning to try growing them again. https://seedsofitaly.com/search.php?sear...=carosello

Does anyone here grow them now? Looking for tips  on growing them - like size, support, temperature, taste and worthwhile growing or not.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61255733

Certainly works for me!

As you are all really board of hearing about   . I’m growing lot of things in pot ready for my new garden. When can I stop potting on? I know it depends a lot on the type of plant. But can I keep them in smaller pots or is it going to stunt them when they actually go into the ground? 
Advice please

How much of the wet stuff have you had.... I was hoping to dig another bed but we have had such little rain that everything has dried up. All the water butts are empty too

   

In case you didn't know, Bren is self-sufficient in lettuce.
A few weeks ago I watched a You tube video by Huw Richards in which he talked about "Part -time Self Sufficiency". My version of what he said -

Its not possible to be completely self sufficient - there are some things we simply cannot grow - climate, time constraints, space to grow.
However, it is possible to be Part-time self sufficient (SS)  - and you can do this in a number of ways...............for example:-
You could grow enough Tomatoes to be SS between June and November
.......enough lettuce not to buy any all year round (like Bren)
.......you could choose a day of each week to make a meal solely from what you've grown. 

It doesn't matter how small your SS goal seems to be when compared to those who say they are 100% SS, everything that you can provide for yourself is worthwhile. Even a pot of herbs could mean that you never have to buy parsley or mint etc.

Also, Huw said, factor in your time  when deciding what is worth growing. He used Chickpeas as an example. Yes, they can be grown but  waiting for them to dry, then podding for a return of 2 chickpeas per pod is a lot of time to spend to make a bowl of Hummus when you could make it from another bean that grows more prolifically.

Finally, he advised collecting recipes for the veg that you grow in quantity - like courgettes so that you don't tire of them or waste them. 

 I'd be interested to hear how many of us are P/T SS and in what.