These pictures have been posted on my local 'nextdoor' site for identification,  any ideas?

             

One thought is Jerusalem artichokes  another is himalayam balsam

Yesterday I saw a large flying  thing.  No camera no picture. 

It was about two and a half inches top to tail, had double wings like a dragonfly again 2 1/2 " span and body the colour of a wasp's and slightly stripy but it didn't appear to have a waist like wasps do.
It flew around hunting like a dragonfly does but wasn't aggressive at all.  My measurements may be slightly exaggerated in hindsight.

I have recently seen  couple of bits about the EDC (every day carry) sub culture, be careful if you google it, you can quickly end up in websites based on "preppers" especially from USA. 
Basically it's what you have in your pockets every day and trying to rationalise why you carry what you do. 

It got me thinking about what would be useful to always have to hand when in the garden. I tend to carry a knife which I find very helpful, but other than that I tend to have to go to the shed and pick up the tools I want if I see something that needs doing. 

I'm interested to know, is there anything that when heading to the garden is there anything that you always pick up and stick in your pocket (or already have there) that you find invaluable when in the garden.

(07-06-2021, 01:05 PM)PyreneesPlot Wrote:

(07-06-2021, 12:53 PM)Veggie Wrote: I have a ripe tomato and a nearly red strawberry..............not picked either. I need them to talk to the rest of their mates and tell them to get ripening.

Shouldn't this post be in the Plants That Need a Strong Talking To thread?

I seem to have left one of last year’s onions in the ground. It was an onion set that got smothered by a sage plant. It doesn’t seem to have swelled up at all . But it’s throwing up some lovely healthy leaves.  What’s the chances of the seeds being viable if it produces a flower spike?

OH, Paul, keeps the verge alongside our road cut for the mums and kiddies walking to school (plus he's slightly OCD about order ). 
 The adjoining  hedge is full of prickly things too. He scrabbles about under the hawthorn and other hedges keeping the couch grass and other weeds at bay.  He is also on anticoagulation.  So when he is scrabbling anywhere he inevitability gets stabbed by thorns and spikes which draw profuse blood andcause bruises.

He's bought himself a kevlar forearm protector.  It looks daft but might keep the blood at bay

https://www.thesafetysupplycompany.co.uk...-kksl.html

   
I've been super busy with getting my dahlias in. They really have taken up a huge amount of time.
I'm not growing as many beans this year - I didn't manage to get my frames up in time! I will sow some more today. I have cut down hugely on the veg growing but I thinks it's probably enough for two.
I've a few courgettes, 20+ tomatoes, 5 cucumbers - only 2 in the borders so far, maybe about 80 beans - some poles still empty!! 2 per pole.
Dahlias in the veg plot -136 plants. I've rummaged through the builders scrap wood and got some decent stakes and I've started to string the old chicken electric fence across.....I'm hoping the dahlias will be supported when they grow through it and I don't have to spend ages tying in. I have lots more in the garden. 
Lots of beetroot and lettuce in to. More beetroot to go in today if I have the energy.

I read an artical by a well known gardener, the first thing that I came across was about Pelargonium, where he said he doesn't feed them, yet I have always thought Pelargoniums were gross feeders. The second was about legumes, advising planting  brassica after them as they add nitrogen to the soil, again not what I thought actually happens, I thought that the plant used up all the nitrogen producing peas or beans and if you wanted nitrogen you had to dig the plant in before it started to produce a crop
So have I got it wrong with the two of them?

I came across this French Website selling products made from plastics. The big difference it is vegetable based plastics. However, this product caught my eye and it’s made from recycled plastic. Anybody ever used them ? 
https://mvi-shop.com/en/line-mikado/54-p...ardin.html

   

What do you think?
How about Customer Care at Thompson & Morgan?
Anywhere you'd like to work less???