Selfsufficientish.com

We had a big party that has only just finished

Tis funny how the vibe drifts away – but it always comes back.

After all, what else is there to do in life; other than to grow things; or to watch things grow.

I’ve mostly been just watching.

The final pump will be based on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_pump

Funny you should ask - as i've just dug one. The method that you use all depends on the geology and the groundwater depth. I'm on clay and the groundwater is only about 5ft below us. My method was to: start digging a post sized hole with a spade down to 4ft; carrying on with a post-hole-digger to ab...

Hello!

When I was younger I travelled to Montreal solely for the reason that the Lonely Planet (travel guide) said people from Montreal like to take their clothes off.

Too much nitrate is really not good for us:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1824156.stm

Hi Digger, :wave: I was alluding to the rape seed – the farmers favourite. A lot of farming in the UK is now lazy farming; an elderly landowner, who subcontracts all the work to the contractor, then forward sells the crop. As long as they make their 6% return then there is no incentive to actually g...

Mix a nitrate with a carbon and you have an explosive; when I walk over the chalk downs in Wiltshire the ploughed arable fields look like ashen shrouds, while the soil in the sheep grazed downland are a lovely inky black. The oxidation of the carbon content from our soils through the addition of nit...

A good idea for vines and trees who like to access their nitrogen as ammonia - as long as the soil is well aerated; otherwise it will lead to denitrification. Not much use to brassicas who like their nitrogen as nitrates; although anything that increases the worms and mini beast content is good, as ...

It’s only fun if you don’t have to do it – otherwise it is just another job. Pleased that you are feeling the vibration; follow that thread and you’ll realise that it is the sideways glance at the hidden things, the feeling for things, the childish excitement, all these are the truth in life. That i...

It seems a very limited discussion when you take one small aspect of parenting and then polarise the argument by saying: 'one way good the other way bad'. But then we live in a society that thrives on headline neurosis. There are many variables involved with the way that people parent, and who is to...

dustydave wrote:I'm a row of grapevines located somewhere in the Wiltshire countryside

That's a lie - i'm actually the cloud in the top left of the picture

I'm a row of grapevines located somewhere in the Wiltshire countryside

Sounds like you are doing a grand job! I should think that any food types that have a slow energy release, that don’t add to the downs once they have been quickly burnt up – so whole grains, proteins (lentils, oily fish is great) rather than quick release (white fluffy) carbs. bit of dark chocolate ...

What sort of soil are you on? Your key to success is going to getting the grapes to ripen- rather than opting for trellis wires ideally you need a post (concrete if possible) for each vine (helps with warmth) or even better a south facing wall, in a deep soil I would suggest planting them close toge...