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I bought 3 crowns and put them in a tub in garden some years back- it's lovely to have a few spears but thats exactly my problem, 3 crowns in a pot and you get one spear each for tea now and again. So having the allotment now I have sewn about a dozen 2 years ago. They are so easy to lookmafter, no ...

Now I've got a greenhouse (still a novilty, only 2 years) I start quite a lot in pots and plugs, but not roots. I was always told they don't like to be disturbed. That and I love roots so much I couldn't possibly get enough pots on the go. Carrots and beetroot are big favs of mine and we have to ded...

I'm a big believer in compost, i've got comopst heaps made of pallets with loads of horse poo added so in theory I can add all my weeds and it will get nice and hot, kill the seeds etc. I turn them out once a year and out into a new mix so it gets 2 years which should be plenty. HOWEVER my allotment...

I can't bring myself to hate useful stuff- dandelions were always relished by my guinea pigs as a kid so I don't get upset about them as a weed now. Cleavers (goosegrass) my horse loves, it's god for his hooves- they sell it dried as a herbal remedy for poor hooves. So I guess it must be good for us...

niknik wrote:Yippeee.....


Soooooooooo HOW big do they grow?, as big as normal broccoli? how long does it keep once picked? Does it freeze well?

First lot I grew were 4 ft high 4ft wide

Our white sprouting is weeks ahead of the purple, glad I planted both- bring it on!

Broccoli and other brassica stalks can be smashed to make them compost quicker. Lay them on a plank or similar and hit them with a hammer .. preferably a club hammer if you have one. That disintegrates the structure and allows you release your pent up anger all in one go, and is a darn site cheaper...

happyhippy wrote:I enjoy a cup of chamomile tea,so will grow a "carpet"og chamomile this year.Saw the plants at our local nursery yesterday and will buy some tomorrow!

Shame you're not local it grows like a wed in my horse's field!

I think you're talking about three different pest here Peggy Sue. The pea weevil that chews semi circular holes in pea and broad bean (but mainly peas) is, I think, a different weevil (bean weevil) that lays it's eggs on mature pea and bean seeds, which then hatch out in store and grubs eat the sto...

I think I missed all teh weavil chat when it came up, I have significant evidence it munches my pea and bean leaves, but had always beleived that it did no real harm. Interestingly my peas do have a few small wigglers sometimes but I've never sen any in my french beans or runners. Freezing it is nex...

I grew a number of purple spuds last year, most do lose their colour when cooked, but its fun to cook the carrots in with them and they then go purple :lol: I love shetland blacks but really I'm not grwing them again, you can't find them when you come to dig them up then you have loads of volunteers...

This morning I picked my first 3 sprigs of white sprouting Its about 2-3 weeks ahead of Purple and the purple looks hopeful. 2 people did tell me yesterday that there is national shortage of psb, so we should count ourselves lucky we all look hopeful

This leggy thing is very friustrating. I had my tomatoes in the propogator, yesterday they were just about to peek above the soil, today they are about 2" long! Now I have a dilemma- my alternatives are my windowsill- probaby less than 15c all day and less at night but still not very light, or ...

I've had that plan to do different stuff each year- first year it was pak choi which are incredibly easy- quite a surprise, and white beetroot, then I tried purple Orach which ahs self seeded everywhere, but like spinach, very attractive too! Starting last year we decided to get 5 or so or several d...

Over recent years I've added celeriac, pak choi, coriander, chinese cabbage (slugs like more than we do), mustard streaks, sorrel, borlotti beans, and butter beans (probably not worth it). I think this year I'm going to experiment with micro-greens. Also on our allotment we have what has been a fru...