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Hi everyone I was chatting to someone about the NewLeaf polytunnels (I see they are advertised on this site, too) and we wondered whether anyone had tried these much cheaper alternatives on windy, blustery sites. We both have allotments in Yorkshire on wind-catching slopes and I've recently had to r...

For those who are wondering what these various hoes look like, have a look at Get Digging , Excellent tip - thanks for the link. I bought an azada some time ago at the local tiny tool shop but have given it to my sister on permanent 'loan' to deal with the chalky flinty soil in her Sussex garden. M...

It's great sharing the excitement vicariously. Do post more updates when you can.

Got a sunny south facing windowsill ? Grow your own next winter, tis easy. :iconbiggrin: Really? what are you growing? My windowsills are only about 9 inches wide and the last surviving aubergine plant, which I tried to prolong till the fruit developed enough to eat, went sad and limp on the sunnie...

I'm impressed that you can get 16 beds on half an allotment! If they are rather small, the additional space might allow bigger beds for onions and outdoor tomatoes, as you can just never have enough.
Wonderful thing to be doing over the new year - planning for the additional space. Good luck

poo in the loo. Litter in the compost. I'm inclined to agree. Though you could dig holes and bury it all and it would eventually rot down (as per humanure, used by many rural cultures like this) However, I'd want to know it was somewhere I wouldn't be putting a spade into for a good few months, as ...

Cheers, Tim - I'll do just that and hope for luscious crops next year.

Cheers, MMM - good to know mine isn't the only case of suffering rhubarb. I'll follow the split and 'pack in manure' advice from Tim - I've never worked out how to add manure, though I know they love it and they had a good few spadefuls when I moved the root - and move some of the root to a shadier ...

Well 'Party Susan' is a nicer name than the one I know them by - Lazy Susan!

that_sarah_girl wrote:what is a drop down airer? and where can I get one?

I bought mine from an old-fashioned hardware shop that's now disappeared - but you might still be lucky. Otherwise search online for Victorian airer as that's what they seem to be sold as.

I found Pat's recipe for concentrated tomato puree by searching her old posts and made all the ripe toms up using it, then bottled the puree. It's really flavourful and aromatic - I think it's the shot of balsamic that brings out the flavour. Absolutely wonderful. Thank you :thumbright: Just strippi...

boboff wrote:Still trying to get the burnt bits off the bottom of my Jam pan!

Try boiling up some onions in a little water. It's the only thing I've found that works without damaging the pan

Lack of water in the growing season and possibly taking too much. You should always leave some sticks on the plant. :mrgreen: And I'm so careful to do just that! In fact, I was prepared to leave most of it on the plant in order to maximise yield this year. I hope it will recover... Interesting idea...

I forgot to mention the pear and lemon chutney - someone gave me about three pounds of small hard pears, which stay nicely in firm pieces when cooked. I recommend this combination - with some stem ginger (well, I wash the sugar off crystallised ginger, which is a lot cheaper). second batch of Courge...

Thanks for all the reassurance about the freezer - what a relief! Both mine are in the cellar, which rarely drops below 10C and just got down to 7C in that really cold spell last winter. I'd envisaged having to empty and turn off the chest freezer when the temperature drops, which might not be hugel...