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» Hungry Birds
by Dirick55 7th December 2023, 6:04 am

» PRESENTATION
by Chilli-head 23rd November 2023, 2:55 pm

» New Kiva loan
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» A peat-free compost is top in UK Which? magazine trial
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» New gardening year 2023
by Chilli-head 5th March 2023, 10:15 pm

» What have I done in the workshop today?
by Dandelion 2nd December 2022, 1:12 pm

» What are you harvesting today?
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» Wartime marrow casserole
by Dandelion 18th October 2022, 4:42 pm

» Late sowings in August ... beans ?
by Ploshkin 11th August 2022, 9:29 am

» Come August, come night in the garden
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» Welcome guest
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» The Jolly July Garden
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» More mead ...
by Chilli-head 13th July 2022, 12:52 pm

» The June garden thread
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» Plastic bags
by Dandelion 5th June 2022, 7:28 pm

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by Dandelion 31st May 2022, 10:04 pm

» Fooling around in the April garden
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» March into the garden
by Dandelion 1st April 2022, 7:26 pm

» Mow Suggestions
by freebird 29th March 2022, 5:48 pm

» Some thoughts on resilience
by Ploshkin 12th March 2022, 2:23 pm

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My new garden.

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Post by Ploshkin 24th October 2019, 9:31 pm

Gosh, you've worked really hard there Freebird but it's satisfying to do a job and see a result. I'm getting rid of some of my raised beds for my fruit cage. I had used 6"x2" boards and they are just starting to rot after 19 years so i think I've had good use out of them. I'm hoping to get my frame up but leave the netting until the spring.
What size is your cage?

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Post by freebird 25th October 2019, 8:17 am

My cage is 3 x 4.5 metres, Ploshkin.
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Post by Ploshkin 25th October 2019, 8:42 am

That's useful to know, thanks. Mine is 4 x 4.5 so it gives me a good idea of what I can fit in. I was going to try lingonberries under the blueberries. I thought about cranberries first but it seems that lingonberries are a type of cranberry and crop better.
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Post by FloBear 29th October 2019, 1:06 pm

Well impressed by your stupendous efforts, freebird and glad for you that you were rewarded with good weather long enough to get your fruit planted.
I have Red Kite envy.
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Post by Dandelion 4th November 2019, 12:14 pm

freebird wrote:The no-dig has hit a bit of a setback in that I don't know where my compost is to come from. I really don't have enough space to store uncomposted  or semi-composted manure, and not found anywhere so far that can supply the sort of thing I had before at a reasonable price. I brought with me my 6 remaining sacks of mulch, and am using them sparingly by mulching only round the plants and not the whole bed .


If you don't mind travelling over the border to Herefordshire, our waste /recycling sites sell soil improver (made from the green material put in the skips at the sites). Last time I bought some it was only £2 a sack. Apparently they are not allowed to sell it as 'compost' but it does meet all the EU standards for commercial compost. (I went on a trip round the site where they produce it when I trained as a Master Composter!!)
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Post by freebird 4th November 2019, 1:48 pm

Ooh Dandelion, thank you. But do you have to be resident in Herefordshire? I would need to cost it out to include fuel for the trip, but it sounds as if it may be the answer.
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Post by Chilli-head 6th November 2019, 9:08 pm

Could you borrow DL for an afternoon as a resident for the price of a tea and cake ? Very Happy
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Post by Dandelion 7th November 2019, 5:48 pm

Yeah, I could meet you at the nearest depot and put on a fake Herefordshire accent!! No, it's available to anyone who wants to come and buy it (it's actually produced in Worcestershire, so it would be hypocritical to restrict it to people from Hereford!) They need to sell it as they produce a lot!
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Post by Dandelion 7th November 2019, 5:54 pm

(I think they are a bit picky about non-residents leaving waste at the sites though...) The product is called Greengrow, and having just googled it, it seems you can get hold of it all over the place, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. Most of the recycling sites have a phone number, so it would be worth phoning before you set out to check they have enough.
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Post by freebird 9th November 2019, 10:54 am

Thank you D. I've just looked online too - the nearest place I can collect (if they have it) is Kington, so would cost about £8-9 in diesel. I will make some enquiries after the weekend. The price of the bags works out similar, perhaps a bit more, to what I was getting in London, as those bags were 80L, rather than the 40L Greengrow. It's a huge relief though, to know I will be able to get something fairly reliable.
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Post by freebird 18th November 2019, 5:05 pm

I hadn't intended to make a start on veg plots until next year. I've decided not to terrace as I've done for the fruit cage bed, mainly due to the expense and sheer physical effort involved. So this is my alternative approach.

Measured out the plot (1st of four), then used a half moon edging spade to cut the edges, and then strips about the width of my mattock. The strips of turf are being taken up with the mattock, and some are being used as compost retainers around the edge of the bed. I realise they will eventually degrade and rot down (adding to the compost in the bed), but I'm hoping that by the time they do, the plots will be well established. If I need to, I can put in some timber edging, but intend trying without initially.

My new garden. - Page 2 20191111

My new garden. - Page 2 20191112

I finished the turf stripping after these photos but have not dug the soil at all. I just spread my remaining three bags of compost all over the plot, but need as much again. Once that's in, I will cover the entire thing with cardboard and leave it to cook over winter. Hoping I will be able to plant a few basics next year.
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Post by FloBear 19th November 2019, 5:58 pm

All this and shirt making too, freebird!
You'll be glad next Spring that you made a start.
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Post by Ploshkin 19th November 2019, 6:40 pm

That's looking good Freebird. Your soil must be a lot drier than mine is here -wet and claggy describes it best. I have cut down my 21 year old blackcurrant which was a shame but it was 8'high and the same across and right where the corner of the fruit cage needs to go. I've taken lots of cuttings and I'm hoping to be able to move a smaller bush that was a rooted branch of the nation one.
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Post by freebird 19th June 2020, 8:43 pm

An update on the veg beds (a couple of posts up) is that it hasn't really worked. The soil is too poor and shallow, and with the slope making watering difficult, I've decided that it will be replaced with a raised bed. Now I have an allotment, I won't have as many veg beds here as I had intended originally, but will keep the existing one (as a raised bed) for growing salads.

Meanwhile, site preparation work is underway for the new greenhouse. The Man has decided to join in, and has adapted a hammer drill with a homemade, welded together spade-shaped bit, which he has been using as a mini pneumatic type drill. It has made much shorter work of digging out the trench for the railway sleepers at the back, and certainly saved me much hand and wrist pain. Getting this site level is crucial, so he has been using a proper surveyors thingy (he calls it a dumpy level).

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Post by Ploshkin 19th June 2020, 9:14 pm

Are you on rock there Freebird?
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Post by freebird 19th June 2020, 10:45 pm

About 7" - 8" down is a shale type rock, which comes out in flat pieces. However, at the deepest point about 12" down, the man was having to drill out much more solid rock. Lucky it's not granite! A local person with a smallholding has told me the shale type rock is called mudstone, but I don't know if that is a local name for it, or a commonly known name. Certainly the soil here appears to be nothing better than a finely ground version of the mudstone - much compost is going to be needed.
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Post by Chilli-head 19th June 2020, 11:53 pm

Hopefully all that broen shale will mean the drainage is good at least !

I need to retire, I think. It looks much more fun than work. Mind you, when I was working from home it was possible to juggle my day to knock off at 3:30, do a bit at the lotty, then catch up with a bit more work in the evening, which worked well.
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Post by FloBear 21st June 2020, 9:25 am

Gosh, that's a tough job, freebird! Thanks goodness the Man has decided to give a hand.
I'm fairly sure the shale on some of the beaches near here, such as Kimmeridge, is known as mudstone.
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