Chasingmytail
Member
- Location
- Newport, SE Wales
I think 10cm is enough because most plants and roots are well above that depth. I will do mine tomorrow.
Growing your own veg
- Thread starter No Worries
- Start date
Old McDonald
Member
- Location
- Harray, Orkney
I am at about 10cms and measure at 9.30 because it suits me. Greater depths are not really of much use for my persoanal purposes. Soil moisture is different under irrigation, bu I have not got round to that yet.
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
9 works for me as Nell goes off to work @8.30, so I finish my 2nd coffee then let the dogs out for a decent run while I check the plants and fill the bird feeders, just have to add checking the thermometers to that round. I reckon long as you're consistent it doesn't really matter. I do go round with a moisture meter if it hasn't rained for a couple of days.
Too windy and cold to work at the top end today so been digging the area where I parked the gooseberries temporarily, found it's surprisingly sheltered and very warm, seems to be a natural sun-trap at that end which is good as that's where the raised beds are going. Once you get rid of all the ground elder and stones the soil is remarkably good too
Too windy and cold to work at the top end today so been digging the area where I parked the gooseberries temporarily, found it's surprisingly sheltered and very warm, seems to be a natural sun-trap at that end which is good as that's where the raised beds are going. Once you get rid of all the ground elder and stones the soil is remarkably good too
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Just checked my temperatures, then had a look at what online sites are predicting for here today and the 'swamp' seems to be quite high comparatively. Met are saying 8 for the nearest station (Shawhead, 2 miles away in the next valley), Accuweather are saying 10 but I'm getting 10.8 at the moment 
Last 24hrs;
Air 17.8-2.8
soil 5.5
cloche 16
Last 24hrs;
Air 17.8-2.8
soil 5.5
cloche 16
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Temps last 24hrs;
Air 13.7-2.2
soil 6.5
cloche 14
Garden is definitely warmer than surrounding area, quite a wind chill at the top and but down in the garden it is much warmer with very little wind. Think I'll put another high/low up near the gate just for interest.
Air 13.7-2.2
soil 6.5
cloche 14
Garden is definitely warmer than surrounding area, quite a wind chill at the top and but down in the garden it is much warmer with very little wind. Think I'll put another high/low up near the gate just for interest.
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KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Temps 9am 28/04/17
air 25.4/5.5
soil 9
cloche 16
Definitely seems to be a micro-climate thing going on in the garden
air 25.4/5.5
soil 9
cloche 16
Definitely seems to be a micro-climate thing going on in the garden
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
Finally got some spuds in the ground, ironically they're "first earlies". Maris Bard I think.
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KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
28/04/17
air 14.2/6.9
soil 8
cloche 16
29/04/17
air 15.6/7.4
soil 8.5
cloche 16
Went to the annual village plant sale yesterday, lots of healthy looking plant but only came away with a bottle of Comfrey tea to dilute at 20:1
air 14.2/6.9
soil 8
cloche 16
29/04/17
air 15.6/7.4
soil 8.5
cloche 16
Went to the annual village plant sale yesterday, lots of healthy looking plant but only came away with a bottle of Comfrey tea to dilute at 20:1
New Puritan
Member
- Location
- East Sussex
Old McDonald
Member
- Location
- Harray, Orkney
How do you know it should be diluted at that rate? Is it a commercial product with tested results? Or is it somebody's homemade and no analysis so they have guessed at the dilution rate? Have a look at this link
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?b...;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=0;src=postname
Get hold of some root cuttings. Bocking 14 is the most commonly available. Do not plant the yellow flowered Common Comfrey. It sets seed easily and you will find it becomes an invasive perennial weed.
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
@Old McDonald Thanks for the link can't seem to get onto it though. Looks pretty professionally produced and their plants looked really well grown and healthy so I'll just go with the 20:1.
There's a good stretch of purple flowered comfrey along the roadside half a mile away that I'd always intended to harvest last year but never got round to. No intention of planting the stuff in the swamp.
@New Puritan I'd be interested in you're recipe. Plenty of nettles around and plenty of seaweed about 40 minutes away, Which seaweed do you mean?
Think the church funds did well yesterday which is good as part of it is being turned into a heritage/social centre.
Strawbs seem to be settling in nicely, Cambridge and Sonata are putting out flowers, oddly enough it's the plants on the side facing away from the strongest sun that seem to be most forward. Think the sweetheart must be younger plants as they are supposed to be the earlier croppers.
There's a good stretch of purple flowered comfrey along the roadside half a mile away that I'd always intended to harvest last year but never got round to. No intention of planting the stuff in the swamp.
@New Puritan I'd be interested in you're recipe. Plenty of nettles around and plenty of seaweed about 40 minutes away, Which seaweed do you mean?
Think the church funds did well yesterday which is good as part of it is being turned into a heritage/social centre.
Strawbs seem to be settling in nicely, Cambridge and Sonata are putting out flowers, oddly enough it's the plants on the side facing away from the strongest sun that seem to be most forward. Think the sweetheart must be younger plants as they are supposed to be the earlier croppers.
New Puritan
Member
- Location
- East Sussex
@KMA - there's not really a recipe per-se, and it's very unscientific... Basically I just cut a load of nettles and comfrey down, chop them up a bit with shears, and stuff it all into a barrel. The barrel is one of the "mango chutney" type barrels that often get given away or sold for a £1. I've fitted a tap near the base, and inside I have put an upturned (large) plastic flower pot which I've cut down to be just higher than the tap, and on top of that are two layers of chicken wire.
The chopped leaves go in, filling it up as much as possible, and when it's full I fill the barrel up with water. When it starts to stink I know it's ready, and start watering stuff with it. I dilute at approx 20:1 too, based on what I read in a book once. If I can persuade my daughter to come with me to the beach (I live about 200yds from it), I'll put some seaweed in as well. Just any old bladder-wrack or whatever's sitting on the shore line is what I use. Obviously I could collect seaweed by myself, but for some reason it's become a family event for her & me to go and get it together, much to her indignation.
I'll caveat all this by saying it's happily unscientific as it's only for my allotment. If I was putting it on commercial crops I'd want to know a bit more about what's in it.
And @Old McDonald is correct about using Bocking 14 - the variety that can often be found growing wild is very invasive, whereas Bocking 14 is not. It's a good plant, I like having a bit of it about, and the bees certainly seem to like it too.
NP.
The chopped leaves go in, filling it up as much as possible, and when it's full I fill the barrel up with water. When it starts to stink I know it's ready, and start watering stuff with it. I dilute at approx 20:1 too, based on what I read in a book once. If I can persuade my daughter to come with me to the beach (I live about 200yds from it), I'll put some seaweed in as well. Just any old bladder-wrack or whatever's sitting on the shore line is what I use. Obviously I could collect seaweed by myself, but for some reason it's become a family event for her & me to go and get it together, much to her indignation.
I'll caveat all this by saying it's happily unscientific as it's only for my allotment. If I was putting it on commercial crops I'd want to know a bit more about what's in it.
And @Old McDonald is correct about using Bocking 14 - the variety that can often be found growing wild is very invasive, whereas Bocking 14 is not. It's a good plant, I like having a bit of it about, and the bees certainly seem to like it too.
NP.
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Thanks, so the idea of chopping it up into a woven feed bag and sticking it in a water butt would work fine. We gave someone a sack of sheepshit this year and they were planning to do something similar for their tomatoes. I just filled a couple of mineral tubs full of sheepshit + any earthworms I found in my excavations, courgettes got the same treatment but the cats sat on them so more seeds in the propagator today. Anyone know the nutritional analysis of cat?
Old McDonald
Member
- Location
- Harray, Orkney
I always check when I post a link. Just click on it and it will appear. Have to agree with @New Puritan about doing things unscientifically. I di that for all the kitchen garden stuff. Guesswork, and not always an "informed guess" is most often the sensible approach if you are not looking to earn an income from something.
Be sure you know the difference between Comfrey and Foxglove!! They look similar at times.
Anyone know the nutritional analysis of cat?
Faeces or whole animal?
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Think its chrome that's being the pain.
I can understand how some could be confused between the two, we used to have some beautiful white foxgloves in the corner of one field, the rest were the normal but the two plants are quite different if you are familiar with one of them.
Whole cat two, of them, when they're not trying to trip me up on the stairs..........my fault, I left the lid off the propagator and it's on one of their preferred windowsills
Planning to collect 6t of gravel this morning so will finally be able to make a start on laying the drains. Once the first 20' is in I'll even be able to start on the first raised bed at long, long last
I can understand how some could be confused between the two, we used to have some beautiful white foxgloves in the corner of one field, the rest were the normal but the two plants are quite different if you are familiar with one of them.
Whole cat two, of them, when they're not trying to trip me up on the stairs..........my fault, I left the lid off the propagator
and it's on one of their preferred windowsillsPlanning to collect 6t of gravel this morning so will finally be able to make a start on laying the drains. Once the first 20' is in I'll even be able to start on the first raised bed at long, long last
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
01/05/17
air 23.8/8.8
soil 10
cloche 16
air 23.8/8.8
soil 10
cloche 16
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
Oops, just realised this is a no dig thread right? Apologies for the previous photo! But, after all that digging I've some dowding books on their way here.
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Dunno about no-dig, seems all I've done since new year is dig so you just you keep the pics coming so I feel like I'm not the only heretic
JohnGalway
Member
- Location
- Connemara, Ireland
KMA
Member
- Location
- Dumfriesshire
Hard looking ground but soil looks good, I'll be interested to see how the Pink Fir Apple does.
I'll be interested to see how the Pink Fir Apple does.