[ChodeParticipant]

Great, thanks Charles!
Conor

[ChodeParticipant]

Just wondering if anyone has any comments or advice on the questions above – best way to deal with brambles, and best ground preparation for fruit trees.
Thanks
Conor

[ChodeParticipant]

Sorry, original photo too large for uploading.
Conor

[ChodeParticipant]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I wonder what Charles thinks about using fresh (unrotted) horse manure for paths? I have access to some very well rotted horse manure, which I use for beds. There is also loads of fresh manure which has the advantage of being lighter and easier to transport (the rotted stuff can be heavy when wet, and I have to carry bags of it to/from my car to get it to the plot) – it would just be the smell in the car that might be the problem! I was thinking that a nice thick layer of this would make a good surface for paths, with it slowly rotting down over time, and would be easy enough to top up each year or so.
Conor

[ChodeParticipant]

Thanks Charles – have planted out the first batch under a temporary cloche/poly tunnel type thing – there has been quite a cold wind these last few days, plus some torrential showers, so thought they would appreciate some protection. As I mentioned, I am planning to grow them vertically as much as possible, but somewehat perplexed at how to achieve this – both in terms of the strength of the support, and the cost of the supporting materials. Would a bamboo wigwam be strong enough?

Chode

[ChodeParticipant]

Thanks Charles,
I suppose you could call 4 squash a ‘good harvest’, when my previous baseline was zero!
Chode

[ChodeParticipant]

Thanks for the advice Charles,
I am trying sweet potato for the first time this year, and following the advice slip that came from Suttons seeds. A friend on my allotment site of Afro-Carribean origin tells me that I need to let the trailing stems root into soil, as that is where the new tubers form; she says that it doesn’t produce new tubers underneath like a regular potato. This advice differs from the Suttons advice leaflet, so I don’t quite know who to believe! I put the trailing stems into a fresh bag of compost in the greenhouse – time will tell if anything comes of it! I was interested to see that your sweet poatoes flowered – there was no sign of any flowers on mine!
Chode

[Author]

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