[SuellaParticipant]

I live in the Loughborough area but don’t know how relevant this location is. I have built a sturdy bean frame with chicken wire and allowed squash to climb up part of this. Would the elevation of the vines be counter indicated for the ripening of squash generally? Or are we far enough north that the idea might not work well?

It is a nuisance removing all the bean vines at the end or the season and I’ll probably find the same with the squash vines, but hoped to have your opinion on the practicality of saving space in this way.

Thanks for any comments you can make,
Suella

[SuellaParticipant]

I like in the Loughborough area but don’t know how relevant this location is. I have built a sturdy bean frame with chicken wire and allowed squash to climb up part of this. Would the elevation of the vines be counter indicated for the ripening of squash generally? Or are we far enough north that the idea might not work well?

It is a nuisance removing all the bean vines at the end or the season and I’ll probably find the same with the squash vines, but hoped to have your opinion on the practicality of saving space in this way.

Thanks for any comments you can make,
Suella

[SuellaParticipant]

Mark,
Are those samples still available please? Happy to pay for postage/carriage.

Suella

[SuellaParticipant]

I’ll stick to watering in the future. Glad to hear that it seems to have worked for you. It sounds like too dry soil may give them a chance to get their nests in place.

[SuellaParticipant]

ants in my greenhouse completely destroyed the roots of one lettuce adjacent to where I was about to plant tomatoes. Sadly I felt I had to forfeit my organic credentials and use what appears to be talcum powder. It did seem to work immediately.

[SuellaParticipant]

For what it is worth, here is a report on how Sweden seems to be using old Christmas trees to produce a form of Biochar. Currently it seems to h ave several advocatesm there and in the US.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/01/04/sweden-recycle-christmas-trees.aspx?utm_source=dnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art2&utm_campaign=20170104Z2&et_cid=DM130044&et_rid=1826220815

But the proof of the pudding is in our usage of products we can get in the UK.

Looking forward to find out more.
Suella

[SuellaParticipant]

Thanks for the Tolhurst link. Am looking for the complete report but the snippets I’ve read sound well worth pursuing. I wonder what the management differences are with using woodchip that has been composted for 18 months. It is mentioned but not t explained.

Wood chip is easier to get here than spent brewery stuff for composting, alas. I’ll have to buy in mushroom compost as well.

[SuellaParticipant]

Charles and all,
Here is a reference to the printed article quotted in the first post.
http://www.merfield.com/research/2011/Biochar–the-need-forprecaution-2011-Merfield.pdf

The discussion has been interesting. I noted Monty Don using something black from a big with his potting sometime in later 2016. He didn’t comment and I wondered what it was. Didn’t ask, so don’t know for sure.
I’ll have a look at Northumbria Biochar. and see if it may be better for me.

[SuellaParticipant]

Hi.
I appreciate the problem.

I plan to use fishing line on taller old gazebo upright criss-crossed over my already netted plants. That seems to stop that sort of damage. Inexpensive and with shiny CDs dangling also easy to remove by cutting and/or breaking.

If you make the poles above head height it is easier t get in and weed when necessary.

Asking for second hand gazebo poles on freecycle est means I can build made to measure cages that are moveable with crop rotation..

[SuellaParticipant]

I’ll try to combine shallots and onion sets in one big pot and then plant another a fortnight later. I suspect
that each type may grow differently. I have enough left over to do several pots

If I trim them quite high up I suspect the growing points may continue to grow for some little time.

Would it be best then to plant them out in the flower garden to see if any recover enough to set seed?

I have all of one Babbington’s Leek, but some walking onions that I exchanged for some well rotted horse muck. I’ve not yet used them but am growing them as a a novelty currently. Maybe this year.

And I bought literally two dozen Elephant “Garlic” for a pound when our garden centre had a sale. 10 for a pack of 2 rather than £2.99. I cleared them out. I’ll grow some of these for food and the rest in my flower bed. as they sound like they will be growing big seed heads.
I’m still getting my head around biodynamic sowing, so am likely to do it wrongly at first.

[SuellaParticipant]

Has anyone tried growing shallots or onion sets close together in a pot for salad/spring type onions? I have too many shallots and red onion sets and thought this might work well.

Or might the taste be too strong or different?

[SuellaParticipant]

Could fine metal netting over a pot be of help here. Something like perhaps fiberglass screening? This could keep out mice or at least make it clear when mice had been active. Metal screening wouldn’t be so easy to eat through but might be more difficult to come by.

[Author]

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