Hoverflies don't get much publicity as beneficial insects unlike bees but they adore aphids, so that must be a good thing! 
I came across this advice on how to attract hoverflies to the garden:-

"Attract adults by planting appropriate flower-rich habitats, but they will only remain if suitable densities of aphid prey are available. Hoverflies feed on the flowers of annual arable plants (such as cornflower, chickweed, knotweeds and shepherd’s purse) and hedgerow plants (wild carrot, cow parsley, hogweed and white campion). In addition, flower strips can be established specifically for hoverflies in and around fields containing coriander, buckwheat, phacelia or alyssum." 
https://ahdb.org.uk/knowledge-library/id...ield-crops

I have lots of coriander seeds which I won't be growing (as I don't like it) and I'm sure I have phacelia and alyssum too. So my plan is to mix them up and sow a "flower strip" near the veg patch. There's cow parsley & hogweed already, though I'd happily get rid of the hogweed! Sorry hoverflies.

More info at https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/hoverflies

It’s pancake day     . 

I’m going very traditional with sugar and lemon. Bob will have added rabbit sh** (raisins   ) on his.

What you having on yours ?

Some people use the 40 Days of Lent to give up things that they enjoy - like chocolate or wine. 
Lent  starts on March 5th and ends on Thursday April 17th this year.

Are any of you giving anything up? 

I'm going to work on my Seed hoarding.  I plan to release 40 out of date packets of seed into the wilderness. One packet or type of seed every day until April 17th.

Over the Pond, employees have been asked, by a Muskrat, to name 5 things they've achieved in the previous week - that's if I understand it correctly?? 
Anyway, I thought we could put our own Nutty spin on this and list our own achievements.  
Remembering what we did last week may be a problem, so how about  a daily achievement? It could be something really challenging - like getting up before 10 or eating a whole Mars bar.    Please note, these are not my achievements although I did get up before 10 today.  
Over to you!

Morning Folks

Any idea what this is please, looks like some sort of brassica to me?

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Some interesting information has come out of these experiments. Worth a browse! 
https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/what-we...archive/p3

Where can you buy seeds that have been produced in the UK - not imported in bulk from anywhere in the world and repackaged - you know who I mean.

Real seeds https://www.realseeds.co.uk/
Vital seeds https://vitalseeds.co.uk/
Wales Seed Hub https://www.seedhub.wales/
Seeds of Scotland https://www.seedsofscotland.com/
Beans and herbs https://www.beansandherbs.co.uk/


Please add to this list - I know there are more seed growers in the UK.

I’ve just signed up for a moon meadow guide from the butterfly conservation. It popped up on my Facebook feed. The link is via google not Facebook.
https://butterfly-conservation.org/join-the-dark-side

Happy Birthday, Danny Broadway! Hope your day is filled with happiness ..........and cake.  xx

We've all heard about the Three Sisters method of growing where sweetcorn, climbing beans and squash are grown together and provide benefits to each other. The beans climb the corn stalks, the squash shades the ground between the plants and the beans add nitrogen to the soil.  The RHS suggests growing sunflowers in the mix too. too. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-...ee-sisters

I've just read an article about Hodmedod's grower of Carlin peas who grows the carlin peas alongside Triticale cereal which provides a  support for the peas to climb up. https://digital-mag.co.uk/waitrosefood-m...eb2025/#90

This has me wondering what other crops could be "buddied up" (as the Hodmedod's grower calls it). Two plants grown in the same place providing double the harvest. 

I'm not really thinking about "companion planting" where one plant acts as a pest deterrent to another, like onions and carrots, but where one plant takes advantage of the physical characteristics of another - like beans climbing up sweetcorn. It could be like hedging your bets - if your sweetcorn is a failure, never mind, because you may still have beans, idea.

Any ideas for other combinations?