Last night while suffering from insomnia (again) I came across this YouTube video. Just over an hour of gardening hacks. That will apparently blow your mind!! It definitely did blow my mind! Not in the way they were hoping, I don’t think! 

https://youtu.be/O_pMzgwaw7k?si=IHSOxoFVRTFYqr7n

Now as I was watching this in bed at 3.30 this morning. I didn’t have the volume on. So really couldn’t say if there is a stunning commentary to accompany this. To be fair one or two did look mildly interesting & believable. 
A couple of my favourite just so you have an idea. When a Christmas cactus grew after sowing dragon fruit seeds. And a couple of very funny mushroom growing methods. I particularly liked the ones that grew from stalks of you bog standard shop brought shrooms in a sealed jam jar of spent coffee grounds ( I think). Best bit they didn’t appear on the surface, like every mushroom ever! They grew almost at the bottom of the jar and had to be dug out almost! Gods help us if anyone believes half this stuff! 
If you’re a fan of cactus, don’t watch this video. Some of the stuff they do to them is barbaric !! And half the time, I couldn’t work out why. 

Anyway if you’re ever suffering from insomnia and want a flipping good giggle, watch this ! 

What’s everyone favourite climbers? Do you go for flowers or foliage? Are there any climbers you wouldn’t grow?

I need a couple more for along the fence in the cottage garden area. So far I have honeysuckle, clematis president ( big purple flowers) . A rose, small bright pink flower, variety unknown. A cutting from the place I used to clean. Also possible if the cuttings take a potato vine. 
I was thinking more clematis varieties as they are so many. But happy to be lead in a different direction.

Definitely not Virginia creeper or climbing hydrangeas.

Time to pick up this theme again with the letter H. Flowers you grow or would like to grow that start with the letter H.

Hyacinth - I like to have some in pots for the new year - better buy some soon!
Hemerocallis or Day Lilies. Have lots of these - probably too many to be honest. Mostly orange but I do have a couple of creamy ones.
Helichrysum - really want to grow these for drying. maybe next year!

Have any of you made hanging or fixed shelves for your pollytunnel? If so how and what with? 
I'm thinking of shortening the blow away and cover it with insect mesh.  To cover the brassica bed.  Hopefully have shelves running down each side I could have my strawberry plants in their as well.

   


Happy Birthday

I’ve just found out from a canning fb group. If you store your berries in glass jars. They will last for weeks! It works for any berries. The trick is don’t do anything to them, including washing. Works for freshly picked or from the shop apparently. The poster said the ones in the photo have been in the jar for 3 weeks. They look perfect. 

I might have to pick some blackberries. Just to try it for myself.

Has anyone got the growing bug for next year already? I definitely have. I’m making lot of plans   .

Especially as I’ve learned we’ve been given incorrect information about needing planning for my big tunnels. We don’t need planning so they can go up before we finish building      .

Has anyone read this book? I’ve just found it on the Franchi website. Never heard of it before, but the title and write up. Are holding my interest. Just wondering if anyone has actually read it. I’ve found it cheaper on eBay. 


Another book I’d like recommendations for is one on cucurbits. A good general all rounder, variety, growing, tips & cooking if such a thing exists.

I have a new Challenge for myself but feel free to join me. Its called No Shop October and I have to get through the rest of the month without going shopping for food (apart from the £5 Pantry which isn't really a shop). A bit like the start of lockdown (remember that!!) when we couldn't easily go shopping so ate from our store cupboards and freezer. 
Its time I investigated the back of the cupboard and the bottom of the freezer to see how much space I can make. The big freezer is full with lots of fruit and veg from the garden but I still have things I want to freeze and its a constant challenge to shuffle the stuff around to squeeze in some more. I'm sure there's some past its best food at the bottom. Its like digging up hidden treasure when you have no idea what you'll find but you know that something is there, waiting to be discovered. 
So that's my plan for the next 3 weeks. Care to join me.

Sometimes you want your potatoes to sprout/chit, but not when you want to store them for eating. I've just read that if you put an apple in with your potatoes they will stay sprout-free. 
I'm going to try it when I next have some potatoes - nothing ventured.

For the record:-
KEEP POTATOES FROM SPROUTING!!!
Do you hate those ugly sprouts that form on your potatoes after just a couple of weeks? It turns out an apple a day just doesn't only keep the Dr. away but will also keep those sprouts away and also help the potatoes last longer.
The apples and potatoes storage tip has also been proven by America's Test Kitchen. In their experiment, potatoes stored with an apple stayed firm and sprout-free even after eight weeks, compared to potatoes stored without an apple; they turned out "largely soft, shriveled, and sad looking." So add an apple and save your potatoes.
Remove potatoes from packaging and place in a plastic bin and add an apple.