3: Gardening Diaries ...

[alp]

@BigC : compost always come with a lot of weeds and they are a nightmare to weed. Using the hotbin method, it's fast. Also, try to go for a smaller, rotating one. Most of the time, composting is not happening as the stuff is too heavy to turn or aerate. That's why open compost bin has its advantage. A fork and a spade will do the job.

 

[Zenj]

Morning all
Overcast here at the moment they say the suns coming ? went to Yorkshire yesterday called to see my mam than met up with an old best friend who went to live in Spain we haven’t seen each other for 46 years so we had a lot to catch up on .

 

[alp]

Hope you're going to get your sunshine, @Zenji !

Wonder what your friend made of our weather!?

To my absolute and total delight. the camellia which I paid £7.99 has three different flowers

Sorry that it has passed its prime. I didn't even know it had a 3rd different bloom until I weeded the area. All I knew was there was a limp stem hanging out. I am sooooooooooo chuuuuuuuuuuffed! Thank you, Lidl!

Dicentra coming up with a day's notice and the redder one is King of Hearts? or King of Kings with flowers rising above the foliage.

Some cuties

Don't they just tug at your heart's strings..

Some biggies

Some lantern flowers

White camellia

Fritillary imperalis

 

[Logan]

@alp they are beautiful.

Pulled my first rhubarb 4lb

 

[MaryMary]

...Question now is what NOT to put into a compost bin..any advice on this one, things that definitely should not go into the bin to be composted.. do you have to seed it with anything i.e liquid feed starter or anything (newbie questions) and what do you use as your first layer cardboard?...do they smell badly because it would be right up against a neighbours fence?..Apologies for the novice to composting questions. never envisaged doing this before.

No meat or dairy. No grease. Nothing that may have herbicides on it. None of the advertising that comes on slick, glossy paper. If you want a liquid accelerator, pee in it!! It's good for the compost, and better for the environment in general. Urine in the waters is partly responsible for toxic algal blooms, and if you're on any meds, it's bad for the fish.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2012/01/31/3415550.htm

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fish-on-prozac-prove-anxious-anti-social-agressive/

...I think I'm going to make my own from old pallet wood or cheap decking boards..yes that would be a better option in my situation. plus I can make it to the size I want that will fit where I want.... See what I can muster up in the comming weeks

BigC, why not a nice sized box with no bottom? If you put it flat on the ground, you'll let worms in, and worm poop is wonderful for plants! They also will break down the pile quicker. You'll want a hinged lid for ease of throwing things in. A swinging front door for ease of taking compost out would be good.

 

[Logan]

g that comes on slick, glossy paper. If you want a liquid accelerator, pee in it!! It's good for the compost, and better for the environment in general.

I would have said that, but i wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say on here.

 

[MaryMary]

I would have said that, but i wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say on here.

I wrote a long post about it a while ago for a member that probably never came back to read it!!

https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/first-time-composter-need-help.10740/#post-96574

 

[marlingardener]

Now, we compost--lots of veggie peels, weeds, coffee grounds, etc.--and I love my compost. I love my compost so much that out of respect to it (and the neighbors) I will NOT pee on it. A gardener has to draw a line somewhere, and my line is at the bathroom door .

 

[MaryMary]

Urine is 100% sterile. You can drink it if you are stranded on island with water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink. It also has antiseptic qualities and can be used to wash wounds in a pinch. (I'd get out of the pinch first!! .)

 

[alp]

Now, we compost--lots of veggie peels, weeds, coffee grounds, etc.--and I love my compost. I love my compost so much that out of respect to it (and the neighbors) I will NOT pee on it. A gardener has to draw a line somewhere, and my line is at the bathroom door .

Oh, come on! @marlingardener , once a week is OK! Remember, adolescents must be banned. Their wee stinks, as per my experience! LOL!

 

[alp]

Urine is 100% sterile. You can drink it if you are stranded on island with water, water, everywhere but not a drop to drink. It also has antiseptic qualities and can be used to wash wounds in a pinch. (I'd get out of the pinch first!! .)

LOL! This is another extreme! I hope the day I have to drink my own wee will NEVER come!

 

[MaryMary]

I hope to never have to drink it either!! But I guess better mine than having to drink someone else's!!

 

[alp]

I hope to never have to drink it either!! But I guess better mine than having to drink someone else's!!

. It will be a terrible experience coming to that - not the drinking bit, but the situation leading to the necessity of such desperation.

Yes, an occasional wee will do the plant a lot of good. Some spiteful man here consistently and persistently wee-d on his neighbour's plants, killing it and it went to court!

 

[alp]

@marlingardener You're quite right. October and November are best for rose cuttings. Some of them have roots, so pleased.

Tulips today and some others!

 

[BigC]

Talk of incontinence, peeing in compost bins intertwined with pics of beautiful flowers is what I come home to on this fine sunny day ...I've just tended the greenhouse and watered the inhabitants..I gave the Strawberries a good drenching as I'm sure they are parched in their ceiling baskets...Been a good day and I really should be out painting but inertia has kicked in and I will do something after tea...What a glorious day its turned out to be after a murky start if a tad windy...No luck with the pepper germination just yet and I'm getting a little impatient if slightly concerned...I'll leave it another week and if nothing shows I'll plant some more...

Strawberries are doing well, and the Moneymaker Tomatoes (which I'd gave up on) showing their faces at last...Greenhouse temps close to 100'F...It's hot in there.