Metal Warfare - Irish Metal Forum

Mon ta fuck! Seeing as I derailed the Simple Pleasures thread and everyone seems more interested in discussing gardening than metal it's only right that it gets its own thread.

:abbath:

Seems appropriate!

I first read about Grow Cook Eat and picked up a copy, instantly got hooked on the idea of growing my own food, ignored all the advice, grew way too much, and created a vegetable disaster.

Learned a bit over the past couple of years and I'm having a bit more success. Currently reading through David The Good's books about survival gardening and extreme composting. Who knew composting had an extreme genre.

Be interesting to hear how folks got into it themselves, and if they've any good resources to check out.

I left work and decided to take a bit more control of our food, tastes better  less plastic waste, double the nutrition, miles cheaper. Ah yeah, I have Grow cook eat, and was a GIYer but I find them to be a bit expensive for the subscription. Though they got me into chard... Which is the king of veg! I'm mad into organics and permaculture. Charles Dowding is a bit of a god so he's worth checking out on youtube. Also Huws Nursery has excellent videos along with Claires allotments. For permaculture and living more off grid, Bealtaine cottage (she composts her own shit) and Mossy Bottom (more philosophical videos) are also great youtube channels!

If anyone has any experience in brewing from berries, and fruit, I'd be interested in any ideas?Got arou 20 blackcurrant bushes, a plum tree, raspberries  gooseberries, sloes and some elder trees.  Also maybe interested in rhubarb champagne or elderflower champagne. 

I'm a complete novice so all tips will be taken on board.

Aboot time ye fucked off to yer own thread   :laugh: :laugh:

Yeah I also picked up a copy of Gaia's Garden, in relation to permaculture. Still pretty new to the concept, but that'll hopefully shed a bit of light on it.

The whole food forest idea is fantastic.

Spent a good bit of time watching Charles Dowding, I remember seeing a photo of him with a fuckin epic parsnip ha ha

Bealtaine Cottage looks amazing too.

Yeah the GIY stuff can be a bit expensive, but I find their videos on YouTube to be really handy for the basics. That Claus guy is entertaining to watch.

I love and hate gardening. I need to work myself up to it but when I'm at it I enjoy it. My lawn is my constant nemesis. The fucker is always wild and weedy and the 2 terrorists that came about from me being so sexy have destroyed it.,
Also this year the slugs are munching the shit out of everything.

I find if you just do a few minutes each day or two, rather than leaving everything for the weekend makes it easier to work up to doing it.

Beer traps can work well for slugs, I popped a couple beside my lettuce and oriental greens.

I suppose they can be an emergency backup too if you ever miss the offo.

Any ideas for a natural weedkiller? Have a load of thistles coming up in the back garden, got rid of most of them last year with roundup, but now the kids are older and will be outside more I don't want to go so severe

Quote from: Trev on May 25, 2019, 01:23:45 PM
Any ideas for a natural weedkiller? Have a load of thistles coming up in the back garden, got rid of most of them last year with roundup, but now the kids are older and will be outside more I don't want to go so severe

Weed remover tools are quite handy. I have one that you twist into the ground to pull the weeds out. It wasn't expensive.

https://youtu.be/SsxV7UWWdwM

Quote from: Trev on May 25, 2019, 01:23:45 PM
Any ideas for a natural weedkiller? Have a load of thistles coming up in the back garden, got rid of most of them last year with roundup, but now the kids are older and will be outside more I don't want to go so severe

My Wife used a mixture of hot water, washing up liquid & vinegar. Mix it up in watering can & pour.

Simplicity! Metal! Gardening!! Is this...thread heaven!  I fuck about cluelessly in the garden from time to time buoyed on by my desire to see a little patch of nature flourish(ish) as opposed to some soul-less concrete mess or a wasted baron space. I must admit, it's appealing to me more and more each year. Auldness?? possibly.

Quote from: Trev on May 25, 2019, 01:23:45 PM
Any ideas for a natural weedkiller? Have a load of thistles coming up in the back garden, got rid of most of them last year with roundup, but now the kids are older and will be outside more I don't want to go so severe

I find the only way to kill weeds is digging them up. Strim them /chop em down first and then dig up any roots and runners that may be hiding underground. Then grow something else there straight away to block light and provide competition for any Fuckers that think of growing back.  Its a pain in the ass but if you do it right first you won't have to keep going back in there with roundup or some other carcinogenic and useless weedkiller.

Quote from: Bigmac on May 24, 2019, 09:11:24 PM
Yeah I also picked up a copy of Gaia's Garden, in relation to permaculture. Still pretty new to the concept, but that'll hopefully shed a bit of light on it.

The whole food forest idea is fantastic.

Spent a good bit of time watching Charles Dowding, I remember seeing a photo of him with a fuckin epic parsnip ha ha

Bealtaine Cottage looks amazing too.

Yeah the GIY stuff can be a bit expensive, but I find their videos on YouTube to be really handy for the basics. That Claus guy is entertaining to watch.

Ah yeah forgot about that Claus Lederhosen guy... His book is incredible!

I can't get this fucker  to embed an image, but here's a simple weedkiller I've started using.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hhF7KqNR_OOVQegcxWxR00H2BcdlW7ne/view?usp=drivesdk (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hhF7KqNR_OOVQegcxWxR00H2BcdlW7ne/view?usp=drivesdk)

1 gallon of Vinegar
2 cups of Epson Salts (I've used regular salt too)
0.25 cup of washing up liquid


On the drive used cheap rock salt directly onto weeds along the edge. Kills most off over a couple weeks. Put on when weather is dry, so weeds are hungry when there is eventually a drop of rain.

We've a langer load of Raspberries, Currents and Strawberries on the go.

Strawberries spread like weeds. Raspberries need to be contained properly, unlike ours which are literally shooting up all over the lawn and neighbouring beds.  :laugh:

Onions, Beets, Spinach, Carrots and Courgette are all on the go at the minute.

Quote from: jobrok1 on May 27, 2019, 03:15:35 PM
We've a langer loaf of Raspberries, Currents and Strawberries on the go.

Strawberries spread like weeds. Raspberries need to be contained properly, unlike ours which are literally shooting up all over the lawn and neighbouring beds.  :laugh:

Onions, Beets, Spinach, Carrots and Courgette are all on the go at the minute.

What are you going to do with all the berries? I've a similar plethora of fruit. There's only so much jam a and smoothies a person can make. I'm thinking of doing wine or some some sort of cider from them..
..

Pulled a few up by hand earlier, going to get one of those remover tools now. Found it infinitely more satisfying seeing them ripped up and gone then just spraying and waiting for it to work

We've a few blackberries out the back, going to try and add some strawberries and raspberries soon. I could happily eat them all day so if they spread all over the place I'll be delighted!

I've 3 kids, so as soon as the strawberries ripen they'll be devoured every time they're outside playing. They are one of the hardiest plants ever and literally run riot once they take hold. If they didn't produce such a sought after fruit they'd be on everyone's kill list.
Same for Raspberries. We've early and late varieties, so from next month we'll be picking them daily until early November.
Only noticed today the apple trees have a tonne of fruit forming already, too. Can't wait for them.

We'll eat, juice, and preserve as much as we can. Plus! My Missus runs a healthy dessert/cake business, so we make great use of pretty much everything we grow.


As for weeds...
Picking them is always the best.
Especially couch grass, docs and fucking buttercups. No other way around it if they're coming up in the veggie beds. No way I'm spraying anything, even organic weed killer, in the veggie beds.

I'm liking the talk of berries.  Might throw a few in the garden bit try to keep them isolated (dreaming!)

I planted about 12 strawberry plants out in the front garden myself last year, got decent harvest from them, but over winter I wasn't sure what to be doing with them and they got very tatty and shit looking. Figured they were doomed, but low and behold, once the sun has come out, I can see them come back to life, and there's some strawberries on the way.

They even spread to the bed were I have the perennial herbs like rosemary and thyme etc. They seem to be getting along fine so I'll leave them be.

I was always under the impression that strawberries are quite delicate and difficult to grow. Nice to see they're actually hardy fuckers.

For those with other types of berries, what would you recommend? I quite like blackberries and raspberries, did you just buy some plants or grow from seed? Would love a bit of rhubarb out there too.

I always was under the impression that raspberries were hard to grow and quite delicate.
How do you stop the bugs eating all on sight?

Yesterday's deluge fairly hammered the garden.  A lot of what I've planted hasn't matured yet as it is only in a couple of months so we'll have to see what survives and what will have to be replaced.  I'm actually looking forward to buying more plants,  if I'm being honest  8)

Looking forward to a bit of extreme pottering over the long weekend.

A good dump of rain should do wonders for the plants. But if they're pretty young shoots it can be disastrous alright.

Raspberries are tough enough, too.
Just keep picking the ripe ones as soon as they're ready. Bugs shouldn't really bother them. It's birds are the enemy when it comes to raspberries.
Cover with netting if it's not to big an area. Otherwise just beat the fuckers to the fruit.
Put up something to scare them off.
Old CDs hanging from string on a line works to a degree. They don't like the flickering light as they twist in the wind.
Cats are good too, but then they'll piss and shit all over your beds as well.

Speaking of piss and shit, I was finding turds in the beds where I have my potatoes. I assume cats or foxes smell the manure I spread, and decide that it must be a class place to drop their own load. Got one of those ultrasonic repellent things, and it seems to have done the trick.

I  originally heard that urine could keep them away, kind of like marking your territory. It was only while strolling around the back garden with my lad in my hand, merrily fortifying the beds, that I thought it probably would have been better to piss into a bottle in the privacy of the house, then pour that around. No complaints from neighbors though thankfully.

Spent the evening making a bamboo/net thing for my peas to climb up, should hopefully do the trick.

Watching some videos about composting, and stumbled across Charles Dowding and that epic parsnip I mentioned previously.

12kg of parsnips from one small row is fuckin impressive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WDk0U0oLa0

Anybody ever make Seedbombs?

I was listening to a Blindboy podcast and he talks about mixing native wildflower seeds, compost and clay together to form golf-ball sized balls and let them dry out. Then you just fuck them anywhere on a vacant lot, or in ghost estates, and wildflowers will grow and it will help the bees.

The missus bought beebombs, which are the same thing.  I fired them around the garden a couple of months ago but no joy on them yet.  I'm sure in time they'll begin to emerge,  though.  We have left a portion of our garden to go a bit wild and see what happens but I have introduced poppies and foxgloves which I expect will spread their seeds all over the gaff.  If they get into our lawn section I might have to sacrifice the entire garden to the rewilding cause  ::)

Months? Fuck I was hoping for a couple of weeks  :laugh:
Just made some there and they're drying out now. Fingers crossed.

I'm hoping it is just down to whatever combination of seeds are in the bombs.  They may pop out in late summer or in the autumn.  Failing that they might emerge next spring. If not, it's war.

Got a bag full of meadow seed, far too much for the garden. So somewhere is gonna get meadowfied in the coming days.

https://youtu.be/WmJCnNuMg3Y

A lot of the seeds in those meadow mixes would be biennials (including foxgloves and some poppies) so will put on some green growth the first year, overwinter and then flower in the second year. Often recommended to plant these on the autumn to shorten time between sowing and flowering.
In theory I don't see benefit of seedbombs as it means numerous seeds germinating in a very confined space and immediately being in competition for water, nutrients and then light. Great for lashing into somewhere that can't be reached easily I suppose. If working on your own spot  better to clear a bit of ground from grass, weeds etc and scatter mixed seeds.

Might indeed give that a go next year of our current experiment doesn't work out.  It's all a bit of trial and error.

I cleared a big patch down the end of the garden last week and bought a few packs of different wildflower seeds...and forgot to check the planting dates. Most of them were March/April til May/June. Reckon if I just lash them down now anyway they'll still take?

Quote from: M.Hopkins on July 05, 2019, 08:55:34 PMGreat for lashing into somewhere that can't be reached easily I suppose. If working on your own spot  better to clear a bit of ground from grass, weeds etc and scatter mixed seeds.

You're right. I don't have my own garden and I live in a small coastal town so just gonna fire these about the place. I reckon I've far too many seeds in these yokes... but like McLove said, trial and error  8)

Most seeds can keep for a few years easily if kept  dry and somewhere fairly cool although germination rates might drop.
Sowing  annuals late shouldn't be a problem really as they should get to flowering stage fairly quickly. Depends on how quickly they germinate and then when the first frosts arrive.
Now is a great time so sow seeds for next spring ie wallflowers, bellis, honesty , forget me not, pansies, violas etc and also perennials which will flower next year like delphiniums and biennials like California poppies, foxgloves etc

i planted these seeds called night scented stock.
these things are deadly!
they are just little flowers and during the day they are all shrivel'd up and look dead but in the evenings they open up and release a really powerful perfume thats kind of sweet lemon smelling.
i planted 6 pots of them and i now have them by the font doors and windows of the house and the smell just blows through the house.
probably one of the best plants ive come across yet!

Does any one have any experience using seaweed as a mulch?

I find the soil drying out in the raised beds quite a bit on these warmer days, so figure a bit of mulch will help retain moisture, and also feed the veg as it rots.

There seems to be conflicting advice regarding the salt content, some folks say that it's nothing to worry about, others say it's best to wash it first. That sounds a bit laborious and wasteful of water to me.

Anyone have any practical experience using it? I'm pretty close to the sea, so if I can just pick some up and dump it on the beds, it sounds like it's a pretty handy goldmine for feeding the garden while I get my composting up to scratch.

I'm also currently using some of that liquid feed stuff for my tomatoes, but don't like the idea of relying on buying it to feed some of my plants. If I could also just dump a load of seaweed in the poly tunnel, it'd be a step further towards a bit more self sufficiency.

Quote from: Bigmac on July 26, 2019, 01:45:39 PM
There seems to be conflicting advice regarding the salt content, some folks say that it's nothing to worry about, others say it's best to wash it first. That sounds a bit laborious and wasteful of water to me.

We live in Ireland...
Just leave it out on your lawn or somewhere open for a couple of days and let the rain wash it before using it on your beds.

I'm winning the battle against the back garden - 7 years after we bought the house. I have nearly defeated all the ivy - though it was touch and go for a while.

The old lady who owned the house before us planted ten Leylandii trees in the garden - grand if you happen to have a 50x25 metre garden but not if you have a standard issue city-sized yard. What the fuck she was thinking is a mystery. I cut down 8 of these trees as soon as we moved in - with the aid of my father & father in law - and split the timber into logs and left it to season - I haven't paid for stove fuel yet. I had to get a tree surgeon in for the last two a few weeks ago - I didn't feel like accidentally dropping a 30 foot tree onto the roof of the people behind me. The guy did a brilliant job and cut it into rings for me to split with my maul. The only thing is that he stacked it all (very neatly) into a corner of the garden that I had spent 12 hours the previous Saturday sweating my bollocks off clearing so I could plant a few things.  :laugh:

Yesterday, I started clearing a corner that I have been using to throw all my cuttings and stuff for the past few years. I have accidentally created the most fertile patch in the whole yard. I think I might get have to grow veg now.

Quote from: jobrok1 on July 29, 2019, 09:26:43 AM

Quote from: Bigmac on July 26, 2019, 01:45:39 PM
There seems to be conflicting advice regarding the salt content, some folks say that it's nothing to worry about, others say it's best to wash it first. That sounds a bit laborious and wasteful of water to me.

We live in Ireland...
Just leave it out on your lawn or somewhere open for a couple of days and let the rain wash it before using it on your beds.

Yeah very true! Think I'll lash some down and see what happens. Hopefully I don't kill everything.

Been eating loads of potatoes and peas the past while, onions and garlic are ready to lift, tomatoes are ripening and chillis are coming along. Started harvesting and pickling loads of cucumbers too. So far so good this year.

Seems my peas might have got some fusarium wilt though. Will harvest what I can now, and try again next year.

What are some good winter crops? I've eaten all my new potatoes, so that bed is free. I was thinking of popping some kale and radishes in there. Also when my onions and garlic are lifted, I think I'll try some turnips. Seems it's not too late to sow still.

Anyone have anything in particular they'd recommend for winter?

Re winter planting you could do turnips, cabbage, winter lettuce, broccoli, chicory, onion, garlic, etc depending on variety. Still time to plant quick crops like radish and rocket and some salad leaves. Getting towards bare root season (from October) for fruit trees and soft fruit much cheaper than pot grown.

Re seaweed as mentioned you really should wash the salt water before using. The rain of late should do the job nicely. Use as a mulch, should be no need to work in to the soil as it will break down. Can be used to make liquid feed too.
Most commercial liquid  seaweed feeds are fantastic. Most are organic and the nutrient content is more balanced than tomato feed etc so a much better all rounder rather than just for fruit / flowers . Most can also be used as a foliar feed directly on the leaves for quick absorption also. 'Tis the best of stuff

Cheers, appreciate the suggestions! I had done a bit of reading in the meantime, and I've two types of turnip started in some module trays, along with some kale. Also picked up some radish and rocket, which I've sown direct. Next year I'll be a bit more proactive, and sow them in the trays about a month before the potatoes are ready to harvest, so they're ready to go straight in when the bed is freed up.

I was looking into things like inter cropping too, so next year I think I'll plant radishes in between my potato rows, as they'll be ready to harvest before the potatoes block them out. So many fun ideas like that to learn.

Yeah I think I'll go with the seaweed and lash a load down to break down over winter, leaving the beds ready to go again come spring time. Finally bought a compost bin too, so I'll get stuck into a bit of composting soon. Reckon I'll pick up two more and try that three bay system. A wormery looks like a fun addition too.

As for composting... It's easy enough to build one from pallets and stuff.
But we had a redundant coal bunker which I just cut the arse out of and use that.
You could probably pick one up on free ads somewhere.

Being fully enclosed, it's practically a wormery. And I should have put chicken wire mesh under it to keep rats out, but to honest... they'd find their way in eventually anyway.

Cheers, yeah I ordered a cheapish one for 40 quid. Said it was delivered yesterday, but nothing arrived. Having looked at the reviews for Fastway couriers they seem like absolute cowboys, so I assume that's where the problem lies. If I can't find where it went, or get a replacement, I'll take it as life's way of telling me to just build one.

On the upside, having my own homegrown onion and garlic strings hanging up in the shed has a nice feeling of accomplishment to it.

^^^ very nice indeed.

Tis the season. Over the past few days I've been back pottering in the garden, cutting grass,  weeding and I got a nice bit of painting done that I'd been thinking about since last summer. I wanted to get in at the back wall before everything grew up in front of it so that's a nice box ticked.
It had been a drab, unpainted wall since we moved in a year and a half ago and with all of the effort I put in planting last year it really let the garden down.  So now it's a nice bright sky blue with white lintel. Everything is beginning to leaf now so in a few weeks it's going to look the business. 

We fucked up our attempt at a veggie patch last year.  First attempt,  so no big panic,  but I'm looking forward to putting a shape on that in the coming weeks.

I was only just out planting the first early potatoes now, thinking about this thread.

Being home for the next few weeks will definitely help me keep on top of the gardening. Planted the first earlies now, with the second earlies to follow in a couple of weeks, followed by the maincrop. I've had them chitting in the window the past few weeks.

I sowed some broad beans, and sugar snap peas last month, as well as my sungold tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, tumbling tomatoes, cucumbers, gherkins, chillis, bell peppers, jalapenos, dill, parsley, coriander and basil. Along with a tray containing 3 types of lettuce. All in all a pretty good start.

My poly tunnel took a battering the past couple of storms, so I was out for a couple of hours repairing it today. Had some old mesh lying around which worked a treat for replacing the vents, and I picked up one of those spare cover things for the mini greenhouses in Woodie's, cut parts to size, and taped them from the inside to cover up the larger rips. Pretty pleased with it. It's already registering over 20 degrees inside, when the sun hits it.

What went wrong with your own patch last year? I'll never forget ignoring all the advice about 'starting small' in my first year. Overdoing things by miles, and killing most of what I tried to grow. The 8 tomato plants in the poly tunnel, which I hadn't the faintest idea how to look after, were a particularly sorry, wilted, sight.

Also, it's times like this that really show the benefit of having access to lots of fresh food from the garden.

Just stuck down our window boxes and filled up our greenhouse today while I had a spare afternoon. Been putting it off for ages because the weather has been atrocious. We've just got a patio in Dublin so no polys or railway sleepers for us unfortunately, but still more fortunate than many. We've put down tomatoes, spinach, sage, carrots, rocket, broad beans, asparagus, broccoli and cucumber. Last year was also our first year so we didn't realise the importance of cutting and trimming, we ended up with some very tall stalks with about ten tiny tomatoes on, so that will definitely be done this year.

We've also got an orchard and loads of blackberry bushes near us which is great come September . There's a little wood that gets plenty of mushrooms in, not really built up any knowledge to do anything about those though.

That's the very same mistake I made with the tomatoes. It seemed so counter intuitive to start lopping bits off, not knowing that it's helpful to direct the energy into tomato production. They got so bushy I couldn't move around the tunnel to water them without snapping bits off, or otherwise damaging them. Think that led to them picking up some sort of disease and that was the end of them.

Second early potatoes planted yesterday, trying out planting some nasturtiums with my tomatoes to keep away pests, so they've just germinated. Interested in pickling the seeds too.

Just did my first sowing of radish, and later I'll get the second sowing of lettuce in.

This being at home really is working wonders for the garden. Surprised to see many places like Quick Crop totally shut down due to the volume of orders. Seems many folks are seeing the benefit of growing their own.

I planted nosturtiums in the veggie bed last year and they completely took over the garden.  They look beautiful and add lots of colour but you'll need to keep on top of them. They grew right up the fence and were going into the neighbour's garden.

Ah nice one, cheers for the heads up.

The idea was to plant them in pots beside the tomatoes in the tunnel, so that should keep the from roaming. I was considering popping them in beside the cabbage or broccoli too, as they're a good companion plant for those, but I might leave it off and just go with a bit of enviro-mesh.

Did you eat the nasturtiums? I hear the flowers and leaves are edible. I'm mainly looking to try and make the 'poor man's capers' from the seeds.

Actually no, we didn't eat them but the entire veggie patch went a bit sideways on us. Going to try to redo it this year. I have never heard of poor man's capers but I love capers so now I'm kicking myself! Pots should be the job for the nosturtiums, alright. They look great so they are worth planting if you can control them.

Yeah much of gardening really seems to just be making mistakes and learning from them.

I was just laughing about growing turnips last year, not knowing the difference between turnips and swedes, and wondering why they stayed so small. Live and learn.

Hope it goes well for you this year!

Decided to finally start trying growing a bit of veg. Put down some leeks, beans, lettuce and  bit of garlic in a pot. Next plan is to pull up the griselinea that's been there since we moved in, and I've always hated, and replace it with a couple of apple trees

Got plenty of rocket and lettuce shooting up now, being at home means I'm paying attention to how everything is going. You can really lose yourself in moving things around and staring at compost for a while; planting everything a few weeks ago took the bones of two hours but it didn't even feel like 15 minutes.

At least when the corona virus wipes out humanity we'll have left behind some quality gardens for the deer, badgers and escapee crocodiles to shit in.

Yeah being at home really means you can watch everything so closely.

I got one of those little cold frames from Lidl, so I move the seedlings from the windowsill out there if there's a bit of sunshine, and back in if it gets a bit cloudy and cold. Would never be able to give this level of attention normally.

This weekend I'll be direct sowing the peas, and onion sets, along with some summer cabbage in module trays. I'd be fairly sure I 'd lose my mind at the moment, if I didn't have this to occupy me.

Would tomatoes do alright in the house or am I going to need a greenhouse for those sort of things?

If you have a sunny window, it's worth giving it a shot. The bush varieties would probably be handier to grow indoors than the vine ones, I have a cheap and fairly battered poly tunnel , and they do grand in that. As far as I know they should technically be grand to grow outdoors in Ireland, but might not be as productive as when they're provided with a warmer environment. I could be wrong though.

Of all places, I saw Varg and Marie growing them outdoors, before his channel was nuked. Sightly different climate in France, I suppose.

Ah cool, the front of the house is south facing so gets all the sun, I'll give it a shot and hope for the best

We had an amazing tomato crop in 2018 but that summer was amazing. Last year the summer was just okay and the tomato plants were quite low yielding. Remember to trim them if you do grow them. You'll get bigger and more tomatoes that way.

Yeah that was one of the bigger disasters for me the first time I grew tomatoes, I had no idea how to prune them, so the leafy growth was crazy, and took over the whole polytunnel.

When trying to get in and water them, I'd often damage them trying to get around, and eventually they got some kind of disease.

Feels counter intuitive to be lopping bits off your plants, but it's definitely a must.

Made the most of the few bits Lidl had in, and planted 4 rhubarb crowns, and 12 strawberry plants. Won't be eating the rhubarb until next year, but should hopefully have a decent little harvest of strawberries.

The vast majority of places where I'd normally get supplies... Woodies, local garden centre, Quick Crop, The Garden Shop... are all closed or sold out of most things.

Decided to start making my own fertilizers as it seems I can't buy them. Went to the coast yesterday (it's within 2km), and gathered a load of seaweed, popped it in a big bucket, covered in rainwater, and in about 6 or 8 weeks it should be ready to use. Tends to have an NPK of only 1, 0.5, and 2.5, but has loads of good minerals and growth hormones.

I'll be drying out banana skins and making a powder for a bit of a phosphorous and potassium boost, and while it's often balked at, the nitrogen content of urine is comparable to many commercial fertilisers you can buy, so that watered down will take care of the nitrogen needs. Obviously don't use it on leaves that you'll eat raw like lettuce. Or do, if you're into that.

Kind of enjoying how this is forcing me to be more resourceful.

Nice to see things starting to really kick off at this time of the year.

Wow,  great setup!

Yes, top notch that Mac...

Quote from: Bigmac on June 02, 2020, 09:27:19 AM
Nice to see things starting to really kick off at this time of the year.

that's a nice set up, just enough to grow all your stuff but not much you get worn out by it.

Quote from: Bigmac on June 02, 2020, 09:27:19 AM
Nice to see things starting to really kick off at this time of the year.

Something is missing.....

But seriously, nice neat work there

Cheers all!

Yeah I'm really happy with it so far. It finally feels like I've a handle on things this year, other ones have been pretty chaotic.

For anyone doing similar, I found taking an hour or two at the start of the year to fill in a calendar with sowing dates, harvest dates, various jobs etc really helped.  You can see what's coming up at a quick glance.

Quote from: Bigmac on June 04, 2020, 07:49:32 AM
Cheers all!

Yeah I'm really happy with it so far. It finally feels like I've a handle on things this year, other ones have been pretty chaotic.

For anyone doing similar, I found taking an hour or two at the start of the year to fill in a calendar with sowing dates, harvest dates, various jobs etc really helped.  You can see what's coming up at a quick glance.

I enjoy the fact that there's no key to whether you're taking that photo from upstairs or if everything  is 30% smaller than normal and you're 6ft 4" tall

We ended up redoing our veg box.  Fired in the basics- spuds,  carrots and lettuce.  Spuds and carrots coming along.  Nothing from the lettuce yet,  but let's see.  I planted an apple tree but I'm not sure if any of our neighbours have one, and apparently you need to have at least two in close proximity for them to fruit. I wanted to fire in another one but my wife was concerned they'd block too much light out of the veg boxes.  I might have to sneak another one in when she's not looking.  I might even plant another apple tree,  what what!

If you've a wall or fence  you can plant the apple trees against it and train the branches along it.
Helps to keep it from growing too high if you want to restrict that, and makes fruit picking easier, too.

Ah no,  I'm all for letting them grow as big as possible! If I had my way I'd plant the entire little garden we have with trees.  But I don't.  And I'm a cis white male.  It feels like something has gone awry in my household!

We've had our scallions and rocket already. Very tasty.....
The tomatoes and lettuces are coming along nicely. They're going to be huge so need to get trimming the tomato plants...

Quote from: mugz on June 04, 2020, 09:39:44 AM

Quote from: Bigmac on June 04, 2020, 07:49:32 AM
Cheers all!

Yeah I'm really happy with it so far. It finally feels like I've a handle on things this year, other ones have been pretty chaotic.

For anyone doing similar, I found taking an hour or two at the start of the year to fill in a calendar with sowing dates, harvest dates, various jobs etc really helped.  You can see what's coming up at a quick glance.

I enjoy the fact that there's no key to whether you're taking that photo from upstairs or if everything  is 30% smaller than normal and you're 6ft 4" tall

Ha ha it's just from the top of the shed roof to get a decent view of it all.

Quote from: Kurt Cocaine on June 04, 2020, 11:27:37 AM
We've had our scallions and rocket already. Very tasty.....
The tomatoes and lettuces are coming along nicely. They're going to be huge so need to get trimming the tomato plants...

Yeah I've really kept on top of the tomato pruning and they are looking great. Loads of fruit trusses setting already, and the tunnel is so much neater without all that unnecessary leafy growth filling it up.

Was my first year trying to grow a bit so only put two veg boxes down with a bit of a mix of stuff to see what worked. Looked out this morning and saw the poxy neighbours dog going mad digging them up, and then dropped a giant shit just for good measure. Fucking fuming

Yeah I had a big problem with local cats and foxes digging at mine and shitting in the beds.

Came out one morning to find a cat having a shit and just staring me out of it. It takes a special kind of evil to look you dead in the eyes while it shits on something you love.

I got a couple of ultrasonic motion detectors from Lidl, a motion sensor light, and made up my own repellent made from mint, cayenne, and garlic to spray at the entrances and it seems to have done the job.

Quote from: Bigmac on June 04, 2020, 02:38:29 PM
Yeah I had a big problem with local cats and foxes digging at mine and shitting in the beds.

Came out one morning to find a cat having a shit and just staring me out of it. It takes a special kind of evil to look you dead in the eyes while it shits on something you love.

I got a couple of ultrasonic motion detectors from Lidl, a motion sensor light, and made up my own repellent made from mint, cayenne, and garlic to spray at the entrances and it seems to have done the job.

that's one of the downsides- you can catch a fuckload of bad things from earth/plants/veg where things have been extra fertilised by foxes dogs cats etc

Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 01:12:41 AM
Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

ugh that turrican reference hit my nostalgia gland hard

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 01:12:41 AM
Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

Lol only the one in Turrican 2 though, the one in 1 was still good and all but in 2 sure it was nearly as good as firing off the spacebar yoke

Quote from: mugz on June 06, 2020, 01:26:08 AM

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 01:12:41 AM
Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

ugh that turrican reference hit my nostalgia gland hard

I'm going to get out the emulator and have a game of it this evening.

Quote from: ochoill on June 06, 2020, 12:33:42 PM

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 01:12:41 AM
Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

Lol only the one in Turrican 2 though, the one in 1 was still good and all but in 2 sure it was nearly as good as firing off the spacebar yoke

It's Turrican 2 I'm going to hop off actually.

Swinging things back on topic, it's a grand day for a bit of work in the garden now that it isn't scorchio

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 04:22:37 PM

Quote from: mugz on June 06, 2020, 01:26:08 AM

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 01:12:41 AM
Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

ugh that turrican reference hit my nostalgia gland hard

I'm going to get out the emulator and have a game of it this evening.

Quote from: ochoill on June 06, 2020, 12:33:42 PM

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 01:12:41 AM
Should have got the cat laser. 3 green circles in Turrican would bust any cat

Lol only the one in Turrican 2 though, the one in 1 was still good and all but in 2 sure it was nearly as good as firing off the spacebar yoke

It's Turrican 2 I'm going to hop off actually.

Swinging things back on topic, it's a grand day for a bit of work in the garden now that it isn't scorchio

I like it best to garden in the intense dry heat, and let things settle in the wet days

There are 2 issues around that for me. When I go out to do the gardening on a roasting hot day, cans magically appear in my hand one after another and I get fuck all done and also any digging or lifting or whatnot is twice as hard as it needs to be when compared to doing it on a dull day. The first issue feeds right into the second as well

Quote from: astfgyl on June 06, 2020, 07:42:54 PM
There are 2 issues around that for me. When I go out to do the gardening on a roasting hot day, cans magically appear in my hand one after another and I get fuck all done and also any digging or lifting or whatnot is twice as hard as it needs to be when compared to doing it on a dull day. The first issue feeds right into the second as well

I find it easier to zone out in the heat, working without thinking, working up a sweat, polish off some  tapwater, then on a cloudy day or a wet day you can do some sweeping or pruning.  Actually with age, I enjoy any excuse to do some pottering in the garden.

Over the last 2 weekends got the patio done, put sleepers around the garden with plants and flowers potted n all that jazz. I was never much a fella for gardening, in fact I'm still not, but cans out the back would be nicer, I think, with something nice to be looking at. With the weather, sadly, they've been indoor cans thus far.

Tell me, are herbs easy to grow? Better indoors or out? Which ones are fairly hardy and won't suffer from occasional forgetfulness on my part? Not looking to go hardcore like some of ye, just a coupla small bits.

Quote from: Emphyrio on June 30, 2020, 10:52:12 PM
Over the last 2 weekends got the patio done, put sleepers around the garden with plants and flowers potted n all that jazz. I was never much a fella for gardening, in fact I'm still not, but cans out the back would be nicer, I think, with something nice to be looking at. With the weather, sadly, they've been indoor cans thus far.

Tell me, are herbs easy to grow? Better indoors or out? Which ones are fairly hardy and won't suffer from occasional forgetfulness on my part? Not looking to go hardcore like some of ye, just a coupla small bits.

herbs is a broad church. Lavender is piss easy and has a large range of variants, sage is a bit wilty in the Irish climate and 2 lots I grew have unfortunately started to drop off, garlic is dead easy to grow and smells/tastes incredible, rosemary is quite hardy and does ok in this climate, and coriander grows real well too.

curry plants are great too.

you can plant beds directly with seeds, if the beds are sheltered from wind, but if you want to go for simple you can't go wrong with lavender, rosemary, and thyme. Once you plant them they look after themselves and can handle the colder damper weather, whereas the majority of other herbs need pots and window ledges and don't always do well weather-wise.

I have some rosemary, thyme and sage in one little bed that I'm filling with perennials. I planted these outside a few years ago, gave them no attention, and they're flying, so they're a good bet.

I also have parsley, coriander, dill and loads of basil. I companion plant basil with each of my tomatoes, so there's a big surplus of it that. Basil would need to be indoors, mine are in the poly tunnel, coriander can be a bit sensitive to bolting too in warm weather, so it's best to sow every 4 to 6 weeks for a constant supply.

The parsley and dill should be grand outdoors, but it also depends on what you like to eat yourself. Like I wouldn't eat much dill but I use it to make dill pickles.

So overall I don't think you can go much wrong with rosemary, thyme, parsley and dill outdoors, and some basil in a pot indoors on a sunny windowsill.

I've just finished eating my way through the first early potatoes, second earlies are coming up next week, and I've tonnes of broad beans I've been making my way through. Pickled some of the cucumbers and gherkins, along with some nasturtium seeds. The first tomatoes are starting to ripen too,  and the lettuce has been getting munched on for months now. Good times.

Still waiting for the first egg from the chickens, lazy shits.

Tis nice to walk out to this when you want a little escape from things:

there's a sense in which everything in that photo is perfectly Irish. If someone had never been to Ireland, they'd get the atmosphere right away; more than Dublin city centre, more than ye olde pub in ballywhatever.

Thanks for the replies. That should set me on my way.

Quote from: mugz on July 01, 2020, 11:13:12 AM
there's a sense in which everything in that photo is perfectly Irish. If someone had never been to Ireland, they'd get the atmosphere right away; more than Dublin city centre, more than ye olde pub in ballywhatever.

Yeah there's definitely a real feeling of being 'home', in surroundings like that. A clearer sense of belonging, rather than somewhere to merely lay your head.

I've been saving up a deposit for some land a a cottage in the countryside where I can really kick things up a gear. The chickens are great, but I'd love space for more animals, and to really start growing enough to fully survive on.

Speaking of chickens, they look a bit cramped in that above photo, but I built them this the other day, so they're all good now:

My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Quote from: Emphyrio on July 01, 2020, 11:25:37 AM
Thanks for the replies. That should set me on my way.

there are so many places closed now with overgrown plants and borders, so you could 'borrow' clippings from here and there.

Quote from: mugz on July 01, 2020, 04:09:36 PM
My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Yeah I get that they all have their drawbacks, I just think my heart is in a quite country cottage with some fields to roam. I've been going shooting most weekends now too, so some of my own land to hunt on would be ideal in the future. I'm currently in Dublin, so anything like that is a bit of a drive away.

I figure if I get the basic crop rotation and other key pieces in place in my current small space, it's just a case of working out how much I'd need to multiply each by to get a full year, or close, supply. The only thing really missing is grains.

I do a fair bit of foraging wild edibles and fishing too, so I think I'd be in a decent position to stand on my own two feet in the not too distant future.

Quote from: Bigmac on July 02, 2020, 08:55:15 AM

Quote from: mugz on July 01, 2020, 04:09:36 PM
My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Yeah I get that they all have their drawbacks, I just think my heart is in a quite country cottage with some fields to roam. I've been going shooting most weekends now too, so some of my own land to hunt on would be ideal in the future. I'm currently in Dublin, so anything like that is a bit of a drive away.

I figure if I get the basic crop rotation and other key pieces in place in my current small space, it's just a case of working out how much I'd need to multiply each by to get a full year, or close, supply. The only thing really missing is grains.

I do a fair bit of foraging wild edibles and fishing too, so I think I'd be in a decent position to stand on my own two feet in the not too distant future.

Maybe Varg would rent you a shed?

A man can dream.

Quote from: Kurt Cocaine on July 02, 2020, 09:10:01 AM

Quote from: Bigmac on July 02, 2020, 08:55:15 AM

Quote from: mugz on July 01, 2020, 04:09:36 PM
My advice is if you have some degree of privacy in a suburban area, stay there. The acres in the country thing sounds great but isn't.  As bad as cities are, the countryside proper is as bad in similar ways; finding a place in a medium size town or near somewhere like that is the aim, which it looks like you have already.

Yeah I get that they all have their drawbacks, I just think my heart is in a quite country cottage with some fields to roam. I've been going shooting most weekends now too, so some of my own land to hunt on would be ideal in the future. I'm currently in Dublin, so anything like that is a bit of a drive away.

I figure if I get the basic crop rotation and other key pieces in place in my current small space, it's just a case of working out how much I'd need to multiply each by to get a full year, or close, supply. The only thing really missing is grains.

I do a fair bit of foraging wild edibles and fishing too, so I think I'd be in a decent position to stand on my own two feet in the not too distant future.

Maybe Varg would rent you a shed?

let's find out!

 :laugh:

Damn, I really dropped the ball on that response. Well done, mugz.

Quote from: Trev on May 25, 2019, 01:23:45 PM
Any ideas for a natural weedkiller? Have a load of thistles coming up in the back garden, got rid of most of them last year with roundup, but now the kids are older and will be outside more I don't want to go so severe

you'll want to avoid roundup altogether; generally all that stuff isn't worth it in gardening or health terms. There's no way to avoid carefully digging out the thistles & as much root as you can, though there is a case for maintaining a patch specifically for nettles and thistles

Quote from: Bigmac on July 02, 2020, 11:07:49 AM
Damn, I really dropped the ball on that response. Well done, mugz.

personally I'd find it exhausting living in inland hillbilly France with a mad Norwegian and his larp-wife, and larp-kids.

you'd be on edge 24/7; yes ok it's not likely to happen, thankfully.

Delighted with the garlic harvest. 45 great bulbs out of only 5 square feet.

It's my first time overwintering them too, seems to have made a big difference. Ended up with some monsters.

you'll be garlic mad now for ten days. almost everything is improved by it.

compared to garlic from a supermarket it's like tasting it for the first time  ???

Anyone got any cherry trees? My parents and inlaws both have one and I've never seen them with such a good haul. Got about 8 kilos just from one branch, don't know if it was the really warm spring or what the reason is, but I'll be having them in breakfast for months

Quote from: Trev on July 07, 2020, 05:10:43 PM
Anyone got any cherry trees? My parents and inlaws both have one and I've never seen them with such a good haul. Got about 8 kilos just from one branch, don't know if it was the really warm spring or what the reason is, but I'll be having them in breakfast for months

there's almost no way to discover why some years you get no fruit, some years you get loads but wasps eat it all, and maybe once a decade it all lines up and you get loads of fruit, no wasps, and everything makes sense.

this applies to plums, apples, and pears too.

The harvesting is pretty decent at the moment.

I'm looking forward to veggie curries/stews by the campfire man.  :P

Class job. Your tomatoes must have been tunneled? Ours haven't turned red yet, they're outdoors.
The lettuce were the biggest ever. Like a hedgerow.

Yeah I have a pretty old and battered tunnel, but it does the job.

Really got the hang of pruning the tomatoes this year, so I think that helped. The beefsteak are absolutely delicious.

I've a load of mad lettuce on the go too, the cut and come again stuff is great. I ended up planting way more than I need, but the chickens are mad for it, so the extra bit goes to them.

Vinegar and salt mix is a great D.I.Y. weed killer if needed.

Does anyone have any tips about controlling Japanese Knotweed? I sprayed roundup on the leaves a couple of months ago, the result was the leaves started to fall off  and they stopped growing. Should i cut the stems and spray into the cut area before they  wither for the winter?

Quote from: Cailleach on August 24, 2020, 01:59:10 PM
Does anyone have any tips about controlling Japanese Knotweed? I sprayed roundup on the leaves a couple of months ago, the result was the leaves started to fall off  and they stopped growing. Should i cut the stems and spray into the cut area before they  wither for the winter?

Do not cut it. That's why you see those 'Japanese Knotweed: Do Not Cut' sings on the road side. Repeat doses of herbicide over a couple of growing seasons is the best way to treat it.

https://www.thejapaneseknotweedcompany.com/how-to-kill-japanese-knotweed/

Quote from: Kurt Cocaine on August 24, 2020, 02:06:24 PM

Quote from: Cailleach on August 24, 2020, 01:59:10 PM
Does anyone have any tips about controlling Japanese Knotweed? I sprayed roundup on the leaves a couple of months ago, the result was the leaves started to fall off  and they stopped growing. Should i cut the stems and spray into the cut area before they  wither for the winter?

Do not cut it. That's why you see those 'Japanese Knotweed: Do Not Cut' sings on the road side. Repeat doses of herbicide over a couple of growing seasons is the best way to treat it.

https://www.thejapaneseknotweedcompany.com/how-to-kill-japanese-knotweed/

Thanks for the link. I 've never actually seen those signs :-[  I  watched a  you tube video that said you should cut them close to the ground, then spray roundwood into  the bit of stem that remains, but i will go with your advice and the advice  on that website.

Quote from: Cailleach on August 24, 2020, 05:42:27 PM

Quote from: Kurt Cocaine on August 24, 2020, 02:06:24 PM

Quote from: Cailleach on August 24, 2020, 01:59:10 PM
Does anyone have any tips about controlling Japanese Knotweed? I sprayed roundup on the leaves a couple of months ago, the result was the leaves started to fall off  and they stopped growing. Should i cut the stems and spray into the cut area before they  wither for the winter?

Do not cut it. That's why you see those 'Japanese Knotweed: Do Not Cut' sings on the road side. Repeat doses of herbicide over a couple of growing seasons is the best way to treat it.

https://www.thejapaneseknotweedcompany.com/how-to-kill-japanese-knotweed/

Thanks for the link. I 've never actually seen those signs :-[  I  watched a  you tube video that said you should cut them close to the ground, then spray roundwood into  the bit of stem that remains, but i will go with your advice and the advice  on that website.

Good explanation in the video in this link...

https://conservationdogsireland.ie/our-vision-and-work/

I know knotweed is a particularly invasive yoke... but I would personally only use roundup and herbicides as an absolute last resort.
Most of them should be banned or at the very least only allowed to be used by licensed companies like the crowd linked above.

That satisfying time of year again:

Nice one Mac.

Very nice work!

Ok so, I'll get this one started a bit. Given the potential for destruction of supply chains and eating being the future preserve of the mega-rich, what are the most practical things that we can do right now in our gardens? Also, what merit is there foraging things at various different times of year? Maybe this one could expand into its' own survivalist thread, but what can be done in our gardens in the short term given the hypothetical situation of complete societal collapse?

Quote from: astfgyl on November 19, 2020, 06:06:12 PM
Ok so, I'll get this one started a bit. Given the potential for destruction of supply chains and eating being the future preserve of the mega-rich, what are the most practical things that we can do right now in our gardens? Also, what merit is there foraging things at various different times of year? Maybe this one could expand into its' own survivalist thread, but what can be done in our gardens in the short term given the hypothetical situation of complete societal collapse?

At the moment as we are heading into winter, the main things I've just sown are overwintering garlic, onions and broad beans.

The best thing to be at right now would be to start a compost heap, and plan out your beds. It really depends on what you want to grow, but my suggestion is one bed for potatoes, one bed for roots and alliums, one bed for brassicas, and one bed for legumes. What would you like to grow? I can see if I can make out a little growing plan if you let me know what you want, and what space you have.

I can get into crop rotation and order a bit later but it's not complicated. Beds can be made very easily by laying down some cardboard to suppress weeds, then adding compost on top of that, and covering with some black plastic or similar. The weeds will die off, the cardboard will disintegrate, and come spring you're left with a nice clean and fertile area to grow in. Don't make beds any wider than about 4 feet, you want to be able to reach into the middle, and you can make them as long as you want.

I'm really into bushcraft, survival skills and foraging too. This time of year things can be a bit sparse, but you could start by incorporating things like nettles into your diet. I make nettle omelettes regularly, along with pine needle tea, natures lemsip.

I would also take a look at alexanders if you're just getting started. The stem is like celery, the root like a parsnip, edible leaves, and the seeds are like black pepper. It's a member of the apiaceae family though, and this has the likes of hemlock and giant hogweed so needs some care. The smell of alexanders and the trifoliate leaves are pretty easy to identify. Three cordered leeks are good too. In fact a nettle and three cornered leek omelette is fairly lovely.

In general with foraging, if you're not 100% sure, don't take the chance.

But yeah I'm into fishing, just got my gun license so hope to start hunting, forage regularly enough, and like survival skills, so happy to drop whatever people are interested in, in this or another survivalist thread. A good survival kit is a decent little investment, Dave Canterbury's 5 C's are a good place to start.

Fair play that's exactly the sort of practical solution I want to get on board with. Never tried the nettles but can't see a single good reason not to bar they weren't marketed to me. Dandeloins are meant to be full to the neck of goodness as well or so I've heard and it's that sort of thing that I am thinking of. I'll get back on here tomorrow when it's bright with garden dimensions and possibilities and I'd be only delighted for a bit of guidance around that. Sound Mac

What's the craic with nettles? Does cooking them up kill off the stinging parts?

Quote from: astfgyl on November 19, 2020, 09:53:27 PM
Fair play that's exactly the sort of practical solution I want to get on board with. Never tried the nettles but can't see a single good reason not to bar they weren't marketed to me. Dandeloins are meant to be full to the neck of goodness as well or so I've heard and it's that sort of thing that I am thinking of. I'll get back on here tomorrow when it's bright with garden dimensions and possibilities and I'd be only delighted for a bit of guidance around that. Sound Mac

Yeah dandelions are class too. Dig up some of the roots, roast them in the oven, and grind them into a powder to make dandelion coffee. Obviously it lacks caffeine, but if ever there was a disruption to usual supplies, it would get you by.

On the topic of beverages, look up something called pineapple weed. It tends to grow between cracks in paths, and places where the earth is compacted like around the gates to a field, given then name you can guess it tastes like pineapple. If you then also find some gorse flowers which taste like coconut, you can make a kind of pineapple coconut tea, which is pretty tropical for our rainy little place.

Sound! Some of the assignments I've to do involves converting land to organic production, so I can apply what I'm learning there with yourself as a bit of a trial run!

Quote from: Trev on November 19, 2020, 10:43:45 PM
What's the craic with nettles? Does cooking them up kill off the stinging parts?

Yep I usually just cook them up in a bit of butter. A lot like spinach, the stings are kind of like needles, and if you break them it wont sting you. You can grab the nettle under the leaf, roll it in your hand to destroy the stings, and eat them raw no bother.

And since the survival stuff was mentioned as well, nettles also make excellent cordage.

I made a primitive fishing kit a while ago using nettles for the line. The hook is a hawthorn, the float is elder, the sinker a pebble, and the main part just a carved piece of spruce with some eel skin I tanned in an oak and willow bark solution. Yet to have any success but it's a work in progress!

Just to give you an idea of what's possible from some basic plants and trees.

Nice few bits pulled up today.

Great stuff Mac!!

While not quite a gardening or survivalist fanatic I do like to be able to use the half acre or so I have for more than just lawn mowing.

I grow spuds, onions, garlic, while the wife does the more delicate stuff like beans, peas, fennel, herbs.

I make homebrew beer and have my own hops.

I have some apple and pear trees as well as young hazelnut trees. The wife looks after the soft fruit (raspberries, blueberries etc) in our wee orchard.

We do a small bit of foraging. Usually just blackberries for autumn crumbles, sloes for gin and crab apples for jelly.

We get pretty cool green eggs from our 3 chickens.

I wouldn't rule out a pig or two in the future but for now it's about improving the veg patch, a wildflower garden I started a couple of years ago and doing a bit more borders and decorative flowers and stuff.

That's an impressive collection too!

I'm mad to get out of the city and get a bit more space, you can definitely do a lot with half an acre.

Nice one on the hops!

I'd love a few hazel trees, I try to forage the nuts but the squirrels always beat me. I managed to get a few this year though and the smell of roasting them in the oven is something else.

I know some folks use kune kune pigs pretty much just for veg patch creation and fertilising. They'll turn over and pull up any weeds in a spot where you want to plant veg, then shit all over it to add some nutrients. If you move them to your spud patch after you harvest, they'll ensure you have no volunteer potatoes. Could be worth looking into.

Lads, talk to me about vegetable patches in an urban area.

Myself and the missus were discussing what to do with the back garden now that I have the inside done (no rest for the wicked and no time like the present). I was saying I'd like to use a bit of the garden (SW facing) for a veg patch. My wife mentioned that she had read that they can draw rats but the article that she read was about folks living somewhere out in the countryside. I live 10 mins walk for the city centre.

I've stared down a pub full of HiAce pilots after refusing to serve them. I'd do it again before dealing with rats and mice.

I'm in Dublin, I've been growing stuff for several years now, and I've never seen one rat. That's with 8 beds and a polytunnel, so a decent bit on the go, with lots of variety.

I also have chickens, and I was told they can attract rats, but again I've seen nothing. I'm just careful with storage when it comes to their bags of food and I take the feeder in each night when they've gone to bed.

Mice are known to be pests when it comes to sowing peas and beans, but I've never had any of mine dug up.

The only time I've heard rats or mice mentioned with gardening, is in relation to compost heaps. But you'll be absolutely fine as long as you never put cooked food, or meat or anything like that in it.

Sound. Thanks for the info, Mac. I just wanted to grow a few basic things. I think I'll try it.

I do have a black thumb when it comes to most garden related things though.

Very welcome!

Yeah start small, any of the books I read at the start said to start small, which I pompously ignored. This resulted in a polytunnel full of decaying tomato plants.

When it comes to what you'd like to grow, it's fairly obvious but aim for things you actually eat. I sowed a row of oriental greens last year, as they look great and sound interesting. Only to try them and deem them horrible.

A good perspective to take on is to consider yourself primarily tending soil, and not necessarily plants.

https://giy.ie/ has anyone used these guys? Seem interesting.

Quote from: Blackout on January 06, 2021, 09:58:17 AM
https://giy.ie/ has anyone used these guys? Seem interesting.

Yep! Grow Cook Eat is actually the book that kicked it all off for me. Worth picking up.

I've got some of their herb and mixed salad grow boxes and they were grand. I use their veg directory quite a bit when planning sowing and harvesting dates, as well as figuring out what varieties I want to grow. Handy little resource.

I've ordered most of my seeds from Quick Crop:

https://www.quickcrop.ie/

You can pre-order seed potatoes from them, and if you're planning on growing potatoes it's a good call, as the more popular varieties sell out fast, and might be gone by the time you start thinking of sowing the first earlies in March.

Got a box of seed spuds and other bits from Quick Crop delivered already.

Have a Polytunnel on the way next month too, lockdown permitting.

Nice! Hopefully mine will be on the way shortly so. Went a bit mad and ordered about 100 euros worth of seeds, so should keep me entertained this year.

I have a 'Survival Garden' tucked away as well, 15,000 spare seeds sealed up, which apparently stay good for at least 20 years.

I need a new cover for my polytunnel now, the last storm finally shredded it beyond use. Got a good few years out of it though. What polytunnel did you go for?

Quote from: Bigmac on January 06, 2021, 10:56:24 AM

Quote from: Blackout on January 06, 2021, 09:58:17 AM
https://giy.ie/ has anyone used these guys? Seem interesting.

Yep! Grow Cook Eat is actually the book that kicked it all off for me. Worth picking up.

I've got some of their herb and mixed salad grow boxes and they were grand. I use their veg directory quite a bit when planning sowing and harvesting dates, as well as figuring out what varieties I want to grow. Handy little resource.

I've ordered most of my seeds from Quick Crop:

https://www.quickcrop.ie/

You can pre-order seed potatoes from them, and if you're planning on growing potatoes it's a good call, as the more popular varieties sell out fast, and might be gone by the time you start thinking of sowing the first earlies in March.

Sounds good but I'm in an apartment so the smaller ones will have to do.

Quote from: Bigmac on January 06, 2021, 04:25:23 PM
What polytunnel did you go for?

This one...
https://www.ksbgarden.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=53

(https://www.ksbgarden.com/image/cache/catalog/Strong%20new/Strong%2010m/Strong%203mx10-500x350.jpg)

Looks class! I wouldn't have the space for something like that just yet, one day!

Jaysus! I just have a little 1 square metre job for a few tomatoes, maybe upgrade to something like that in a few years 😂

The last of the seeds arrived today, almost time to get cracking once again. This'll be the most I've ever grown, so hopefully it'll be relatively disaster free. Adding two extra beds to accommodate courgettes, butternut squash, and crown prince pumpkins. These are all a first for me, so should be a bit of fun.

Not sure if it's the same everywhere else, but Quickcrop seem to be experiencing seed shortages. I reckon I'll pay more attention to seed saving this year.

You remind me of someone....

Quote from: Kurt Cocaine on January 28, 2021, 02:21:49 PM
You remind me of someone....

Who could that be?

LET'S FIND OUT!

 :laugh:

Zombie thread RESURRECTION! :abbath: 

My wife spent time on a weekly basis between the end of last year and the start of this year calling dozens of landscapers to do a job in our garden only to be told that the job is "too small", "not worth their while" etc. - only one fella actually turned up to see the job in person!

I decided to do it myself. On my fucking own.

Two solid 10-hours days at it, I'm sore by the end of the evening but I'm enjoying myself... after a fashion. It's not even remotely finished but it's coming along. I have the sleepers cut, levelled and installed. The whole area is dug out 50mm and I made myself a heavy duty soil sieve/ridler.

Next up is membrane to block the weeds and then lay gravel over it.

I have a load of bricks left from when the old drive was taken up. I was going to use them to edge the path (between the path and the gravel).

Can anyone tell me if I can just lay them on sand or should I cement them in?

Lay them down, once the sand below is well compacted you should be grand.

Had similar experience last year. Just done it myself also. Very satisfying. Bought this house 4 years ago from an elderly lady. Complete day of the trivods going on.
One lidl chainsaw and some graft got rid of all the unwanted and made everything manageable.
Planted 10 saplings that were gifted to me this spring and all have taken. Even ordered some plants online. :o
Maybe it's an age thing, but I'm enjoying it.

Fair play Stout and Ale. Sounds like a heavy duty operation.

Planting in trees and plants is a hugely satisfying past time. Back in rental accommodation since coming to Oz and I miss gardening. Hopefully we'll buy our own place in the not too distant future and I can get the green fingers back in action.

Quote from: StoutAndAle on April 24, 2023, 05:10:16 PMZombie thread RESURRECTION! :abbath: 

My wife spent time on a weekly basis between the end of last year and the start of this year calling dozens of landscapers to do a job in our garden only to be told that the job is "too small", "not worth their while" etc. - only one fella actually turned up to see the job in person!

I decided to do it myself. On my fucking own.

Two solid 10-hours days at it, I'm sore by the end of the evening but I'm enjoying myself... after a fashion. It's not even remotely finished but it's coming along. I have the sleepers cut, levelled and installed. The whole area is dug out 50mm and I made myself a heavy duty soil sieve/ridler.

Next up is membrane to block the weeds and then lay gravel over it.

I have a load of bricks left from when the old drive was taken up. I was going to use them to edge the path (between the path and the gravel).

Can anyone tell me if I can just lay them on sand or should I cement them in?

Throw a sand/cement mix under them, I used this website  https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-edge-a-lawn-with-bricks/
They'll be like a knackers teeth if you don't do something like that.
Onions, basil, chives, rosemary (fry it on the pan with a cut of steak)  macadamia nut tree, few citrus trees, a mango tree and 2 passionfruit vines growing here.  I'm always rescuing them from near death as I go away for work for a few weeks and the wife and boys wouldn't hardly throw a drop of water on them.

Cheers, lads. I've never put cement down in my life - not a skill I ever learned.

Can you weld or bolt bricks together? That'd be more in my wheelhouse.  :laugh:

I'll give it a go. I might even post the results - but only if it's excellent... or absolutely terrible.

Quote from: StoutAndAle on April 27, 2023, 08:43:17 AMCheers, lads. I've never put cement down in my life - not a skill I ever learned.

Can you weld or bolt bricks together? That'd be more in my wheelhouse.  :laugh:

I'll give it a go. I might even post the results - but only if it's excellent... or absolutely terrible.

Have a heap of pints before you start. Worst comes to worst you'll have a good yarn to tell.

Quote from: Eoin McLove on April 27, 2023, 11:27:52 AMHave a heap of pints before you start. Worst comes to worst you'll have a good yarn to tell.

Interesting idea...

I'm taking it handy on the booze currently. I've challenged myself not to have a pint until I have all this work finished.

The 4 cold bottles of Spaten in the fridge (bought prior to the challenge being set) were taunting me on Sunday night after two solid days of throwing a shovel around the place. Resisted though.

Coincidentally - Spaten is the German word for shovel/spade.

All you need is a handgranate and it's off to work you go.

Quote from: Eoin McLove on April 27, 2023, 01:22:26 PMAll you need is a handgranate and it's off to work you go.

Might make things fuckin' easier...

Howya stout.
That magazine article posted above there is total bollox, disregard everything in it, especially if the edging you'r doing is alongside a driveway as opposed to a footpath or a flower bed or the like.
If ya do what they suggest there alongside a driveway it will be broke in bits in no time.
Is the job you'r doing edging an existing lawn like in the photos there or are ya laying a line of bricks and then filling a lawn in against them?

Quote from: son of the Morrigan on April 28, 2023, 12:21:00 PMHowya stout.
That magazine article posted above there is total bollox, disregard everything in it, especially if the edging you'r doing is alongside a driveway as opposed to a footpath or a flower bed or the like.
If ya do what they suggest there alongside a driveway it will be broke in bits in no time.
Is the job you'r doing edging an existing lawn like in the photos there or are ya laying a line of bricks and then filling a lawn in against them?

It's along an existing concrete slab path in the the garden. I'm using the bricks as border between the path and a seating area when I'm laying gravel. I'm hoping to lay them flat and level with the existing path so there won't be a trip hazard.

Like this... sort of.


(https://www.minsterpaving.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/brick-edging-scaled.jpg)

Ah grand.
Ya want to dig a trench along the length of your path first. If you'r putting the brick long ways like in the pic there it should be 8-9 inches wide and as you'll be laying the brick on its side it needs to be 7 inches below path level.(I'm assuming its 4 inch wide brick)
That done ya want to go along and break off any snots of concrete that impede the brick butting flush against the edge of the path.
Then go along and compact the bottom of your wee trench, a foot long length of 2 by 4 and a sledge does that grand, move your timber along and tamp it hard with the butt of the sledge.
You'll find the trench bottom has sank in places, scatter a bit of gravel along it, tamp again until ya get your whole trench bottom back to 7 inches below path level.
Your ready for concrete now.
What ya want to mix is called lean mix- 3 shovels of sand, one shovel of gravel, one shovel of cement to make a 4:1 mix. Don't wet it much at all man, just add a splash of water when ya have it well mixed up to make it slightly damp.
Put this along the bottom of your trench to about 3 inches below path level so when ya lay your brick on top the brick is about an inch above path level. just do two foot at a time, don't get ahead of yourself.
Use your bit of 2 by 4 and your sledge again and tap down the brick to path level.
When ya have the whole length of the path done make a sand cement mix, 3:1, and wet well. put a haunch of this along the outside edge of your bricks at a 30 degree angle leaving it 2 inches below the top of the brick so your gravel will go over it and against the brick.
leave for 3 days and Bobs your transexual aunt.
Hope this helps man.

The measurements I gave there was assuming it was reclaimed building brick ya had man.
Just realized its actually paving brick ya have so adjust accordingly, i.e. you prob. only need your trench to be 5 inches deep.
hope ya get the general idea anyway.

Snails have munched some of my lettuce but the Rudbeckia I sown a couple of weeks ago is starting to germinate - so I will call that a draw! 

Biggest disappointment so far this year has been the lack of germination in a packet of seeds I bought called Ace of Spades.   They are meant to be a very dark coloured scabious.  Fingers cross they are just being very slow. 

You probably know this but get a bit of salt around those lettuce, the slimey buggers will soon think twice

I've 9 seeds of weed in for the summer

Quote from: son of the Morrigan on April 28, 2023, 04:04:34 PMThe measurements I gave there was assuming it was reclaimed building brick ya had man.
Just realized its actually paving brick ya have so adjust accordingly, i.e. you prob. only need your trench to be 5 inches deep.
hope ya get the general idea anyway.

Sound out, man. I meant to get back to you after I finished the job but between levelling the area by hand, laying the patio slabs, the gravel and then the bricks I ended being at it til much later than I expected and I was fairly broken.

Got it done though - it's not perfect but I'm happy enough with it (for a first time go at it). Your advice on not getting too over-ambitious with it stuck in my head the whole time.  :laugh:

A beer hasn't tasted that good in a long time.

Quote from: StoutAndAle on May 02, 2023, 01:44:09 PM

Quote from: son of the Morrigan on April 28, 2023, 04:04:34 PMThe measurements I gave there was assuming it was reclaimed building brick ya had man.
Just realized its actually paving brick ya have so adjust accordingly, i.e. you prob. only need your trench to be 5 inches deep.
hope ya get the general idea anyway.

Sound out, man. I meant to get back to you after I finished the job but between levelling the area by hand, laying the patio slabs, the gravel and then the bricks I ended being at it til much later than I expected and I was fairly broken.

Got it done though - it's not perfect but I'm happy enough with it (for a first time go at it). Your advice on not getting too over-ambitious with it stuck in my head the whole time.  :laugh:

A beer hasn't tasted that good in a long time.

No bother at all man, glad it went well for ya.

Quote from: Thorn on April 29, 2023, 06:34:28 PMYou probably know this but get a bit of salt around those lettuce, the slimey buggers will soon think twice

Salting the ground is never a good thing.
Invaders used to salt fields to stop their conquered from growing and keep them subjugated.
I use rock salt on my drive to keep the weeds down.

A sprinkle of salt around the border of the bed might just be enough, though.
Copper tape around the bed is another option.

Quote from: astfgyl on April 30, 2023, 10:30:22 AMI've 9 seeds of weed in for the summer

Indoor or outdoor? What strain?

Quote from: jobrok1 on May 02, 2023, 02:27:03 PM

Quote from: Thorn on April 29, 2023, 06:34:28 PMYou probably know this but get a bit of salt around those lettuce, the slimey buggers will soon think twice

Salting the ground is never a good thing.
Invaders used to salt fields to stop their conquered from growing and keep them subjugated.
I use rock salt on my drive to keep the weeds down.

A sprinkle of salt around the border of the bed might just be enough, though.
Copper tape around the bed is another option.

Yup, sodium chloride is toxic to plants, plus can affect other beneficial creatures in the garden, so wouldn't be something I would use. 

Used to have a couple of thrushes who came into the garden regularly but I haven't seen them this year.  Need them to come back and sort the slugs and snails out - plus watching them try and get into a snails shell is truly fascinating.   

Quote from: Giggles on May 02, 2023, 08:41:46 PM

Quote from: astfgyl on April 30, 2023, 10:30:22 AMI've 9 seeds of weed in for the summer

Indoor or outdoor? What strain?

If I knew how to post pics I would but basically get down to your local head shop and buy autoflower seeds of roughly 50/50 mix and they'll grow in your garden with fuck all water or feed. Do it in the next week or so and you're still not too late. Nothing else will work outdoor here but I've saved myself thousands and thousands for about 100 quid a year for years.

If you want any more advice, PM and I'll be more than happy to help out in any way.

Fools game not to be on this.

Edit: as a veteran of the indoor game I'm never going back to it as a result

Also this goes for the lads in other countries, especially the ones who end up breaking into their own gaffs as a result of letting others do the work for them but also cleaning out their own pockets for the pleasure.

Not thinking of anyone in particular or anything.....

4 full weekends and some evenings after work but I'm done (or at least to a point where I think it looks good anyway).

I did every single bit of it on my own with only podcasts and tunes to keep me company. My neighbours are now quite familiar with the first 5 Black Sabbath albums and The Jesus Lizard. :laugh:

Some of the stuff nearly broke me - like having to get all the ivy off the walls and moving all the logs from trees that I had cut down, cut up and stacked before I started But I lost a few pounds and learned some new things along the way. In an odd Stockholm Syndrome-lite way - I now kind of look forward to doing a bit out there whereby a month ago I hated it.

(https://i.imgur.com/DQfoJsH.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/3lhx5mh.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/5jvxQVy.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/mcrJ7bz.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/5ewJGSt.jpg)

(https://i.imgur.com/Y02g5fW.jpg)

Fair play lad, looks good.

Great work, looking really good.

Unfortunately the war with ivy is never over  :abbath:

Looks excellent, great work.
Mad to get back and sort my own yard out but it is a tremendous mess.  Does anyone know how bad things will turn out for me if I just mix cement and water through the gravel that's already on the ground (if I weed it) and levelling it off?  Because I have been tempted

If my wife sees that I'm dead