h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Frenchbean - with your move, I hope that everything goes well .

Lets hope your garlic will do much better in your new house .

Nigel

Thanks Nigel

So far it's looking a nice sunny day for gardeners. Even I know you
need sunshine to go with the rain to bring your plants and flowers on nicely! It brings the person doing the gardening on nicely too to get a bit of sun and fresh air, not to mention the exercise!

Thats Frenchbean.

SS, it makes a nice change for the sun to be out, and I hope that it continues throughout the day. Gardening makes me very 'out-of-breath' but you are right, it is definitely good exercise .

Anyway, off to potter in the greenhouse for a bit .

All the best.

Nigel

Various reflections...

I often grow clove onions, first because they're unusual in supermarket fare and second because whole onion cloves are of an ideal size for hearty stews.

Parsnips are an excellent alternative for potato in oyster stew, and probably the original vegetable employed before the introduction of white potatoes.

On the agaves, besides the agave americana (maguey) illustrated, there are a number of other varieties. The agave desertii has been in cultivation for centuries by the Cahuilla Indians of the Colorado Desert and is used in the same ways as the Mexican maguey, or century plant. The agave attenuata is one of the most spineless and safest and is also cultivated as a food crop. The agave vilmoriniana, or octopus plant, is notable for producing clusters of bulbs when it puts up a 'flower' stalk in place of the flowers, rather than flowering, and is about of a size with the maguey. All of them are frost hardy and don't mind plenty of water, so long as the soil is well drained and will mature sooner with more water and mild weather.

Other uses for the maguey, besides those mentioned in the article, jute fiber suitable for rope or sack cloth. Also the cuticle of the leaf, carefully peeled from it, has a parchment like quality and will take india ink calligraphy on the porous underside. It does have a strong tendency to curl parallel to the length of the leaf, but can be stabilized by means of framing with splints. The terminal spine torn loose with some of the fiber, makes an excellent emergency sewing needle with thread (traditional).

Parsnips

Monday 1st September ,

Hello my gardening friends . I hope that you are all well, and are enjoying the various colours of our plants at this time of year .

A couple of weeks ago, we had to dig up our main crop potatoes as there were signs of the dreaded ‘Potato Blight’. Luckily, the blight never attacked the actual potato, only the tops, so we managed to dig them up in time. For those of you who are not too familiar with this disease, take a look at A32731742 which gives a little more information about what actions to take etc.

When we planted the main crop spuds, we thought that they were whites which was the colour of the tubers when we brought them earlier in the season. However, when we dug them up, they turned out to be ‘Pinks’ . The only explanation is that the packets were labelled up incorrectly. However, they taste lovely and we have a full sack, which is more than the first and second earlies put together!

My Courgettes are finally doing well. They are growing into Marrows quicker than I can pick them , but my friends appreciate them more than me who doesn’t like them . I can hear you saying ‘well why grow them?’, the answer to that one is because it is something that I have always grown and gave to my friends for making extraordinary cooking dishes .

The bottom half of my plot is still quite weedy, but dad is slowly clearing it for me which will hopefully be ready for next year . I like to leave a few wild flowers for the insects; I seen a dragon-fly the other day, but didn’t have my camera on me .

My Swedes are doing exceptionary well, and are not supposed to be ready until November. However, they are actually ready now, so I will be digging one up this week to try it . It is probably down to the weather that we have been having this year.

My Leeks are also growing slowly, a few have been ate by slugs . I cannot believe the amount of slugs this year, has anybody else noticed the increase of these slimy creatures?

Anyway, take care and happy gardening .

Nigel

Hi ITIWBS ,

A very interesting post .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hope you are Frenchbean.

All the best.

Nigel

Hello Nigel

I've surfaced from the packing and sorting for a few minutes

My french beans have decided to have a final flourish and I am suddenly swamped with them - just seven days before moving out. As a consequence I can't possibly pull them up, which is what was planned today However, how lovely to have several dishes of beans for the next few nights' dinner.

Ever popular remedy for slugs, a can of beer, 1/3 full, seated where they congregate.

Waste of beer though, my other half says They don't seem keen here, I've tried it - perhaps it was the wrong brand

Websailor

I think slugs tend to like wet and damp weather so perhaps doing so well. It certainly has been damp lately, I feel sorry for all you gardeners!

SS, they like humid weather too, nice warm, damp evenings. Since it has gone cooler and we have had torrential rain day and night, only one has ventured out here for a couple of days.

Websailor

Allotment Diary – Tuesday 9th September, 2008

It has been a very wet weekend in the West Midlands, like many other places too. Many places near rivers and canals have been flooded, destroying businesses and family homes once again .

It is such a shame, and insurance companies will probably be up to their eyes in debt after paying out again. This will have its toll on our house insurance, shooting premiums up sky high. The flood defense agency will have to put more flood barriers up, or do something to our draining system and so it will drain some of the water away.

On the allotment, the bad storms over the weekend didn’t burst the river banks and so plot holders down the very bottom of the site were happy. Last year, they lost all of their crops down the river which was a real shame. My plot, which is at the very top of the site, is very muddy and wet. As it is heavy clay in places, it means that I would most likely sink if I tried standing on the soil . At least the weeds like the wet .

My Swedes are still doing exceptionally well, and it will soon be time for the very first taster session . My Leeks are growing very slow, but they are a spring variety so they won’t be ready until the start of next year. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that they will be ready for Christmas time, as it will not be the same without a home grown leek or two . Oh dear , I have mentioned the dreaded ‘C’ word .

I have spent more on slug pellets this year, than seeds . It is once again a very bad year for slugs, and they seem to be eating everything in site . I did suggest to my friend down the allotment, that if he put bamboo canes all around his plot and placed dead slugs on each cane, it would warn the others what will happen if they are caught . I would put down some beer traps, but it is a waste of beer . Why should the slugs have the enjoyment of getting drunk .

However, there is one vegetable which the dreaded creatures have not touched – that is the courgettes. They are growing so quickly this year, and turning into marrows overnight .

I gave Websailer some, and she made some very nice marrow and ginger jam . I have tried a sample, but the jars have been put under lock and key in case I enjoyed the sample too much . I think that it is her secret recipe, in order to get more wildlife flock into her garden . Don’t tell her though, oh damn, she is probably whispering under her breath as she is reading this .

On my health front, I have not been too well the last couple of weeks . I had a bad fall in the shed, lost my balance and pulled a shelf down . An old computer system (the big heavy towers), dropped straight onto my foot . Luckily, it was on the foot that I have no feeling in. By the next morning it turned black . An urgent visit to the doctors, and I was told that there is a fracture in my toe as well as having a badly bruised foot. There is nothing that can be done with fractures in the toes, except dressing and creaming it every day. It seems to be getting better, but I will lose the two badly damaged toe nails.

The biggest problem I have at the moment is my neck and spine. I have had rheumatoid arthritis in my neck for a few years now, and as the muscles in my spine are very weak I have been in terrible pain . Again, another visit to the doctors was needed yesterday, and I have been put on very strong painkillers as well as continuing with my current painkillers. The strong ones are only for short term, but if they help then I will ask if I can have them on repeat so I can take them when needed .

if I have not been around much, but I can only sit for short periods. I am quite often and I am still writing ‘Nigel Gardening Hints & Tips’ which I so much enjoy. It takes me a while to do, but it keeps my mind active and I know that my friends on hoo-too enjoy reading them .

This week in the post, I am talking about ‘Fungi and Mushrooms’ with some very useful hints . I am giving away my secret Fungi favourite website, which is very useful in identifying Fungi.

Also, there is an extra piece which I will not tell you about as I want it to be a surprise .

Take care my friends .

Nigel

Websailor

Dear oh dear Nigel, you have been in the wars!
.
Strangely gives Nigel a quick manly hug then steps back sharpish, a hug not at all meant in THAT way , lol!
.
Get well soon better mate, footwise!

Thanks SS .

I will keep battling on, making the most of every day .

SS, have you read 'Johnny Kingdoms auto-biography'? I think that it is called 'a life in Exeter'. I have almost finished it, and have enjoyed every minute of reading about his life and love of wildlife .

I think that you would really enjoy it .

Nigel

The swedes sound excellent, Nigel. Taste test results will be posted here, I assume? Lovely with haggis

I hope that you're able to sit for longer spells soon and can do more ing and keeping us up to date on the claypit/allotment

Fb

I wonder if I could be taster in chief?

He grows some good stuff does Nigel. If only he didn't have so many things to put up with. He does well though and doesn't complain. He just can't do the things he would like to. Just a bit at a time, a day at a time.

I am so glad his allotment hasn't been flooded. I feel so sorry for those who are, they work so hard.

Websailor

Thanks Frenchbean . When I have dug a few up, and had a tasting session I will let you know how they taste . It depends though, what of mine is cooking them .

I do get a bit disheartened at times when I see the weeds in some places of the allotment, and I haven't the energy to get down to the plot more than about twice a week .

with everything Frenchbean.

Websailor, you will be the 'taster in chief' .

All the best.

Nigel