Hello from a really warm Derbyshire
Welcome to Mary and Vanessa on Blog lovin and Dawn as a Follower. Good to see a fellow beekeeper here. You sound as mad as us !
I could bore you all with more beekeeping stories. You will be pleased to hear that I will resist, suffice to say that there have been several different incidents as the warm weather continues and the bees remain strong.
D. insists that I give a mention to his frugal (i.e free) hive lids. He has recently made three new lids for our extra bees. He tells me that they are made from pallet wood and solar panel packing and painted with paint from the paint stash. "Ahh" I said "What about the nails?" "I've used the nails that Gareth gave me that he found on the site when his house was being built" he replied smugly. I really had to search my memory before I came up with the date 1990! Fair Point D. you win tight-a*** of the year award!
I am finally getting down to planting out. The gardens are in a bit of a state, but with some help from the land girls, Bob (shared lives) and (surprisingly) my grandson today, I feel that we are getting on top of the job. I shall take some pics soon.
Flump the Lump has settled in beautifully. After his first night here one of the mother hens asked him if he minded looking after her chick while she went outside for a fag. Flump, being a New Man said "No problem". Big Mistake Flump ! He is now doing an awful lot of chick-sitting for the three mums who are having a ball, often leaving the chicks with Daddy day Care ( and he's not even their dad!)
I have now started my blight prevention tomato spraying exercise (see my last post) I am spraying some tomatoes with aspirin water, some with willow water and leaving the rest. here is the plan of the greenhouse. (The south end tomatoes are Marmande, Ailsa Craig, Roma and Harzfeuer.)
NORTH SOUTH
Shirley Tomatoes Shirley Tomatoes Shirley Tomatoes Mixed Tomatoes
Willow none none Aspirin
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Shirley Tomatoes Shirley Tomatoes Cucumbers Mixed Tomatoes
Aspirin none none Willow
As per suggested in the newspaper article I will spray 2 -3 times a month. I'll keep you posted.
I always have a Free Range Egg sign outside the house. As from this weekend I have a sign for plants for sale - tomatoes, cabbages and sweet peas. Do you think it would be okay to put a "Bees for Sale" sign out there too?
Until next time
Gillx
We've only ever had blight on tomatoes in the poly-tunnels a couple of times, don't know how we've avoided it.
ReplyDeleteI shall await your scientific results with interest.
I've got a few plants to sell as well so I might be doing the same as you as well. The willow water sounds great as its so low cost!
ReplyDeleteLove your tomato trials, you've got research chemist in your blood clearly! Poor Flump this new man metrosexual caper is definitely not all it is cracked up to be but does prove women absolutely rule. 24yr old scavenged nails does seem to fit right into the extreme frugal category.
ReplyDeleteYou've reminded me that I forgot to plant any Roma Toms. The others will have to do.
ReplyDeleteYou've been busy!
ReplyDeleteI've tried to be but, owing to a 'kn***ered ankle, found it hard to use the edging spade (digging up some of the grass to make raised beds) and subsequent digging needed.
I've got various runner beans, tomatoes, herbs, (want to create a herb be too), will need to get cracking on sowing carrots,cabbage (sowed some red cabbage),kale,chard.
My toms are all freebie seeds, Gardeners' delight, Tumbling tom and Sweetie, not grown Sweetie before.
You mentioned possibly bees for sale, how about hives or rent a hive+tuition on bee-keeping? Was thinking of myself here! Seriously! Maybe you know someone in my area if not?
I'm hoping to have Hens in a couple of weeks' time too! So excited! Just need the coop/run and food!
Presumably you mean sweet pea plants rather than flowers? Our plants are only about six inches high and looking rather sick at that.
ReplyDeleteBees for sale? Are you thinking of selling them in batches of a dozen or are you waiting for a swarm/
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ReplyDelete