The anglers net regulars....

[Steve Walker]

Curses! They'll get in where a draught wouldn't. The only effective deterrent is to make mesh covers for your trays and rows.

 

I shall have to have words with the cats, what am I paying them for?

[Emma two]

I'd say without a doubt AN posters are a bunch of traditionalists who tweek the already tweeked amongst themselves. Then biytch about it. I started a truly "outside the box" topic. You AN regulars dissapeared like stink from chit. You can only pat yourselves on the back so far down the spine then you have to shoal up and pat each other. (Nothing wrong with that, I like it that you have such a relationship with one another).

 

No one wants to get their English feet wet in fear of the establishment. He!!, you won't even disagree with my theory for fear I might be right (which is a distinct posibility - see hooks and attractants thread). You're suckers for the "fishwrap" mags and massive advertising. It's no wonder fish like carp that respond to "sameness" are popular.

 

Phone

 

 

Happily I understand very little of that.

[Phone]

Emma,

 

You of all people. I thought you would understand a hissy fit better than most.

 

Phone

[Emma two]

Emma,

 

You of all people. I thought you would understand a hissy fit better than most.

 

Phone

 

 

You think that I am disposed to 'hissy fits'?

[Phone]

Emma, Rob,

 

I'll step lightly over to potatoes. I never grow them in dirt. I dig a couple of trenchs with small hand plow, place the dry potatoes - eye up - in the trench. NO DIRT. Cover with wheat straw. A week to a couple weeks later mound the straw again. That's it! In the old days, when we had chickens, I used a bit of chicken chit. Now days I use hardly anything to encourage growth (top or bottom). My soil is quite loose and sandy so I do have to water but only occasionally. Unlike other parts of the garden, they remain weed free for the most part. It's a small garden and I only grow about 3 - 6 pecks of potatoes - mostly for fun and I enjoy a mess or two of peas and new potatoes from the garden (mid June). We noodle our potatoes as needed - never dig.

 

Phone

[andy_youngs]

No one wants to get their English feet wet in fear of the establishment. Phone

I will. I don't mind jumping in head first (or feet first ...)

[Phone]

Andy,

 

Very well. I'll be looking forward to your comment in the "hooks and attractants" thread.

 

Phone

[andy_youngs]

Can't find the hooks and attractants thread Phone. Tell me where it is, then ok away we go ...

 

Just out of interest, do you have any Irish ancestry in you? I just sense a bit of celtic fire in there ....

[poledark]

I was most amused at the way Emma hijacked this thread...well done Em Seems to have done the trick though...where have "they" all gone?

 

Spuds?? I love them

 

Den

[robtherake]

Emma, Rob,

 

I'll step lightly over to potatoes. I never grow them in dirt. I dig a couple of trenchs with small hand plow, place the dry potatoes - eye up - in the trench. NO DIRT. Cover with wheat straw. A week to a couple weeks later mound the straw again. That's it! In the old days, when we had chickens, I used a bit of chicken chit. Now days I use hardly anything to encourage growth (top or bottom). My soil is quite loose and sandy so I do have to water but only occasionally. Unlike other parts of the garden, they remain weed free for the most part. It's a small garden and I only grow about 3 - 6 pecks of potatoes - mostly for fun and I enjoy a mess or two of peas and new potatoes from the garden (mid June). We noodle our potatoes as needed - never dig.

 

Phone

 

I looked into doing it this way, Phone, after reading extensively on the subject. The main benefits being cleaner spuds, easier picking, less pest damage and better yields. Sounds like a no-brainer, doesn't it? The cost of the straw was the problem - I couldn't find a cheap source and it would have more than doubled the price of growing them (Yield was around 250kg last season - a good year!) . Part of the ethos of growing your own is the element of thrift.....and I'm a Yorkshireman by birth

 

Good method though, and most importantly it leaves the soil in great condition for the following year.