Soilman's Page

"I'm dreading going to the allotment this evening. There was frost on my car at 6am, and I fear the worst for my potatoes."

"Vegetable and herb expert is an absolute beginner essential. I still refer to it regularly."

"Full sun essential!"

"Hi Nicola I think the advice to sow late is crap – this is a slow growing crop. I sow fennel in late April or early May and keep it fleeced until frost danger has passed. The secret to stop it bolting is LOTS of watering! In a dry year (like…"

"Yes, John. I use it in my garden. Not a single cat shit since I connected it. It needs a hose under pressure, plus a small battery as Patrick says."

"This is the answer. They really work. No more cats, no more problem."

"To say that there's never any need or excuse for a fire on an allotment is a tad harsh, in my view. Run a full-size allotment for more than a few seasons and you'll certainly find yourself accumulating all manner of stuff that either…"

"Well I've just renewed at £30 pa for a full plot. So I'm paying double your rent – and confess I still think it's astoundingly good value. When you think how much a developer would pay for the land I'm renting…"

"I'd add two more reliable hosts I've found to be good value and which offer great support: www.unitedhosting.com www.justhost.com The best source of Wordpress information is, of course, www.wordpress.org... assuming you're…"

"Hmmm. It could be that the conditions were just a bit TOO perfect. I know that sounds insane, but I've had this with cucurbits in the past. If you give them gorgeous, ideal conditions (rich soil, lots of water, lots of sunshine), they sometimes…"

"It's powdery mildew, Becky. Not a lot you can do about it, I'm afraid: it happens in August when the season's coming to an end. I'm usually grateful, frankly: I'm so fed up with courgettes by August that it's a relief…"

"Oh my goodness those 10 things you have to do - first it doesn't always apply to N.Ireland yet (are all magazines so close minded as to think we all live in England??), second it really does depend on the conditions and last, what about telling…"

"It SO depends on where you live - or even what your soil's like. Generalised gardening information is just that - not specific to you and your problems. People want easy answers and after 40 years of gardening I can tell you there aren't…"

"I think the worst thing is the magazines continue to write the content for the issue month but publish that issue a month in advance - we're half way through August and all the September issues are out. So people were happily lifting their…"

"Be a tad careful with old carpet. Some carpets (esp the cheaper ones!!) have rather nasty chemicals in them that leach into your soil as they break down. So either use Axminster 100% wool twist or avoid altogether!! "