Or tree onions, or Egyptian onions, or whatever they're called - the
ones that produce bulbils at the end of the flower stalk instead of
seeds. I've got a couple of bulbils looking for a good home. I didn't
get a huge yield from them this year, I think they were a little too
wet in their trough, so it's one or two only I'm afraid. They've got
little tiny sprouts on them and the beginnings of roots so they need
to go!

If the gardening folks are interested drop me an e-mail ('ware the
spam trap!) with an address and I'll post them soonest.


-- 
Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long

"Halla"  wrote in message
news:7uuja4lssck93aje844538sfhrhi6b0gjk@4ax.com...
> Or tree onions, or Egyptian onions, or whatever they're called - the
> ones that produce bulbils at the end of the flower stalk instead of
> seeds. I've got a couple of bulbils looking for a good home. I didn't
> get a huge yield from them this year, I think they were a little too
> wet in their trough, so it's one or two only I'm afraid. They've got
> little tiny sprouts on them and the beginnings of roots so they need
> to go!
>
> If the gardening folks are interested drop me an e-mail ('ware the
> spam trap!) with an address and I'll post them soonest.
>
Oooh ooh, me miss me miss!!!!
Trying to email you right now - if you don't get it let me know cos it means
I've been a thicko.

Jo
x

>
> -- 
> Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong
> We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 20:45:50 +0100, "Jo B..."
<spirit_craft(antispam)@hotmail.com> blethered:

>
>"Halla"  wrote in message
>news:7uuja4lssck93aje844538sfhrhi6b0gjk@4ax.com...
>> Or tree onions, or Egyptian onions, or whatever they're called - the
>> ones that produce bulbils at the end of the flower stalk instead of
>> seeds. I've got a couple of bulbils looking for a good home. I didn't
>> get a huge yield from them this year, I think they were a little too
>> wet in their trough, so it's one or two only I'm afraid. They've got
>> little tiny sprouts on them and the beginnings of roots so they need
>> to go!
>>
>> If the gardening folks are interested drop me an e-mail ('ware the
>> spam trap!) with an address and I'll post them soonest.
>>
>Oooh ooh, me miss me miss!!!!
>Trying to email you right now - if you don't get it let me know cos it means
>I've been a thicko.

Nope, it arrived. :-) I'll organise that on Friday or after, rooked
until then drattit.


-- 
Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long

> >Trying to email you right now - if you don't get it let me know cos it
means
> >I've been a thicko.
>
> Nope, it arrived. :-) I'll organise that on Friday or after, rooked
> until then drattit.

Thank you very muchly.
Like I said in the email - caterpillars have eaten just about all my plants.
Lost the currant bushes, a lot of the raspberry canes, climbing beans, broad
beans, potatoes, welsh onions and lettuces. They had a damn good go at the
chamomile but I hope I've saved it.

I am very cross and declare war on the caterpillars with torch and
chopsticks.

I use the chopsticksto pick em off and put em in a bucket of water. I feel
lieka total shit for doing it but I have to eat too dammit :-( and NO, I'm
not eating caterpillars!!

On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:53:55 +0100, "Jo B..."
<spirit_craft(antispam)@hotmail.com> blethered:

>> >Trying to email you right now - if you don't get it let me know cos it
>means
>> >I've been a thicko.
>>
>> Nope, it arrived. :-) I'll organise that on Friday or after, rooked
>> until then drattit.
>
>Thank you very muchly.

Not a problem. Any other seeds you want? I'm giving up growing herbs
in the house because all I'm doing is feeding the greenfly. I'm
sticking to trees from now on. And I'll note here, in case I forget,
that Homebase peat-free compost is not to be used indoors at all
because it is either, or quickly becomes, infested with little fruit
fly things that gather in small swarms and look dreadful and then fall
in the tea and drown or fly up noses and are annoying. 

>Like I said in the email - caterpillars have eaten just about all my plants.

The rotters. I've got caterpillars on the nasturtiums at the back of
the garden but since they planted themselves and are rambling all over
the place that's OK. The ones that are attacking the blackcurrant bush
are hunted down and thrown to the chickens though. <g>

>Lost the currant bushes, a lot of the raspberry canes, climbing beans, broad
>beans, potatoes, welsh onions and lettuces. They had a damn good go at the
>chamomile but I hope I've saved it.

Aargh! 

>
>I am very cross and declare war on the caterpillars with torch and
>chopsticks.

After that I'd be tempted to declare war with blowtorch and stabbity
things. 

>
>I use the chopsticksto pick em off and put em in a bucket of water. I feel
>lieka total shit for doing it but I have to eat too dammit :-( 

That's the quandary, isn't it? :-( Well, I've never seen caterpillars
on the onions but I've also not had a high yield from them - still,
they've done not bad considering I bought one (clump) in a pot last
year for a couple of quid. The garden centre was selling them with the
herbs as a sort of oddity. Then again the ordinary onions are doing
nothing this year, they've barely grown at all and I think the slugs
have been a-munchin'. Hard ot tell though as, foolishly, I plopped
their grobags a bit close to the path and clumsy young feet so half
the leaves got trodden on. I know I've still to put up some pics too
but the whole place is tatty at the moment since we hacked down the
Wall of Vegetation. 

>and NO, I'm
>not eating caterpillars!!
>

I have idly wondered before if caterpillars taste like the plants they
eat, since they seem to derive at least some of their colouring from
what they eat. However I'm not about to go and find out. :-) My
butterfly books are cheapie ones and therefore don't show the
caterpillars of different species so I can't, at the moment, go and
figure out what eats what and what colour it is etc. 


-- 
Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long

"Halla"  wrote in message
news:796ab49v4rn8hf4mvbisar3ma1ovku4t9d@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:53:55 +0100, "Jo B..."
> <spirit_craft(antispam)@hotmail.com> blethered:
>
> >> >Trying to email you right now - if you don't get it let me know cos it
> >means
> >> >I've been a thicko.
> >>
> >> Nope, it arrived. :-) I'll organise that on Friday or after, rooked
> >> until then drattit.
> >
> >Thank you very muchly.
>
> Not a problem. Any other seeds you want? I'm giving up growing herbs
> in the house because all I'm doing is feeding the greenfly. I'm
> sticking to trees from now on. And I'll note here, in case I forget,
> that Homebase peat-free compost is not to be used indoors at all
> because it is either, or quickly becomes, infested with little fruit
> fly things that gather in small swarms and look dreadful and then fall
> in the tea and drown or fly up noses and are annoying.

Thanks but I believe I own more seeds than the garden centre, most of which
I will never plant (oops, reminded self I promised someone on a forum my
coriander seeds)
The compost fly problem is cos its a soil-less compost with high moisture
and high acidity. Same problems occur with wormeries if they get too wet and
acidic. Cure for the wormery is a mix of bran and calcified lime, in pots
its more tricky.
I raised some seeds in just vermiculite and then potted them on in
soil-based compost once they'd got bigger - worked quite well but most of
them live outside anyway. You might be better off with a little greenhouse
or cold frame to keep the herbs in outdoors if you've got space. They're
likely to get more light and if they do suffer with flies at least they'll
be away from your cuppa.

>
> >Like I said in the email - caterpillars have eaten just about all my
plants.
>
> The rotters. I've got caterpillars on the nasturtiums at the back of
> the garden but since they planted themselves and are rambling all over
> the place that's OK. The ones that are attacking the blackcurrant bush
> are hunted down and thrown to the chickens though. <g>

See, thats why I need chickens. Can't seem to convince the BF tho *rolls
eyes* he's such a stuck-in-the-mud. Mind the cat isn't helping by stomping
on everything to get at the bluebottles. Although I think the biggest issue
is being a small highwalled yard we get no little insect eating birds which
I think would help a lot if i had a proper garden.*sigh*

>
> >Lost the currant bushes, a lot of the raspberry canes, climbing beans,
broad
> >beans, potatoes, welsh onions and lettuces. They had a damn good go at
the
> >chamomile but I hope I've saved it.
>
> Aargh!
>
> >
> >I am very cross and declare war on the caterpillars with torch and
> >chopsticks.
>
> After that I'd be tempted to declare war with blowtorch and stabbity
> things.

Well its not a blowtorch - but it does help me locate the bastards at night
when they do most of their feeding. You can actually hear then crunching O_o

>
> >
> >I use the chopsticksto pick em off and put em in a bucket of water. I
feel
> >lieka total shit for doing it but I have to eat too dammit :-(
>
> That's the quandary, isn't it? :-( Well, I've never seen caterpillars
> on the onions but I've also not had a high yield from them - still,
> they've done not bad considering I bought one (clump) in a pot last
> year for a couple of quid. The garden centre was selling them with the
> herbs as a sort of oddity. Then again the ordinary onions are doing
> nothing this year, they've barely grown at all and I think the slugs
> have been a-munchin'. Hard ot tell though as, foolishly, I plopped
> their grobags a bit close to the path and clumsy young feet so half
> the leaves got trodden on. I know I've still to put up some pics too
> but the whole place is tatty at the moment since we hacked down the
> Wall of Vegetation.
>
> >and NO, I'm
> >not eating caterpillars!!
> >
>
> I have idly wondered before if caterpillars taste like the plants they
> eat, since they seem to derive at least some of their colouring from
> what they eat. However I'm not about to go and find out. :-) My
> butterfly books are cheapie ones and therefore don't show the
> caterpillars of different species so I can't, at the moment, go and
> figure out what eats what and what colour it is etc.

I'd suspect not very nice - particularly the ones that ate the potato tops!
I think its just damage limitation now and taking out as many of the evil
buggers as I can.
I have some 'organic' insecticidal soap but they laugh at it to be honest.
Ever heard a caterpillar laugh at your attempts to regain lost ground in a
battle? Its quite sinister!

On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 12:00:09 +0100, "Jo B..."
<spirit_craft(antispam)@hotmail.com> blethered:

>
>"Halla"  wrote in message
>news:796ab49v4rn8hf4mvbisar3ma1ovku4t9d@4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 27 Aug 2008 02:53:55 +0100, "Jo B..."
>> <spirit_craft(antispam)@hotmail.com> blethered:
>>
>> >> >Trying to email you right now - if you don't get it let me know cos it
>> >means
>> >> >I've been a thicko.
>> >>
>> >> Nope, it arrived. :-) I'll organise that on Friday or after, rooked
>> >> until then drattit.
>> >
>> >Thank you very muchly.
>>
>> Not a problem. Any other seeds you want? I'm giving up growing herbs
>> in the house because all I'm doing is feeding the greenfly. I'm
>> sticking to trees from now on. And I'll note here, in case I forget,
>> that Homebase peat-free compost is not to be used indoors at all
>> because it is either, or quickly becomes, infested with little fruit
>> fly things that gather in small swarms and look dreadful and then fall
>> in the tea and drown or fly up noses and are annoying.
>
>Thanks but I believe I own more seeds than the garden centre, most of which
>I will never plant (oops, reminded self I promised someone on a forum my
>coriander seeds)

I've to send an onion and some unspecified leftover seeds to a
chancer, er, *member* of the swap seed group. <g> 

>The compost fly problem is cos its a soil-less compost with high moisture
>and high acidity. Same problems occur with wormeries if they get too wet and
>acidic. Cure for the wormery is a mix of bran and calcified lime, in pots
>its more tricky.

Ah, thanks for that. I tried some of that diatomaceous (spelling? no
idea!) earth on it but they merely laughed and flew round it. ;-)

>I raised some seeds in just vermiculite and then potted them on in
>soil-based compost once they'd got bigger - worked quite well but most of
>them live outside anyway. You might be better off with a little greenhouse
>or cold frame to keep the herbs in outdoors if you've got space. They're
>likely to get more light and if they do suffer with flies at least they'll
>be away from your cuppa.

I was hoping to get a photogenic plant to show off the decorated
terracotta pots and the watering can plantpot but it didn't work. <g>
Did get two apple trees though, one grew all by itself in a pot
outside that we planted up last year and one decided to germinate in
the kitchen. That's three trees I've got now, if the apples come to
anything I want to try growing them as step-overs (I think that's what
they're called? I'm nothing if not ambitious...). Actually I want to
put them on my allotment, because we're not allowed trees or fences.
Heh. 

>
>>
>> >Like I said in the email - caterpillars have eaten just about all my
>plants.
>>
>> The rotters. I've got caterpillars on the nasturtiums at the back of
>> the garden but since they planted themselves and are rambling all over
>> the place that's OK. The ones that are attacking the blackcurrant bush
>> are hunted down and thrown to the chickens though. <g>
>
>See, thats why I need chickens. Can't seem to convince the BF tho *rolls
>eyes* he's such a stuck-in-the-mud. 

Free fertiliser and entertainment. <g> Plus you could rescue a couple
of battery girls, they'd like wandering around a yard for a change.
Mine have been on antibiotics though and it's a bit disheartening to
find a giant egg in the nest box and not be able to eat it because of
the treatment. (Are commerical birds fed antibiotics though I wonder?
I don't know much about commercial egg production)

>Mind the cat isn't helping by stomping
>on everything to get at the bluebottles. Although I think the biggest issue
>is being a small highwalled yard we get no little insect eating birds which
>I think would help a lot if i had a proper garden.*sigh*
>

Birds can be right cheeky but maybe they haven't spotted the food
source. Or think the cat has stomped on it all. <g>

<snip tale of cestruction>
>> >I am very cross and declare war on the caterpillars with torch and
>> >chopsticks.
>>
>> After that I'd be tempted to declare war with blowtorch and stabbity
>> things.
>
>Well its not a blowtorch - but it does help me locate the bastards at night
>when they do most of their feeding. You can actually hear then crunching O_o

I can believe it. <:-) Little sods. One of the daughters came home the
other day with a fat green caterpillar wandering over her shoulder,
took me five minutes to untangle it as it had super hooky feet. It was
decanted onto the giant willowherb at my front door. I should pull
that up but I quite like the flowers. <g> It's not the neatest plant
though. 

<snip>
>> I have idly wondered before if caterpillars taste like the plants they
>> eat, since they seem to derive at least some of their colouring from
>> what they eat. However I'm not about to go and find out. :-) My
>> butterfly books are cheapie ones and therefore don't show the
>> caterpillars of different species so I can't, at the moment, go and
>> figure out what eats what and what colour it is etc.
>
>I'd suspect not very nice - particularly the ones that ate the potato tops!

See now that's just weird. <:-/ Mind you I've got something eating the
rhubarb leaves. I got two lots of rhubarb from Freecycle and they'r
edifferent varieties, one looks as though some of its leaves were
burnt back to the ribs but the other is untouched. Strange, eh? :-)
Haven't found out what's eating the leaves, either.

>I think its just damage limitation now and taking out as many of the evil
>buggers as I can.

Indeedy. 

>I have some 'organic' insecticidal soap but they laugh at it to be honest.

Yeah well. :-/ I know there's a reason all food growers didn't stick
with the 'nicer' methods of killing pests, it's still a bit galling
though. 

>Ever heard a caterpillar laugh at your attempts to regain lost ground in a
>battle? Its quite sinister!
>

I can imagine. Although I rather wish I couldn't. <g>


-- 
Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long

[snips]
> >Thanks but I believe I own more seeds than the garden centre, most of
which
> >I will never plant (oops, reminded self I promised someone on a forum my
> >coriander seeds)
>
> I've to send an onion and some unspecified leftover seeds to a
> chancer, er, *member* of the swap seed group. <g>

Heh, and I'm not a chancer? LOL

>
> >The compost fly problem is cos its a soil-less compost with high moisture
> >and high acidity. Same problems occur with wormeries if they get too wet
and
> >acidic. Cure for the wormery is a mix of bran and calcified lime, in pots
> >its more tricky.
>
> Ah, thanks for that. I tried some of that diatomaceous (spelling? no
> idea!) earth on it but they merely laughed and flew round it. ;-)

Oooooh theres posh, and you spelled it right as well <impressed> I'd been
taken with the idea of diatomaceous earth as an insecticide but after that
report I might just not bother. I've heard you can use it in the house for
fleas/larvae and carpet beetles though.

>
> >I raised some seeds in just vermiculite and then potted them on in
> >soil-based compost once they'd got bigger - worked quite well but most of
> >them live outside anyway. You might be better off with a little
greenhouse
> >or cold frame to keep the herbs in outdoors if you've got space. They're
> >likely to get more light and if they do suffer with flies at least
they'll
> >be away from your cuppa.
>
> I was hoping to get a photogenic plant to show off the decorated
> terracotta pots and the watering can plantpot but it didn't work. <g>
> Did get two apple trees though, one grew all by itself in a pot
> outside that we planted up last year and one decided to germinate in
> the kitchen. That's three trees I've got now, if the apples come to
> anything I want to try growing them as step-overs (I think that's what
> they're called? I'm nothing if not ambitious...). Actually I want to
> put them on my allotment, because we're not allowed trees or fences.
> Heh.

Again impressive and also impressively rebellious :-D
I approve.
I like it when trees self seed - I have a very pretty little birch obtained
that way - I'm fighting the caterpillers off that as well!!

> >> >Like I said in the email - caterpillars have eaten just about all my
> >plants.
> >>
> >> The rotters. I've got caterpillars on the nasturtiums at the back of
> >> the garden but since they planted themselves and are rambling all over
> >> the place that's OK. The ones that are attacking the blackcurrant bush
> >> are hunted down and thrown to the chickens though. <g>
> >
> >See, thats why I need chickens. Can't seem to convince the BF tho *rolls
> >eyes* he's such a stuck-in-the-mud.
>
> Free fertiliser and entertainment. <g> Plus you could rescue a couple
> of battery girls, they'd like wandering around a yard for a change.
> Mine have been on antibiotics though and it's a bit disheartening to
> find a giant egg in the nest box and not be able to eat it because of
> the treatment. (Are commerical birds fed antibiotics though I wonder?
> I don't know much about commercial egg production)

One day I will rescue some batts but when I have a proper garden with space
in it for all the creatures and plants I NEED. See the BF just can't
understand that its not simply an idle desire.

Not entirely sure on the antibiotics. There is a lot of suspicion that ALL
farmed animals are given antibiotics and preventative medication along with
hormones willy-nilly. I think that might be a bit far fetched to believe in
its entirety but there might be something in it - besides if your chooks are
on meds for a specific purpose they could be on stronger doses than that.
Best to take veterinary advice onthe subject.

>
> >Mind the cat isn't helping by stomping
> >on everything to get at the bluebottles. Although I think the biggest
issue
> >is being a small highwalled yard we get no little insect eating birds
which
> >I think would help a lot if i had a proper garden.*sigh*
> >
> Birds can be right cheeky but maybe they haven't spotted the food
> source. Or think the cat has stomped on it all. <g>

Nah, it IS very built up out back (and out front). The yard on the other
side of the alley out back has a couple of trees - how they fit in to such a
tiny concrete space I've no idea - but it does mean that they get a few
sparrows. Other than that its jackdaws on the broken chimneys, pigeons
crapping everywhere and the occasional gull picking at rubbish. They're all
scavenging opportunists looking for food scraps and not really interested in
a few bugs when theres a kebab on the floor.

> <snip tale of cestruction>
> >> >I am very cross and declare war on the caterpillars with torch and
> >> >chopsticks.
> >>
> >> After that I'd be tempted to declare war with blowtorch and stabbity
> >> things.
> >
> >Well its not a blowtorch - but it does help me locate the bastards at
night
> >when they do most of their feeding. You can actually hear then crunching
O_o
>
> I can believe it. <:-) Little sods. One of the daughters came home the
> other day with a fat green caterpillar wandering over her shoulder,
> took me five minutes to untangle it as it had super hooky feet. It was
> decanted onto the giant willowherb at my front door. I should pull
> that up but I quite like the flowers. <g> It's not the neatest plant
> though.

Hmm willowherb may be pretty but it is madly invasive. It has buggered up
the foundations of my mates house and wrecked the plumbing, getting into the
sewer etc. Hard to get rid of when you've had enough of it.
>
> <snip>
> >> I have idly wondered before if caterpillars taste like the plants they
> >> eat, since they seem to derive at least some of their colouring from
> >> what they eat. However I'm not about to go and find out. :-) My
> >> butterfly books are cheapie ones and therefore don't show the
> >> caterpillars of different species so I can't, at the moment, go and
> >> figure out what eats what and what colour it is etc.
> >
> >I'd suspect not very nice - particularly the ones that ate the potato
tops!
>
> See now that's just weird. <:-/ Mind you I've got something eating the
> rhubarb leaves. I got two lots of rhubarb from Freecycle and they'r
> edifferent varieties, one looks as though some of its leaves were
> burnt back to the ribs but the other is untouched. Strange, eh? :-)
> Haven't found out what's eating the leaves, either.

I'd think you have the same problem as me cos thats what my plants look
like - go out at night with a torch and check under the leaves. You might
just find a big fat brown caterpillar (dad calls them cut-worms but I think
thats just a generic terms for these types of caterpillars). Some of these
beasts live under the soil during the day and so are hard to spot.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/pc16.php this picture is pretty
good but doesn't show the way they curl up like cumberland sausages when
disturbed.

Jo

On Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:15:24 +0100, "Jo B..."
<spirit_craft(antispam)@hotmail.com> blethered:

>[snips]
>> >Thanks but I believe I own more seeds than the garden centre, most of
>which
>> >I will never plant (oops, reminded self I promised someone on a forum my
>> >coriander seeds)
>>
>> I've to send an onion and some unspecified leftover seeds to a
>> chancer, er, *member* of the swap seed group. <g>
>
>Heh, and I'm not a chancer? LOL

Ah, I offered an onionlette and whatever spare seeds I er, dug up and
this one replied that he'd take whatever was available. Perhaps he's
just shy though and couldn't elaborate on why he wanted random seeds.
<g>

>
>>
>> >The compost fly problem is cos its a soil-less compost with high moisture
>> >and high acidity. Same problems occur with wormeries if they get too wet
>and
>> >acidic. Cure for the wormery is a mix of bran and calcified lime, in pots
>> >its more tricky.
>>
>> Ah, thanks for that. I tried some of that diatomaceous (spelling? no
>> idea!) earth on it but they merely laughed and flew round it. ;-)
>
>Oooooh theres posh, and you spelled it right as well <impressed> 

It took a couple of attempts and some very slow typing. ;-)

>I'd been
>taken with the idea of diatomaceous earth as an insecticide but after that
>report I might just not bother. I've heard you can use it in the house for
>fleas/larvae and carpet beetles though.

I think it may work better on non-flying things. I don't know how much
is needed - it's very very fine and powdery, I don't know if
everything needs covered in it or merely dusted. It didn't put off the
flies in the hen house (the sods), it may have killed any other
lurking bugs though. 

>
>>
>> >I raised some seeds in just vermiculite and then potted them on in
>> >soil-based compost once they'd got bigger - worked quite well but most of
>> >them live outside anyway. You might be better off with a little
>greenhouse
>> >or cold frame to keep the herbs in outdoors if you've got space. They're
>> >likely to get more light and if they do suffer with flies at least
>they'll
>> >be away from your cuppa.
>>
>> I was hoping to get a photogenic plant to show off the decorated
>> terracotta pots and the watering can plantpot but it didn't work. <g>
>> Did get two apple trees though, one grew all by itself in a pot
>> outside that we planted up last year and one decided to germinate in
>> the kitchen. That's three trees I've got now, if the apples come to
>> anything I want to try growing them as step-overs (I think that's what
>> they're called? I'm nothing if not ambitious...). Actually I want to
>> put them on my allotment, because we're not allowed trees or fences.
>> Heh.
>
>Again impressive and also impressively rebellious :-D
>I approve.

I don't know how I'm going to stop the livestock from eating any
apples though. This evening I have been mostly planning to spend about
£5k on a hedge so I should have plenty of trees to look after, one way
or another. <:-)

I also need to decide on some things on the allotment, like layout and
what I want to grow and whatnot. Y'know, just some simple things. :-/
I've got a tip that Aldi or Lidl sell the best garlic for growing, so
that's one crop. <g>

>I like it when trees self seed - I have a very pretty little birch obtained
>that way - I'm fighting the caterpillers off that as well!!

My third tree is a rowan, which has awkwardly decided to grow in
between two slabs. Seems alright so far, it's grown about a foot this
year. I want to keep it, the one that was here when we moved in died
shortly afterwards so this one is precious to me but I don't want to
move it. I will have to move at least one slab. <g>

[hens]
>
>One day I will rescue some batts but when I have a proper garden with space
>in it for all the creatures and plants I NEED. See the BF just can't
>understand that its not simply an idle desire.

Yeah the hubby here tends to treat it all a little like a hobby or
pastime to be humoured. He's not too bad though and is as proud as
anything of the potatoes - not a lot of them, the bags didn't work for
me probably because I didn't water enough or something. Low yield,
although they were lovely tatties. Purple and pink and spotted, so
they were. :-) The fields hereabouts have all got blight now,
apparently. Which reminds me, I was trying to find out who deals with
dodgy plant material hereabouts. 

>
>Not entirely sure on the antibiotics. There is a lot of suspicion that ALL
>farmed animals are given antibiotics and preventative medication along with
>hormones willy-nilly. I think that might be a bit far fetched to believe in
>its entirety but there might be something in it - besides if your chooks are
>on meds for a specific purpose they could be on stronger doses than that.
>Best to take veterinary advice onthe subject.

The veterinary (and in fact manufacturer) advice was to leave it six
weeks after they'd stopped taking them. Quite galling when there are
eggs the size of rugby balls being laid. Ho hum. 

[...]
>> Birds can be right cheeky but maybe they haven't spotted the food
>> source. Or think the cat has stomped on it all. <g>
>
>Nah, it IS very built up out back (and out front). The yard on the other
>side of the alley out back has a couple of trees - how they fit in to such a
>tiny concrete space I've no idea - but it does mean that they get a few
>sparrows. Other than that its jackdaws on the broken chimneys, pigeons
>crapping everywhere and the occasional gull picking at rubbish. They're all
>scavenging opportunists looking for food scraps and not really interested in
>a few bugs when theres a kebab on the floor.

Well yes. <:-/ The guy across the road here feeds the seagulls -
*feeds* the *seagulls*!! I mean really. 

At the moment we have marauding gangs of starlings, systematically
shaking down the rowans for their berries. The pavements are red. <g>

<snip>
>
>Hmm willowherb may be pretty but it is madly invasive. It has buggered up
>the foundations of my mates house and wrecked the plumbing, getting into the
>sewer etc. Hard to get rid of when you've had enough of it.

Eh? Never head of that before. Oh dear. :-/ I've never had a problem
getting rid of it.

<more snips>
>> See now that's just weird. <:-/ Mind you I've got something eating the
>> rhubarb leaves. I got two lots of rhubarb from Freecycle and they'r
>> edifferent varieties, one looks as though some of its leaves were
>> burnt back to the ribs but the other is untouched. Strange, eh? :-)
>> Haven't found out what's eating the leaves, either.
>
>I'd think you have the same problem as me cos thats what my plants look
>like - go out at night with a torch and check under the leaves. You might
>just find a big fat brown caterpillar (dad calls them cut-worms but I think
>thats just a generic terms for these types of caterpillars). Some of these
>beasts live under the soil during the day and so are hard to spot.

Ah. That'd explain it. :-) I've found various eggs in the soil (and a
nice clutch of them under the compost bin - the slugs liked it in
there, apparently) and some centipedes and millions of slaters but no
caterpillars. 

>http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/pc16.php this picture is pretty
>good but doesn't show the way they curl up like cumberland sausages when
>disturbed.

Heh. :-)


-- 
Bring on the wonder, we got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long