Palaisglide

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton has leaden sky although dry-ish. Had to cross the Styx "Rain" for some S&M (shopping I mean) as I stood at the lights over the A66 it was a clear view of the whole length of the hills almost to Arncliffe, I sat thinking how much like looking into Wales from Herefordshire, the Black Hills look much like that view of the Cleveland Hills.
Back home after a coffee with the reading light on it is quite dark but very warm.

Frank.

Composting and wormery

Artjak, all things change, my Daughter was worried on Christmas day about keeping things warm, she needed the oven space. I said have you got a cold box, she had so I lined the bottom and sides with newspaper put the dishes in she wanted to keep warm then covered it with more paper and towel. I moved on for lunch with second daughter, first rang me to say it had worked perfectly. I learned how to use hay boxes in the army and a cooler can be that or a hay box, I often used one like that when cooking for the family.
My Son has stables and horses but they do not use straw, wood chippings are not the same for heat generation, pig manure on its own is not good although mixed with horse it will work. I have heard of hot boxes using just compost though they would not reach the heat a proper box would.
Rough double digging in Autumn let winter do the work raking and manuring  early spring and let the worms do the work, sow two rows for yourself and one for the beasties, it all works, those gardening Dads knew what they were doing.

Frank.

Composting and wormery

Artjak, my Fathers one interest apart from his business was gardening, he had grown up in that walled garden and smallholding which had to feed extended family in need well before my time, he knew every trick of the trade.
Each Autumn he would assemble wood panels as if for a raised bed in a sheltered spot next to a south facing wall so they got the most of any winter sun.
Next went in bales of straw, we had plenty from the farm and I do mean bales not a covering. On top of that went raw manure out of the midden a plentiful covering on top of the straw. More straw went on the manure a good covering then soil on top of that again a good covering and it was left to heat up naturally, if it was wet weather he had glazed panels to cover it. When it was up to heat Dad put boxes of seed on the soil and planted some straight into the pile, he would cover the pile at night and lift the glass during the day.
His motto was if you cannot eat or sell it then it is a waste of space, we had fresh spring cabbage beans and peas long before anyone else, he grew melons, marrows (we ate a lot of them) and some soft fruit, but he also brought on his Chrysathemum roots to take the cuttings, he loved them and showed them at the local shows.
When the pile had run its course we dismantled it and all the content went into the midden for next years compost.
Unless you had access to raw manure it was not viable so fell out of fashion as tractors do not produce the raw material.
I watched a program last night that said the calorific content of fruit and veg had fallen drastically as modern techniques put in the minimum feed needed to produce the crop. Us "auld lads" brought up in times of good gardening with "olde" fashioned ways of doing things have said that for years, nothing tastes as it once did.
In  these modern times I have a sand box in the greenhouse with heating wires in the sand and a thermostat, it does the same job only on a lesser scale. That apart from a frost guard fan heater is all the heat I use.

Frank.

Composting and wormery

Jo, we had a huge midden behind the stables, you could open a hatch and throw the manure and straw straight into the midden, it also had the pig hen duck and goose cleanings plus garden waste, it was always steaming and did have the odd rat. When Dad told me to fill a barrow to spread on the garden from the composted end I would put my Terrier Peter in there first, he was a whiz at killing them so they did not hang around.
Just give them room to flee, if you corner them they will bite.
We would start the Hot Box every year from the hot end of the midden and bales of straw, we ate fresh veg from that hot box until the spring sowing was ready, two or three weeks later.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton was dark dull and wet this morning although the sun is now trying hard, it has brightened a lot.
The Grandchildren just left so it was a sunny morning to me.

Frank.

Composting and wormery

All I can say Artjak is my bins have been up and running in this garden for 28 years and never a sign of a rat and before that several gardens with never a sign of a rat.
My problem is the snails think it a five star hotel so I take a bucket of water and domestos to rid them of the idea, never fancied eating them.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

We normally go for a walk on the beach David with the dogs, all the family gather, the dogs love it the kids play and all wrapped up we do not feel the East wind off the North Sea, this year they have called it off a couple with flu (I have the jab) and a bit much for a couple of the older dogs, not including me so I may go on my own.

Still clear sky and sunny nothing much to do in the garden, nothing on TV may go and visit Son on the farm instead of the beach.

Frank.

Composting and wormery

A plastic bucket with a lid outside the kitchen door will take all the vegetable waste and can be tipped into the main compost when full. I have two wooden compost bins one filling and one being used, in summer compost in six weeks to three months depends on the weather in winter six months. They are up against a wall sheltered from the winds and warm up quickly. I have never had a rat in there in years of composting so consider that an urban myth.
Wormeries to me are not worth the bother though people with less space than I have would find them useful. At times I have a full compost heap I use an old plastic bin to store the extra having drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and the side to let air in, that stands where it can get the sun most of the day and heats up nicely then I start my new heap with it.
Everything goes in the heaps and I try to turn it out into a barrow every few weeks then toss it back, this mixes it gets the air into it and it can be damped (not soaked) as you toss it back, nature does the rest.
For use it all goes through a large riddle with a medium mesh then for seedlings through the same riddle with a fine mesh added, that is then mixed with washed sand and fine grit for the seed mix, seeds do not need nutrient but prick out into a slight nutrient mix and then pot on to a good potting mix as they grow.
Hope this helps,

Frank

What's the weather like in your area?

"Happy and prosperous New Year To Everyone"

From Stockton on Tees which is sunny and bright with clear sky's and a touch of ground frost.

A Lazy day today after being woken by a phone call from California as they celebrated the New Year, a little too well methinks.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton went out when it was cold and grey came back warm sunny and clear sky above. The wind had changed from north to west, the cloud had gone south over the hills and the sun was right in my face coming home so the sun visor was down.
I was supposedly going to the shops for some fresh veg but could not even get on the car park so drove on, the next lot even worse so gave up and went to Daughters for a cuppa. Frozen veg tonight from my stock pile.

Frank.

Poetry Thread

Get Rid of your Lawns

Not all bad news in the garden

Gardeners world weather