Palaisglide

books

Right again Geoff we move on although the Army used DDT as a delousing agent, luckily I was always well back overlooking events in an armoured vehicle, what happened to those people and the lads using the pumps I wonder??
The subject was books of which I have many some falling apart and some, "well" pristine, full of pretentious rubbish, only my opinion of course.
I find the RHS books get most use.
House plants, that is well used and in your greenhouse Percy Thrower a well written book although as mentioned he does advocate the use of Nicotine smoke generators, and other chemicals. He does say read all of the label, open all doors and windows but that giving plants the correct treatment will stop pests and disease. ( I have dug it out of the pile to reread and find that apart from the smoking bit it is full of information people can use today).
Some of the Readers Digest books I was given are fairly well used, some good information on plant needs and welfare, a couple of modern books on garden make overs, looked at and put aside, they were presents, would not buy them myself.
I always look at the gardening section of the Town library (yes we still have one) to see if there are any new books, nothing I would take out lately although some good old ones for a read when the TV is rubbish.
You take you pick, the choice is ours.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton high cloud, bright and as I put all the bins out warm.
Will be down in the village today so a bacon sandwich from my butcher and sit on the green eating it. That green holds many memories.

Frank.

books

Sorry folk can only give my own experience which would today be called organic apart from Bordeaux Mixture, at the time we just thought it natures way or Dad did.
We would lime the patch for the brassicas, dig plenty of manure into the other patches and let it over winter. We had so much green in the garden that the leaves with holes in got pulled off and the rest eaten, we would find the odd caterpillar in school meals and just put it aside, hungry lads were not put off.
Gardening was not my main interest in the 50-60's so the chemical age probably went over my head, saying that, what goes into those instant weed killers they use today, if it is toxic for weeds what about dogs kids and us??

Frank.

books

Verdun wrote (see)

 I agree with earlier comments that the chemicals used in the old days were so powerful and destroyed everything and anything that moved or breathed. Pretty scary the stuff they used. It's a wonder the gardeners themselves survived! Christopher lloyd's books are a favourite.....

"Whoa up there" you just lost me, what heavy chemicals are we talking about here considering GC's did not exist and gardeners were not noted for spending money on faddy things?
The only chemical I ever saw was Bordeaux mixture which you can still buy. A mix of copper sulphate and slaked lime, slaked lime being Calcium Hydroxide (it helps if you worked at ICI) and that is often used in food products, the only chemical I saw my Father use in all his years as a good gardener.
He sent me out into the fields to fill a bucket with mixed droppings, dry cow pats and sheep's which we put in a sack sank into a barrel of water left for a week or so then used as plant fertiliser at the rate of a cup out of the barrel to a watering can of water. When topping the watering can just do not put the cup of brown liquid next to your cup of tea, the taste was not recommended.
The planting system used was one row for the birds insects and nature two rows for us, you made allowances. The system was by rotation which meant the same crop did not grow in the same place each year, It is one of the best ways of controlling disease.
Heavy chemicals came into farming in the early fifties but not with us small holdings, the use of solid fertilisers came in much later and were only banned a short time ago, many of the garden pundits of the time advised using them. We had plenty of natural manure so carried on with a system that had worked for the family since pre world war one, why change a winning system.
It would be interesting to know which chemicals you mean and how they were used, the biggest threat I remember was muck spreading with early machines that threw it all over the driver as well as the field and the wire back stop only meant you got covered in smaller drops of it.
You were in more danger of being bowled over by the old sow than poisoned.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton bright and breezy at the moment, high cloud some sun, quite clear over the Cleveland Hills our Rain must be getting some nice weather then.
The trees around us that still have leaves have taken on their Autumn mantle, it all looks wonderful and yesterday on the back lane I saw a stoat, I slow down as you often see animals cross the narrow road.
My garden got its final trim and clean for winter, will let it rest now until spring apart from some beans, I leave the Sweet peas until spring and still get as good a show.

Frank.

What's the weather like in your area?

Stockton cloudy my little boxer tells me and I say look out of the window and see the blue sky, lovely sunshine and a mere wisp of white fluff wandering about.
It is slightly warmer although I will not risk a light coat when I go out shortly, the view down the back lane will be clear out over the Vale of York and the Cleveland Hills, I will probably be singing as I drive, you may not want to know that and definitely will not want to hear it, with the window open all the cattle look up in horror, i wonder if we could start a Bovine choir.

Frank,

books

Berghill, in my misspent youth I too raided an orchard even though we had our own fruit, a little gang of us scrambling through a hedge and on climbing back out saw the dreaded legs of the local bobby. He lined us up and with his glove full of beans gave us all a smart wrap round the ear, boys and girls.
He then marched us up the drive to apologise to the old Lady who lived in the house which we duly did with lowered heads. She thanked the Bobby then told us to walk up the drive and take what we wanted as she did not use most of the fruit.
Two points, not one of us even thought about disobeying the Bobby and second we never did go back to pick the fruit although my Father would pick it for her and put it in baskets at the end of the drive saying take what you want free.
I did learn stolen fruits have a sting, that glove full of beans round the ear hurt, luckily my Father never found out or there would have been another thick ear.

Frank.

books

Books are for reference as they are written for a particular type of gardening, vegetable, floral, decorative, jungle and can only give a general over view.
Each of our gardens will be unique with its own micro climate, soil conditions and how it was used before falling into our gentle hands, a building site or well tended.
Having seen them all Percy Thrower like my father gardening in jacket and tie, double digging and removing every weed, Geoff Hamilton, a man after my own heart never throwing anything away in case there was a use for it later, and the modern boy wonders, cover it all in decking instant plants and rainbow paints.
They all write books of which I have one or two bought as Christmas presents and they all appear to use passages from older books putting a more modern twist to it, although the falling to bits books are the very old ones I have had years.
People are coming back to real gardening for economic reasons or to taste fresh food as it should be, they need to be guided, any book will have some good tips or information for new comers though they will get much better information from the older generations who have made all the mistakes and learned from them on boards such as this.
My advice is search through the charity shops and find a selection of books, you will often find they have never been opened and the best ones Royal Horticultural Society books giving lots of information go for cherry bobs. Just remember even the best books will only give you guidelines for your own particular patch.

Frank.

What's for tea?

Not often I get a fry up, my lot can end up eating the fridge door.
You had me in stitches Chris I read Batty Woman as battery Woman and fell about wondering where you put the batteries. Must start wearing my manacle more often.
The meat off a hock is lovely pulled apart and put back in the soup for the last five minutes. I am not into chili but add peppers and garlic, drop the garlic cloves in whole then make sure you blitz them before serving with a blob of cream cheese mixed with fresh chopped mint, yogurt and chopped herbs is as nice.

Frank.

What's for tea?

Artjak Pakora is Indian finger food, I know because wondering myself I looked it up and found lots of recipes for it. We live and learn.
Yesterday I cooked a ham for today, it would have been ham Chips and peas but Daughter arrived with a large corn-beef and potato pie so change of menu.
We had ham and tomato sandwiches for lunch and the rest will go into the pea and ham soup tomorrow with the lovely stock I got from cooking the ham.
She also brought a soft chocolate cake saying warm it and have it with custard, that is tonight taken care off then.
Chris, if you can get ham shank where you live (they almost give them away here) use that as a base for soup stock, soak them overnight to get the salt out, leek and potato, pea and ham, or even mulligatawny that is the one spiced with curry, very warming in the winter with crusty bread.
Frank.

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