Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2014 15:39:18 GMT
How on earth did you manage to kill a swiss cheeseplant June?   And no...still no news on my allotment  I was warned the council don't do anything fast up here but it's been around 9 or 10 weeks now Perhaps I'll give it another fortnight and then pop into the office to kick some butts have a wee chat! My Mother-of-Millions seedlings are showing signs of getting bigger and I've now got them in a propagator on the living room window (covered so Lily wouldn't nibble on them) and my spider plants have had to be moved to the bathroom because 'somebody' (I'll give you a clue: it wasn't Chilli!) nibbled them  I've planted 14 lupin seeds yesterday that a friend sent me and I found a packet of sweet pea seeds in a drawer so shall sow them soon and keep them in the small room above the stairs where it's cool enough to stop them shooting away before I can plant them out in the spring and also the room where no cats go. I definitely need an allotment so I can get all these seeds growing!!!! Don't the council realise that? Idiots! |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 26, 2014 15:50:07 GMT
Oh and a bit of good news re my pots and containers in the courtyard. I was chatting to one of the guys from the housing association last week (he'd popped in to see one of the neighbours) and he said there was no reason whatsoever why I couldn't have my flowers - especially after I showed him where I grew them against the wall and bin cupboards and how they were well out of anyone's way! He said they positively encouraged tenants to make their living spaces attractive and he couldn't understand why I'd been told to remove them....unless it's been that mad cow at No 7 causing trouble again I've known her for years and every time you see her she has nothing but negative sarcastic things to say (ie she told Linda that her son was getting fat....Neil looked horrible with a shaved head....I was feeding stray cats and they were all over the place....Suzanne at No 11 would never get a boyfriend unless she put weight on etc etc etc  We all just regard her as a mad old boot so I just avoid her now because if she says owt to me on a bad day I'll probably end up telling her a few home truths  Tho' I must admit I was pretty tempted when I was told about that cat comment! There's no stray cats around here....I have a feeling she is referring to my gorgeous boy George last autumn who in his final weeks liked to sunbathe on the bin cupboards and watch the butterflies on the buddleia flowers. Neighbours! Who needs 'em |
|
|
|
Post by smilesbetter on Sept 26, 2014 20:09:44 GMT
Glad you're able to keep your plants on your courtyard, shame about the mad neighbour haha. I can sympathise, I have loads of mad neighbours, and probably am one myself.
I know how you feel about the allotment, I can't wait to get mine.
Going to a chilli growers meeting tomorrow, can't wait. I've got six different chilli plants growing under a light in my living room. They're just teensie at the moment but I'm very excited about them, as is my man who will be the one eating them since I can't actually handle spice at all, I just love gardening haha. The Alma Paprika is meant to not be very spicy at all, like 0- something hundred on the Scoville scale, so I'm looking forward to trying that one at least.
My red sweet pepper which has been the only think to grow on the plant FINALLY turned end the other day so we ate it. It was spicy! Not very spicy, and it was able to eat it and actually quite enjoyed it (and usually "mild" is "extreme spice" to me). It was pretty tasty but didn't save any seeds seeings as it was the only thing that grew on the plant and I took over a month to turn red after it finished growing. On a similar note, all the bell pepper plants that came from the same seed packet as the above mentioned Ox horn sweet pepper (it was meant to be bell pepper seeds haha) have each grown one bell pepper, although they are all pretty small. They look like they've stopped growing so maybe in a month I'll be able to eat them haha. Can't help feeling that it's a pretty rubbish nag of seeds I've bought.
Gonna get rid of my basil plant (and make pesto) and replace it with one of the little Scottish Aloe Vera's I brought over from my lovely main plant. It's the biggest pot I own and I do love that Aloe Vera plant, would love to grow another huge one!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2014 18:16:37 GMT
Has anyone noticed how many hazelnuts are about this year? And how early they are? There's a tree at the bottom of my road that has huge ones on it and I've had most of them - they are in the airing cupboard drying. I'll take a photo of them compared to the ones on all the other trees. Also, has anyone noticed there are no acorns on the oak trees for the squirrels this year? Or is it just in my part of the country? Last year we had so many and this year, none at all. Same here in Northumberland - loadsa hazelnuts and virtually no acorns. I was told about the hazelnuts at the wildlife group meeting on Wednesday but only today, Saturday, found time to get into Hulne Park and check the oaks for myself. The Yew Trees are laden with berries though and were positively alive with Song Thrush and Blackbirds gorging on them. |
|
|
|
Post by bectil on Oct 26, 2014 8:29:18 GMT
@gillykat, any news on your allotment yet? My pumpkins are almost over. I've cut the vines back to a pumpkin and removed diseased leaves. Unfortunately none of them are going to be ripe in time for Halloween - two are still green and one is turning orange. Ah well, I'll try again next year  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 26, 2014 9:50:19 GMT
No, nothing yet Very frustrating as I could have had one knocked into shape as regards weed removal by now Knowing my luck I'll hear about one from the council just as we hit a very wet spell and the place will be like a quagmire Our council are HOPELESS!!!!!  |
|
|
|
Post by lotsofcats on Oct 26, 2014 22:04:57 GMT
I mentioned on this thread a while back that we had grapes in our garden for the first time, 10 bunches altogether (some were hiding). They didn't get to full size but did change colour and ripen so I got to try a few and they were getting sweeter but the skins seemed tough. The other day I noticed that some had disappeared and yesterday morning, only 6 bunches left. I got up this morning and...........only 2 left - that's 2 single grapes, not bunches! Now I recall 2 magpies sitting in the tree above them yesterday and wondered why they were there as we don't feed the birds. The little so-and-sos.
|
|
|
|
Post by tonib on Oct 26, 2014 23:51:06 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by bectil on Jan 21, 2015 11:04:43 GMT
@gillykat, any news about the allotment yet?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 21, 2015 11:33:21 GMT
Nothing yet so I think I shall have a little walk up there today or tomorrow to see how far on they have got with sorting out the overgrown/neglected ones (they'd done a fair bit in July last year so they should have finished it all by now...surely?) and hopefully speak to any allotment owners who may be around and go from there If they STILL have empty ones I'm going to call into the actual council offices and ask to see somebody! A customer who has one elsewhere in town says you DO need to pester them and remind them you are still around I should sue them for telling porkies on their website as they say (highlighted in black!) they'll let you know when they receive your filled in form yet here we are ~ six months later ~ and I am still waiting!  No way have TWO letters gone missing!!! Bet they would soon complain if I made them wait six months for their council tax payments, eh? And according to their website there ARE still a few plots available now on the Ratten Row site which would be perfect for me as it's just 5 minutes' walk from where I live!!! So where is mine!!!! I think I definitely need to pop down to see them and SHOW them it's not a passing fad with me - I love to grow stuff and have always wanted an allotment! alnwick-tc.gov.uk/allotments/ To be honest...at the moment Neil and I are a bit skint as we're trying to sort out a huge electric bill which, I reckon, will take up most of 2015 (so no holiday this year either!!!) and I was thinking a few weeks ago that I couldn't afford to set up an allotment but then I thought hold on....all I need is a spade & fork to get it dug over bit by bit and a lot of stuff like spuds & cabbages etc can just go straight into the ground and I can make it 'pretty' with loads of cheap n cheerful hardy annuals. I can do the groundwork this year and next year when we are better off can then think about getting a greenhouse or polytunnel and sorting out raised beds etc Better to actually get one now, an allotment, and concentrate on weed removal and getting it dug over, bit by bit, than leaving it another 12+ months and having a crazy rush to 'tame' the plot AND sow seeds and get the young plants in the ground. |
|
|
|
Post by bectil on Jan 22, 2015 20:11:54 GMT
@gillykat, that's a bit naughty of them! You'd have thought they'd want the allotments filled, be a bit extra money in the councils pocket! I was going to say, now would be ideal for sorting it out.. providing you're able to get a fork in the ground! We've had frosts that has taken a few days for the ground to de-frost/sofen. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 10:41:15 GMT
We had a walk up there yesterday afternoon and it was SO muddy  It looked like there were still a few neglected and empty allotments so I'll be popping up in person to the council offices on either Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning to see if I can make any more progress |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2015 14:30:31 GMT
Update: Had a walk along to the council offices the other week and was told I had to send in an application form Told them I had already sent in TWO last July & August and heard nowt to which the girl on the desk couldn't explain why (I was being polite) - she'd only been a member of staff for a couple of months. She took my details and said she'd get Mr B. to give me a call. I'm still waiting! This morning, Monday 16th February, I was on early shift and Martin who does a delivery for us asked me if I had seen the article in the Northumberland Gazette - the council were wanting new tenants for the Ratten Row allotments! He had very kindly written down the details for me (phone number, email address, prices etc) so as soon as I got home this afternoon and had fed the Girls I gave them a call......and reached the answering machine *arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh* Never mind.....I've left them my name, address and phone number so hopefully THIS TIME I will make a bit more progress towards getting my own little patch |
|
|
|
Post by smilesbetter on Feb 16, 2015 15:21:50 GMT
Fingers crossed for you @gillykat !!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2015 15:27:39 GMT
If I don't get one then I'll want a jolly good excuse why not!!!!!! I may even write a very snotty letter to the local paper saying it's a disgrace...an OUTRAGE even....that some allotments are a dumping ground for junk when there are genuine garden lovers crying out for somewhere to indulge their green fingers |
|
And no...still no news on my allotment 
I was warned the council don't do anything fast up here but it's been around 9 or 10 weeks now 
I've planted 14 lupin seeds yesterday that a friend sent me and I found a packet of sweet pea seeds in a drawer so shall sow them soon and keep them in the small room above the stairs where it's cool enough to stop them shooting away before I can plant them out in the spring and also the room where no cats go. 
We all just regard her as a mad old boot so I just avoid her now because if she says owt to me on a bad day I'll probably end up telling her a few home truths 
Tho' I must admit I was pretty tempted when I was told about that cat comment! There's no stray cats around here....I have a feeling she is referring to my gorgeous boy George last autumn who in his final weeks liked to sunbathe on the bin cupboards and watch the butterflies on the buddleia flowers. 
No way have TWO letters gone missing!!! Bet they would soon complain if I made them wait six months for their council tax payments, eh? 
