Delta's seed merchant will have been cheering McCoy home on that Pipe horse at D&E too imo.

Looks like there are all sorts of approaches to extending the lifespan of peppers. If you live nearer the tropics, I can see why you'd be seeking sunlight, as you would be looking to extend the growing season right into the following summer. Further north, though, the sun keeps so low in winter that I think you'd be doing well to manage that.

My approach, of pruning in autumn and trying to force hibernation, means I avoid direct sunlight until the sun's high enough again to resemble the tropics. So during the winter I keep them in a back bedroom away from the small, single east-facing window, with enough light to survive, but not enough for them to burst into leaf again. (The remaining leaves in those pictures are on branches where I hadn't yet picked the fruit - I have no idea whether there's any sense in that, though.)

Grew peppers a couple of years ago...wasn't impressed with the outcome though...my nephew grows first class chilli's however.....all depends 'sppose.

I live in the south-west - ground is completely sodden at the moment...can't wait to get out there when it finally dries up a bit. .

Glad you are all keeping this going.  I am afraid I had to give mine up as I simply didnt have(or didnt make) the hours to keep it up.  I liked the watering , planting and especially harvesting, but the weeding was brain damage.  The plot was too big tbh, approx 5m by 20m, half the size would have been far more manageable.  A bit of a disappointment but I enjoyed it while it lasted and thanks for everyone's advice over the last year.  Maybe I will have another go when I retire(nearly everyone down there was retired). Good luck all in 2014 and I shall continue to look in and comment now and then.

I'm trying to find the non crisp snack thread but can't (why oh why did Betfair have to bugger everything up?) but have come across this - and it needs a lift as it's surely close to planting talk!

Hehe!

Municipal allotments have lots of rules and regulations such as type of shed, how big and where it can be sited. We are not officially allowed fruit trees never mind livestock. People do bend the rules, most have fruit trees, I have four, but as long as plots are kept cultivated and tidy then no one complains.
Councils are looking to devolve administration to allotment committees as they are looking to reduce costs so what is and isn't acceptable may change and be different from site to site. There may be environmental,health and safety, or animal welfare issues regarding keeping large animals on allotment sites so can understand the concerns especially if someone complained that they were causing nuisance.

*think

Here's a follow up to the story - with another picture.
That horse looks like a 'pig-in-muck' - which the photos in the previous link showed.

I reckon it's nought but busy-bodying.

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/John-Woodhouse-comes-allotment-rules-animals/story-20616611-detail/story.html

Unfortunately, Foinavon, that seems the way of the world these days: "You can't do this. You can't do that" - and everyone just accepting it.

What's happened to a the spirit of freedom and people being individuals instead of grey 'do-as-you're-told' automatons?

I would imagine that 30 years ago in Silverdale in S-o-T someone took a few chickens (or some other animal/s) to the allotment - and no one gave it a second thought and it carried on from there, with no one minding anything about it at all.

Let things exist and co-exist as they always have done - and let's have some diversity and free-thinking in this bloody bland, boring, buggering world, is what I think!

An example from a few years ago of an allotment feud that led to violence
.
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/allotment-feud-turned-violent-1-2733631

I picked up a mini greenhouse last October in Tesco's for £4, I've also 4 hanging baskets. That will be my limit for growing this year.

Thinking 2 tumbling Toms in the hanging baskets but any suggestions for the other 2?

Chillies and peppers in the mini greenhouse (no tomatoes, I'm the only one who eats them.) Any suggestions what else I could put in?

I should have mentioned, these are upside down hanging baskets

Thought about strawberries but don't think they would work well. I grew peppers in them last time which sort of worked but the peppers were small. I think this is more a climate issue than them being upside down. Tried a courgette plant in one but that didn't work too well.

Open for more suggestions but thanks anyway BB.

I'm restricted in space and they were a £1 a piece in B&M, I'll take a photo tomorrow and show but I'm limited and want to max out what space I have.

Soooo.......how near are you to the equator?

Only 600 of the GM potato plants have been grown, but the scientists have had to spend £40,000 to protect them over the three years of the trial.



Thanks a lot, Prince Charles, Friends Of The Earth, Greenpeace, etc. Any of you ever tried going crops? Or wondered where your next food was coming from?

I've grown tomatoes and peppers from seed but it's much better going to the garden centre and buying young plants. It costs about the same as each packet of seeds and you can get different varieties. How many tomato plants do you really need? I always grow too many, 2 -3 different plants are always enough.

I took that pic 5 mins ago, will upload when it gets past mods.

Thought I'd better make a start.....



Carrots = in

Spring Onions = in

^ under fleece [both]


next up - dig over a bit of ground [boo hoo] for Garlic and Broad Beans....



we're off and running...

Sowed a row each of spring onions, wedge-shaped carrots and scarlet globe radishes under fleece on Wednesday.

Also sowed a row of swedes by mistake (glanced at the pale-coloured vegetable on the front of the packet, saw the dark-coloured seeds and thought they were spring onions).

Might as well leave them in the soil under the fleece and see whether anything happens. With soil temps high after the lack of cold this winter I might at least get some greens.

Chantenay red-core 2 according to the packet.

Have never tried carrots before, but want to try a few new things, as it's only a small patch and I don't want to keep growing the same crops on the same soil.