Summer the first time

Posted on June 27, 2015 by onedeckpete

Where’s the time going to this year? It’s July next week and the garden is now starting to go a bit mad. The bed at the bottom of the garden (pic above) the one that I was going to “rest” this year funnily enough, has started to develop into a right old mixed patch.

Don’t ask me why it’s got like that as it certainly wasn’t planned and I blame it on all the great seeds I got from the seed swap at the start of this year and from the big ebay bargain pack the other month.

From the back of the bed going forward I’ve now got sunflowers which stretch around the side too, a row of poppies (poppies in rows? That’s a bit OCD I hear you cry!), leeks, carrots, beetroot, parsnips and at the front a mixture of poppies and cornflowers. Talk about a bit of gardening anarchy!Poppies seem to be a bit of a favourite of mine this year as I have a few dotted around the garden where I’d scattered seeds randomly. The ones shown above and and below I’m sure came from the seed swap and hopefully will keep self seeding!Talking of seed, here’s one of the pepper plants which were sown earlier this year on the kitchen windowsill which gave them a bit of a head start. It’s a first for me as I never usually have much luck with peppers. Roll on the sunshine!

The train to Fishguard is coming…

Posted on June 26, 2015 by onedeckpete

Mike P Cherries A big shout to Mike and Aradhana of the great Ffynnonofi Farm near Fishguard, Pembrokeshire where we’ve stayed a couple of times in the past. It’s a top place, the sea’s on your doorstep and there’s plenty of countryside to take in as well as some great fruit and veg growing on the farm!

Mike’s sent us some snaps of his garden at the present moment and the plants are looking good! The sweet cherries (above) look brilliant and the plums (below) look like they’re coming on fine too. Mike P_Plums The morello cherries (below) are starting to turn red.And look at the overwintered garlic below, they went in around november last year and are now well on their way!

One of the caretakers of Ffynnonofi Farm is Dai, (the son of the late John Seymour, author of “The new complete book of self-sufficiency” we reviewed on the blog here). His tip is that garlic should ideally go in on the shortest day (usually around the 21st December), and picked on the longest day (around the 21st June). Great advice!Cheers to Mike for sending in the pics and also thanks for passing on this fine classic from Peter Tosh.

Somebody’s greenhouse

Posted on June 25, 2015 by onedeckpete

Tapes – Somebodies Baby – Workshop

You know here at Weeds we love a cover version of a reggae tune and this week on Tom Ravenscroft‘s show we heard another great one! It’s a rendition of Pat Kelly‘s “Somebody’s Baby” by Tapes on the Workshop label as part of the Workshop 21 twelve inch EP.

We love the lo-fi-ness of it, the simple effect of someone sticking their finger on the record deck stopping the tune and it makes us think of Billy Jean by Shinehead as well, which all combines to make one great tune. Nice one Tapes! Listen to the rest of the EP here.

One to play loud while enjoying a glass of cold vino sitting in the back garden (getting bitten by midges) at the end of the day when all the weeding is done.

Here’s the original by Pat Kelly from 1968 complete with a Bunny “Striker” Lee trademark “Ready” at the start of the tune.

Pat Kelly – Somebody’s Baby – Island

Two for a Thursday

Posted on June 18, 2015 by onedeckpete

The first tune of the night features a combination of an odd acoustic guitar sound, orchestral strings and great vocals courtesy of KEAB (BEAK spelt backwards) with “When we fall” played on Tom Ravenscroft’s show last week. The video even features a mini-seafort type structure which is a bonus for us, as you know we love a seafort here at weeds.

The second is a great dub of Kiko Bun’s “Tell me where I’m from” heard on the Rt Hon David Rodigan’s show the other week and what a dub!

Two tunes for blasting out loud from the kitchen window just as it’s getting dark (to ward off the slugs and snails) while watering the garden and sniffing night scented stock fumes. Nice!

Tall, tall, tall, as big as a wall, wall, wall

Posted on June 14, 2015 by onedeckpete

If you remember last November I bought an Eremurus aka foxtail lilly or desert candle bulb from Shannon’s. I loved the look of the bulb as it looked well odd so I just had to have it!
And look at it now, nearly 7ft, it looks great and the bees love the flowers. Next year I’ll be buying three!

Psychedelic shack

Posted on June 12, 2015 by onedeckpete

This week on Gardening with Tim and Joe on BBC Radio Leeds there was a mention of a variety of Hydrangea called Glam Rock. How mad is that?

And as the blurb on a website that is selling said shrubs says, “they will burst into a psychedelic frenzy of multicoloured flower heads, that will create a real ‘wow factor’ in your garden.”

What next, a pansy called Punk Pathetique, a runner bean called Speed Garage or a perfumed rose called Mark E. Smith?

Take stock my friend

Posted on June 12, 2015 by onedeckpete

Night scented stock 1 Here’s a favourite of mine, Night Scented Stock that is dotted all around the garden. The plant itself isn’t that impressive but the smell of the flower in the evening is great, especially if it’s near the back or front door. I sowed a load of the seed earlier this year in an old plastic Post Office container (found in the attic when we first moved in) and what’s good about that, is that it can be moved about for maximum effect.

I originally got into Night Scented Stock when I first started buying packet of seeds from the supermarket/garden centre and discovered the great smell of the flowers. I now have gone a bit hardcore and buy a whole load of seeds from ebay (2,000 for £3.94 inc P+P) and sprinkle them all over the garden over staggered intervals. Even Kate Bush has done a track about the plant. Give them a try, you won’t be disappointed on a warm summers evening when the back door’s open!

One for the week-end!

Posted on June 11, 2015 by onedeckpete

Cadenza featuring Stylo G, Busy Signal – Foundation

Heard on The Rt Hon David Rodigan’s show the other week. A tune and a half on a speeded up Real Rock rhythm. One to play very loud before nipping out into the garden to tackle an afternoon’s worth of weeding!

Sound Dimension – Real Rock Real Dub (Studio 1)

Chronixx at Kingston’s Dub Club “Ghetto People” (over Real Rock)

Never mind the sell-by-date, feel the width!

Posted on June 7, 2015 by onedeckpete

Last week I got a right old bargain from ebay, 30 odd packs of seeds (plus a couple of seed collections thrown in on top too) for £9.56 including P&P! The oldest sell-by-date was 2013 so it weren’t that brilliant but most of the use-by-dates were at least 2015 and there wasn’t that many duplicates. Not bad for just under a tenner though!

A mate from work has just got an allotment and this weekend was going to the allotments’ annual Cheese and Wine, Seed Swap Barbecue, (how’s that for a good idea?) I gave her a massive handful to make a good impression and I still had loads for myself. Bargains, I love them! Remember this bargain related tune from many many moons ago?

Weeds up to me knees

Madtone, gardening and life

Monthly Archives: June 2015