A frosty reception this morning

It’s always the way, awoke to a frost this morning (above). Typically a couple of days after planting the elephant garlic out under a thick mat of leaf mulch. We reckon we may have lost them but let’s see if they survive. That’s the trouble with gardening, just like life you get good days and bad days. We’ll update you about the garlic.

At lunchtime we got some plug plants through the post, some White Foxgloves off ebay (below). Expertly packed or what? They’re not going out just yet even though it said on the supplied notes they can be overwintered in a cold frame. Possibly, but they’re staying on the windowsill for a couple of days before we can knock up some sort of cold frame-like structure with protection outside in the garden. We’re talking an old piece of glass on some bricks or something, it won’t be pretty but it may work. Trouble is we don’t want the plugs to get too comfortable indoors even though they’ve probably come from a greenhouse before being posted.

And below is the latest episode of Imaginary Stations, KBUS which was broadcast last night on WRMI (also home to This is a music show and Radio Northern Europe International). The show’s theme is travel which features all sorts of eclectic goodness as ever featuring this tune below by Wesley Willis “Harmony Joy Bus Ride” which we’ve never heard of, shamefully we’ve never of the artist before either. We must do some more research on Wesley Willis as he was an interesting fellow by all accounts.

And at 43 minutes in on the show is One Deck Pete’s “Where’s me travel card?” mix.
Here’s the tracks:
John Harvey – Automated Announcement, Platform 7, Shewsbury station
Ceramic The Band – Tickets, Please
Tabasco Driver meets Delroy Wilson in Dub
N&L – Metropolis
Inteus – Angry Bus Driver
Phil Pratt – Safe Travel
kK4P M3TR0 – NEXT STOP – Riverside – Town Creek

Fingers crossed those garlic bulbs survive!

Who’s your mate?

Today was great weatherwise compared to yesterday where it was a day of rain and doom and gloom. We spent about an hour finishing tidying up the wild bed at the bottom of the garden and have ordered a wildflower seed mix for shady areas and some foxglove plugs off e-bay for down there. We even had a mate (pic above) join us for some of the time. Cue bad birdsong whistling impressions and “Who’s a good Robin then?” daft questioning.

Garlic for Eno’s waterlogged garden

We obtained more Giant Elephant Garlic bulbs off ebay this week and actually put it in the ground even though it’s January and God knows what the weather will be like in the next few weeks. We’ve put them in raised beds without protective covering over them but we may change that situation over the next few days, who knows.There’s protection from the squirrels with the wire shelves from an old mini plastic greenhouse over both beds and more leaf mulch. Fingers crossed they’ll be okay over the winter. Viva la garlic again!

 

Music for Eno’s waterlogged garden

A big thanks to our good friend Gerry Hectic who just forwarded on a couple of musical recommendations this wet Saturday morning. The first is on a KBUS tip from Psychic Temple with Music For Bus Stops. It’s a great jazzed out groove with a bassline that reminded us in parts of Human League’s Being Boiled. One for supping a large of mug of tea to whilst looking out of the window.

The next is a crazy dubbed out track called Strange Times At Roswell High Dub by the X Ray Cat Trio from “Leeds, England” (as Cowboy Joe would say, 6 minutes in here). Play this whilst putting on your gardening footwear when having to pop down the garden in the pouring rain when that kitchen waste container is well overflowing and a compost heap visit is a must. By the way supposedly better weather tomorrow.

Upon the shortwaves this Sunday

There’s a couple of things on the shortwaves this Sunday 15th January 2023. The first being the repeat of the CBRG show from the Imaginary Stations crew that was broadcast on WRMI a few weeks ago which will be broadcast to Europe via Channel 292 on 6070 kHz at 12 noon UTC.

The second is a tribute to travel show called KBUS to be broadcast later on at 2300 UTC via WRMI on 9395 kHz. Trains, boats and planes and a lot more! Fasten your seatbelts and tune in.

 

Rainbows over Forest Hill

Before it started to rain today we made a start on the wild bit at the bottom of the garden. The soil was well wet so was hard to turn over and it was mucky to say the least but we got there after about three quarters of an hour at “council worker on job and finish” breakneck speed. There’s still a little bit at the back to do but we did leave a couple of wild plants in and left in the corner some stinging nettles (good to stick on the compost heap and for adding to comfrey liquid for added goodness) and a bramble plant as Blackberries are always welcomed here. Top tip: sometimes when we know the rain is coming we quickly give an area a light going over with a fork just scratching up the top layer and it looks a million times better after the rain!

We also left our cut price budget version of the brilliant wildlife ponds that Bill Shimmers makes. As we’ve said before his ponds are a work of art! A great idea to do and Bill’s ones look brilliant.

Ours sadly is a wee bit lower budget (an old tub from B&Q and some old wood) than Bill’s but we have to start somewhere!

What a day for gardening

We’re not going to be in the garden much today what with the terrible weather (it’s tipping it down in south London at the moment) apart from just a few minutes ago when we brought the kitchen waste down the compost heap that is looking well healthy (if compost can look healthy that is).

The old bathroom mat that was keeping the warmth in has now decomposed and was full of brandling worms last time we saw it in one piece. Later this year we’re going to have a go at making another open type compost heap as they really are better than the darlek ones and you don’t graze your hand everytime you go to turn it! #vivalacompost

By the way we’re always on the look out for news of any good gardening events in our neck of the woods so if you hear of any seed swaps or potato days do give us a shout. Talking of which we’ve found a great list here on Garden Organic of forthcoming Seed Swaps. Only one in Bromley at the moment but we’re sure they’ll be more added soon. Have a look here. #gardenorganic #seedswaps #freeseeds

 

Dub for a Friday

Big Shout to our good friend Gerry Hectic for recommending this heavy piece of dub from out of Sahko Recordings Turku, Finland. Excellent stuff Gerry!

And here’s something we just discovered earlier today, an excellent remix of Delroy Wilson by Tabasco Driver out of Spain. Another excellent tune. Dub out and enjoy!

Little and often they do say

The weather turned out to be good again this morning so we decided to do another short stint of weeding out the back. We did it at a council worker’s “job and finish” speed as we honestly don’t know when we’ll be able to get out there again what with the weather and also returning to work tomorrow.

We managed to collect up a lot of leaves from the path so per the advice given to us by the people who supplied us with the giant garlic we’re using the leaves as mulch in the raised beds as we haven’t got 4″ of grass clippings as suggested. Reckon we’ll be okay with leaves? We’ll find out in the spring.

We also took a lot of rotting leaves off the netting over the pond that was being weighed down and going into the water. We’re sure that rotting leaves ain’t that good for the pond (have a look here why they’re no good) and it is looking a lot clearer now. Roll on the next time we can get out the back!

This post was written whilst listening to this excellent collection of hip-hop instrumentals by N&L from Norway from 2015. Some good tunes here!