Chino & Di Genius – Roots Sound – Big Ship
Rodigan’s been giving this tune some stick of late, a lovely rootsy number from Chino & Di Genius (son of the great Freddie McGregor) and it wins “ lyric of the week” here at weeds as it rhymes “dances” with “Corduroy pants-es” and “Sister Nancy’s”, brilliant!
Earlier this evening I put the hose on the garden as the beds were looking a bit dry. You know what, as soon as I finish watering, the heavens opened! Great timing eh?
This morning I noticed something has had the beginnings of a small flower bud away on my “Genuine Giant 9 Foot Sunflower” (yeah right!) purchased off ebay (£1.50 for a pack of seeds). Yesterday it was looking good but now…nothing!
The next time a bud appears I will be camping out in my back garden overnight and if that fails, hire a gang of gardening vigilantes and get them to hide behind the shrubs and try and catch the culprit! I reckon it’s a squirrel or a high-risk-taking slug. Any ideas?
I’ve been using the biodynamic method of sowing seeds for over a year now, I’ve had the odd moment when I’ve ignored it and put the seeds in on “wrong” days but mainly stick to Maria and Matthias’ Sowing and Seed Calendar. The book cost us a about a fiver and the rest is free, just sow your seed on the appropriate Root/Leaf/Flower/Fruit days and that’s it. It’s bonkers and a bit “out there”and works for me but just for fun I’ve set up a quick seed trial. That is, sowed some Carrots on a “Fruit” day (8.8.13) then on a “Root” day (10.8.13) and did the same with some Spring Onions. As there is only a couple of days difference, by rights there shouldn’t be much variation. Come on the Moon, do your job!
So life’s been railing against us again what with WordPress giving up the ghost here but we’re back!
I picked up a great book from the library last week, Veg Street (Grow your own community) – Namomi Schillinger – Short Books which is well suited to us at weeds. There’s stuff on how to set up a community gardening group, front garden vegetable growing and lots of tips and tricks in a shoestring style. It goes over the basics, soil types, pricking out, composting, gardening terminology etc in a no nonsense style, making it perfect for the beginner grower or someone who knows a bit too. I was so influenced by the idea of recycling mad things as plant containers (there’s pictures of suitcases and even tennis ball tubes as veggie plant pots!) I got the old cat basket out of the loft, lined it with an old multi-purpose compost bag and stuck some pea seeds in it for some late season pea-shoots (another influence from the book.) Have a look for it as it’s inspiring! 
Also I’ve been going into various Robert Dyas stores of late who are doing all their seeds half price as it’s at the end of the season. I’ve been sticking in spring onion, carrots and even beetroot now as you never know what the weather will be like in weeks to come and you’ve nothing to lose. At worse you’ll get baby carrots and small spring onions and even if the beets don’t form at least you can use the leaves in a salad. Keep em peeled! 
Heard on the excellent David Rodigan 1Xtra show this week. Dennis and Gregory from beyond the grave with the living midlander Macka B (remixed by Curtis Lynch). One to whack on when you find out someone’s Tomatoes are doing better than yours!
Woo hoo! After a couple of weeks of no wordpress at weedsuptomeknees HQ, we’re back! And here’s the first of a couple of posts this week, a bonkers Garage/Cramps style Peruvian corker from the early 60’s found by accident at work on Friday. One to pull out Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria) to!
I was suprised when I looked on the web the other day how long the ideal time to boil a cabbage was. I was amazed, 8 minutes! Why did my mum used to put it on first thing in the morning on a Sunday (or it seemed like she did) in time for dinner at 2pm. Why?
Pulled up this beauty Sunday afternoon after walking past it a few times this week trying to think of what to have with it! Sausage and Mash was the choice in the end. This is the first time I’ve really had a decent Cabbage as the plants usually get eaten earlier on or bolt. These were started as seed in the spring and I stuck them in and forgot about them and as you can see they look half decent. Success!
Everything is looking good in the garden (okay things are a few weeks late), apart from the runner beans are terrible and god knows what’s happening to my blackberry bush, it was looking great with lots of berries on it now it’s turning yellow, it’s not lack of water as I’ve been giving it a nightly hose. Help! Any ideas?
Also a big up to Paul W for sending us this article. You can sell some courgettes to your neighbours but don’t let the taxman find out our he’ll nick your strawberries as payment!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/jul/26/making-money-allotment-gardeners
Gardening’s great innit? Last week my wife pulled out the spuds from the plant that was growing in an old sack which gave us enough for a posh family tea (new potatoes, fish fingers and beans!) The seed potato cost me 5p from the Sydenham seedy sunday event earlier this year, a big bag of multipurpose peat-free compost was less than a fiver from Shannon’s and the sack was given to me free. All I had to do was water the plant and feed it every now and again with some diluted comfrey liquid. Cheap as chips, no pun intended!
After harvesting the potatoes I was left with the top of the plant, a rotting sack and a mound of used compost. No problem! The plant went on the compost heap, the sack put to use behind the pond to stop weeds growing and the compost reused again. I’ve filled some old plastic pots which were found in the street and split some pineapple and eau de cologne mints and giving them away to mates. Keeps the old circle going around as they say. I do love receiving seeds and stuff from me gardening mates so it’s nice to repay the favour sometimes!
Talking of Shannon’s I popped in there the weekend and got myself some more seed potatoes to stick in now so they’ll be ready for christmas unless they get blight but that depends on the weather, just like a lot things to do with gardening! Big up the ‘umble spud!
A photo of the great front garden up the road from us clandestinely taken on the way home from work. It’s not your normal boring front garden as it’s laden with all sorts of fruit and veg if you look hard enough. There’s even some Bob Flowerdew endorsed upside-down wire refrigerator trays to stop the birds and some beer traps for the slugs. Big up non-conformist front gardening!
Weeds up to me knees 