We’ve been away for a few days to sunny Sudbury where the only stress was making sure a couple of cats, the garden birds and the guest ducks were fed and cat treats administered. It was nice to get away for a break after the last couple of years of the on and off madness of lockdown.
When we returned, the garden at home had certainly grown even after 5 days. The spuds we put in early (in February under cover here) were looking well happy and flowering like anything and so was the courgette seedling we put in a big pot (above). One tip, don’t even consider consuming the fruits that may appear on the potato plant after flowering as you’ll certainly keel over. This is how one website put it “…if you are feeling adventurous, you could try tasting a ripe berry, but don’t swallow it unless your health insurance is paid up.” We always knock them off if we see them growing just to be on the safe side.
Now it’s back to that age old “When do we pull the spuds up?” conundrum. It’s all confusing, as far as we can remember these were Golden Wonder maincrop potatoes which you supposed harvest in August/September, but we put them in earlier than they should have been so that’ll make a difference won’t it? If you want to find out more, there’s a good article about the various potato types explained on the Gardener’s World website here.
We usually wait until the flowers and foliage have well died down before we go in with a fork (remembering what Joe Maiden used to say about going in a few times so nothing is left in the ground. “Volunteer” potatoes can muck up an OCD laid out vegetable bed the year after if not) but there’s nothing stopping the impatient digging around in the compost earlier seeing if there’s anything small to harvest. If you’ve got raised beds filled with general purpose compost it shouldn’t take much effort get in there with a trowel and be like a careful archaeologist. If there’s nothing of a decent size just cover them back up and let them get on with it. We’ve read online some people enjoy spuds when they’re marble sized, each to their own we say.
Another thing we actually got around to doing was “side shooting” our tomato plants. This is simply taking out the side shoots that appear between the leaf joint (making sure they’re not the fruit bearing trusses that grow from the stem not on the junction between leaf and stem). The whole idea of doing this, is the plant will put all of its energy into making the fruit rather than into making leaves. If you have a butchers at this video below though the great Bob Flowerdew suggests growing Tomatoes on a couple of main stems. We love the bit that starts at 2.25 “I thought you were a good gardener?”
But the big question here isn’t if he’s a good gardener or not, it’s is he a reggae lover or a Kraftwerk fan or both, we need to know! If anybody knows please tell us.
It was nice to be out and about this afternoon after the last couple of years of isolation. Today’s treat was a bus trip to Deptford for the Lewisham Soundsystem Trail. Rather than roam about the various events going on, most of the afternoon was spent in The Albany’s back garden with Dennis Bovell and friends (including the great Gladdy Wax, Dub Vendor All Stars, Pappa Face and Gaffa Blue). Some great tunes, good vibes and sunshine with a community garden as a background. There were some great ideas on show including carrots in plastic dustbins, ingenious stuff.
Things are on fire so to speak in our garden too, the risk we took with the early planting of the seed potatoes has paid off. There’s flowers a go-go and it’s not even June yet. Now we’ll be waiting for the foliage to die down for some fresher than fresh new potatoes.
And as for those foxgloves, they’re on a triffid-like tip and we’re not going to complain.
And we’re not complaining about this tune either, it’s a nice chilled Sunday evening affair from Arutani called Wasting Time. Tune in and really drop out to a tune with a Laut & Luise connection.
We here at Weeds are always up for anything gardening related found in skips, out on the street or put out for the binmen but sadly had to pass of this treasure trove yesterday.
There was a three pronged garden fork with matching flip-flops (a great idea, co-ordinated gardening/tool wear!) and a pair of well worn deck shoes. We’re well into the keep ’em peeled ethic and all that but you are allowed to say no and keep on walking.
In a few hours tonight at 2300 UK time is the third transmission of KBIN on 9395 kHz via WRMI featuring amongst other interesting stuff a couple of mixes from our very own One Deck Pete.
The first “All up in the air” for KSOL at 10.30 mins in features Joe Meek, ARK, Rubin Steiner and AVEM. And for KDUB at 44.58 minutes in “A mix for KDUB for KBIN” featuring all sorts of dub goodness including the tune by Wayne Wade below. Tune in!
On Sunday 10th April 2022 at 11pm UK time (10pm UTC) on WRMI on 9395 kHz is the first of a set of transmissions called KBIN if you want to hear something a bit different this weekend. Expect several mixes including some for KMRT and WGTR (Golden Throats Radio). If you haven’t a shortwave radio use an online software defined radio like this one here and tune into 9395 kHz on the dial. There’s even 50% off for the first 50 listeners so get in early!
Have a look here for some previous programmes from the imaginary stations crew, and if you like a bit of dub…
Cheers to our good mate in Germany Phil Harmony for sending us these two pictures this morning of a suprise he got when he cut a tomato this morning for breakfast. We only found out through the magic of the internet that this is called Vivipary and “occurs in overripe fruit when seeds have reached maturity and the natural hormone, abscisic acid (ABA), is reduced.” Well you learn something new every day!
And also a pic from a while ago of what he found in his kitchen sink after coming back from a ten day holiday. Big up the guerilla pepper!
And cheers to another gardening/music friend of ours Dr Strangedub for playing Jazz’min & Madtone’s LP Livicate on the 2nd March’s Echo Chamber on KFAI (which is a show well worth tuning into every week!) and for playing One Deck Pete’s “Give a little whistle” mix (featuring tracks by Joakim, Marcel, Roscoe Wethers and Felix Laband) on the show to at 71.35 mins in. Big shout to Dr Strangedub and DJ Baby Swiss! Click here for the archive of recent shows.
Tomorrow evening Wednesday 9th March 2022 at 5pm UK time there will be a transmission to Europe of The Scented Garden (a nod to gardeners and gardening music lovers everywhere) on 3955 kHz. If you haven’t a shortwave radio at 5pm tomorrow tune in here. After the broadcast the audio will be posted up here.
At the start of the programme is a 15 minute mix from Weeds’ own One Deck Pete called “A tribute to council gardeners everywhere” featuring tracks by Dudley Perkins,
Hugh Masekela, Beyond The Wizzard’s Sleeve and Dennis Brown. Expect some gardening related tunes, pruning advice and more. Onwards and upwards!
Big thanks to Stuart and all at Cities and Memory for their Shortwave Transmissions project that is released today, what is World Radio Day 2022. Cities and Memory teamed up with The Shortwave Radio Archive (Cheers Thomas!) with some rare recordings from the history of shortwave radio from all over the globe to remix. The excellent compilation on their bandcamp site here features some of the great compositions received including a favourite of ours from Grey Frequency called Chimes (Rai Internazionale).
Big shout to our good friend on the other side of the world Paul Greenstein for his contribution to the project called Another Universe. Like he says on the C&M site “Like the narrators, I have a fondness for all things space, astrophysics and the big questions like: is the Universe going to end, what are black holes, and why does Surf Guitar sound dangerous?”
And to our gardening/music/shortwave mate across the pond, Justin Patrick Moore for his track Squatters and unwanted insects of the Malayan Revolution.
And here’s one from our own correspondents Jazz’min Tutum & Madtone with LP Livicate dedicated to the late great Upsetter.
Listen to all of the project here. The top player is the original sample and the one below it is the remix.
And also here’s Stuart talking about the project and playing some stuff from it on Resonance FM earlier today. #worldradioday #shortwavesnotdead
Weeds up to me knees 