The long good Friday

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Big up joe maiden!

A few weeks ago after listening to Joe Maiden on BBC Radio Leeds’ Gardening with Tim and Joe I took the risk and bunged in some of my seed spuds and now they’re well on their way (thanks Joe, you know your stuff!) But there’s a piece of fleece at the side just in case to stick over the plants if there’s any risk of frost as you can’t take anything for granted weatherwise.

leaf and spudTalking of spuds, Good Friday is traditionally the day to plant them, but I wasn’t around. As I was off work and the weather was great (and it was a root day from 1pm, man) I stuck the remainder of my well chitted seed potatoes in today.

In the hole

As per the RHS website I stuck them in five inches deep (with the chitted end upwards), twelve inches apart in two rows (two feet between each row). Also to aid growth I stuck some ripped up Comfrey leaves under them (I was given a root of Comfrey a couple of years ago by our good mate Scarlett and boy has it grown!) When the shoots start to show through on the spuds I’ll be earthing them up. Early spuds are good stuff and well easy to grow. If you haven’t got a garden, you can stick them in a plastic dustbin, builders sacks or even carrier bags!

Garlic, you're too wild!Also while “tipping around” the garden today I found a lone wild garlic not growing too wildly around by the pond but growing all the same!

A message from a (dub) gardener

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Big shout to the Balaganjah crew out of Tel Aviv for their excellent podcast discovered last week through a random search for “roots reggae” on i-Tunes.

Balaganjah_420

Episode 420 – Message from Jamdown has been on heavy rotation here at weeds and features some excellent 70’s roots featuring tracks previously unheard of to this ear from Rudy Mowatt “Public Enemy No.1”, Horace Martin “Unity” and Cornell Campbell’s “Keep on pushing” amongst many others. One to download here and crank up on the hi-fi!

Royal flush

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Bog_1Loving the use of these antique loo’s as posh planters seen at Wells-next-the-Sea railway station over the weekend.

I’m trying to rack my brains to think of loo-related plants to put in them. I’ve just googled Great/Common Mullein which is known in the US as “cowboy toilet paper,” that’s got to be in there. Anymore toilet-related plant names? Answers on a postcard please…

A giant leap for a Lettuce

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greens on spaceAs you know of late I’ve been very obsessed with watching the International Space Station in the night sky and tonight I was checking on the NASA website when the next sighting will be, and found out something well up our street!

Dragon_ISS

If all goes well tomorrow the unmanned spacecraft DRAGON CR3 will be bringing supplies to the ISS and should be visible from Earth in the evening. What is brilliant is that the spacecraft will be carrying a project called Veg-01, (the first vegetable garden in space!) aka “Veggie,” an attempt to grow a Lettuce in space. The above chart is for sighting the Dragon in London but for other locations look here.

I will be watching the skies tommorow night with a tear in my eye while waving a handkerchief at this scientific first! Big up the first Lettuce in space!

Another onion in a different kitchen

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Eau de cologne_1It didn’t half get cold later on last night but I did manage to enjoy a bit of “tipping around” in the back garden in the sunshine after I got in from work yesterday.

Up near the house in a interesting concrete pot  that I found when I cleaned out the then neglected garden pond years ago, I have some Eau de Cologne Mint and an Egyptian Walking Onion aka Tree, Top or Walking Onion. I noticed that a bulb is starting to form on it’s stem (close up below.) It’s a very strange plant indeed and If you like “odd” like I do, there’s some great pics of mad walking onions here.Eau de close up

On a gospel tip

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On a gospel tip

A big thanks to Steven Nereo who got in touch with us the other week about a Jamaican Gospel 7″ I uploaded to the weedsuptomeknees soundcloud by the Creary Sisters (on Sonia Pottinger’s Glory Records). He told us about two mixes of Jamaican Gospel recordings from the 1960’s which he’s put together (both excellent stuff and I don’t even go to church!) which have been on constant play here at weeds since.

There’s loads of corkers on the two compilations, one being 15 minutes in on volume 1, the excellent Stax sounding “It’s a day” by the brilliantly named Evangelist Swell & the Charming Sisters and the first track on Volume 2 “Aint gonna grieve” by Phyllis East both originally released on Coxsone Dodd’s Tabernacle label (recorded on a Sunday naturally!) Two mixes worth listening to! You can download both here.

And while we’re on the great Tabernacle label here’s a release on the label from the great Bob Marley

Bob Marley and The Spiritual Sisters – Just in time – Tabernacle Records

Music to watch the ISS (go) by

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Stephen Marley feat. Sizzla & Capleton – Rock Stone – Ghetto Youths

A big shout to David Rodigan again for playing this one from Stephen Marley featuring Sizzla and Capleton with a super sample from the Rt Hon Bob Marley!

Johnny Clarke – None Shall Escape The Judgement  King Tubby & The Aggrovators – Version  

And the influence, the flying cymbal classic from Johnny Clarke with some help from the great Bunny Lee. And talking of striker, below is Bunny Lee giving it some from 2.15.

Big up all on that big tin thing, the ISS that’s orbiting planet Earth, “Give me a signal” as David Rodigan would say!

Stephen Tin-Tin Duffy

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I've got a biscuit tin...Last Friday I was passing the local pizza place on the way home from work and noticed some smart looking empty tomato tins left outside with a “please take me” note beside them. I manage to snatch one before a couple of people behind us grabbed a few each. Back home some drainage holes were drilled (in a freeform jazz gardening stylee,) a lick of varnish was applied and now I’ve got a smart plant pot! A tarragon plant was purchased from Shannon’s and stuck in it and it’s now in situ!

extra protection

There weren’t too much gardening done this weekend due to the overcast weather but some climbing french beans plants were put in (some empty jam jars were put over them as extra protection even though they’ve been hardened off – another Shannon’s purchase.) I also sowed some flower seeds (danish flag poppy and night scented stock) in some well-washed reused pots with a freezer bag over the top and stuck in the mini greenhouse. I was going to buy a smart permanent marker for the seed labels as I’ve had a few worn off of late (I’ve no idea what the pots contain now) but I was told at the garden centre on saturday morning “don’t bother wasting your money use an old pencil and write on the non-smooth side of the plant label.” Money saving tip of the week!