[snips]
> >Thanks but I believe I own more seeds than the garden centre, most of
which
> >I will never plant (oops, reminded self I promised someone on a forum my
> >coriander seeds)
> I've to send an onion and some unspecified leftover seeds to a
> chancer, er, *member* of the swap seed group. <g>
Heh, and I'm not a chancer? LOL
> >The compost fly problem is cos its a soil-less compost with high moisture
> >and high acidity. Same problems occur with wormeries if they get too wet
and
> >acidic. Cure for the wormery is a mix of bran and calcified lime, in pots
> >its more tricky.
> Ah, thanks for that. I tried some of that diatomaceous (spelling? no
> idea!) earth on it but they merely laughed and flew round it. ;-)
Oooooh theres posh, and you spelled it right as well <impressed> I'd been
taken with the idea of diatomaceous earth as an insecticide but after that
report I might just not bother. I've heard you can use it in the house for
fleas/larvae and carpet beetles though.
> >I raised some seeds in just vermiculite and then potted them on in
> >soil-based compost once they'd got bigger - worked quite well but most of
> >them live outside anyway. You might be better off with a little
greenhouse
> >or cold frame to keep the herbs in outdoors if you've got space. They're
> >likely to get more light and if they do suffer with flies at least
they'll
> >be away from your cuppa.
> I was hoping to get a photogenic plant to show off the decorated
> terracotta pots and the watering can plantpot but it didn't work. <g>
> Did get two apple trees though, one grew all by itself in a pot
> outside that we planted up last year and one decided to germinate in
> the kitchen. That's three trees I've got now, if the apples come to
> anything I want to try growing them as step-overs (I think that's what
> they're called? I'm nothing if not ambitious...). Actually I want to
> put them on my allotment, because we're not allowed trees or fences.
> Heh.
Again impressive and also impressively rebellious :-D
I approve.
I like it when trees self seed - I have a very pretty little birch obtained
that way - I'm fighting the caterpillers off that as well!!
> >> >Like I said in the email - caterpillars have eaten just about all my
> >plants.
> >> The rotters. I've got caterpillars on the nasturtiums at the back of
> >> the garden but since they planted themselves and are rambling all over
> >> the place that's OK. The ones that are attacking the blackcurrant bush
> >> are hunted down and thrown to the chickens though. <g>
> >See, thats why I need chickens. Can't seem to convince the BF tho *rolls
> >eyes* he's such a stuck-in-the-mud.
> Free fertiliser and entertainment. <g> Plus you could rescue a couple
> of battery girls, they'd like wandering around a yard for a change.
> Mine have been on antibiotics though and it's a bit disheartening to
> find a giant egg in the nest box and not be able to eat it because of
> the treatment. (Are commerical birds fed antibiotics though I wonder?
> I don't know much about commercial egg production)
One day I will rescue some batts but when I have a proper garden with space
in it for all the creatures and plants I NEED. See the BF just can't
understand that its not simply an idle desire.
Not entirely sure on the antibiotics. There is a lot of suspicion that ALL
farmed animals are given antibiotics and preventative medication along with
hormones willy-nilly. I think that might be a bit far fetched to believe in
its entirety but there might be something in it - besides if your chooks are
on meds for a specific purpose they could be on stronger doses than that.
Best to take veterinary advice onthe subject.
> >Mind the cat isn't helping by stomping
> >on everything to get at the bluebottles. Although I think the biggest
issue
> >is being a small highwalled yard we get no little insect eating birds
which
> >I think would help a lot if i had a proper garden.*sigh*
> Birds can be right cheeky but maybe they haven't spotted the food
> source. Or think the cat has stomped on it all. <g>
Nah, it IS very built up out back (and out front). The yard on the other
side of the alley out back has a couple of trees - how they fit in to such a
tiny concrete space I've no idea - but it does mean that they get a few
sparrows. Other than that its jackdaws on the broken chimneys, pigeons
crapping everywhere and the occasional gull picking at rubbish. They're all
scavenging opportunists looking for food scraps and not really interested in
a few bugs when theres a kebab on the floor.
> <snip tale of cestruction>
> >> >I am very cross and declare war on the caterpillars with torch and
> >> >chopsticks.
> >> After that I'd be tempted to declare war with blowtorch and stabbity
> >> things.
> >Well its not a blowtorch - but it does help me locate the bastards at
night
> >when they do most of their feeding. You can actually hear then crunching
O_o
> I can believe it. <:-) Little sods. One of the daughters came home the
> other day with a fat green caterpillar wandering over her shoulder,
> took me five minutes to untangle it as it had super hooky feet. It was
> decanted onto the giant willowherb at my front door. I should pull
> that up but I quite like the flowers. <g> It's not the neatest plant
> though.
Hmm willowherb may be pretty but it is madly invasive. It has buggered up
the foundations of my mates house and wrecked the plumbing, getting into the
sewer etc. Hard to get rid of when you've had enough of it.
> <snip>
> >> I have idly wondered before if caterpillars taste like the plants they
> >> eat, since they seem to derive at least some of their colouring from
> >> what they eat. However I'm not about to go and find out. :-) My
> >> butterfly books are cheapie ones and therefore don't show the
> >> caterpillars of different species so I can't, at the moment, go and
> >> figure out what eats what and what colour it is etc.
> >I'd suspect not very nice - particularly the ones that ate the potato
tops!
> See now that's just weird. <:-/ Mind you I've got something eating the
> rhubarb leaves. I got two lots of rhubarb from Freecycle and they'r
> edifferent varieties, one looks as though some of its leaves were
> burnt back to the ribs but the other is untouched. Strange, eh? :-)
> Haven't found out what's eating the leaves, either.
I'd think you have the same problem as me cos thats what my plants look
like - go out at night with a torch and check under the leaves. You might
just find a big fat brown caterpillar (dad calls them cut-worms but I think
thats just a generic terms for these types of caterpillars). Some of these
beasts live under the soil during the day and so are hard to spot.
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/pc16.php this picture is pretty
good but doesn't show the way they curl up like cumberland sausages when
disturbed.
Jo
