Wednesday 31 August 2016

Zucchini.


My: Spaghetti squash — or vegetable spaghetti, Courgette Geode, Yellow courgettes.
Времена года / Four seasons: Courgette recipes.

- Zucchini Facts, Health Benefits and Nutritional Value

- How to Cook Spaghetti Squash - 4 Ways
Method: Pierce the squash several times with a sharp knife. (Do this especially if you're microwaving it, or you may end up with a "Squash Explosion.")
Bake about an hour in the oven at 375F/190C. (How To Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Oven — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn | The Kitchn)
Microwave 10 to 12 minutes, then let stand for 5 minutes or so afterward to finish steaming.
Boil for half an hour or so.

Like pumpkin and other winter squashes, whole uncooked spaghetti squash is best stored between 10C - 15C, and will last up to six months this way.
If you have a room in your home that isn't well-heated, maybe you can use some space in it as a "root cellar" to store onions, squash, apples, and the like.
Our guest room often has vegetables on the bed in the cooler months of the year.
On the other hand, spaghetti squash will keep several weeks at room temperature.

Wednesday 24 August 2016

Moth Proofer Balls.

because they have poor eyesight the moles are good at scents.
so to set a trap leave it hung up in your garden to get rid of any scent.
the a few days later set the trap using two spades back to back then ease them apart and drop the trap in the run after setting it.
do not put your hands on the bit you are going to put in the run but use a stick to set it.
alternatively you could put napthine ( moth balls) down in the run .

One pack of 20 Zensect Bouchard Moth Proofer Balls with a New & improved formula and a Lavender Fragrance. These moth proofer balls protect all fabrics for up to 3 months and leave no stains. Efficient & safe for all the family including and efficiency indicator to let you know when to change.: Amazon.co.uk: Kitchen & Home

Tuesday 9 August 2016

Homemade Garlic-Mint Garden Insect Spray .

- Homemade Garlic-Mint Garden Insect Spray {that really works!!}

- Homemade Garlic-Mint Garden Insect Spray {that really works!!} - Page 2 of 2
INGREDIENTS
2 whole heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
3 cup. mint leaves (and stems, too - I just throw it all in now)
2 tsp. dry cayenne pepper
12 cup. water
2 small squirts of biodegradable dishwashing liquid
DIRECTIONS
Add the garlic and mint to a food processor and pulse for a few seconds.
Transfer mixture to a large pot and add the cayenne and 12c. water.
Bring to a boil; remove from heat and let sit overnight.
Strain into a couple spray bottles (or gallon garden sprayer) and add the two small squirts of dish soap.
To Use:
- shake well before each use
- this mainly repels bugs, though if they rub against it, it can kill them.
- spray all the leaves on affected plants, including the undersides - preferably on a cloudy day so as not to burn the plants.
- wait a few days to see the affect and then apply more if needed (many times I’ve only needed to do one application)
NOTES
- This is like a pepper spray, so you can protect your skin and eyes like you would when using any hot peppers, although the potency is less because it only uses dried cayenne.
- Wait a few days to harvest after using so there isn't any spicy residuals (I only used 2 applications the whole summer, so there never was any taste to the produce).
- The scent keeps bugs away, but I still had ladybugs and bees, maybe because I only used the spray a few times.

Tuesday 2 August 2016

The finest range of Green Manure Seeds for all soil types.

The finest range of Green Manure Seeds for all soil types.

Choosing a green manure.

- Choosing the right Green Manure
Use the table on WEB when Choosing Green Manure Seeds to help work out which one will be best for you.

- Gardening Features - Timely Gardening Advice from Crocus.co.uk
You have plenty of choice; which green manure you choose will depend on when you intend to sow it and how long you are prepared to leave it growing before incorporating it into your soil.
For most people, a green manure that can be sown in late summer or early autumn and left to grow over the winter would be best.
Clovers or rye grasses are perfect for this and will have time to grow before digging in during early spring a few weeks before planting.

On heavy soils, digging during early spring is not a good idea because you will damage the soil structure as you work.
In this case, a tender quick-growing crop, such as buckwheat or fenugreek, would be a better bet because it will put on growth if sown straight after the last crop is harvested in late summer to be killed by the first heavy frost of winter and incorporated during normal autumn cultivation.

If you have a new garden or a barren plot that you don't intend to cultivate or plant for at least a year, then one of the longer-term green manure crops, such as alfalfa or alsike clover are worth sowing.
If you find that you are ready to tackle the area earlier than expected, these green manures can be dug in at any time.
Just leave a few weeks for them to rot down before planting.

- Sow a patch and replenish your plot - Telegraph
...every year that I don’t plump for anything permanent, I can fill it with phacelia.

Green manures are one of the cornerstones of organic agriculture, essential to promoting a healthy soil, free of man-made fertilisers and encouraging a deep humus-rich topsoil.
There’s no reason why we shouldn’t enjoy their many benefits in the garden or allotment.
If you’ve an allotment, casting a few handfuls of Hungarian grazing rye over an empty end-of-season bed means that when you return, refreshed, after winter, the soil is in better heart than when you left it.
Yellow trefoil sown under tall plants like climbing beans is a beautiful way of covering the soil, attracting insects, retaining water and cutting down on weeding.

And if you’ve recently taken on an allotment and the initial enthusiasm has given way to a little trepidation, consider giving some of the space over to summer green manures.
This allows you to concentrate on making a success of a smaller area, while enriching the rest to expand into when your confidence is up.

How to grow
Green manures are fantastically easy to use: for most, it’s as simple as broadcasting them direct in as good a tilth as it’s practical for you to prepare, lightly raking over and leaving them undisturbed to germinate and grow.
Although some green manures will last for many months, most can be used as temporary space fillers, cut down and dug in after three months or so.

Some grow beautifully in combination.
I use a summer mix of phacelia, buckwheat and white clover to maximise the insect invasion while improving the nutrient status and structure of the soil.
Now is the perfect time to sow many of them.

Summer green manures
Phacelia Sow between March to September.
The flowers draw in beneficial insects. May last all winter in the south of the country.
Buckwheat Sow between April and August.
A deep-rooting green manure that grows happily on poor ground, improving it as it grows.
A fine insect attractor, too.
White clover Sow between April and August.
A low-growing nitrogen fixer with white flowers that attract insects.
Yellow trefoil Sow between April and August.
A low-growing nitrogen fixer with yellow flowers, perfect as an insect-attracting ground cover between tall plants – I undersow peas and beans with it to keep moisture in and weeds out.

Winter green manures
Although usually not as striking as their summer equivalents, the overwintering green manures are invaluable for protecting and enriching the soil during the harsher months.
Hungarian grazing rye Sow August-September.
Like a large, rough grass, this is the one for fast-growing, overwintering coverage, producing lots of green to be dug in in spring.
Crimson clover Sow between April and August.
A nitrogen fixer that grows taller than white clover, with elegant crimson flowers through the summer.
Alfalfa Sow between May and July.
Not the prettiest, but it makes up for it in hard work through the winter, drawing up minerals and nutrients from the subsoil – essential elements for healthy plant growth – while fixing nitrogen.
Red clover Sow between April and August, adding nitrogen to the soil and attracting beneficial insects.
Can last for two years or so, making it ideal should you need longer-lasting coverage.
Field beans Sow between September and November.
An excellent, fast-growing winter cover that also adds nitrogen to the soil.

Find where to buy:
- The finest range of Green Manure Seeds for all soil types.

- Amazon.co.uk: Green Manure - Summer Mix: Garden & Outdoors

My choice:
Yellow trefoil
Crimson Clover
Mustard
General Mix
Phacelia

Monday 1 August 2016

Permaculture magazine. UK.

Permaculture magazine | Permaculture - practical solutions beyond sustainability

permaculture books

permaculture books

The Backyard Homestead.

The Backyard Homestead: Main Description: $18.95: Workman Publishing

Growing an Herb Garden.

Growing an Herb Garden | Homestead Handbook

Kale - 'kalettes'.

Move over kale - we're all eating 'kalettes' now - Telegraph

A combination of kale and Brussels sprouts, "kalettes" are the latest vegetable.
Sweet and nutty in flavour, the vegetable looks like a mini cabbage with delicate, kale-like leaves.
Fans claim it is more versatile and quicker to cook than either of its parents, which tend to be boiled, steamed, or hidden in a smoothie.
Kalettes, however, can be sautéed, roasted, grilled, microwaved and even eaten raw.

Понедельник! 1 августа.

1 august - allotment results!

Весь покрытый зеленью, абсолютно весь,
Остров невезения в океане есть.
...........................
На лицо ужасные, добрые внутри.
..........................
Крокодил не ловится, не растёт кокос...
...........................
Вроде не бездельники и могли бы жить,
Им бы понедельники взять и отменить.

Это про Англию! Особенно сегодняшнюю...

Мои кабачки как и автобусы - приходят все сразу.

Spaghetti squash.
Spaghetti is a winter squash harvested in fall in late Sept or October when the vine is mostly dead and the squash itself has a hard rind and are a bright solid golden yellow...makes it a useful gluten-free or low-calorie substitution in pasta recipes.
Мякоть кабачка-спагетти представляет из себя длинные волокна, очень напоминающие макароны спагетти.
После термической обработки мякоть созревшего кабачка расслаивается на длинные волокна, напоминающие по внешнему виду спагетти.
Кабачок Спагетти (ФОТО) - удивительные овощи!








Fennel bulb/Фе́нхель обыкнове́нный и моя любимая Лимо́нная вербе́на (лат. Aloýsia citrodóra)...вы только прислушайтесь: Алои́зия...Благодаря лимонному запаху растение используется в качестве приправы к сладким блюдам и как компонент травяных чаёв.


Cavolo nero + kale.
Здесь хозяйничают вредители - листья поедены.


Укроп и аспарагус...здесь хозяйничает ветер.


Growing gooseberry cordon.
Часть крыжовника буду выращивать на шпале́ре (кордон).
"Высаживаем кусты на полосе шириной 1,5 м, затем самые сильные и наиболее освещенные ветви располагаем вертикально на двух шпалерах, которые стоят друг напротив друга.
При этом способе формировки количество ветвей также ограничено и они расположены только вертикально, поэтому куст становится плоским. Такое расположение ветвей хорошо тем, что дает возможность высаживать крыжовник на узкой полоске почвы, а это очень ценно для небольших дачных участков."

Read more: http://syperdacha.ru/kry-zhovnik-vy-rashhivanie-i-uhod/#ixzz4G5YZBQb7



Это травки всякие...Тимья́н (чабрец)/Thyme; garden sage/Шалфе́й лека́рственный; Flat-leaved parsley/петрушка...мята!





Мое новое увлечение - Hugelkultur! ...вынужденное увлечение.
Почва у нас на огороде песчаная. Вносили кучу навоза - уходит в песок!)))
Решила попробовать этот метод! Сформировала первую грядку. Хотела сфотографировать весь процесс, но увлеклась...так что первое фото не мое, а из интернета.
Грядка еще не закончена вполне, думаю посадить в нее озимый чеснок или клубнику.

Hugelkultur -which is German for "hill culture" - it's a cool thing to try.
"A lot of times when you grow, says, raspberries, you end up having to water it a lot to keep the raspberries alive, then the raspberry flavor is diminished.
It's kind of watery-flavoredю"
"Whereas, the raspberry plant finds water in the rotted wood from last winter, which is rich in nutrients, which then in turn makes it so that the raspberry flavor is very rich."
You'll find more detailed instructions, including video, on Wheaton's website, Richsoil.com.

А сегодня в нашем городе дождь, тот, которого так не хваталов это холодное и засушливое лето.
Так что мы предались разврату - испекли творожное печенье!
Рецепт на английском в моем блоге!


Грядка компьютерщика.

Грядка компьютерщика: реализация - Садовое обозрение


На даче разбиваем грядку спецназначения. Все овощи и травы помогут справиться с проблемами, сопровождающими человека часами проводящего за компьютером.
Выбираем солнечное теплое место в саду. Грядку окантовываем деревянным бордюром. В центре устанавливаем каркас мини-грядки с более высоким бордюром.
Растения для спецгрядки: базилик фиолетовый, фасоль кустовая, брокколи, кабачки, катран (аналог хрена), капуста листовая, кукуруза, морковь, огурцы, редька, петрушка, укроп.
На рисунке это выглядит так:
1 – тмин +редька
2 – базилик (поиграем цветами и размером листвы)
3 – укроп (подсеваем каждые 20 дней)
4 – морковь
5 – петрушка
6 – кукуруза (сейчас много сортов невысоких, с отличными вкусовыми качествами зерна)
7 – огурцы (хорошо бы пучкового типа)
8 – фасоль кустовая (тоже можно поиграть цветом лопаток)
9 – кабачки или цуккини
10 – брокколи + листовая капуста
Базилик, брокколи, капусту листовую и кукурузу выращиваем рассадой. Катран – очень красивый в пору цветения многолетник, поэтому его также лучше вырастить рассадой и высадить на постоянное место. Кукуруза выполнит функции опоры для огурцов.
Конечно, на одной грядке не поместить все овощные и зеленные культуры, которые помогают нам преодолевать последствия напряденной работы за компьютером. Поэтому окиньте взглядом свой сад и огород, что-то там уже растет, а что-то обязательно нужно посадить в новом сезоне.