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I agree with graham. Last year I half-filled the brown recyling bin (with a closed lid) with yellow dandelions, next time I opened it they all seemed to have become the fluffy seed heads. Presumably I'd dug them up after they'd been pollinated but before the seeds had set.

Herbs, perhaps. Ours leave the sage and bay alone, but will clear the chives if they can get at them. I think they also left the parsley.

There's a website somewhere that tries to link up people with spare land who'd like to see it used for growing, and people who want to do the growing. I can't remember what it's called but hopefully someone else can.

Looks OK. Are they sunk into the ground? Yep, 7 inches or so. What amazes me though is that you were able to do it yesterday. What sort of soil do you have? It would be like the Somme here if I went stomping around outside just now. Yesterday was quite nice, but when I went out earlier to turn the ...

I remember reading that coffee grounds aren't actually very acidic. Most of the acidity comes out in the coffee and you're left with something approaching neutral afterwards. We drink a lot of coffee and I just sling all the grounds in the compost. Edit: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/soil/20020...

I used a pile of old concrete roof tiles that I happened to have lying around. Only did it yesterday though, so no idea how well it'll hold up.

http://www.spod.org/~davet/raised_bed/

Update.

Terrible plan. The bottom tyre, the one in the earth had potatoes, but none in the straw. Other people have had the method work, so I must have done something wrong, but I won't be using straw again in a hurry.

intr.v. twad·dled, twad·dling, twad·dles To talk foolishly; prate. n. Foolish, trivial, or idle talk or chatter. Thanks, I have just learned a new word. I talk from my experience and observations. I used TBH and standard equipment. Langstroth hives proved more efficient and easier to use, for me at...

Yes TBH are great toys for learning and experiencing bees. But langstroth hives are much easier to work with in my opinion. You need to work more with TBH, the combs are fragile, when you have frames you just pull them out and move them at will. I think its better to have some source of smoke, ther...

I've found trying to get my first bees a deeply frustrating experience. Seemingly few suppliers who all want you to have booked a year in advance, and bees seem rather more towards the Panda end of the reproductive scale than the Rabbit end.

I had exactly that problem with my local BBKA - the chairman went so far as to say she doubted anyone (in the association) would supply me with bees when they found out I was going to keep them in such an "irresponsible manner". You can go from a framed nucleus into a TBH, though: http://w...

chadspad wrote:As we have a big lawn, I use the grass cuttings on m spuds - that always works well

Given how hot grass clippings get in the compost bin I'm surprised you're not growing baked potatoes ;)

Good point. Profile updated with location.

I'm always up and on the way to work around 6am, keeping a close eye on the frost.

I hope the straw won't go mouldy.

I grow loads of veg in black tyres but have never tried potatoes, what a good idea. However, I've never heard of adding straw - I thought it was usual to cover the emerging leaves with more soil ? Could it be frost damage, that turns leaves black. It hasn't been frosty here since they came up, fort...

I'm growing potatoes in tyres. A week or two ago I added the second tyre and filled it with straw, which was followed by a week of rain. They've just started poking their heads through the top of the straw now, but the leaves have gone black. Hoping for an explanation other than blight, could it be ...