So that was 2023! How did you do? Come along as Mike and I as look at what worked – and what didn’t – over the last year! Grab a drink and join in!
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You need a bit are we are we here are we on can anybody see us we’re having all sorts of problems with um oh oh we are we’re live can you see us and can you hear us um hello I can see there’s quite
A few it it’s been a day it’s been a right I’m looking at the wrong place now honestly we were all ready to go and then Post-it notes have started falling off Mike sat down and there was a huge Shadow behind me that looked like something was lurking SE was too low SE
Was too low so yeah we did look like the two on so we’ve had to try and work out how to adjust Mike seat but even that’s not enough he’s on a couple of cushions so yeah because we’ve tried to squeeze in in front of here so yes please say
Are you here it’s Mr Corbin Amanda shame on you Amanda it’s true though can you hear me please say you can hear me and can you see me us we can always all hear you we can well yeah yeah that’s another that’s another thing isn’t it let’s have a look
We’ve got okay let’s start saying hello we can hear and see thank you Danny okay hello Freddy hello Anna hi Stephen I prefer Steve Jobs by the way to to Jeremy Corby thank you Anna Sharon hello Sharon hi Max uh hello Danny of course we’ve got Danny and Anna who oh I think
Anna’s moderating I’ve got to press the button I’ll be with you in a second Anna uh hi Joan Anna Jones hello Amanda uh ad hi ad just up the road we passed through sorry I’m going completely off here I’ll come back hi tamon guarding myself happy hello lovely
To see you Robin Lynn oh how lovely that you’re all here I just actually sent a message to Danny who was ready to do the moderation and I said it’s just got to the stage a few minutes before alive if you’ve ever done one before where you start to panic and you think
Have I will I press the right button that’s the first thing mainly because it’s h it’s gone wrong so many times hasn’t it Mike Mike wasn’t gray before we started doing full head of um and then why am I doing this to myself and then what if nobody turns up so yeah all
Three of those are in the past now but yes it’s um Ma’s face I know I Danny you say in Mike’s face we’ve been to visit my parents today in Shropshire so coming back to you ad in a minute because we drove through where you are and um my
Mom blasa is suffering from dementia and she takes great Delight I’m sure she’s saying it deliberately but we’re thinking it’s the Dementia in just looking over wherever Mike is sitting and saying look at him with that head or or another favorite you’re fat she I think she’s been D I don’t
Think she’s got to menure I think she’s been dying to say that for years but now she pretends that she can’t help it yeah hello Ken hi Rob hello Amir lovely to see you yeah Adie we we drove through where you are and the roads were absolutely shocking in fact where we are
In Staffordshire it’s about 20 miles across the shopshire border um to go and see my parents and had we known it was that bad before we’d left after dinner time we wouldn’t have gone because it I’ve never seen it as bad you’ll know the couple of stretches
I mean but is it the A51 I think other people from around the world would have seen it as well well they would have seen but we hadn’t really seen the news you know and uh we were just preoccupied with other things weren’t we in places it was this
Deep it was bad when you’re in a car in fact if I’d been in my car my little Beetle I would have turned around and come home because it wouldn’t have got through the flood so I hope you’re okay not too wet I’ve spoken to Rue this evening oh Anna
Is saying Tesco is flooded oh my God Rebecca how lovely to see you how lovely for you to come on that’s really nice um talking to Rue who lives a little bit further on into North Wales she’s about 30 miles from here yep and they’d traveled they’d been traveling today and
She said there were just um recovery Vehicles police cars cars on the side of the road the traffic was absolutely terrible but thank goodness we’re all home we’re all safe she loves a wild swim but she do like a wild swim not that much these circumstances no yeah
Yeah yeah Adia bet you’re glad you live on a hill I’ve always always love the idea of living by a river but when it’s like this if you just look at the um the news from shury you know it’s not worth it is it hello sigy nice to see you so
Before we get started and before you can even speak okay can we just say happy New Year oh Mike’s got water that makes me look really bad he’s actually got can I can I just show this he has actually got this in the background yeah but he’s just pretending
He’s drinking water um we’re not sponsored by these people but it would be amazing if we were it would be amazing if you were Anna I’ve got the glass from you so thank you for that yeah yeah there are some really lovely people tonight so thank you very much
For joining us we just thought to be honest we were going to do um a new year we were going to do this weren’t we on New Year’s Eve and we thought everyone’s going to have better things to do apart from us we didn’t um we had the Neighbors
In that was adventurous yeah we did we have the neighbors in that’s for another time and then we thought we’d do it on New Year’s Day but someone else was doing a live so we managed to to get tonight sorted didn’t we you know because at the
Moment there’s so many people going live Danny who’s on I hope you’re all going to go to Danny’s live on um Thursday night at 7:00 because uh that’s been a real Mainstay of the winter over the winter months for me I’m gonna go to Danny’s this time no you’re not invited
No I’m going I’m gonna what I mean is I’m gonna participate I’m gonna make comments oh don’t all the way through oh no that’s not good I’m going to drink five of those black sheep and then make tons of comments but if you haven’t been to Danny’s it’s worth going great what’s
It called Danny Heard It Through The Grape Vine put it on the grape vine it’s very good anyway I’m not going to say who the guests are this week but you might be seeing me again on I’ll still I’ll still have my little stop talking post it note we’ve got that
Many notes popped up here Danny thank you for taking her off my hands at least a couple of hours a week yeah a couple of hours a week I know oh my goodness the two rivers you live by oh right okay you’ve got massive dams by you Rebecca
We’re just over here we just got caught out by any sort of weather that’s not within a very tight regime don’t we you know so every time this happens although we did have a hurricane the other day that blew some houses apart in Manchester hurricane that was near
Charlotte or da in Greater Manchester yeah quite spectacular all be contained M please have a back Daddy what he say he wants to give me back too long toate no it’s too late um Garden myself happy feride near me had the Lifeboat crew up to their waist
Trying to he help people on New Year’s Eve and it’s not stop that’s the whole thing oh happy New Year Joan that’s the um whole thing it hasn’t let up I’m so sorry if you’re not in the UK and we’re talking about the weather I bet you
Stephen I bet the weather by you gets far far worse than this but we do get fascinated don’t we by any sort of any sort of change I must be great to live by a river I’m from Newcastle so of course the time sort of runs through the
The center of of new Castle or separates Newcastle from Gates head and jar and things like that but it it’s it’s it’s Coastal and it never kind of it never um it never bursts its banks or it certainly doesn’t you know where where we used to live anyway if it did would’
Be in trouble we’ve said this before we’re actually how many feet how many feet from the canal we’re about 30 30 feet from the canal and we’re about we’re downhill we’re on a downhill we’re about 200 meters from the Trent which regularly bursts it Banks but thankfully
There’s some flood plane down there yeah yeah that they’re about to build on typical but yeah I’m always thinking it every time it goes through my head I hope those victorians got their engineering right because we shouldn’t flood the canal shouldn’t flood should it because if it did we’d be a gunner
Our house would be like the ark it’d be floating away down the road I think about our friends in Australia who end up with with burst Rivers hi Tony and then alligator swimming around in your Gard I mean that must be terrifying yeah yeah yeah well we don’t have that do we
That would knock your concerns about you know blighted cabbage and things into a cocktail I know I know crocodile in the front lawn I anywh who we thought we’d go for a little bit of a theme tonight and we just thought well to be honest we
Thought about it on the in the floods on the way back from M and dads we said we better talk about something so we thought we just start really by having a little think about what um thank you Danny oh I’ll come back to that
Um what’s gone right and what’s gone I I don’t like to say wrong I was yeah what’s gone wrong in 2023 with regard to can I just can I just say J tamson says there’s Crocs only up far north so that’s okay oh we’re ton oh my good whereabouts are you
Whereabouts are you because I think that would just be mices and Nightmare wouldn’t it that and sharks be right from sharks I wouldn’t be on any creature that would drag you into the water then pull you apart we got the odd frog and the odd rat but I don’t think
Even a rat would be that mean would it really prob not that by a wild pig at some point yeah yeah you don’t want a kangaroo you certainly don’t want kangaro so Mike aggressive Mike I’m gonna start with you Jan doesn’t tell you what the topics are by the way
Before we start to keep things fresh I just I just don’t think of them it’s always very spay the moment you know that Mike that is we’ve got the most ridiculous stools that is proing it out and we’re on wooden floorboards so yeah it’s very strange what’s been your
Should we start with a should start with a negative should we start with a negative or a positive as we’re English why don’t we start with a massive negative a massive negative what’s been your massive negative from 2023 allotment related yeah yeah yeah because otherwise that might end up in
The it you know I think I think our onions have been dire yeah I think our main cro onions have been absolutely dire yeah and we’ve had years where we’ve had massive success with shalots and long red Florence shalots and then kind of giant onions and things like
That but this year for whatever reason whether we grew them in raised beds or in those kind of what are they called again those pallet tops that we put together well they’re raised beds anyway ra beds yeah yeah um and no matter what we did with them I think it was the
Combination of of weather that we had this year they just they were just really really disappointed oh and they’ve stored really really badly as well they stored badly and I’m gness sorry Tom tomson’s just saying she’s in camera oh um so they were disappointed J and our beans were
Beans we um we love to grow botte beans and broad beans were okay the broad beans are pretty Ste but bolti beans and our French beans weren’t just weren’t very good no so onions and beans and the thing with the onions we actually it actually looked like we harvested quite
Quite a lot but they’d all been gotten we realized this with the garlic and the leaks once you start to prepare them the storage said all got um alium Leaf Miner so we’ve had that every year haven’t we on the current plot so this year they’re going in completely fresh soil they’re
Going to go in the pallet color beds so yeah so we’re going to have a whole one for the garlic when the garlic goes in sorry Danny it still has going and we’re gonna use those we’re gonna use those high beds we’re gonna use those High beds to make life a little
Bit easier for for ourselves in terms of weeding and kind of Maintenance of those kind of hard to care for crops yeah yeah that’s the idea I mean we did grow some fantastic white Lisbon onions oh they were brilliant people thought they were leaks but they were actually thick weren
They they were actually spring onions actually we chopped those and B them in the freezer and they’ve gone into stir fries and risotto and all kinds of things all year we started them off in we started them off in a sea tray didn’t we and then we put them all outside into
One of our first raised beds and they were Brill yeah yeah yeah they were okay are we still on the negatives we’re still on the negatives but yeah the leaks are also in one of those beds as again because of the alium leaf man so
It should be fresh soil if any eggs have overwintered in the soil where the onions were last year they’re not going to find any onions they’ll probably fly over and find our onions where we’ planted them but we CED them in netting so we’re trying everything because
Onions are just one of those things you just want to have and the beans you want you want some variety there you want some interest there the beans um did you mention the snails yeah oh my goodness that was the problem with the beans it was so wet I think we’ve mentioned this
Before but we’d interplanted the rose of beans with swed your fault Danny um terrible idea not not saying it’s a terrible idea of yours Danny it was a terrible idea it was terrible idea and K rabie and something else and that just made lovely oh it wasn’t it posip was
They just disappeared and that just made a lovely Haven for Slugs and snails and the amount I just couldn’t believe it you would walk down the bean RADS and if if you’ve seen the videos they’re quite quite long they’re about 12 foot on each side double
Rows and um you just have them you just pick them off you’d have handful good news good news for the chickens because you could pick them off like was like a handful of boiled sweets yeah and then just give them a bit of a tap with a spade and then off to our
Friends the chickens yeah exactly Joan yes daffodil bulbs there’s something you can still put them in but it’s um it’s always too wet you get to the point where I know Tony I’ve seen pictures of you out cleaning your Greenhouse or the poly in um in this rain but it’s too wet
To be work work in the land working this s even in raised beds it’s just just too wet to go out there at the moment not for serious gardeners but definitely for us aluminium leaves Stephen do you mean alium Leaf Miner we’ve never we’ve never had a problem with aluminum leaf we haven’t
Had aluminium leaves yet but you know never if we could grow some aluminium we’d be taking it down the scrap met yeah it sounds a bit similar doesn’t it no alium Leaf mine is a horrible little grub that burrows into your um into your aliums and yeah the heart of your leaks
And then just it makes it just spoils them basically makes makes onions impossible to keep yeah yeah oh you know Robin we’ve never really got into um dehydrating anything other than I did chilies one year never again you couldn’t walk in the kitchen without your eyes burning what seemed like days
And tomatoes I’ve never thought of uh dehydrating onions but I suppose yeah with sea salt that would be lovely yeah Amanda I think it probably does do get through mesh netting I’ve got um envir mesh over the leaks and will have over the garlic because they
Will just go through the mesh and that has worked before in the past but it might be a case if it’s really bad we might have to try f thing is you don’t know until they’ve taken hold have you hi Fergus yeah so we did have a neighbor once who used
To pour um Jay’s fluid water down Jay’s fluid all over the beds that he was going to put his onions in actually all over the onions as well no he’d say right in the center of the onion oh yeah in the center of the leaves say all all
You need to do his voice all you need to do is mix up a little bit of Jay fluid tip it so it goes right down into the center of the onion he says that’ll get rid of them and I’ve got to say had beautiful onions but I wouldn’t want to
Eat them and it got rid of everything else as well it did it did it killed all the worms it killed anything that was beneficial to the soil I think yeah but he’s still looking around and he’s still gardening he is he has dehydrated garlic as well Steph that sounds good um what
Was what was this Siggy yeah that’s interesting that you say about the taste of the tomatoes s is saying that um she planted them outside and it was so wet The Taste wasn’t as good and I had an issue this year with Brad’s Atomic grape
And we grew it in the poly tunnel and I saved seeds and it just when you first have it it’s just such a unique flavor I absolutely loved it and I was so looking forward to it and I sent seeds to a few friends and they were sending me what’s
All the fuss about and I was say just wait just wait they’re obviously not ripe enough but ours just weren’t the same and I think same as you even though they were in the poly tunnel I think I probably overwatered them I’d never thought before about overwatering affecting something’s taste
But of course it must do mustn’t it it must dilute the flavor so yeah yeah change the bed and net through the next season Danny that’s what we’re doing yeah yeah that’s a good idea Lynn plant leaks into tube oh that’s it yeah nice idea that Lyn just down for me
Lynn says I’m so I haven’t got the facility like f see Danny and Tony to put to put comments up on the screen so you just have to put up with me reading them out unless you can see them an older plot holder just down from me used
To plant leaks into tubes and said it helped with Leaf Miner and blanching leak leaves I can I’ve never tried it can understand the blanching Le leaves it’s cre a barrier isn’t it iose a little bit of a barrier so maybe it would work I suppose yeah yeah it makes
Sense doesn’t it it makes s there was someone up there was it Nicola oh yeah Nicola you’re watching from hospital a& e now I’m assuming you’re receiving treatment or do you work there whichever it is I hope you’re okay please don’t neglect the patience just watch just to having it
Right so watching on one of those gigantic Tellies they have in Anye oh yeah yeah oh that put them all to sleep isn’t it you know the massive great white TVs they’ve got no you to pay you have to pay about 10 quid a day you already watch a terrible television oh
No no I I like to see myself on the screen that oh not a actually intensive care Oh What It different well when have you L been in intensive care Oh to Margaret to Margaret two years ago when your mom died oh um yeah another good idea yeah I’ve
Heard that Danny before my last Harvest of tomatoes I stopped watering for a week and you find the tomatoes I stopped washing for a good few weeks before once we’re s halfway through the main Harvest I just get to the point where you just think should I bother you
Just can’t be bothered can you after a while although today I went and bought yesterday I went and bought some nice tomatoes because I’ve been saying to you I really fancy a tomato it’s over winter over Christmas it’s just studge isn’t it me we have loads of vegetables but you don’t get
That lovely fresh flavor so tonight we had a warm salad which Michael always laughs at he said it’s just a salad that’s gone to room temperature but there we go yeah yeah yeah I know trauma traumatic enough Danny okay roma tomato sliced the long way in a giant Bowl
That’s perfect isn’t it Stephen pour on a bit of oil and Basel and other it Italian herbs shredded oh and then you dry them okay so Robin Stephen when you dry them are you using like a big dehydrator are you drying them in the oven don’t tell me you dry them
Outside in the sun because I won’t believe you frankly in Australia maybe maybe maybe maybe tamon maybe you can um but yeah yeah yeah it’s a match made in heaven isn’t it fresh tasty Tomatoes balsamic vinegar basil and a little bit of cheese little bit of feta cheese
T mozzarella what’s that called that’s a something salad isn’t it it is actually a something salad pop it on if you know what I mean you know what I mean there don’t you that’s all you need very it’s so fresh hello Maran nice to see you happy New Year yes we’ve
Talked about the weather Maran it’s flooding the place it’s not nice at all up here apparently it’s worse down south but yeah yeah um no Danny no news on my mini Channel or segment of a channel I’m still thinking about what I might do or
What J might let me do Mike is always coming up with ideas today his idea was um you mentioned before Danny about the 10 questions series that that’s going out at the moment that I’m really really enjoying and every time I hate watching them back once you’ve edited I don’t if
You make videos you might know what I mean once you’ve spent so long editing them it can be I think when it’s something like an interview I I get quite embarrassed watching myself back and so Mike says come on he’s trying to be supportive and he says come on let’s
Watch it let’s watch it and I just know that he’s going and Mike’s thing today Mike’s Little Nugget was um I should maybe shouldn’t talk I should just stop talking but I like the chat side of it I really like the chat side of it so what I said to
This is coming back around to your point Danny what I said to Mike was if he wants to do it his way he would be very welcome to do it on the channel I would give him a little space I’d even you know do the technical side for him but
Will he do it what what I could do I could do a channel called when C salad I could do one called when the talking stops and then I could say something I could get fast forwarded okay so that people could then slow it down if they
Needed to so that Jane could keep up her you know the amount of of talking that she needs to do that would be good or maybe just speed it up so you shouldn’t get me into 30 seconds or so maybe I could do a voice over yeah maybe I could
Just you could interview someone I could do like the history of gardening but you could condense it into about 30 seconds just by speeding me up yeah or cutting your eyes or just cutting your out no but I think he should do a lot more Danny I think a lot of people have
Asked that um we had the cookery Nook last year we had the homemade pester cooker n I’m thinking about doing one called cutout Danny which is just my own my own channel based on things that where where I’m just cut out Jan’s videos there’s got to be several minutes
Of that there’s at least one video already I think in that one Rebecca you lost your dehydrator Stephen said he uses on about 20 years old okay you lost your six tray dehydrator but you’ve been using an air fryer at the low temperature setting oh that’s interesting okay another use
For the air fryer it’s not it’s happen yeah yeah it’s um we need to do more if it turn we were talking about we’ve gone right off the topic again haven’t we we do buy kind of gadgety things sometimes no we bought a dehydrator it must be
About six years ago and it was not quite the cheapest one on Amazon so it’s very very basic takes about 10 years to dry the Tomato yeah yeah so oh no we did um apples and pears on un it that nice were amazing but but again with the cost of
Living or the cost of um of of fuel and energy now yeah the amount of time it takes you to to basically create an apple strip it’s not really worth it is it I know I know that is the thing um right okay we’ll come back
We’ll come back because I want to oh we should come back to storage Mike’s got Mike’s got more notes than me I’ve only got a couple of things Jed down Mike’s got two A4 Pages stuck on with masking can you actually see Mike because he’s actually got the page stuck
No I know when you can see when you do that but let’s just of course you can because the camera’s here I know but I can’t see that half of you good Jan he’s got this big thing j don’t spoil the magic don’t spoil the magic okay silent chats yeah yeah silent
Chats thanks Lynn whose side are you on oh dear oh dear okay okay that’s yes right so that with the negative that were the negatives they were the negatives and I think we both agreed on that um so the weather was a huge con but we’re gonna have to get used to that
We’re stuck with it aren’t we Pros I’ve got some have you got some let’s compare I think we had some we had some successes I think it wasn’t an amazing year but we had some successes yeah those white Lisbon were great yeah um we our first early potatoes are
Pretty good they were okay so we did well with them early on we had some success with squash um despite putting them in far too late they they were lovely and and we’ve still got some of them to enjoy to look forward to yes we have some Crown Prince squash my
Favorite squash of all lots of squash great keeper very tasty great to roast I’m not sponsored by um by CR Prince squash but if I was that would be okay yeah um what about you what are your big successes well well it’s funny you should ask M because I have a short
List okay um this time last year we started up the patreon channel this is not a link to patreon um but that has been really lovely over the last year just just it’s just expanded the community that much more and it’s it’s enabled us or it’s
Helped us do things like the shed coming up that’s linked do you see how I did that that’s linked um and the shed that’s it was a huge project for us for us because just getting the time and when we had the time time having the weather I mean saying before tney about
Going out in the rain we had we were going up there in the snow weren’t we sometimes trying to get bits and pieces done as it was it was April by the time I think it was April by the time it was finally finished been great it’s oh we
Just love it I’m sure you’ve seen it that’s been a real highlight for me last year and it just gave us the chance to use some um some old old windows that we’d acquired if anybody seen the videos there was reclaimed wood involved in then wood on the floor yeah so yeah
Yeah yeah so so that was good and that links on to my next next two favorite bits actually um for me I mean it sounds awful because it’s not actually of anything we’ve grown yes it is I’ll come right okay bear with me um so the
Shed documented the whole thing um and I approached kitchen Garden Magazine and got my first article published no that wasn’t my first one my second that was my second one but but I also managed to do I got the allotment Journey published and that’s been a huge
Pro for me this year or last year was starting to get um things published I it sounds St I was really proud of that um yeah and I’ve actually written it one of my deadlines was yesterday for my Fourth Article so I would have had four going in and hopefully that’ll keep up
And because one of them one of the Articles oh these links are so tenuous aren’t they is about the daers which is one of my favorite things that I grew last year so yeah so I think DA’s favorite thing I grew favorite things that happened the patreon channel the
Shed and the writing fantastic thing so it’s been yeah it’s been quite it’s only when you look back you think oh on are a bit rubbish and and actually I put a two- minute again for the patreons uh patrons I put a two- minute um three minute Montage together of the year and
It’s it was just looking at photographs with some plinky plun piano music and um it’s then when you look back which like always say take a photo do a video do something that you realize just how much you’ve done and yeah it looked nice isn’t it it looked you know you don’t
You don’t realize it at the time look great and and it was published in a magazine that we buy yeah yeah you know that’s freely available in the old Corner Shop in the old news agent available from all fine per of that was the first one gardening related
Magazines that was the first one so yeah so I’m really pleased with that that’s good super exciting thing yeah yeah so um the shed B we we do we love it you know so and and the other lovely thing about the shed is soing we’re very lucky that the people
Around us at the alment we’re really good friends with and um we can say to them it starts to rain come to us come to us and we can all Gather in the shed it’s a really sociable place isn’t it Rebecca’s just saying wasn’t your channel Rebrand last year as well oh yes
It was yes it was that was Tony’s fault wasn’t it she should have had had a name competition I think for that well I I to the think a new name no no no you know Tony how long it took me to change the name and it didn’t
Change very much but I could have done but I would tried to think what people would have what would you’ve said I think I said the Hillside Garden because it is on the side of a hill but there already a Hillside Garden yeah but it’s not on the side of a hill Danny’s
Got the Great Vine Garden already hasn’t he we’ve got a great Vine we could have been a great Vine Great Vine Garden too the other Great Vine Garden hello kitchen garden garden hello yeah yeah I I think poling about would have been a good name pingling about within this
It’s the magazine being this you asked Stephen it’s kitchen Garden Magazine I’m not sure if it is in the states someone’s told me before but this one was the which issue was it the September issue and then the which one was this not your Photograph by the way
No uh this one was the September issue and then I had one in the was the October issue as well which Mom and Dad have got because they keep showing everybody and then I’ve got one coming up in the February issue and one coming up in the March issue and hopefully you
Know there’ll be several more after that but yeah kitchen Garden it’s a nice what I like about it it’s it’s it’s a garden mag I’m doing an ad it’s a garden magazine for gardeners you know it’s not there are lovely on like gardeners world and they’ll show you lovely aspirational
Pictures but this is actually lots of pictures and things about people actual people doing things in their actual Gardens which is lovely you know so so yes we humble people we sent ours convincing I know and know I still wouldn’t get rid of the Jane would I Tony no no Rob that’s a
Massive shame can’t get it in Holland can’t get what in Holland we’re gonna start the campaign okay thanks Freddy that’s oh right okay I I think you can get it across Europe you know but maybe it’s just um digital I don’t know I don’t know but yes they were my pros and
They were my cons let us know in the comments let us know what have been your what should we start with cons what’s been your worst thing of 2023 regarding growing let’s have a little look and see if we’ve all got the same or you know
What was your worst crop what was yeah what went terribly wrong what didn’t do what it was supposed to do oh Jane this that’s okay that’s okay you can be another Jane you’re probably a far better Jane than I am I’ve got another disaster can I kind of go back
To one disaster that’s the perennial disaster very quick um oh CRA it’s gone up my head now you’ve put me off the Italian cauliflower Romanesco oh my God every year we try to to to grow this stuff we’ve only ever seen it in places like um Lichfield little sort of Market
Garden Centers in in in what Market um Gardens in in Lichfield and Ludo little bit of a sort of a gouret delight yeah if you’ve ever seen it it’s a beautiful looking thing we cannot get it to grow you know what as I was looking through
The pictures to do the little snippet of 2023 there was a picture from a couple of years ago from January yeah of the Romanesco and it looked like it was all coming it looked like it was and then you turn your back yeah and it’s all you
Know yeah yeah it’s a temper do that we need to do it we need to look after it really um yeah Freddy Runa beans the same with us with the Run of beans and people say how can you not grow runner beans they’re the easiest thing to grow
But it wasn’t that they didn’t grow it was as soon as they grew they were eaten by sale and we did try that you know Tony we we planted ours in beds that were no dig beds topped up with compost chicken manure pellets thrown on there
As well and when the head started to form we did actually bend the the leaves in but they just didn’t come to anything I mean I don’t know it’s been a difficult year perhaps somebody should do a a Romanesco Challenge and see how many people are actually successful with
That one not me who said swed yeah Tony says swed and you’ve got the swed champion just up your road haven’t you Amanda who’s that Tony Who’s the swed champion the man who does the giant Swede didn’t he go d no didn’t didn’t he Danny didn’t he give
You some seeds they didn’t grow very big but um yeah I thought he was quite close I think these these seed Champions do that well just to keep themselves CH the size you the onions this big and then they kind of pass you a little pack of Red Baron yeah something like that
Blight Amanda again and that’s something we’ve got to get used to isn’t it because it’s only going to get wetter and warmer there we go that’s a cheery 2024 thing yeah uh Anna did say fungal nuts Anna is my daughter and she’s uh moved into her new place last year and
She loves her house plants and of course when you first get a house plant not like this one behind me here that’s on its last legs they do look beautiful don’t they but inevitably especially when they got the grown over your head inevitably as they adjust to your
Environment they change and uh so Anna’s some of hers just started realting so every now and then she’d send me a little picture and say what’s wrong but one of the things suffered one of the things you suffered with Anna was your fungal nuts they’re not very nice and almost
Impossible to get rid of once they’re in the soil you just have to wash the whole root system and repot but yeah yeah ru’s in the house hey Rue R I was just talking about you Ru earlier and and the um floods and the flooded roads that you
Were going through to get home so yeah I’m glad you well I’m hoping your home okay you’re not sitting in an AA truck because yeah it’s been pretty rotten around here potatoes blight oh the whole lot Anna that’s a shame we’ll come back to um potatoes later the fungal knut sounds
Like either a knut that lives on fungus or a KN which actually is made out of fungus what is it it’s very very wet conditions okay wet conditions in your soil and it gets some sort of fungus and then the gut the nut feeds on the fungus yeah okay okay uh that’s really
Interesting Danny look at this comment this wet weather has ruined ruined my recently planted garlic wow so there’s something to be said about keeping your garlic back a little bit how’s it how’s it ruined it has it just washed it away has it washed the soil off I’m wondering
I wonder if it’ll come back oh R got good sweeds okay kept overwater yeah you keep overwatering your indoor plant I know you sent me a picture yesterday didn’t you Anna one with yellow leaves but it it’s killing with kindness isn’t it really uh oh no t
I hope they weren’t Wasing all the plants in your lovely Studio it’s like a jungle in there isn’t it you come back and it be like a desert so oh SPS are good I’m glad you’re home safely R that’s lovely yes Rebecca’s here that’s nice isn’t it okay the soil I’m trying
To build near at the moment is like clay and when it’s where I sink in my oh my goodness so we’re so lucky we haven’t got clay soil although so many things grow well in it um on top on top oh here we go a layer of
Gravel on top of soil of indoor oh did you see that Anna tson says a layer of gravel on the top of the sword of your indoor pots helps prevent gats or just growing in leaker only not sure what leaker is okay I think it’s a growing medium
Yeah yeah yeah that’s interesting though that is interesting oh it rotted them that’s a shame yeah yeah tried planton garlic and cells yeah we’ve done that before Rebecca not this year not yet Roma Tomato’s outside got black I think this year every year we say we’re not going to put Tomatoes
Outside because of the blight and I’ve got to say the poly tunnel ones this year were absolutely fine weren they there was no sign of blight until maybe as I was clearing them out right at the very end so it might be that we have more blight in there next year but every
Year I think I’m not going to I’m not going to bother doing them outside again every day every year I do Anna will’ll try and sort you out some of that gravel okay because you You’ probably be able to get it somewhere like B&M you know what I mean especially can use perlite
Or vermiculite anything like that really um Gardener grit yeah hello Garden makeover okay leor expanded kill dried clay all right okay that’s what you’re saying Tony yeah okay interesting okay so right then there where are the cons what are your Pros what have been your best things this
Year come on we’ve told you ours even though didn’t have anything to do with gardening but Mike said you do with all your squash wasn’t it so come on let’s see your best ones spuds okay Tony you’ve done really well okay well there you go kitchen garden garden
Beans okay well we’ve just I mean it just goes to show doesn’t it can I ask question me and Freddy can I can I jump in ask question here Tony were your spuds in the soil or did you use pots or do you use a mixture of both because we
Used pots kind of pretty heavily for the first time yeah I think we got it wrong in terms of the mixture of compost to soil they were pretty heavily compost based um the pots got really water logged you’ll have to watch despite them being pretty well drained are you ready
For this Tony you’ll have to watch Tony’s video I will I will confess I’m not a massive video Watcher he doesn’t he doesn’t he does mine under did you right in fact I’d rather he didn’t but um yeah yeah it did well uh yeah beans so you
Know some people are getting really good beans some people aren’t onions Rue we’ve just said about our alium Leaf Miner I know you always get good onions and you always grow from sets don’t you is it red Red Baron on the other one I I know we’re trying to do more seeds this
Year we haven’t sewn them yet have we we should as with everything we’re supposed to have been sewing them this week but we’ve been a bit busy so yeah yeah but uh Rudolph have done well but you put them in late okay oh goodness times in we can get
Specially formulated indoor potting mix in Australia to prevent nuts so take it then you it must be a real issue over there for them to be able to um or for them to have been almost forced to do a specialist potting with that’s interesting Elsa Craig brilliant massive tomato Harvest this year good
Strawberries now ours were brilliant the year before last and then this last year they coming to the end we need to replant them this year don’t we our over wintering onions were better than the regular onions weren’t they yeah Japanese over were definitely definitely has anybody grown
A potato a first early variety called accent oh I was reading about accent today yeah um on the um oh c what is it no UK UK gardening website I think that’s what it is um and somebody on there was talking about how these things were award-winning in in
2019 lovely waxy flesh apparently but I’ve never heard of them before what they’re called accent accent yeah they’re heavy yielding light yellow tuba all right with a very waxy consistency okay good and salads Jan anyone growing that so is it new no I think it’s been KN around for a little
While but I’ve never seen it in a in a garden center or anything like that of course Tams I’m forgetting you you’re in your summer now aren’t you oh tell you know so yeah yeah so you’re getting all the Tomato you’ll be sick of tomato and
Here’s me on the other side of the world yearning for a fresh tasty tomato but uh yeah they’re not the same yeah um potatoes come on Mike let’s talk about your decision with potatoes this year my decision ni is the potato M well I’m just looking at Tony’s comment actually
About mixing um compost with Ka which I can never say that is it K I like that idea um I like the idea of trying pots again giv that another go um I think I’m probably leaning towards not growing main crop potatoes because we’re just very bad at
Storing them um and I think you don’t get quite the same sort of bang for your book as you do with with eares yeah so definitely want to try accent yeah and red Duke of York I think this year for a bit of variety and we always grow Charlotte yeah because our daughter’s
Called Charlotte yeah we don’t grow Anna despite the other daughter being called Anna no that’s wrong isn’t it and we can’t grow rudol because we haven’t got anyone called rudol but it’s a less flavorsome potato I think yeah so red juk York I think for Mash is that I
Think they can get a little bit bigger as well I’d like to do pink fur Apple again well pink fur Apple they’re just they’re great comedy value AR they no they’re just tasty they’re really so tasty and they’re the only potato that could look like an old person going to
The shops with a poodle yeah you or something like that or or a space alien they’re very unusual in that regard okay where are the Anna potatoes and Rocky you should have rocky potatoes um Pete is much easier to say than k K look for K and Morrison’s or get it from the druggies look for K and Morrison so what like in the garden center usually at no h rocket potatoes that’s good yes Anna stter rud don’t encourage her we’ve grown rocket before they were great yeah they are nice they’re nice but you’re
Not going to grow main crop are you I don’t think it’s it’s worthwhile for us yeah you know and I think they just take up such a lot of space even though we’ve got a big plot it’s not that big yeah but my exciting news is that I’ve been
Given I’ve been given around oh yes a quarter of a plot by a plot neighbor Tak on a new plot and she knows that um that I like to grow squash and she knows it takes up too much space so she’s giv me a big chunk of of ground and I’m going
To be able to grow several varieties of squash on that ground that is lovely can I just um sorry Mike that was really interesting it is interesting and I know how excited you are but this is very common my potatoes always go mushy when I cook them steamed boiled Etc makes no odds
They look good but within five minutes they fall apart under or over wintering watering do you think I think it’s probably down to I mean Tony you can join in on this one I would say it’s either down to the variety or have you let them cure with
New potatoes you don’t let let them cure because their skin so waxy anyway um you know and you can just boil them as is but if you’ve got a main crop potato that you haven’t cured it can just go to almost like a glue you know so Jan well on that question again
Kitchen garden garden I mean you’d be hard pressed to turn um ping fur up than do anything mushy no that’s true but again that’s down to variety is it it’s a very very waxy potato super waxy and I think accent are as well so they’re great and salads you can mash them yeah
But they don’t they don’t fall apart in the pan like like other potatoes do yeah yeah there’s good sh for you sorry I just I season again uh never boil a fresh potato yeah you’re right Danny because they will just what is it about them then there
Must be a chemical thing that happens that bonds all the potato molecules I feel I feel like those of you who remember the 70s for Mash get Smash I feel like one of those little aliens trying to work out the molecular structure of at a certain temperature the starch enzymes start to vibrate
Against each other and explode that sounds good enough doesn’t it yeah okay we we’ll stick with that but yeah it it it’s it’s a mistake you can make you can you can boil some fresh from um the garden new potatoes oh they’re amazing they are amazing but not yeah not your main crops
Um never Bor fresh potatoes fry them directly waxy potatoes Charlotte and pink fur that that’s just a good suggestion why would you want anything else unless you want something like for chips or although pink fur apple is main crop isn’t it yeah but you can have
You’re not going to make it into chips let’s face some people have got them in the um in the poly tunnels already including our excellent neighbor Allen he’s put his out already or he’s put some potatoes out already and he had first earlies last year super early
Didn’t he he did he did yeah fresh Charlotte bll it does that’s sort of mean Amanda yeah he he comes over he always has potatoes before anyone else yeah you come across a little pan a little pan and so just have one of them have one of them what do you think of
That talk that he does talk like that oh we have to we’re standing on the doorstep have a potato go oh that’s really nice is amazing and you were thinking I’ve only just planted mine this week but I don’t know what um I don’t know what variety they are but yeah
They’re really good they’re really good um steam spuds Fergus okay yeah yeah yeah that’s a good idea okay so sorry Mike would you like to go back to your squat patch recap Mike’s been offered a patch of I mean you know they’re quite big allotments um a neighbor has gone from
Quarter of an alotment next to us to a whole alotment to herself yeah and she want you she needs a hand managing it really so you’ve been given a patch to do haven’t you yeah which means that he’s probably never G to Venture into our alotment again because
Ours is far too down the lane for you you’re just going to stop off at that alotment and go in and you have your own little patch of land your own little Spade Mike’s land Mike’s patch J will be banned from that land I probably will I probably will
Yeah okay and so unless I grow something amazing in which case you might want to come across the video record that amazing thing and then cut it out so I’m going to grow and I I’d be interested in your recommendations if you can uh if you a good alternative to some of these
Varieties but I’m going to grow blue hubard yes which are they are they the big ones huge big like Zeppelins lovely firm flesh good for roas and good for Soups yeah um I’m going to try a smaller variety of The Hubb called Golden Hubb right okay I’m going to try Marina de
Choga which we’ve tried before and it didn’t quite work out I think it kind of cross pollinated with something else or fertiliz something else we got one we got one and it was good yeah um um but I like I just love the look of those and
Then the chicky Curry I don’t think so crook neck I’m going to grow crook neck squash no they like the Trum which I think look really interesting no I don’t like they look like Gonzo from the Muppet chure um in all kinds of different sort of colors and textures
But apparently tastes really good really sort of really nutty yeah and I’ve got to grow the old cran Prince again yeah cuz the CR PR CR prints are are lovely if there’s a better keeper that tastes better than that and better roasted which is how I like squash um I’d love
To hear about that but if anybody’s got any recommendations I’d be very grateful to know what what those well Danny did mini blue Hubbs last year how big were mini ones then Danny because these I mean do you mean like Patty pan style or baby boo style because I was thinking
Those as mini squash we grew some we grew some mini squash yeah but they weren’t about the size of a tennis ball and within about five weeks you couldn’t you couldn’t cut through them no that was interesting actually because actually the baby boo there was one there was Baby Boo and
There was Jack belittle and one stay the flesh stayed quite soft and one the the flesh really cute they’ have been very good for throwing in a burglar but that would be about it really spaghetti Tony the spaghetti squash I don’t know when I’ve seen
People harvest it and cook it it just I don’t it doesn’t appeal to me it looks watery do you know our spaghetti squashes don’t you I’m just thinking I might have to Grow Long Island cheese for Thomson’s talking about the Long Island cheese what a great name o oh but yeah it’s
Um yeah spaghetti S I imagine it’s like a more watery version of butternut and that’s what I think about the crook neck ones if you mean like troman Chino I think people grow them for how they look and then they can take lots of hilarious photographs of them but I don’t think I
Think they’re like butternuts but there’s another one here um Tony’s got an interesting one long Gallen cheese hold on Jean a something in green yellow yeah yellow and green yellow and green yellow and green but also Burgess Buttercup oh I’ve seen that one before that sounds nice burgest Buttercup
Okay gr spaghetti squash a couple of years ago but didn’t enjoy cooking them I know so if you had one squash just one to grow what is the one I go with the cramp Prince any advance on CR prints you chicky Cy you chicky devil okay let’s see truma China are
Great for cooking because they’re easy to clean yeah I suppose you’re right there Crown prints from Tony oh again the mashed potato squash I I feel a bit similar to the Spaghetti if I want mashed potato and they should work though shouldn’t they because they’re they’re a
Little bit like um sweet potato in a away oh yeah you know I mean they could be mashed in with with all kinds of different things actually South Anna Butternut we haven’t mentioned Butternut I mentioned Butternut I like I like never grow it I guess it’s it’s so
Readily available in the shops as well at reasonable prices that’s the other thing about it whereas you’re never going to see something like a Crown Prince okay so is the hunter is that the walam hunter Tony that’s the one we’ve tried Turks turban we’ve grown that in
The past it looks beautiful tast but yeah but the look of it and the pum fantastic pumpkins AR very good are they burges or crown prints Me Maybe Turks to okay what what’s the name of the ones that are like segmented I was trying to
Explain the T M before but we were going through a big puddle um they’re segmented like an orange if you peel it are they are they called Walnut squash like a Cinderella pumpkin squash so they got let me know because uh that’s what I’d like hello Nancy lovely to see you
Acorn yes yes that’s I’d like to grow some acorn squash I’m not going to be allowed to grow any do you know what we’re GNA we’ll use this um chat when it comes to ordering some squash and we’re definitely going to pick up on at least three of the recommendations from here
Definitely Amanda says does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable broccoli proven or Sprouts an F1 right that’ be interesting let’s wait and see what people say Amanda so you want reliable broccoli or Sprouts ton are you going to be using structures to sort of to to grow yours around some spirals something
Like that uh Tony says he’s testing all of his in the fruit cage this year and allowing them 60 foot by oh just a little bit of space then Tony be good to have like a child’s climbing frame from the 1970s wouldn’t it a playground climbing frame to grow your squash up
That’ be ideal I bet you Ali’s got one of those somebody out there has made an amazing FR out of old scaffolding materials there’s going to be somebody out there and if if they haven’t already will yeah yeah Bush Acorn yes okay Mar right okay thanks Mel Marathon so Amanda
Marathon for broccoli and Christmas for Sprouts what were all Sprouts we just put Christmas Sprouts I think it began with an L pretty pretty sure it be with an L he grow some uper frame yeah broccolini is an F1 okay you see again this is what’s
Amazing I always think it’s the only one your wife will eat you would think that all broccoli tasted the same wouldn’t you but then again when you look back you would think all Tomatoes tasted the same there good ones and bad ones you would think all lettuce would taste this
Actually no you can tell by looking at a lettuce and there Ru saying in here as well homegrown button at squash is better oh yeah and and small small button squash better whatever reason we just seem to fail with it we’ve done it once or twice but the Crown Prince
Fullprof Ali I just mentioned you hello Happy New Year we were just talking about um frames for squash and Mike said an old kids 1970s climbing frame would be brilliant and I said I bet you someone’s already done that I bet you Ali’s done it and SP sprayed it
Red because I know you’ve got beds bedsteads and all sorts in your garden so Ali really makes the most of their place it’s fantastic so oh yes please Ally oh fantastic that’s lovely okay I grew a summer sprout in broccoli called Brar this year and it start started
Cropping is July it’s still cropping my good how many plants did you have because that’s brilliant I mean hello hi me hello Ali I’m saying hello to you again um yeah the I think the thing is with us as well as far as the greens are being
Concerned we’re too quick to throw them to the chickens AR we because we’re big softies it’s only two chickens left now and we’re big softies and they’re at the back of the alotment so on your way down they’re looking at you they’re really pleased to see you just like that and uh
You you sort of think on your way down oh oh they could just do the little bit of red Russian kale or a little bit of cavalon Nero they don’t like the red kale they don’t like red kale they don’t like red cabbage there’s something about
The red do you know what they’ll still eat it no I give them old cabbage brand Sprouts love I give them the green stuff okay but yeah yeah any ever grown Marathon I can’t remember my Sprouts begins with G you’re like me rude knew
It begin with L but grow ninja ger is it gerad sprats yeah no am I get that wrong yes okay so yeah right so got be this year let’s have a little quick little think about what have we done this we haven’t have we the year ahead is that where we’ve
Come on to the squash patch yeah okay we’ve done it we’re looking at squash patch I’m looking at doing some more writing um oh and and I’ve shown you this before I know using the trail cam the trail cam again this is thanks very much to the patrons
Um it’s a basic Trail Camp I think it might be the same as I’ve seen others using I think it’s the same is it the same as yours Danny it’s called I love the brand it’s called you so good what could be wrong you so good you know
Would be amazing if we caught a black panther on there a black pan that would be quite amazing and also very improbable there been these tales about these kind of these big cats existing in the British Isles for for many years you he’s imported animals that are supposedly living wild and much damage
There’s Wes not too far away what we could do with getting the evidence like the first the staffage of kangaroo you know or a black panther I don’t it’s only it was only it’s a budget brand it might not get anything like that well what we have had something
Really unusual that would you know we could sell it sell the story make our fortunes we could that would be another direction to go in and also we could maybe dress up Rocky as a black panther I know he’d make a good kangaroo he great Kar he’s got those big b legs he’s
Got a face like a kangaroo he yes hasn’t he he just would need to stick his ears up a bit but yeah you know we can but Dre know much for Kangaroo tell you that you have occasion so oh so do you keep yours up there Tony because I was
Thinking about just leaving it up thing is no one’s going to see it at the back of the plot by our plot are they and that’s where I want to have it so we shall see and if they did see it what would happen well they take it is it a popular
Item that people steal and sell car boots I would think so I don’t think so I was gonna say I’d steal it if I was that way inclined obviously I would be called doing it okay I went to J at the start and forgot Alisa I cat you hi Sandra don’t worry
We’re still ning um the you shown your age there Ali odd Soxs on YouTube is growing squash up an old oh an old trampoline frame yes I’ve seen that done before that’s good that’s good the trail cam oh oh Rue you’d have a great time with the trail cam because I bet you’ve
Got all sorts um around you because R’s got she’s on quite a bit of open land aren’t you I’ve got to say as well well R is on if if you’ve been watching any of the um 10 questions playlist it’s ruse’s turn this week and we had a
Lovely half an hour um having a chat a week or so ago doing the 10 questions so do watch this week and if you haven’t been a to ruse’s channel go and have a look because as she explains in the 10 questions she it’s just beautiful it’s
Ailc where she is even though at the minute it’s probably covered in five foot of flood water and she’s got one of the best poly tunnels going hasn’t she yes oh yeah yes she’s got a fantastically F organized po well organized productive polytonal approach I have just told everyone Mel and that’s
Why I would never make a good um misant is that a word you make a good misant I never make a good burglar of any sort because I just have to say it was me you know so yeah pickled oh now hold on Danny that sounds horrendous a
Friend of mine does pickled curried gooseb I mean that just says heartburn to me Goose spres heartburn curried heartburn I’m developing developing it also just oh my goodness oh lovely to see you thank you Garden makeover okay but can he hop Rocky yes he probably can he can
Jump he can jump he can leap yes he’s he’s good leap he’s prodigious pickle down CED yeah I know it does sound dangerous okay oh Ali’s gonna send you troman thank you very much Al Al okay and can I just say any squash donations gratefully received by me yes absolutely
Perlite or the other what do waste what a waste of goose oh I know I know the thing is with those we were talking to someone the other day about the gooseberries ours are actually really good this year but the ones that are inherited that are at
The plot are quite old and we haven’t wanted to dig them up because they fruit really really prolifically but the Thorns oh my goodness even trying to pick goose spres with those big G gloves on is nigh impossible but trying to pick them with nothing on I
Mean even if you’ve just got short gloves on you come away it’s awful Isn’t it you know so Mike hasn’t tried um so it’s yeah so the ones that we’ve got that are thornless if we ever replace the old ones we’ll replace them with thornless ones because yeah a nightmare
But beautiful as soon as they’re fresh the Red Goose gooseberries gooseberries in particular one of our one of our our gardening friends popped around on New Year’s Eve was telling us that she had so many gooseberries that she’s still eating hers now from the freezer using them in
All kinds of things who’s that an oh that’s who we were talking to yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah she said there’s four of them sh and it’s like a half alotment and she said they divide the goes up between them and she can’t get
Rid of can’t M yeah the red ones Tony as long as you get them when they’re just ready and usually that’s just the black bird is usually just hovering nearby because those black birds know a second that they are sweet that they’ll be on to the they don’t get scratched and the
The sort of things that you want to eat them don’t you then and there they’re so good yeah they taste so great that’s what I think planting goose and apple cordons this year can’t wait for them to establish just grown your own fruit grown vegetables is one thing but it’s
It just seems like a treat it’s like having a pudding after a main course isn’t it because because you’re grow in things that are sweet you know more often than not they’re sweet so yeah yeah red one’s so sweet okay someone mentioned canning earlier Jo canning canning potatoes canning is the same as
Help me out here canning is the same as bottling is it it’s a US term isn’t it canning and bottling whereas we say preserving if we were going to do a jam I don’t know tell me the difference I didn’t know it I’ve never heard I’ve
Never heard of anybody in the UK canning potatoes although it’s becoming more more Al we do all love a canned potato when we have them on the very rare occasions that we do you do mean you mean an actual lovely little round you know lovely um oh bye Robin nice to see
You okay yeah yeah it’s um yeah what is the differ canning and bottling the same I’m assuming bottling are glass jars and canning his glass J one of them involves pressure cooking so doing it that way whereas if I was making a jam M or preserving a fruit M I would sterilize the
Jar put the prepared fruit in the jar add a syrup and it would be warm and then put a lid on and it would seal we have an answer here they’re the same Tony thank you for that okay let’s have a look H oh hold on so my potatoes set for
Night AAL where am I where am I where am I raspberries yeah raspberries are another thing Freddy can oh fried okay canning is an actual can okay canning is a sealed jar submerged in boiling water to seal then called right okay so that’s like pressure cooking
That’s what I mean canning is jars so all right then so canning is that the same as bottling is it a case that bottling is just that you’re using larger pieces of fruit okay I don’t know I like the sound of hot bath a hot bath yeah yeah make
Jar it’s got H right okay I’m I’m still confused Danny if you’ve made a video about that I’m going to have to hunt that video down cuz I’m very interested in that I’m very interested that could be one of your things copying Danny copying to copying waiting for waiting
Six months on from when Danny’s done something cop and then saying that you just thought about it potatoes are pressure canned okay um speaking of the canning though this brings you nice love these links nicely onto your thing of storing Storage storage okay so we were talking about Roots weren’t we we’re talking
About root vegetables we’ve been we’ve been pretty so we’ve got again we’ve got a neighbor who an ex he’s an ex-arm labor he’s very very practical guy and a couple years ago he showed me um a couple of those big blue um plastic pots sorry tubs that
He had in his back Garden thanks J and he kind of reached into these uh into one of these tubs and just pulled out this massive beetroot and he he basically stores all of his um his kind of his excess root veg in um in compost
Yes so we’ve got kind of a fairly sort of a an economical green waste compost manufacturer nearby who sell the sell compost for about2 pound a ton or something like that so really I wanted to ask anybody if they thought that was a good idea or whether there was
Something better as a medium to store things in longer term throughout the winter because we’ve got to get better at storing the produce that we created yeah I mean Soul dust we’ve tried that before haven’t we UST we we tried potatoes and sawdust they W very um Mony
Do very well quite quickly yeah would think maybe sand but sand could be damp couldn’t it well that’s why I’m asking the question here we’ve got all these assembled amazing Gard from all around the world come let’s see how you store your roots I mean if you’re in a big
Posh house and maybe in the states it’s a thing you would have a Roots seller wouldn’t you but again you’d have to have some sort of you wouldn’t just have your roots and boxes would you oh suppose you do that with apples don’t you people are still talking about
Canning like you know all right enough canning everybody no but there was an interesting thing potatoes Meats anything that’s not as acidic as Tomatoes should be pressure Cann for safety which is I mean we don’t can meat at all do we no we do tomatoes no and maybe applesauce and
Things like and chutes we tend to freeze a lot of stuff and what happens there is even if You’ got like a big upright freezer it gets filled really quickly doesn’t it if you got a glut of tomatoes so that’s why I like Danny’s idea Tony’s
Just saying compest is best if you have the space but he uses straw okay don’t we use straw is is it just anything which keeps them kind of basically in darkness is is that is that the the kind of the key thing here I would imagine so um damp sand Ali says
Uh maybe it’s too hot Trum and Sheen oh we’re back on TR you know you can make a root cell oh ad if you got one make a root cell out of an old chest freeer Edie how do you do that are we burying this in the ground or something I
Suppose just I mean we’ve we’ve actually got a Cellar under the house and it is damp yeah and especially with the amount of water that we’ve had recently it’s going to be damper than ever isn’t it this year I’ve got a neighbor who’s got a chest freezer in
Her sell I yeah but if you’re in a chest freezer not to new going to I go to chest freezer J guess you lock me in rest the lid down um you can i g yeah if you put the lid down it’s not going to get dump is it inside
The freezer is so well sealed whatever happens on the outside isn’t going to impact is it O A I like that idea be good I’ve tried a clamp I tried a clamp actually inside the poly tunnel Tony I did I did that with potatoes but what do
You mean by clamp it’s kind of it’s where you create um you basically dig a hole fill it with with straw put your vegetables on the straw is that right Tony and then straw on top of that and then soil on top of the straw so you
Kind of create almost like a big Mound kind of a nest for your uh for your your veg yeah and Tony saying here this interesting as well I suppose that’s the same with apples isn’t it Tony keep them separate from each other and allow a movement
Um oh that’s good to hear yeah I’ve still got some in the freezer Danny from a couple of years ago um dark and moist yet yeah I think that’s where I’m I’ve got confused in the past because I would think dark and and dry you know we’re always saying about everything put them
In a dark dry frostfree plate so um a clamp would be good but we’re too wet dark and not touching yeah yeah okay so yeah dig a huge hill hole and fill carrot clam oh good old Steve yeah oh that’s intro I love back at that actually because his videos are all
Still there I want to go back to this old fridge freezer okay or this freezer um were are we suggesting that if you had a freezer an old fridge freezer you could you could pop it into the cell okay and just pop your vegetabl straight into that and then just just close the
Door well then you’d have to sit them on something wouldn’t you you could just pile them up inside could you no no no because you’re not allowed to let them touch oh of course not so you’d have to have racks or something wouldn’t you so
Okay or sand okay rxs would rxs work or would there be too much pressure there well it depends what you’re putting in there I’m just fascinated by this idea that somebody might have a freezer in the cell our neighbors got one but not plugged in not plugged in it’s not going
To be plugged in saying you don’t plug it in you potatoes fated by that idea well you won’t mind we’ve got a spy let’s have a look yeah yeah I’m with Tony on this one I can’t yeah that’s what I’m thinking that’s what I’m thinking Tony oh I don’t know I don’t
Know racks and boxes with newspaper in between yes so like storing any think really isn’t it oh no no no would I would never do that dny what what what’s Danny saying Danny’s talking about Jeffrey Dharma and that’s he’s he’s brought the tone right down that’s why he’s
Here oh dear Beer Barrel Beer Barrel mate or You’ have to drink all the beer first I think it could probably manage that um yeah anyway so yes so we’ve got a few things to look forward to not a lot we have we’ve got lots of we’re work
Harder as well this year we’re going to try and work harder to keep on top of everything I mention this plot especially back end of the season I mentioned on Danny’s the other day about um I’ve got to start using my diary again this year because I didn’t write
Anything down last year few things round about January February time when you’re quite excited and think you’re going to be really organized and then just didn’t bother didn’t bother and I really miss it this year because I’ve got nothing to look back on and nothing to refer to I’m
Hitting the plant with my head um um but you never write anything down here I I often write down the the varieties of plants that I’m putting out in the alotment where’d you write that and then I managed to do that normally on something like a a wooden um Fork
From a canteen or something like thaty using uh using permanent marker which then just somehow washes off after about five weeks so we’re perpetually ending up not knowing what is where unless it’s something dead obvious like I don’t know chog beetroot for example that you can’t
Poss so you get wrong you know they’re a good be toow are they the ones they’re the ones with the stripes aren’t they R you like those don’t you they look lovely they’re beautiful oh they are beautiful and they look so nice to serve don’t they that’s the other thing we
Need to be doing more because we’ve got our stove up there we haven’t done much cooking at all on our stove you’ve not done much cooking at all full stop no that’s true but that’s self-preservation on your part isn’t it so do your pastor salad tonight they share that one pasta
Salad pasta salad mentioned the pasta salad it was very nice and healthy and warm um so yeah thank you Nancy thank you Ru it was Christmas present and um yes it I’ll be taking it off around about May when I take my my allotment boots off as well so it go
Straight from this to t-shirts and and sandals really there’s not much in between Jen so can we turn just very quickly to to television just for a second something that’s not related to gardening no it can’t we’ve started watching the new season of Fargo don’t know if any anybody watches
Fargo but we we’re absolutely loving if you’re a Fargo fan Fargo but we’re on series five I think it’s is it season five or six now season five now five and it’s just what a great show it’s just so good it’s so good you might hate it I
Think it is an acquired taste and really having watched every other series you know you get really excited about the new one coming out so we are loving that is there anybody out there who hasn’t watched Fargo yet on Amazon or or on whatever you want to watch watch it on
If there’s anybody out there who hasn’t seen it yet you’re in for a massive massive treat yeah well you like TV if you like crime drama with a bit of Comedy thrown in there it’s good fun it’s good fun bizarre plot lines really strange characters it’s just great fun
Yeah you haven’t got time to watch t TV Tony H Nancy I’m a Knitter as well I knit I haven’t knitted much recently can I just say Anna Anna you’re saying that nobody’s going to top Billy Bob there’s a character in the news series called o Munch old Munch and he’s he’s an
Incredible he’s he’s like a con Brothers character for the ages he’s great yeah he is good yeah but still oh you’re you’re not too far away then Stephen I love the accent it’s Min Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota yeah no I can’t do actually half the cast can’t do it can they
Either no no but we think they can not too familiar with the accent but I absolutely love it Fargo is a series Rebecca oh yes movie was fantastic and when they made a serious from it I was thinking oh that’s terrible that’s sacri legic you know that movie was so good
But it’s it’s worth watching it’s really good yeah um best thing on T yeah are you giving up writing this year Tony are you G I don’t blame you worked really hard oh dear I don’t know if you can watch it online it’s um what side’s it
On is it Prime it’s on Amazon Prime in the UK it’s probably on I don’t know it’s probably on H in the States but it’s just you know it’s one of the very few shows that I’d want to watch back toback episodes of it’s great so well written so funny very
Little gardening in it m I can’t get a word in out quite a lot of murder it’s a lot of murder John hams in this one isn’t he oh he’s a freak Le she’s amazing oh fantastic fantastic anyway um right okay let’s have a last
Word as to what you want to be doing this year what are your plans what’s your ambition this year let’s have that so we can end on a positive and uh really look forward to the next season let me know write it down now there’s a
Bit of a lag so you’re writing it down and US reading it is going to be um is g to be yeah might happen so yeah we’re looking forward to I think we we we’ve decided that we’re not going to get upset with the weather anymore we’re
Just going to accept accept it and go with it that’s something that I think is a bit of a a mind change well not to get mindset change not to get to mind not to get political but there are a few major world events that need to be sorted out they need
Sorted out yeah yeah that would be nice if they got some positive conflict resolution in 24 that that would be for sure I I’ve got an extra qu I tell you what Mike I’ve told him I’m G to be giving him jobs for our PL it’s too big
It’s Steve Steve we’re just about to go we could have done with your um your advice your advice isn’t Steve great with the last question with the last question no no no don’t ask Steve Steve we’ve talked about the uh molecular quality of potatoes and all sort stuff
By the way sorry I’m just we’re just going through Steve what everyone plans for next year some positive things for next year so uh Freddy is gonna grow different varieties grow more different varieties than the same old things okay so you’re expanding your varieties that’s good PL
For the new season Rebecca restart your alotment and yes get back on YouTube Rebecca we miss you okay that would be lovely um Mike and Jane promised to visit me in 2024 you’ll have to move a bit nearer Danny before we uh improve with the succession swing
Lynn it gets to me every year and we’re spoiled because we don’t have to do it but we should succession sewing is so beneficial um Steve digal Steve Amanda is full winter beds nearly wow yours a full my goodness oh they okay so they’re gonna you want them
To have them full next year that’s incredible but it time to sit in your garden chair and enjoy the space instead of rushing around vastly vastly ignored advis there honestly it’s so important you want to grow less you’re an over seow I think we all are come
Spring T my rusty Garden I’m trying to I’m trying to Mike I’ll get your stuff in the post today that’s fantastic and if you’d like some uh some Crown Prince seeds no we can’t let me know we can’t because I’ve got I’ve got I’ve got one remaining big old Crown
Prin squash be happy I would be happy to send out a few examples of those if anybody’s interested in some Crown prints to give them a try Steve that’s just rude hands and then you 45 minutes away from that I am a terrible traveler Tony I don’t like to be away from home
For more than I need to it’s a shame because you I would love to go and visit people but I it’s a it’s a cross I have to bear but I don’t travel well so malin’s about as far as I get um worms are in the hotel tonight okay
So that’s good go at straw bale gardening oh right okay that’s it that be intered to see how that goes more effective mul Chingling um make more compost oh we say this every year don’t we we never do it do we we’ve got that’s one of the things
We’ve got to do sort our composting out uh are you still planning to come over Rebecca that’d be lovely do let us know um we like a visitor don’t we we like a visitor like a visitor we’ve got a spare room now we not visiting no but
We’re very very welcoming to visitors so I was gonna say you’re all welcome clearly you’re not all welcome at the same time but we we can put people up every we can do oak kicks we could do oak staff at your Oak kicks we could
Staff at your lobby we can do a very nice Lobby pasta salad right okay I am Steve that’s just what I was about to say super soil I’m really looking forward to using this um I still Steve I still don’t know what’s in it I know there’s a website and I know
It’s organic Etc but there’s no actual list of what is in it so I was going to do this is this is like a very very apparently I haven’t opened it yet Steve very very fine almost like a dust that you put you mixed with water and you
Water onto your soil and the microbes get the soil working really effectively and was going to do it on half of the poly tunnel and not do it on the other half but I think Rob go but I think I might do it instead of
My garlic oh when my garlic goes in well there’s plenty of it there’s plenty of it I know I know it does so yeah so super super soil Steve I’m still yeah you you’re saying you’ve got some um you’ve got some left so yeah thank you dannie if any I’m terrible and Danny
Knows this I’m terrible at plugging things but there is a patreon channel and I’m going don’t like saying it you say it no we’re awful we’re terrible business people uh there is a patreon channel you’re all welcome over there of course there’s lots lots of extra stuff over
There um microbes and enzymes patented ingredients still a secret why are they already why are they a secret that’s what worries me Steve it’s just if they’re so good why are they Secret or is it like Coca-Cola like John in like John in number two number three and
Number four what about number one that was at the the checkout the other day okay thank you Danny you put it on three times there where’s Lo where’s lock when you need him he as V plot thickens you could make it to me not far away only Newcastle oh
Newcastle I know I know yeah I could make that distance that’s good 59 in only 14 thumbs up come on please give us a thumbs up Anna give us a thumbs up they’re probably are anners they’re probably Anna Anna’s probably used each one of her 14 thumbs to give us a thumbs
Up can I just say okay if you give us a thumbs up I’ll show you what chilies we’re growing this year oh oh that’s really bad isn’t it that’s this is exciting it is it’s oh oh Tony heay Danny oh thank you Tony that’s lovely oh look I’ve gone I say I’m terrible terrible with business and all this sort of stuff you know I’m already red I’m blushing I think I know I think the of course it’s the red what it’s not the beer it’s not
The beard That’s Tony you yeah Danny Tony Tony whatever we get we will um what you call it that’s Rocky grumbling what do you call it we will dedicate it to you so you might have um I don’t know what can we get that we can dedicate to
Tony we have to think about it we might dedicate the troman Chino squash squash it can be Tony troman Chino squash playground oh we oh yes squash climbing barely it’ll go in the pot there that’s lovely thanks thanks um yeah you have got me out the over I’ve told you about
YouTube you know you you don’t make money right okay in that case I have got something just called this is my chili seeds it’s from JB that one’s called Korean I asked him for something that’s very very not so hot but quite sweet because again we were talking before
About different flavors of things I’ve always just thought a chili is something you put in food to make it hot um and I having an appreciated the different flavors and again I was talking to someone the other day and they say what’s the point they’re just all hot
Why would you have some that blows your head off but it’s because it’s a bit it’s it like when you say well all tomatoes taste the same which is what we talking about before so I’ve got the Korean and I’ve got something called Champion okay so yeah so they’re the
Chili seeds I’ll be growing this year from as well they’re from JB yeah and he’s good so Tony he’s a chil wizard oh no I know what I want to get as well for the chilies what are the cheaper one not the auto pots are they called chili grow
I was I didn’t haven’t told you this yet I was looking at getting some for the plot um I know there’s UT pots chili grov and then another one so I’m going to have a look at the chili grov because I really do want to make a go of
Them this year so that’s fantastic quad grow quad grow that was the other one quad grow they’re the I think they’re the quite expensive ones is anyone does anyone actually use I said we were going didn’t I does anyone actually use quad grows though are they actually worth
It because from what I can work out the autop poot has got like a whipping system and the chili grow and the quad grows got like a valve so it Waters when the plant needs watering as opposed to just leaking all the time so yeah because it’s a lot of
Money isn’t it to you know to just grow a few Tomatoes or something not anymore it’s not you use aut pots right okay so Tony are they the ones they’re basically the bigger chili grow that are they the ones that just got the wick um I’m
Saying just they’ve got the wick in that you pulled through the bottom of the thing because um yeah yeah we ah ah right so the auto pot has a valve right so the auto pot is the Posh one okay we’re not getting but uh yeah I think I
Think I think we’re going to have to if we’re going to make a go chilies this year and I would like to you know we’re GNA have to do that okay Le I’ve got the lemon drop chili seeds as well R actually I’ve got some of those downstairs so yes that will be
Interesting to do okay right then ask them to sponsor you J it doesn’t work Aly and when it does people get cross so um yeah I’m sure Tony wouldn’t notice at all of a pinched food would you maybe that would get me traveling the idea of pinching a few of Tony’s
Auto I don’t think so right okay yeah I bet you noticed everything Tony okay look it is actually coming up to half past eight we’ve been an hour and a half I think we’ve covered everything haven’t we really you have what would you like to cover mate
I’ve done my bit oh you see you see you’d have been finished at 10 past 7 Fargo even threw that in there even Fargo I know even Fargo TV recommendations yeah yeah we can do do all that okay Korean chilies oh lemon oh let me just say someone mentioned you
Mentioned oh no we were talking about mashed potato squash before you did sweet potato squash the other day sorry mash the other day and our neighbor is wanting to grow sweet potatoes and as far as I can see you grow them from slips I’ve never tried it
But when I’ve looked online to look at the price of slips I think they’re something like 20 for six slips something like that so just just very very quickly as a last little thing is anyone grown them before and do you have to get these very expensive slips to grow them um
I probably I’m probably not fit enough to get R I’ve never noticed a sweet potato sprouting before no no well it’s yeah well it’s like you imagine a potato it’s got eyes on it hasn’t it but it’s not a potato is it no I know but it
Still gets eyes on you think what a sweet potato looks like it’s got eyes sure it does but I’ve never seen one kind of doing what potatoes do in the cupboard when you’re not looking which is sending out their sneaky little sneaky little arms you know that grow to incredibly long monster
Never notic a sweet potato doing that oh you going Ally okay your half bury it sideways lovely to see you Al thank you okay sideways and it’s ah right okay so it doesn’t already have the little eyes on them H interesting I suppose the tubers okay okay
Okay pleas please send more yeah make your own slips Ally we could do some advice on that I think hold on Steve have you got a big write up in kitchen Garden Magazine have you or have you rob hold on we need to go to this comment Steve dig well green
Fingers big WR up in kitchen Garden Magazine not read at all yet let’s have a look oh have you got something in there oh that’s really good let me know let me know make your own slips you can make your own slips how just by a thin slice of
Peel I’m assuming maybe half half half an inch centimeter cimeter we’re completely making this up I have no idea no but they’re saying there Rob salot massive price okay okay right okay right lots of things to think about um and I can only just I sell out oh the writer about
Quadros yeah all right Steve that’s great okay I will Mike’s nudging me now yeah look he’s not very subtle is he it’s um okay oh we are going to go I will see you on Danny’s live on Thursday at 7 o’clock along with do you want me to say Danny should we
Actually mention him or not I don’t know if we should he was very rude about me not being very fit so it’s Tony Tony is going to be on and the lovely Nigel from muddy boots he’s going to be on as well so so yeah hopefully you’ll all be at
Danny’s um Danny do you want to put a link up now um and yeah and we’ll see you all over there but until then thank you so much for coming along and you know what it’s like when you try and endend the stream you can never find the right button but
I’m just gonna say thank you again and have a lovely 2024 cheers Happy New Year I told you I couldn’t do it smiling like a pro
11 Comments
Hello Jane, this is how I grow my sweet potatoes. I find the ones I like at the store I look for organic ones and I will buy one or two of whichever kinds I want to grow. The way you do them is all exactly the same so if you take one sweet potato, any jar that has a larger diameter than the sweet potato does poke the potato, down into the jar so maybe halfway out halfway in right there you can take three toothpicks at the level of the top of the jar you poke a toothpick into the potato going around three different times about equally spaced Just poke the toothpick in an inch or so. Then then you just set the potato on the jar and the toothpicks will hold it up in the air. You want to use water that is as natural as possible? Fill the jar so that it’s covering maybe a third of the potato about up to the shoulder height of the jar. You want to do this about eight weeks before you want to plant the potato. The sweet potato will put out little sprouts, called slips, mostly underwater. The slips will also have roots trailing down towards the bottom of the jar as they grow. After about the 6 to 8 week mark, you can lift the potato out of the jar break off the different slip right where they connect to the potato. Be sure every slip has roots. You can place the slips into a separate jar of water if you’ve taken them off before the eight week mark. Be sure to keep the water clean and full so check it at least once a week if the water gets kind of cloudy you can pour it out you can rinse the roots off under the faucet Put in freshwater and right back in with the potato.
When it’s time to plant the sweet potatoes, do you want to poke a hole in the ground with a dimer 68 inches deep however, you can get it to go and drop the plant with all the roots down into the hole and they say you can take a water hose, run it into the hole and the hole will close up around the slip all by itself so give that a try if not add some dirt it’ll be fine. Sweet potatoes generally take 120 days from the day you put them in the ground. So the day you wanted to pick them you have to go back 120 days and then go back at least eight more weeks, and that’s when you start the whole process I start my slips surrounding March 1 in the house. If the slips get way too long, you can cut a piece off that may be 6 inches long at diagonal right below. Remove all the leaves that will be in the water or under the water, because leaves in the water would just make out terrible mass, so you’re doing this don’t have any leaves at all in the water. Then you can place that extra piece in a jar of water, and it was develop roots and it can be planted unless that takes too long.. if you decide to do it and want to ask me any questions feel free. And I loved the program today.7
great fun you two! <3
Sorry you two,I wasn't on when ye were live. Happy New year to you both. A beautiful couple you both are, happy and so chatty ye are,keep it up. Bless you both in 2024.
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Hi Jane missed you live but enjoyed.
Just missed it 🤔 Happy New Year 🎆 and all the best for 2024 🎊
Sorry I missed it live but have just thoroughly enjoyed it just the same. Wishing you both Happy New Year.
Happy New Year and all the best for 2024
I love the Musquee de Provence pumpkin. Really rich, bright flesh. I grow them for their looks, but I have used them for sweet and savory dishes, as well. They need a long growing season, though. 110-120 days, I think.
Fab live Jane, I've just caught up! I forgot about your live despite announcing it on Danny's live 🙈
I wanted to try growing my own sweet potatoes from my own slips last year so must remember to try it this year! I love sweet potatoes.
I quite fancy growing the smaller pumpkins too if we have room.
See you on Thursday. Happy New Year to you both ❤ x
really enjoyed it , but couldnt keep up with the typing