Thread 9 - TalkLair: “Russell's teapot goes on being round”

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of previous threads (thread 8).

The new lair of JTT escapees is all cosy and homey; we have truly settled here. Outside, the garden is blooming with summer flowers - should bloody well be, what with all that rain. Inside, the hearth is glowing, pictures are up on the walls, rugs are down on the floors (and assorted pets curled up on them).

We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

Ah, thanks Bint! I used to hunt for and uproot ragwort - usually just a couple of tiny plants each year - when we had horses, but I must admit I don’t bother these days, I really should.

I was just wondering this morning whether I should introduce a little ragwort into my mixed border. It used to be such a no-no because of its toxicity but that seems to be regarded as less of an issue now.

I have some genuine wild flowers - harebells, knapweed, St John's wort, vervain, ox-eye daisies, scabious, hemp agrimony, great hairy willowherb - among the cultivars and this year, maybe coincidentally, the butterflies are doing really well so I'm wondering what I could add next year. Devil's bit scabious for sure, maybe ladies bedstraw (not sure is it invasive) and, possibly, ragwort. It's so nice to have colour from the flowers and the critters.

That's a good mix, Elderberry. I let a bit of ragwort grow purely because it's the food plant of the cinnabar moth caterpillar and they need it.

I've seen ladies bedstraw here and there and it's generally been in small clumps rather than acres of it. It's one of the plants I've regularly seen at neolithic sites. I'm thinking of Uffington, Avebury and Grimes Graves, they all had the same wild flowers. When we went to Grimes Graves, the neolithic flint mine, a couple of years ago I had a good walk around and it was the same there, so I mentioned it to a staff member and they said it's the same across Europe.

Looking at the pictures taken on the ditch banks at Avebury, ladies bedstraw, an allium (Allium vineale), knapweed, marjoram, red clover, bird's foot trefoil, harebells, eyebright and scabious were all in abundance. It was much the same at other sites.

When we go to those places I always end up on my hands and knees looking at the plants.

I've started weeding the clover out of the border because there was too much of it (it's a long raised bed over one half of an old road, so the soil is gradually developing), and the marjoram (which also needs thinning) is mostly the yeallow-leaved form, which the butterflies and hoverflies seem to like any way. There'a bit of self-heal in there too, and sorrel and bugle earlier in the year. I was interested to see how native stuff would mix with more traditional garden flowers and so far, so good. There's lots of other stuff in rough grass, but the border experiment is interesting.

Butterflies in the last few weeks include small copper, speckled wood, silver-washed fritillary, holly blue, red admiral, peacock, small tortoiseshell and at least two sizes of white. The place may look neglected and messy, but it's doing something right.

I wouldn't add ragwort - it's a thug. Ladies bedstraw would be much better.

Thanks bint. There's a little ragwort in a distant corner, so I'll leave it there.

That patch sounds very healthy, Elderberry, so you're clearly doing something right.

Last year I read farmer Gabe Brown's excellent book 'Dirt to Soil' where he discusses how a series of weather related crop failures led him to look at regenerative farming. As failure followed failure, he couldn't afford the fuel to plough, so didn't, and over the next few years the soil recovered. He realised that one of the things missing from his land was live roots in the soil, roots that absorb water, improve drainage and nutrient content and encourage the growth of mycelium and soil biology. After reading it, we had that hot dry summer so I decided to experiment with one raised bed. We usually grow vegetables in the raised beds but last summer I let anything grow in it that germinated and it was chock full of wild plants. I didn't water it at all, just observed, and was surprised to see that everything survived and even thrived when plants in other beds were begging for water. This year I've put kale and beans in it and they're absolutely romping. It's not conclusive, of course, but before last summer that bed wasn't producing especially good plants and now it is, so it's given me something to think about.

The thing I've noticed after several years of introducing organic stuff and grit and latterly ash and charcoal from the wood stove is that now when I pull weeds up the roots have that very 'hairy' look that is meant to be a sign of good soil health. It's still a bit lacking earthworms because it's only 50-60 cm deep, but there are plenty of spiders and probably smaller soil animals in there. It was constructed in Spring 2010, and although the soil was allegedly topsoil it had been stored badly and lost a lot of air pockets - stuff grew in it okay but found the winters hard. It's been fun watching it mature.

There’s a field I trespass in at the top of the woods where last year they grew some kind of pea or bean, which I wondered if they were using as a green compost, and now this year they seem to be growing the same pea/bean AND wheat together. I suppose the peas/beans could just be reactivated from last year’s crop/seeds, but they are so evenly dispersed along the bit I walk along that it looks like deliberate sowing to me.

Elderberry, allium roots attract worms, so put some of those in and the worms will be along.

That's interesting, Mavis, I'm guessing the peas/beans are there for their nitrogen fixing properties, meaning less or no extra fertiliser is needed.

Yes, that was my guess, although they did seem to harvest them rather than just plough the whole crop back into the field. I wondered if they might be soya beans, hard to tell from pictures google gives me, and they’re not near cropping yet.

It’s a fucking gorgeous field, I have long coveted it. Gently sloping and vast compared with most small hedgerowed Devon fields, woodland all along one side, perfect for horses. Ugly farm bungalow sitting at the top spoils it rather.

Here’s the entrance, at the top of the woods. You have to walk a long way up it to even see the bungalow (then hastily retreat, as you’re trespassing).

From what I've read, the idea these days is to harvest but leave the bulk of the plant in situ. That means the roots stay in the ground and the soil structure is less disturbed. I've seen a lot less ploughing going on where we are than there used to be.

That does look rather lovely!

Just noticed Badger’s in the photo!

Oh, and Tashie on the right, you can see her floofy tail and work the rest of her out from that. She’s so perfectly camouflaged in the woods, as long as her white bib is facing away.

Oh yes, I hadn't noticed the dog!

The "no dig" movement seems to be becoming more popular

I'm being kept awake by upstairs front door which is adjacent to my bedroom. It's blowing a hoolie and their door is loose enough in its frame that it's banging back and forth. I'm guessing they're not home or it would be keeping them awake. I'll get tired enough that I'll sleep and then it will pop up as a noise in my dreams.

I slept very badly too - full moon tomorrow, so probably partly that- though I can't blame the moon for having to get up to pee three times.

I'm still awake and it's 1:14am here so I'm guessing you guys are just waking up.

Morning, then , Brit!

Ah I was asleep by then @angelico53

Not long after I posted they arrived home. The banging continued and then, phew, the wind died down a little. By then I was wide awake and read until 5am. I'm pretending that me being awake until fuck o'clock is unusual when me being asleep before 1am is rarer than that there blue moon.