Apart from the crap apple the kerning is terrible too. At least on my mobile. Proof reading?

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Apart from the crap apple the kerning is terrible too. At least on my mobile. Proof reading?

Thanks for that, DEW and NMA - from now on they will always be crap apples to me! No more than the truth.

Roger

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Home grown strawberries topped the Macchiato  Ice Cream Yesterday. 

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Evening all - some advice if possible on these 'shrooms that I found growing on an old tree stump in the garden today:

Small cap - about 1cm, with longish thin white stalk. Any ideas what type they are? Poisonous? Edible? Psychotropic? 

Ta!

 

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Evening all - some advice if possible on these 'shrooms that I found growing on an old tree stump in the garden today:

Small cap - about 1cm, with longish thin white stalk. Any ideas what type they are? Poisonous? Edible? Psychotropic? 

Ta!

 

Hi Arcus. Mushrooms growing crowded like this are referred to as "Trooping".

Identifying fungi from photos is seldom satisfactory, but here are a couple of links to look at for starters:

Coprinellus micaceus - the Mica cap

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/coprinellus-micaceus.php

Coprinellus disseminatus - The Fairy Inkcap

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/coprinellus-disseminatus.php

My advice based on 50+ years of mycology and 40+ species eaten is don't - unless you have a reliable identification and know what you are doing. Even then, reactions may occur when eating new species. Try a very small amount on first tasting just in case - before you gorge!

Roger Phillips' app might be worth considering. His books are very useful.

https://roger-phillips-mushrooms.soft112.com/

Roger

 

 

 

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Home grown strawberries topped the Macchiato  Ice Cream Yesterday. 

My strawberry patch has been decimated by slugs and snails this year which are around in huge numbers. Unsurprising given the weather.

 

Hi Arcus. Mushrooms growing crowded like this are referred to as "Trooping".

Identifying fungi from photos is seldom satisfactory, but here are a couple of links to look at for starters:

Coprinellus micaceus - the Mica cap

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/coprinellus-micaceus.php

Coprinellus disseminatus - The Fairy Inkcap

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/coprinellus-disseminatus.php

My advice based on 50+ years of mycology and 40+ species eaten is don't - unless you have a reliable identification and know what you are doing. Even then, reactions may occur when eating new species. Try a very small amount on first tasting just in case - before you gorge!

Roger Phillips' app might be worth considering. His books are very useful.

https://roger-phillips-mushrooms.soft112.com/

Roger

 

 

 

That's really helpful & informative - thanks for that Roger. 

Looking at those links, I'd guess Fairy Inkcap given the close proliferation on the tree stumps and some of the pictures there. Main reason for asking was worrying about being poisonous given we have often have visitors with their kids playing in the garden, but looks like we're OK on that front!

 

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That's really helpful & informative - thanks for that Roger. 

Looking at those links, I'd guess Fairy Inkcap given the close proliferation on the tree stumps and some of the pictures there. Main reason for asking was worrying about being poisonous given we have often have visitors with their kids playing in the garden, but looks like we're OK on that front!

You are more than welcome, Arcus. There is one common species in this family you may come across: The Common Ink Cap Coprinus atramentarius - now known as Coprinopsis atramentaria. They can cause you to react badly if you drink alcohol with it.

You can find a description of this in:

https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/coprinopsis-atramentaria.php

Roger

 

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Identifying garden wildlife is not without its problems. Here's an promising-looking webpage on ladybird larvae. Might be a helpful start.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/plants/garden-wildlife-identifier-ladybird-larvae/ 

Roger

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My strawberry patch has been decimated by slugs and snails this year which are around in huge numbers. Unsurprising given the weather.

Woodlice and wood-pigeons our biggest strawberry offenders this year. They seem to work in partnership; the pigeons peck open the seedy skin then the woodlice infest the inside, making a juicy pink home there.

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This morning I dug up a grape vine from my mum’s garden to transplant into my daughter’s.  I planted it about five years ago and it has produced a lot of fruit over the past two years and had a good crop on it this year too. It’s the worst time of year to be transplanting and of course I’ve had to cut off about 90% of the growth and sacrifice this years fruit but I’m really hoping it will grow. 

Mum’s house is being sold so it would be really nice if it takes in Gemma’s garden. 

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Yesterday I Moved the canes at the top of my runner beans to make it wider. Placed a frame of a Pantograph made from pieces of a cane on the top. Sure they grew overnight.

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This morning I dug up a grape vine from my mum’s garden to transplant into my daughter’s.  I planted it about five years ago and it has produced a lot of fruit over the past two years and had a good crop on it this year too. It’s the worst time of year to be transplanting and of course I’ve had to cut off about 90% of the growth and sacrifice this years fruit but I’m really hoping it will grow. 

Mum’s house is being sold so it would be really nice if it takes in Gemma’s garden. 

We've only ever moved two grape vines Caz; one worked and produces a decent chardonnay crop each year; one died within the year. Good luck with that.

After my Mum died, and before they pulled down the cottage which was her last home and where I grew up, I sneaked through the restrictive fence of the then-building site and pinched everything I could find of Mum's, including a cracked old planter, snowdrops and various other plants. All these are doing well!

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We've only ever moved two grape vines Caz; one worked and produces a decent chardonnay crop each year; one died within the year. Good luck with that.

After my Mum died, and before they pulled down the cottage which was her last home and where I grew up, I sneaked through the restrictive fence of the then-building site and pinched everything I could find of Mum's, including a cracked old planter, snowdrops and various other plants. All these are doing well!

  I thought we’d better take what we want from the garden before the sale is agreed, so I don’t have to sneak in and pinch!  Sadly though, Mum had some beautiful tulips that I really ought to have dug up in Spring before the perennials started to come up. It would look odd now if I went digging up random patches. 

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Picked a crop on Blackcurrants from my garden today. I have three bushes in the border, two facing West/South West, of which one produced nothing and the other produced a handful.  The third faces North/North West and produced enough to make four jars of lovely jam.  I’m re-thinking their positions for next year as I love Blackcurrant jam!  

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Harvest is in full swing, and although none of my tomatoes from seed are ready for harvesting yet, french beans and courgettes are abundant, pumpkins are setting well, aubergines, peppers and cucumbers are all harvest ready (some huge cucumbers already picked) and the last of the purple peas are giving up their fruits. The plums are a bit less blighty than previous years as we thinned them out earlier on, and it looks to be a bumper year for walnuts on the way. Shallots too are just about ready to collect.

The rest of the garden is a spectrum of delight- bright yellows, reds and blues among the more muted colours that have been kept rich by the rainy moments this summer.

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This morning I dug up a grape vine from my mum’s garden to transplant into my daughter’s.  I planted it about five years ago and it has produced a lot of fruit over the past two years and had a good crop on it this year too. It’s the worst time of year to be transplanting and of course I’ve had to cut off about 90% of the growth and sacrifice this years fruit but I’m really hoping it will grow. 

Mum’s house is being sold so it would be really nice if it takes in Gemma’s garden. 

Yay!  The grapevine has survived its move to Gemma’s garden!  I’ve been talking encouragingly to it and checking it almost every day for signs of life, as every leaf withered and died in the heat.  Last week there were signs of swelling buds lower down, so I gave it a pruning, mainly to see if any of the stems were green inside and some were, so I cut off all the dead wood.  

Today I was very pleasantly surprised by a pair of lush green leaf buds emerging higher up!  It’s Gemma’s birthday too!  

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Yay!  The grapevine has survived its move to Gemma’s garden!  I’ve been talking encouragingly to it and checking it almost every day for signs of life, as every leaf withered and died in the heat.  Last week there were signs of swelling buds lower down, so I gave it a pruning, mainly to see if any of the stems were green inside and some were, so I cut off all the dead wood.  

Today I was very pleasantly surprised by a pair of lush green leaf buds emerging higher up!  It’s Gemma’s birthday too!  

Really excellent news, on at least three fronts I can think of! (regeneration, reward for effort & link with family); well done Caz; & maybe some fruits next year. 

Currently raising a glass of wine, to your vine! (Not working tomorrow, it's okay).

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So glad the vine survives with plenty of memories.  Hope it sees through the next few days.

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The vine, named Barbara after my mum of course, has a sturdy stem so I’m not worried about wind damage today.  Just as well because Gemma lives up on a ridge which is exposed to the elements.  Today, the two new leaves have been joined by two more small ones and two of the lower buds have also burst open and are showing green leaf.  I’m over the moon!  

I’ve tried several times to take cuttings, both from my mum’s vine and from mine but with absolutely no success!  Next year I’m going to have more serious attempts, as it would be nice for other members of the family to share something from it.

We’re now thinking of digging up a pear tree from mum’s garden, something else that I bought her.  It’s only been there about four years but hasn’t done very well and may do better in Gemma’s.  

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