[WizzyWigg]

Originally Posted by retrotecchie

Or a radio, maybe? 🧓

Would do but never around when it's on 😞. So might have to resort to one of these new fangled apps. 👴

Just watching this on BBC TWO.
Rick Stein’s Food Stories
Series 1: 3. Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county of farming innovation, where Rick meets inventor James Dyson, who allows him special access to his farm of the future.

Interestingly Dyson doesn't use pesticides or insecticides. Worth a watch.

[meldrewreborn]

@Han_EONNext

everything we purchase has an environmental impact somewhere or another. But buying these products creates wealth all down the supply chain. So if we stop buying red roses grown in Kenya, growers there lose their employment. The issues are many, complicated and horribly intertwined.

if we went back to living as was done at the end of the last ice age, the environment would be benefitted but our standard of living would be next to zero. It seems to me that we should eliminate gross waste (opinions will differ on what counts) but not get obsessed with the environmental issues of everything we buy.

[WizzyWigg]

With changing weather patterns due to climate change, we’re now seeing much less rainfall during the summer months, often followed by extreme rainfall. So, learning to cope with these challenges is becoming even more important for gardeners.

How you can use less water in the garden

There are many benefits to saving water and during dry summer months saving a little can make a big difference not only to your water bill if you’re on a meter, but also the environment. Here are some useful tips on how you can use water wisely in your garden.

Collect rainwater

Put all that lovely rainwater to good use by installing a water butt. You could save thousands of litres of water throughout the year by installing one.

Use a watering can

Give your flowers a drink from a watering can instead of a hose pipe. Water flow is also slower, reducing the chance of water running away before your plants can absorb it.

Re-use water

Water used for washing your salad and veg is also great for your plants. Also re-use water from your fish tank if you are cleaning it out, it’s full of nutrients your flowers love.

Leave your lawn

A hosepipe or sprinkler uses 540 litres of water per hour. Don’t over water you lawn, grass is hardy and can bounce back quickly after some lovely rainfall.

Other ways to save water in the garden

Where and when to water; watering your garden during dawn and dusk or once it is shaded will help minimise evaporation and will help reduce strain on flowers. Make sure you water your plants closely to the roots and don’t forget to check the weather forecast before you water your garden, too.

Water retaining crystals; use water retaining crystals on your potted plants and hanging baskets to keep them hydrated for even longer.

Use mulch; mulch your soil with bark or straw to retain water in your flower beds, it can also help slow down weed growth and prevent pesky slugs and snails.

Types of plants; drought resistant plants like lavender, rosemary and succulents are great for sunspots and require much less water. Planting the right flowers in your garden can make a huge difference on your garden and the water you use.

[Han_EONNext]

Afternoon all 😊
@meldrewreborn you bring a great point! Everything really does have a knock on effect 😬 and it's a hard one to navigate and make the right choices for you. @WizzyWigg growing up our house had a hugeeeeeeee garden 🌳 and we had big plastic tanks that would collect the rain water that had a pipe attached which would slowly release this water back into the Earth and water our plants over the next week or so 🌍 I should certainly get one for the house I'm in now 😊

[retrotecchie]

@Han_EONNext

I've got a few flowers in the garden but they are almost all 'native' rather than deliberately planted by me. Anything deliberately cultivated by me is either edible or something that can be harvested for firewood.

But, being Wales, there are daffs, snowdrops and foxgloves all over the shop so I'm never short of a bit of a display. And a lot of the veg produces flowers too...red and white flowers on the beans, yellow on the cucurbits and gorgeous shades of white through pink to red on the fruit trees.

No chemicals or stuff used here...just chicken manure enriched compost and hard work. Waste veg and vegetation gets recycled in the compost or directly through the 🐔🐔. All organic and 'food yards' rather than 'food miles' 👍

[Han_EONNext]

That's amazing @retrotecchie how lucky you are 🌼

I love snowdrops, they remind me of my Grandma 😊