Yes you read that right, MRI scans of fruit and vegetables.

Don’t read this list before going and looking.

1. Corn 2. Banana 3. Pineapple 4. Pomegranate 5. Starfruit 6. Strawberries 7. Brussels sprouts 8. Onion (with bruise) 9. Orange 10. Bell pepper 11. Broccoli 12. Peach 13. Spaghetti squash 14. Beet 15. Passion fruit 16. Okra 17. Eggplant 18. Tomato 19. Persimmon 20. Garlic

You will guess some just by looking.

Hasn’t the weather turned out fantastic so far for National Gardening week. National Gardening Week is 14-20th April.
Garden and outdoors at Amazon UK everything you need for the garden

The timing of this new program coincides with National Gardening Week 2014!

This week we’ve seen the launch of the Big Allotment Challenge on BBC2. It’s getting mixed reviews with people seemingly disappointed by it not showing the hard work of starting an allotment from scratch. I had seen the program being advertised for contestants and had got the application form. I wasn’t able to dedicate the time they wanted to the program so didn’t apply.

Its been a busy week on the allotment as I have got half way through planting out my onions. I started the sets in trays and modules this year as it gives them a better start. I’ve done lots of weeding and preparing beds. I’ve spotted the lovage making it’s way up again. It’s a perennial plant like celery but should produce a much bigger plant this year. The stems taste of celery and are hollow which meant they were sometimes used as straws for bloody marys!

Amazon is always worth a look for garden related items. As well as their huge range of gardening books, then they have top categories like:
Garden Furniture
Weed & Pest Control
Lawn Mowers & Outdoor Power Tools
Sheds & Storage
Solar Lighting
Gardening Tools
Fertilisers & Plant Food
Plants, Seeds & Bulbs
Plant Containers & Accessories
Garden Bird & Wildlife Care

At the end of the week, Gardener’s Question Time will be broadcast from the Eccles Sixth form recording I went to. It was a lovely evening with lots of laughs and questions. I am looking forward to seeing how the program is produced into its final version.
If you ever see it advertised then it’s well worth going as it’s lots of fun. Some people went up at the end and spoke to the gardeners on the panel.

The photo on today’s post is a snail I found. A teeny tiny cute snail about the size of the smallest finger nail I have. Doesn’t mean it survived me thinking it was cute! Destroying pests is a part of gardening that is often airbrushed over!

Watch on BBC TV iplayer program The War on weeds

One of the people Chris Collins interviews is Richard Maybe who has written: Weeds: The Story of Outlaw Plants

Thales cress is the fruit fly of the plant geneticist world!

I have a vague memory of a piece of film showing how weeds invade space in turn. Will hunt it down as it’s quite interesting.

Simple but not really cheap

Use 4 inch breeze blocks.

You can lay them flat on the ground (Level it first) and then pile them three high. You can have them overlapping like a course of bricks would.
They should last a long time and will stay in place at this height without being cemented together. If you want to alter the bed you can, but if you decide it’s the right shape and size you could cement them together and make it permanent.

The top one will be nice for sitting on too.

As you get older you could build them higher and raise the level inside.

They’re about £1.60 each – cheaper if you buy 100!

7N Solid Dense Block Grey has a Weight (kg) of 13.7 so it won’t go anywhere! 7N Solid Dense Block Grey
They also sell Celcon Standard Aerated Block 3.6N Grey 7.3kg which are lighter.

Breeze blocks at B&Q

Anyone in Manchester next Monday (7th April) want to see the Gardener’s Question Time at Eccles 6th Form College. It costs £3.50 on the door – all the proceeds go to the college.

Please pre book by e-mailing GQT@bbc.co.uk

THE PANEL INCLUDES
Eric Robson
Chris Beardshawe
Bunny Guinness
Pippa Greenwood

Two shows are being recorded

The show will be recorded Eccles Sixth Form Centre, Chatsworth Road, Eccles,

M30 9FJ.

Doors open at 17.30 and GQT will begin its hour-long recording at 18.30. You will need to be in your seat by 18.15 at the latest.

Upon arrival you will receive a question sheet, should you wish to ask the panel a question. You need to fill this in and return it to our production team by 18.00 at the latest. Feel free to ask more than one question!

The conifer trees by the apiary have a brown tinge to them. On closer inspection is appears to be red tiny flowers. At the end of the leaves there are tiny pale flowers.

Just read this elsewhere and it made me smile:

knowledge is flower

I love this video. Substitute the word chickens for bees for me though! 🙂

Another weather website – this one shows whether it’ll rain or not.

http://www.farmersweather.co.uk/
is a great weather forecast site!