Does anyone know anything about gardening?

I'm wondering if I need to reconsider my compost making.
Some areas of the USA are well known for being free of snails, (but not slugs),
due to the lack of chalk/limestone/calcium carbonate, from which snails make their shells.

Here in outer west London there is a thick layer, (>20M), of London Clay overlaying the
chalk basin that underlies all of London, so there is no readily available natural source of
calcium carbonate, but I reckon I am encouraging, and supporting an unnatural over population of snails, as we routinely put eggshells, (which chickens make from the same chalk/limestone/calcium carbonate), in the compost!

So two options:
put the eggshells in the 'long term' compost bin, (where the slow to compost material, or stuff that compost worms do not like is left for a couple of years), which is then only used when deep composting a raised bed,
or,
(which will take more effort), incorporate the (now crushed) egg shells into the mixed seed/fat winter bird food we put out from roughly now onwards,
as in those same chalk deficient areas in the USA, some songbirds have their brood size limited by the local lack of chalk.

My lawn has been sh*t for years and this year I pulled out all the stops to fix, hand weeding all the clover out, weed killer/feed early in the year, aerating, scarifying etc but due to working weekends have missed the autumn feed. Is it too late now to put down autumn feed?

it says you can sow so I'm guessing you can feed and sow.

http://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now/week43/around-garden-checklist/

A welcome sight in the garden this morning.

I put some out the front at the end of last year, packaging said not to expect anything for a couple of years because they are sensitive. Got a few coming through, not nice big clumps like those but seeing the first flowers is great.

Looking up the page it appears I planted mine 4 months ago.

I've got a lovely blank canvas to play with, got plans for raised beds which I've already roped my dad into helping with. Need to saw and paint the ivy on the tree with some SBK but other than that not much work to do.

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Have you considered crazy paving?

Think I planted those not long after the beech hedge that's behind them, so about five years ago. Definitely one of my favourites.

Yeah thought about it but it might clash with the pebbledashing I've got planned

nice

i bought the enemy a daphne for her birthday last year, as we both really like smelly shit in the garden. for a bush that is supposed to be needy, it is loving it. properly fragrant.

highly recommended.

the daphne is going great guns, too

wahey!

try the veal

Fuck. Are you here all week?

Yeah thought about it but it might clash with the pebbledashing I've got planned

Fake grass is all the rage nowadays... Apparently...

About pruning time for any Apple & Pear tree owners. Took the Elder tree right back today too, hopefully it's as resilient as they're supposed to be.

Anyone wanna give me their spare orchids?

My two are flowering again and I'm like:
oh im ok at this, maybe I could have more
googles amazon & others - sees prices
sad face

1. Find houses with the orchids you want

2. Organise Guinness ride

3. Exploit the drunken stupidity of others

have you done your lawn yet ?
these last couple of days of sunshine plus a bucket of chicken manure pellets has had a dramatic effect on my lawn
bring out the push mower today me thinks

I did a top cut Sunday.

Just found this thread... great times! My vegetable will be slightly different from most on here but I thought it might be interesting to see what I grow compared to what everyone back at home is growing. Also, I'd love to try some new stuff so if anyone has anything they'd like me to try in the tropics cos they can't do it at home please let em know!

This morning's harvest:

You can often pick up reduced ones at gardens centres that have been consigned to the "we're going to die soon" pile. Bit of TLC normally brings them back.

@ramsaye nice

mowed, raked, more chicken manure applied and watered
all ready for a bit more rain this weekend

can you say ..... luxuriant in a months time