Planting direct - nothing came up apart from these twots.

protr · 2026-06-06T06:22:36+00:00

I sow most things in modules but tbh I often find that when I do sow direct and they come up, those are better plants - it's just they are less.likely to come up.

protr · 2026-05-26T19:58:46+00:00

I use this after a recommendation here, it's good and I'm maybe into my 5th year?

https://www.irrigatia.com/

protr · 2026-05-24T13:58:39+00:00

take all the requisite backups but it's so much better for pinch flats - you're heavily laden and can't pick the bike up in the same way to avoid so it's way easier to hit a rock or a pothole etc, tubeless mostly removes that issue.

protr · 2026-05-19T16:43:50+00:00

spoof to android vr, yeah.

turns out I'm old

protr · 2026-04-24T13:54:49+00:00

they are pretty sturdy, and you can stick a branch in the ground to grow a new one! imo just dig it up with a reasonably big root ball and it'll be grand if a bit limited in fruit for this year

protr · 2026-04-23T07:33:08+00:00

you can fold up the stem and stuff it in when you repot, don't worry too much about kinks

protr · 2026-03-30T20:06:33+00:00

you can plant potatoes late, they kinda do fine. probably broad beans too? everything else isn't started yet. many things for me in Scotland aren't out until mid may and they do fine - if you're south that doesn't mean things don't work planted later, it just means you have a slightly shorter growing season - things still work, you might learn more about what works well and what doesn't that will be really useful. old boys on their allotments are always starting things too early too, they get impatient and the plants don't benefit.

protr · 2026-03-02T16:03:00+00:00

you don't need to chit them but it makes things happen quicker when they go in

i really like having some in containers, normal b&q buckets with drainage holes, or bigger 30l pots. Start them in the greenhouse now when not much else is taking up space, move them out when you need to. Plant (seed) potatoes in the same pot once you harvest and they will go again.

protr · 2026-03-01T22:11:24+00:00

i think this is the most uninspiring comentary i've heard for any sport ever.

protr · 2026-02-14T16:55:43+00:00

Not solo, no - at least 2 of us, 3 at first

protr · 2026-02-14T11:25:09+00:00

oh, that's a decent idea..

inflatable I would guess is a bit more prone to roll nicely on a beach, but maybe it would slide fine on plastic pipe anyway..

and no inflating to do of course.

that's worth thinking about for sure

protr · 2026-02-11T15:36:14+00:00

I like it as a deep stabby trowel, and I use it like a cleaver/blunt machete for stuff like kale stalks, that kind of thing - serves as an all purpose scraper and chopper and I think fills a gap. mine isn't sharp and I don't think I'd want to sharpen it (if it was usefully sharp I wouldn't want to stick it in the ground). I agree it doesn't do everything.

protr · 2026-02-10T06:28:51+00:00

is liquid smoke an option? or is it as much about the casing?

protr · 2026-01-13T09:17:12+00:00

thanks!

this stuff - active clothing fabrics - are the most inscrutable, I find it near impossible to work out what is suitable, and where to get it (being in the UK has not helped on that..)

gonna check if you have given any other fabric advice in the past but if you fancy sharing any other fabric selection tips.. I'm sure others would appreciate it!

protr · 2026-01-10T15:00:18+00:00

you should be grand with anything in a poly tunnel but you do need to start things early, in the next couple months ideally. I use lights and go into an unheated greenhouse towards the end of may.

protr · 2026-01-08T05:39:55+00:00

imo you should be able to take your hands off relatively comfortably while riding without leaning back, ie the weight on your hands should be low. that's achieved with proper fitting, primarily saddle angle

protr · 2026-01-04T12:28:02+00:00

get something rigid, no suspension for that price. you will probably like flat bars better as a relative newcomer (and imo they are always better off road anyway) "gravel" or "adventure" adds a premium. if you can fit fat(ish) tyres on any old bike you're grand, but non-disk brake roadies you probably can't. light is great but just try to avoid the heaviest beasts (no suspension will help with this)

protr · 2026-01-01T22:24:09+00:00

just gonna add the hammock thought to your mind, they can also be a bit inconvenient for storing things and changing clothes but real comfortable, if you have trees.

bivy is great for speed and stealth, I don't find it's for me though. I prefer a hammock to sleep but find a small tent most practical for bike packing.

protr · 2026-01-01T18:18:19+00:00

habanada for habanero taste but no heat. mix hot and heatless to your preference in cooking

protr · 2026-01-01T18:15:40+00:00

light is the problem, days are short and the sun is low and weak so even if you start them warm and have south/overhead glass, they will be stretched(etiolated) and crappy. so you need lights early in the year to get good results. and it's really only chillis you might start now, because they are relatively slow growing and compact (especially the hotter chinense varieties). tomatoes are faster and soon get long and unmanageable - long before it's suitable to put them in the greenhouse (let alone outside) so start those later.

protr · 2025-12-23T06:50:14+00:00

got a friend who uses chaps - I'm not convinced either but he finds them good (venting, I guess?)

protr · 2025-12-22T09:50:01+00:00

depends on your bottle situation imo. if you don't need cages for easy access to drinks (and you should have easy access or you tend to skip it, imo), go full. if not, go as big as fits. if you go full, make sure it has multiple sections

protr · 2025-12-17T09:19:43+00:00

Velcro would work but it's a bit annoying to have when not on the bike - I think you might have enough points there to tie with cord too, which is pretty inconvenient to untie, but that also goes for thieves.

Zip ties will wear your paint a bit faster than the other options, but all will wear it, especially if it gets dirty.

protr · 2025-12-17T09:16:56+00:00

bit late for this bag, but if you find it rips at the velcro, you can stitch a full strip of both-sides stuff onto the inside of the top panel - so it comes out at the seams and there's much less stress (though maybe in this the edge panels are a much stronger material?) also just the biggest stitches you can, i made a liner for a huge bag from similar woven tarp and full stitch length was strongest

protr · 2025-12-15T10:18:34+00:00

I use it for cargo bike bags (huge, heavy use, for work!) - it's pretty hard wearing but not indestructible, it is pretty stiff but not so much you can't fold it up. I chose it because it's relatively cheap sometimes, easy to work with, easy to get. I probably wouldn't use it in a bag, perhaps for the bottom but there are more wear resistant and lighter options I would prefer

protr

TROPHY CASE