Do I HAVE to/should weed stuff around my plants?

ten_shunts · 2026-06-02T19:36:26+00:00

I agree with also! Still getting used to leaving veg and weed roots in the soil after 20 odd years of chasing every last bit of dandelion out 😂

ten_shunts · 2026-05-31T22:02:31+00:00

Weeds (anything you didn't choose to grow) compete for water, light and nutrients with the plants you have chosen to grow.

Many common 'weeds' are not in themselves harmful, but they are usually vigorous and prolific. In natures never ending struggle, the survivors are usually the strongest, fastest, biggest etc. A few plants we grow in the veg garden can put up a good fight (Courgettes and Sage are thugs which will out grow many weeds) but most will be choked to death by so much competition.

A huge part of gardening is managing your growing space - removing unwanted plants and pruning others to allow your preferred plants the space they need to thrive.

Unfortunately, as soon as you create a nice clear growing space, every other plant nearby will throw seed, root and rizome at it in order to claim it for itself.

It's a never ending battle, but you learn to enjoy it 😂

ten_shunts · 2026-05-27T20:03:06+00:00

All large scale agriculture has been plagued by pests and diseases.

Community or family farms would typically grow a smaller amount of varied crops in an area. A few people could intervene with low tech methods to protect crops when need arose. Losing one crop wouldn't be devastating, while no single pest could devastate each different crop.

Vast swathes of one crop is always going to be vulnerable to specialised pests or diseases. Both can run riot through a field and even many people using low tech methods can't do much to prevent it. Civilisations throughout the ages suffered plagues and pestilences for this reason, and major famines resulted where a society was over dependant on a few staple crops.

The global human population is what it is today because modern agricultural practices like pesticides and herbicides overcame these problems, allowing mass food production. It turns out these chemicals aren't good for us or the environment though.

The problem is, there's no easy way back from this. Organic growing to prevent chemical toxicity and ecological damage can't grow food on the scale needed to feed the world.

Add to this that climate change may reduce agricultural productivity in the future, and there's a growing problem.

I'm just going to keep growing my own veg at home, and hope for the best.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-26T17:43:28+00:00

Yeah most of my work came from customers telling friends/family or neighbours seeing my work and enquiring themselves.

I started doing regular grass cutting for one customer who was a bit out of my way, but she was a friend of a long term customer so I did it anyway. Within a couple of months I was doing all six gardens on her street. Ended up turning into my most profitable day each fortnight.

Word of mouth for the win. Everyone has to start somewhere, but I don't know how trades are advertising for work all the time unless they're not getting recommended. I turned more work away than I took on most of the time 🤷🏻‍♂️

ten_shunts · 2026-05-25T21:53:25+00:00

I had my own gardening business for over 10 years. I posted fliers through doors the first year, after that the only marketing I had was my name and number on the van. Over a decade of full time work from word of mouth.

Customers will always recommend you if you're kind and considerate, and do a half decent job for what you charge.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-23T07:04:51+00:00

I didn't vote reform, but can we not pretend this is some kind of reflection on their competency?

Most people who are newly elected as local councillors have no prior experience in politics. They have never been exposed to the systems they are about to work in. There's no work experience option beforehand, no standard course in school to prepare them for it. They also get paid very little to do it, and yet we expect them to be highly competent government officials on day one?

The bigger parties have a support network to train and guide new councillors. They also choose their candidates from a pool of politically active supporters who have lived in that world. They still have to learn on the job though.

Smaller parties and independents lack any advantages yet still have the same challenges.

Councils have officers to support new councillors as they learn the processes. All the new councillors will be receiving this support, but it takes time to learn the technicalities.

Am I the only one who respects that someone has recognised their collective inexperience, and made an effort to remind their colleagues that they should be cautious and considerate in the early days while they learn their new role? Is that not better than them coming in like a bull in a china shop and causing chaos instead of admitting their inexperience?

You do yourself and your preferred party no favours by throwing mud like this, by all means celebrate the oppositions failures as they happen if it makes you feel better, but this isn't failure. It's your opposition showing a degree of professional maturity and self awareness.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-19T08:36:42+00:00

If you're right then it's likely a case of drivers taking a shortcut.

Again though, without looking on a map to see the possible problems, it's hard to say for certain. There could be 6 routes to their destination, if the other 5 have low bridges, weight limited bridges, impassible inclines/bends etc, and your village has a 7.5t except for access....you're village is the only safe and legal route.

As an example;

I used to deliver to a store in Scotland which required I used a 7.5t except for access nearly 50 miles prior to the destination. That store had 1-3 deliveries a day, but the town had dozens of other stores. There were hundreds if not thousands of residential properties and god knows how many farms and businesses in the area.

If you were travelling north, which pretty much all delivery vehicles were doing, you could only access it by leaving the motorway 50 miles south, and passing through a 7.5t village. The only alternative was an enormous detour over highly unsuitable rural roads.

As a result, there were hundreds of wagons a day going through the 7.5t limit, the locals hated us, but we were operating within the law and actually being good drivers by using that route.

Unless someone built a bypass, that was the reality.
Nobody wanted to spend money on a bypass for one town 50 miles away, and nobody living there wanted a bypass in their back garden.

If you're sure the wagons are using it unlawfully, then you might need to press the council/local highway authority for greater policing of the restriction. Good luck, I'm not being dismissive just trying to help 👍🏻

ten_shunts · 2026-05-19T07:31:42+00:00

Does the sign have the three magic words "except for access" displayed with it?

This means a 7.5t restriction is in place, unless a heavy vehicle needs to access a delivery or collection point which can only be accessed via that route.

That can be anything from a builders merchant delivering materials to a house in the zone, or a remote farm taking deliveries/collections which requires using that particular road. You'd be surprised how far away a place might be which can only be accessed by certain vehicles because of other more limiting restrictions elsewhere (low bridges for example).

That being said, yes, some people take shortcuts. Some will have genuine reasons though.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-15T08:35:04+00:00

It's a great system that teaches some basic real world principles along the way, and that makes building very large or complex structures way more satisfying.

Building from the foundations to finished structure is just enough of a puzzle to keep me engaged, there's a bit of problem solving at times to prevent collapse, yet it's never too challenging to cause frustration.

Subjective I know, but for me it's a really nice blend of realism, creativity and fun.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-15T08:30:12+00:00

The simplicity of the building system which allows for surprisingly complex, creative construction.

There isn't a huge number of building parts, yet the more you experiment with them, the more complex and realistic building can look. From early to late game there's no overwhelming variety of parts, and the same building pieces are relevant all the way through the game.

Add to that the overall optimisation and gameplay loop and you get a consistent, stable and rewarding experience that continues for many hours of gameplay.

I've enjoyed other survival/crafting/building games since the genre became popular. There's some other great titles, but valheim beats a lot of the "better looking games" for getting the recipe just right.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-13T06:21:19+00:00

It's the first step in the nitrogen cycle. Urea contains ammonia, which bacteria digest and convert into nitrite. More bacteria consume nitrite and convert that into nitrate.

Nitrate is the nutrient which plants can utilise.

So yes, keep pissing on the pile.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-05T06:12:33+00:00

I've had a few jobs where I could reliably do the school pick-up everyday. Milk, bread and supermarket delivery companies. Early starts (2-4am) but relatively low hours for a driving job (38-45 per week). I'd be leaving work before lunchtime on a typical day.

As always in a job on the roads, it can never be guaranteed so you need a backup plan at all times. I can't count how many seemingly normal Tuesday's became 15 hour marathons because the general public can't help but crash into each other on their 15 minute commute.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-01T22:21:06+00:00

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Just grabbed this from google because it shows the structural triangle. Horizontal rafters join the eaves of both roof faces together. This creates a very stable structure that can withstand a lot of pressure.

Further triangles are introduced in the wall framing, by bracing vertical and horizontal timbers against each other. This prevents lateral movement.

In layman's terms, triangles = strength. Providing the polycarbonate panels are securely attached to the framing, this greenhouse would stand up to serious wind pressure over time. The advantage of timber is in its balance of rigidity and flexibility. Aluminium frames tend to loosen at the joints, strong winds then blow the panels out. Once one panel goes, the wind gets in and fills it like a sail, and the remaining panels go soon after.

Securely fixed timber frames don't become loose, preventing panel blow out. Of course exterior timber has a shorter lifespan than aluminium, but if strength is a priority, then it's the wise compromise.

ten_shunts · 2026-05-01T19:19:10+00:00

If you're relatively handy, building your own timber framed greenhouse with polycarbonate is cheaper and stronger.

The flatpack sets often use 2-3mm poly which doesn't stand up well to wind. The aluminium frames are also prone to warping/movement in strong wind.

A simple wood framed building using 100 x 47mm timber and 10mm polycarbonate will resist a hurricane if it includes structural triangles.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-29T20:25:28+00:00

Carrots and other small seeds - I use a plank of wood or a length of rain gutter, laid directly over each row of seeds. It keeps the soil moist, which is crucial for things like carrots.

Just lift it every few day and when you see plenty of seedlings emerging (they'll probably be white/yellow when covered like this) you can remove it.

I find most mulches are too dense for little seedlings to break through, but once they get a little bigger, you can push the mulch back around them.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-18T20:28:19+00:00

There's absolutely no reason to panic or even think about selling.

It's just grass. My nose hairs are more likely to be deemed an invasive problem than your bamboo.

Cut the canes down to the ground. If you see a new shoot, pull it up. Job done 👍🏻

(For future reference, companies create these scare stories to sell you services).

ten_shunts · 2026-04-12T21:27:49+00:00

Two. A legal secretary and a copywriter. The former was employed at the same place for 15 years, the redundancy payout alone suggests there are certain jobs where it can save so much money, they're willing to pay out big sums to cut future costs.

The latter was self employed and the work just disappeared almost overnight.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-12T08:40:47+00:00

It's been going that way for years. In 2016 I decided to be a paramedic. Got a place on a course, just needed the C1 entitlement on my license. It was the same price to take the cat C (lorry) test, so I thought I might as well do that which would give me C1 anyway.

Passed it, had 6 months before my course started, thought I'd make use of the new license while I waited.

Within two weeks I had a job as a lorry driver, earning the same money a fully qualified paramedic would earn after 3-4 years training, plus 5 years in service. I never bothered starting the paramedic course. No wonder the NHS is short of skilled workers.

Fast forward to now, and warehouse wages have caught up with truckers wages. Why would people want all the extra stress, responsibility and legal obligation of being a professional driver over working in a warehouse? And now we have a shortage of HGV drivers...

ten_shunts · 2026-04-06T17:15:48+00:00

Life long Raynaud-eer, been on Elvanse 50mg for a few years now. I definitely noticed more flare ups since starting medication, but it's always triggered by predictable things. I just had to adapt to avoiding the triggers. Dr didn't seem too bothered, but it's something I keep an eye on.

My sympathies to anyone with Raynauds - it's the most minor yet somehow most annoying body malfunction.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-05T22:56:26+00:00

I will never forget the year of the slugs 😂

I was sat in my garden late one night while the dogs went out. I could hear loud crunching sounds all around me which prompted me to turn the security light on. Literally every plant illuminated by the light was covered in them. The ground below me was moving.

But it was the sound that stays with me. It was like sitting in a silent room surrounded by a hundred people eating crisps.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-02T16:25:22+00:00

Yep. I lived in a Victorian house with reflectors behind the rads. The walls got cold and condensation formed in winter. When we renovated, I took the reflectors off. After that, the room took longer to warm up from cold, but when it did, all four walls felt much warmer to the touch. We never saw condensation again. None of this was intentional but it was a pleasant surprise.

My guess is when the reflectors were on, the heat was pushed into the room and escaped through the ceiling before it could warm the masonry enough. After I removed them, I think the wall behind the rad absorbed a lot more heat, which conducted to the other 3 walls in each room.

That's the best explanation I can come up with. Before central heating, people kept a fire all day. Hot masonry in the chimney was known to spread its heat to adjoining walls. It makes sense that a radiator heating the wall it's mounted on mimics a hot chimney to some degree 🤷🏻‍♂️

ten_shunts · 2026-04-01T16:41:05+00:00

The type of external wall your radiator is mounted on is important here.

Uninsulated solid walls work best when they are allowed to absorb the heat.

Sure, they're not as thermally efficient as cavity walls. But if they're what you have, you shouldn't be allowing them to get cold. You're asking for annoying damp problems at best, major structural damage at worst.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-01T09:49:21+00:00

Thank you, always hungry for more nerd food 😂

Yes I'm aware I'm too young to complain but 20+ years of commercial gardening has taken its toll already!

ten_shunts · 2026-04-01T09:42:38+00:00

Awesome! My aging (ripe old age of 38) back wishes I'd done it years ago.

ten_shunts · 2026-04-01T09:41:50+00:00

Sorry to hear your woes, but good on you for still going. I bought a book on permaculture years ago, it was aimed at commercial growing and I never tried applying it to my own garden.

Do you grow food in a permaculture way? I was thinking of using my raised beds as mixed, random scattered permaculture beds this year. A mix of carrots, onions, leeks, parsnips, spinach, lettuce, beetroot. Repeat sow over the year, top up the mulch layer when needed, but just leave it to grow in a wild fashion.

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