Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?

This gorgeous weather here, 27 degrees here yesterday and pretty much
the same today has seen a fair bit of work going on in the garden.
The Acacia at the front of the house has been pruned, hard, 2 will be
left untouched as they provide a huge canopy in the rear garden. We
had lunch at a friend's house, only a few kilometres from here; it's
wonderful that we could sit outside, for several hours, talking eating
and drinking and of course laughing; without needing to put a sweater
on. What's the weather like in the UK. I expect Martin will have
weather pretty much like us and our Normandy posters will have weather
a bit mixed at the moment?

Judith

On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:52:38 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France
wrote:

Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?

I had a large pot of chives that needed to be split. I just chopped
then into four. I gave two away, planted one in the garden and
repotted the other. The pot is bursting again and the bunch in the
garden is now about a foot across so I think it's OK just to split up
the clump.

Steve

Judith in France wrote:
Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?


I just split mine. I've ended up with a whole row of them. Far too many
to eat. I tend to let them flower and go to seed too. The flowers are
really pretty. They tend to self seed too when left. A particularly
productive clump appeared on the gravel drive next to the herb border.
The only problem I've had with them is rust and a spray of fungicide
soon checked that - it just meant they couldn't be eaten for six weeks.
Still picking now though. Chives have a very long season here from early
Spring to late Autumn. I use lots. Good in everything from sandwiches to
stir fries and stews.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

"Judith in France" wrote in message
...
Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?

I've found they do split and transplant well but I'd be inclined to wait
until late spring.

This gorgeous weather here, 27 degrees here yesterday and pretty much
the same today has seen a fair bit of work going on in the garden.
The Acacia at the front of the house has been pruned, hard, 2 will be
left untouched as they provide a huge canopy in the rear garden. We
had lunch at a friend's house, only a few kilometres from here; it's
wonderful that we could sit outside, for several hours, talking eating
and drinking and of course laughing; without needing to put a sweater
on. What's the weather like in the UK. I expect Martin will have
weather pretty much like us and our Normandy posters will have weather
a bit mixed at the moment?


Weather here in my part of central UK is mild for the time of year. We've
had only one windscreen-scraping frost and I've only lit the woodburner a
few times.
It was 14C today, cloudy.
Hens have stopped laying until spring now, my youngest are 5 years old so I
need some new ones in the spring.

Tina

On Oct 28, 5:05*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
"Judith in France" wrote in ...

Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. *I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?

I've found they do split and transplant well but I'd be inclined to wait
until late spring.



This gorgeous weather here, 27 degrees here yesterday and pretty much
the same today has seen a fair bit of work going on in the garden.
The Acacia at the front of the house has been pruned, hard, 2 will be
left untouched as they provide a huge canopy in the rear garden. * *We
had lunch at a friend's house, only a few kilometres from here; it's
wonderful that we could sit outside, for several hours, talking eating
and drinking and of course laughing; without needing to put a sweater
on. *What's the weather like in the UK. *I expect Martin will have
weather pretty much like us and our Normandy posters will have weather
a bit mixed at the moment?

Weather here in my part of central UK is mild for the time of year. *We've
had only one windscreen-scraping frost and I've only lit the woodburner a
few times.
It was 14C today, cloudy.
Hens have stopped laying until spring now, my youngest are 5 years old so I
need some new ones in the spring.

Tina

Thanks Tina, advice noted. We light our woodburner when we sit down
in the evenings as it tends to get chilly, quickly. We had a few
vicious vold nights with temsps down to 4-5 degrees under, all the
leaves came off the trees within the last week and the Boston Ivy
which usually goes a beautiful red colour has just gone from green to
dead leaves falling off.

My hens started laying again although 1 keeps on going into the barn
to lay. How many will you get in Spring and do you buy them at the
point of lay or do you buy the eggs for incubation? I remember my
late Mother having chicken eggs and I watched them hatch out. Within
a few hours they had gone from wet little things to yellow and
fluffy. We leave for England mid Novemberish as our younger daughter
is getting married, my neighbour is going to look after the chooks.

Judith

On Oct 28, 4:27*pm, Stephen Wolstenholme
wrote:
On Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:52:38 -0700 (PDT), Judith in France

wrote:
Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. *I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?

I had a large pot of chives that needed to be split. I just chopped
then into four. I gave two away, planted one in the garden and
repotted the other. The pot is bursting again and the bunch in the
garden is now about a foot across so I think it's OK just to split up
the clump.

Steve

Thanks Steve, I may well chop them into more bunches and keep some
just outside the kitchen door some in the herb garden and one in the
flower border.

Judith

On Oct 28, 4:41*pm, David in Normandy
wrote:
Judith in France wrote:
Talking about herbs a few minutes ago reminded me that the chives are
now 2 years old and have made up into a sizeable clump. *I want to
grow them in 2 positions, one for the flowers and one for cooking,
will half of the clump transplant well or should I start from scratch?

I just split mine. I've ended up with a whole row of them. Far too many
to eat. I tend to let them flower and go to seed too. The flowers are
really pretty. They tend to self seed too when left. A particularly
productive clump appeared on the gravel drive next to the herb border.
The only problem I've had with them is rust and a spray of fungicide
soon checked that - it just meant they couldn't be eaten for six weeks.
Still picking now though. Chives have a very long season here from early
Spring to late Autumn. I use lots. Good in everything from sandwiches to
stir fries and stews.

--
David in Normandy. *
* *To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
* *subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
* *by a filter and not reach my inbox.

I use them in nearly everything also, an omelette bursting with them
is great. I also use the flowers to decorate the plate when serving a
fish pate.

Talking about rust, my hollyhocks, which are supposed to be rust
resistant got rust this year, too late to treat them now but next year
when they emerge from the roots, I will treat as I was told that they
will be affected again??

Judith

Judith in France wrote:

Talking about rust, my hollyhocks, which are supposed to be rust
resistant got rust this year, too late to treat them now but next year
when they emerge from the roots, I will treat as I was told that they
will be affected again??


Sorry, I don't know. I've noticed that my chives tend to come back the
following year clean of rust even if they die off with it over Winter;
however they seem to get it again after a while. Not sure if the rust
overwinters or if it is a fresh infection due to stress. The baking hot
dry Summer seemed to stress a lot of plants - and it isn't convenient to
water everything.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

In article ,
David in Normandy wrote:
Judith in France wrote:

Talking about rust, my hollyhocks, which are supposed to be rust
resistant got rust this year, too late to treat them now but next year
when they emerge from the roots, I will treat as I was told that they
will be affected again??

Sorry, I don't know. I've noticed that my chives tend to come back the
following year clean of rust even if they die off with it over Winter;
however they seem to get it again after a while. Not sure if the rust
overwinters or if it is a fresh infection due to stress. The baking hot
dry Summer seemed to stress a lot of plants - and it isn't convenient to
water everything.

Most rusts overwinter on a huge variety of plants, wild and garden,
and are transmitted by the wind. Call it unavoidable, and think of
it as miasma. The only realistic way to reduce it is to keep the
plants as vigorous as possible.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote:

Most rusts overwinter on a huge variety of plants, wild and garden,
and are transmitted by the wind. Call it unavoidable, and think of
it as miasma. The only realistic way to reduce it is to keep the
plants as vigorous as possible.


Yes, that makes sense. Rather like humans - if run down are more prone
to other diseases.

Nick - a long time ago you mentioned soaking beans (seeds) in water and
"something" and this reduced the windiness of the beans when they were
subsequently cooked. What was the solution? Salt, sugar, bi-carb I've
forgotten. I've got a good haul of runner bean seeds and they have a
certain unwanted side effect.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

In article ,
David in Normandy wrote:

Nick - a long time ago you mentioned soaking beans (seeds) in water and
"something" and this reduced the windiness of the beans when they were
subsequently cooked. What was the solution? Salt, sugar, bi-carb I've
forgotten. I've got a good haul of runner bean seeds and they have a
certain unwanted side effect.

Nothing so chemical. Just cover them with ample boiling water,
let cool, and throw away water. Repeat a few times (1-5, to taste).
Even if they are softening, they need boiling for 10 minutes before
slow cooking, to destroy the glycosides.

It's a good idea not to salt beans until after cooking, as doing so
earlier can make them tough.

The above works, not perfectly, but reasonably.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote:
In article ,
David in Normandy wrote:
Nick - a long time ago you mentioned soaking beans (seeds) in water and
"something" and this reduced the windiness of the beans when they were
subsequently cooked. What was the solution? Salt, sugar, bi-carb I've
forgotten. I've got a good haul of runner bean seeds and they have a
certain unwanted side effect.

Nothing so chemical. Just cover them with ample boiling water,
let cool, and throw away water. Repeat a few times (1-5, to taste).
Even if they are softening, they need boiling for 10 minutes before
slow cooking, to destroy the glycosides.

It's a good idea not to salt beans until after cooking, as doing so
earlier can make them tough.

The above works, not perfectly, but reasonably.


Thanks Nick. The last time I cooked some the wife threatened to ban me
from the bedroom. :-(

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.