Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants (Paperback)

I felt I had to share this with you as this is possibly not the ideal coffee table book but who could resist flicking through.

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Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants (Paperback) by Carol Steinfeld
Synopsis
Don't flush it down the loo - save your pee and fertilize your garden! Because it is not recycled, our urine is wasted and pollutes the water system. Yet it could provide 50 per cent-100 per cent of the nutrients needed to grow our food. Use your pee to make a liquid manure: recycle, save water and energy, and prevent pollution, all at the same time! In the 19th century you could sell your urine for a penny a bucket - or 1.5 pennies if you were a redhead Early Romans used urine as mouthwash In some cultures, urine is used to clean wounds and as a health tonic Urine can be used in curing leather, and as a tattoo pigment Discover the delights of the urine-diverting composting toilet, the activists' urinal, and the urinal for women; find out about customs and rituals connected with urine, the science and technology of its use, and profiles of liquid gold at work all over the world in farms and gardens. Take to the fresh air when nature calls and fertilize your garden for free with Carol Steinfeld's entertaining and fact-filled book!

More excitement from home

Pottering around the salad patch at home and pulling out all the leaves that had bolted to make room for the little lollo rosso that are being swamped by the spinach, I found the garlic that I had planted in the autumn. Last week we had been chatting to John (the Italian, husband of Maria and brother in law of Baptista) who was on his way home with a wonderful head of garlic that he had just dug. He grows over 200 on his plot, all from cloves saved from the previous year. In fact Maria never buys seeds she always saves her own, including tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, various assorted beans and spinach.

Anyway, I decided to dig one of the garlic stems to see if there was anything on the bottom of it and - hey presto, our first garlic bulb, and very impressed I am - not the largest ever seen but not bad for a first attempt. This was actually the smallest so a good indication of how well the others will be doing. I will leave them a little bit longer and hope that the rain over the last couple of days has done them good.

I have had a bit of success in the garden as well with flowers. Never having success with sweet peas I said that this year would be my last, but I did something slightly different. I sowed the beans in the autumn to over winter in the cold frame, and it certainly seems to have done the trick. Along with the pelargonium’s which were all from cuttings of last years and over wintered on the bedroom window sills, we have quite a display on the decking. The tin bath that you can see on the left is one that I found a the allotment and thought it would be ideal to keep the mint contained in the herb garden.

I have also grown nicotiana for the first time and would recommend it as it gives a bit of hight and a wonderful range of colours.

The harvest

I know I keep on about the harvest but it still amazes me that we are actually getting product from the allotment. Every day there is something new. Yesterday it really felt like we were reaping the benefits.

A hugh cucumber, courgettes, pes, beetroot, a couple of carrot thinnings and loads of fruit. More raspberries, more loganberries and we have discovered the gooseberry bushes that were overgrown on 53 are dripping with fruit, one bush green cooking berries and one laden with red sweet berries.

As our blackcurrent bushes are first year we will not have any fruit so Ted gave us a couple of branches of one of his bushes laden with hugh currents.

I have cooked together some of each fruit, with a teaspoon of sugar and a table spoon of water to make a tasty sauce to go on our ice cream this evening - can't wait!

If we can get that amount of fruit from a derelict plot (No 53) imagine what next year will bring when we have it up and running and a strict prunning regime in place. It is really overgrown still and is not helped by Frank's enormous cherry trees, which don't actually product many cherries and the few that it does are eaten by the pigeons, so we need to do some careful planning to align the bushes and trees to get maximum sunshine and drainage.

I feel quite smug about our acheivements especially when you realise that it has been less than five months since we took on the plot and Ted tried to persuade us that No 13 (Jerry's plot) would be the easiest option but we insisted on these. He passed by yesterday and did actually say how good it all looked. Coming from Ted that is the ultimate accolade so we have given ourselves a well deserved pat on the back.

Anyway, back to those peas. I am always worried that there is a hugh pile of pods but not much in them. There was the odd maggot but along with a hugh bucket of shells for the compost heap (full of nitrogen so very good for the soil) there was a good crop of peas. These are for the freezer and there were enough young ones for out salad lunch boxes and supper this evening.

Salad lunch boxes comprise of four different types of salad leaf, spinach leaves, rocket which is so mature that it either blows your head off or anesthetises the inside our your mouth so that you lose the power of speech for quite a few hours after eating, beetroot, peas, new potatoes, cucumber and the first tomato of the season. The only think that is not home grown is a little bit of cheese which I found in the back of the fridge.

The tomato was hiding in the greenhouse and is barely a mouthful. It had to be photographed but strangely it looks like one of those retro ketchup bottles that are all the rage again if anybody is looking for ideas for birthday presents. Maybe that is a sign that it is a perfect tomato!

Talking of tomatoes, and not neglecting what is going on at home, we have a hanging basket near the front door which is looking magnificent. I think the reason for its success is that it gets the left over water from the flask and water bottle that we cannot do without at the allotment. Every time we get home they are emptied into the basket so I am sure that the warmth of the water does it good rather than the cold stuff that comes out of the tap or water butt.

Along with the traditional petunias, trailing geraniums and lobelia, I included a couple of trailing toms. They are loaded with little toms which are still green but a bit more warmth and sunshine they should soon be glowing red. I only hope that the postman can resist helping himself in the mornings.

Finally, but possibly most importantly, today is Rebecca's birthday and at 25 finally a grown up. Also today I am no longer twice her age - not sure if that makes me feel good or not.

Like peas in a pod

They are peas in a pod but not at all alike, they are all different in their own way. We should have picked them earlier as some are getting too big. The variety that we planted are supposed to be sugar snap peas but we forgot to pick them so they have grown into normal peas, and delicious they are too.

We both come away from the allotment now with tummy ache from eating too many raspberries and peas!

Plot 53

We have finally taken some time to start working on plot 53. Some grass has been cut down and we have used an old water butt with holes in it, cut in three, to grow pumpkins. Filled with manure they seem to be enjoying the space. One of them has a couple of fruit already but the other seems to be only producing male flowers which is worrying and no use to anyone.

We have now laid down a tarpaulin and weighed it down by sorting out the spoils that we collected back in the spring from the chicken man's vacated plot plus the pallets that we collected from Country Gardens. They have a stack of them with 'help yourself' so we did. One was used to make the coffee table and the strawberry box and we have a couple left over that are going to be used for the raised bed in the leisure area outside the gate of No 52. It had become so overgrown that we had forgotten what we had, but with the judging on Monday we need to get it ship shape.

It was when we were clearing the space for the tarpaulin that we discovered the loganberries. We have picked two boxes full already and there are loads more that need ripening and picking. I think 53 is going to provide a few more surprises before the summer is out but we have to have it cleared ready to be marked out for tree planting in September.

Still life with French bean

A picture says a thousand words, or at least a lot of raspberries, loganberries and courgettes. Guess what we are having for supper this evening.

What a scorcher

Mad dogs and Englishmen was true yesterday but not today. We had an early session but had to give up by 11.30 as the heat got to us, so we returned to the allotment at 9 and got home just as the clock changed to 22:22. We must be mad, especially as we have to be up at 5 in the morning and we had not eaten. It was worth the wait as, to accompany our salmon, which was farmed in Norway, we had home grown new potatoes, courgettes and broad beans. A veritable cornucopia of tastes and absolutely wonderful. The potatoes came from one bin at the allotment and one at home. The whites seem to have cropped better than the reds but we decided to have a mixture in our meal. We were a little disapointed in the crop but between them we had a sinkfull.

The broad beans were from the crop sown at home in October. We had been a bit negligent in watering and the plants were very limp, so the decision was made to remove everything and replace with tomatoes. The courgettes are the first pickings. There are so many new ones I decided to cut a few to let the new ones develop. Sliced and lightly sauted with an onion and a bit of home grown basil, they were yummy.

Back at the allotment, I plucked up the courage to bottle the comfrey tea. It is amazing how long you can hold your breath if you need to. Words cannot describle how disgusting it smells but the tomatoes love it. It is a bit cloudy as I have left it so long but it made 6 bottles which should last us about 10 years as it needs to be diluted about 30/1. Strangly Ted calls it comfort!!!!! We always though this was because of its healing properties but he must have known something that we didn't.

If you are wondering why the bottles are not filled to the top, it is so that I didn't get any on my hands. It would actually be a way of getting a seat on the train as it would clear the carriage. Once you get it on your skin, soaking in bleach is the only thing that will get rid of the smell (one bitten and all that...).

Wimbledon calling

Missed an allotment day yesterday as it was time for Rebecca and I to have our annual trip to Wimbledon (lawn tennis association that is as she goes to the town every day). We have had some queues over the years but nothing like yesterday, more than two hours but it was well worth it. We got in at 6.30 and after wandering around for a bit, settled outselves courtside to watch Fernando Verdasco beat Benjamin Becker (shown here in action) in 5 sets. Very nailbiting to the end as it was 7 games all and Becker served a couple of double of faults to drop his serve. It was so late finishing I think Verdasco won by having better night vision.

Anyway, back to the allotment today, and last night getting home at midnight was nearly matched as we were still gardening at 10pm. Everything is growing beautifully but we both have long arms from carrying so much water. We now have four watering cans so that we can make trips back and forth from the water trough with one in each hand. The potatoes are all in flower and another month we should be digging the main crops. We are going to give the earlies a try this weekend as Katy has already dug down and found one in her spudbins. One bit of good news is that the bird scarer is back in position as you can see. We have planted out 30 broccoli but have not had a chance to finish the brassica cage so have a massive CD collection suspended at the top of the allotment to stop the pigeons eating the lot before we get a look in.

A bit of a photo montage to follow to show how things are doing.

Aubergine. I didn't know what this was as it looked like some sort of diseased growth but it definately is an aubergine.

Plum tomatoes. I am not sure but I think these are called Vintage Wine so they will be a really deep burgundy colour and the packet said they are delicious.

What will be a prize winning giant pumpkin.

Peas. We could pick them now and eat as mange-tout but I think we will let them fill out and split the pods to lovelly little peas.

Yellow courgettes, ready for picking and either cooking or eating raw. There are some red onions that are large enough to pull and a lovely crop of basil so that might be supper tomorrow.

Finally, a medley of goosberry, raspberry and loganberry. There would be more raspberries but we both make an excuse to walk past and eat a few.

It's true what they say

The proof of our success is in the taste, and the beetroot is evidence that we are very successful. We have be told many times that there is nothing like the taste of your own grown veg and it is true. Boiled for 10 mins, the skins rubbed off and eaten slightly warm. Yummy.

Today was the turn of the cucumber. There are so many growing that I decided to cut the first.



I don't know why but I was surprised when I sliced it and it looked like a cucumber inside. The taste was fantastic. Don't worry there will be plenty to go round. In fact I think I am going to have to start searching for cucumber recipes.




It won't be long until we have courgettes. There are both green and yellow and the longest is 5 inches so almost ready for cutting. This yellow one is just over 3 inches. Aparently you can eat the flowers as well by deep frying them, but they look so pretty it seems a shame to pull them off.

The plastic in the bottom right of the photo is its own little feeding bottle. It is a plastic bottle with the bottom cut off and the cap removed and burried top down so that filling the bottle daily gets water right to the roots. Cunning eh.

Rich pickins

We have missed two days at the allotment, due to commitments of a sporting nature, and everything was gasping for water. We also had forgotten about the little smattering of rain on Tuesday night which had made the weeds grow like mad. It was also time to do some thinning of the beetroot and this gave us quite a nice bunch. The beets will be pickled and should fill at least one jar, and the leaves will be boiled as a vegetable accompaniment tomorrow evening.



Plot 53 has come up trumps for pudding, a nice little gooseberry and raspberry crumble I think. A bit more gooseberry than raspberry I must admit but that might be because we couldn't resist doing a taste test on the raspberries.

How could I have missed it

I was stunned today when I was scrabbling around on the floor of the small greenhouse, there staring me in the face was an 8 inch cucumber. It was so well hidden by the big leaves that I had not noticed it before being too interested in the flowers and small ones at the top.

What a difference a week makes

I couldn't believe how much everything had grown in just a week.

Remember those little tomato plants that went into the greenhouse. More like triffids now. Loads of flowers and quite a few tomatoes have set. I sowed some seeds of basil and corriander which I planted around the base of the tomatoes and they are not totally overgrown.

The cabbages and sprouts in their tent are hugh. We have made a start on building the brassica cage. It will cover all four beds at the top of 51, will be 6 ft high at the front and 5ft at the back. This does pose a bit of a proble, as we might have to make a few holes in the roof for the walking stick cabbages to poke through.

The pidgeons have not found their way into the tent yet but they will soon so we can't delay any longer.

I keep forgetting to tell you about the red hot pokers. At the front on 51 there are a few flowers amongst the comfry plants. We have started clearing the comfrey to make space for a cottage garden to set of our entrance nicely (I will try to remember to take some photographs of one of the plots which is half veg and half flowers, it is magnificent). The greatest feature at the moment is a hugh clump of red hot pokers. Unfortunately they are starting to go over a bit but still look magnificent.

The gooseberries on 53 were showing signs of blight but it seems that only one branch is infected so these have been removed and there is a promising crop. This time next week they should be ready for harvesting so get your bids in early.

I must end today on a different note and a sign of how quickly nature takes over. At the other side of the grass area in front of the composting head there is a plot owned by a chap who was taken ill at the end of last year. He has worked a small amount but the other end, where he has fruit trees has been taken over by self seeded poppies. It looks wonderful and just shows what the wind and birds can do.

We've got your number

Great excitement, we have new numbers for all the plots. They really will stand out as well as they are bright yellow (for the benefit of those of you reading in black and white). Ted proudly presented them to us yesterday. Some people have got theirs up already but the decision of where to site them cannot be taken lightly.

The manure

When we had the manure delivered, I didn't ask much about its origin but we have now found a clue as to where it came from. Along with the various sticks and logs we have found a horse shoe.

The pile is going down fast and to quote Alan Titchmarsh 'it smells as sweet as a summer's day'.

I was set a challenge

We had a lovely day out today at the Garden Show 2006 at Stansted House. This was to celebrate Nick's mum's 80th birthday. It was scorching hot and we got there at about 1.30 to a full car park but only a short queue to get in. It was fantastic, there were stalls selling plants, all sorts of gardening accessories, arts, crafts, food and the usual tea tent. To celebrate the event I had to publish this lovely photograph of mother and son.


Anyway, back to that challenge. Last night we were discussing the virtues of Pennyroyal as a plant that keeps away ants. Not one that I knew much about and certainly don't own an example to be able to give it a try. Outside the food tasting tent (where we all had a frozen yoghurt) was a stall selling herbs. In fact there were herbs that I hadn't even heard of. Would you believe it but there, in between the mints and the garlic, was Pennyroyal. I couldn't resist, so here is my purchase from the day. In the back row, from the left we have Pennyroyal, oregano and bronze fennel. In the front row chocolate mint (it smells just like an after eight) and a lemon geranium. So I did meet the challenge by acquiring one within 24 hours.

The Pennyroyal will easily split into three plants so I will distribute among my readers and we will conduct trials as to its powers as an ant deterrent. Surprisingly, it smells quite strongly or peppermint, so if it doesn't work maybe a packet of extra strong mints placed strategically around the patio will be the next trial.

When men get to a certain age

Nick believes that when men get to a certain age they join the local bowls club, get an allotment and start wearing beige.

Well he is convinced that he is not at that stage yet - he goes bowling, grows vegetables organically on a large scale and wears khaki and taupe. What do you think!!!!!

Preparing for judging

The pressure of getting ready for the judges at the end of the month is getting to us. We have been given a list of marking criteria which should help a little but it is still worrying that we may not be ready in time.

Click on the image for a full list to see what we are up against.

Phew what a scorcher

Apologies for the lack of report again. The weekend was work, work, work. I didn't realise how hot it got in the greenhouse. Here is proof. You can also see what a wonderful view it is across the allotment. We have made a start on laying the paths between the beds and a hugh amount of bark chippings are being moved. As well as the paths, we are covering the black plastic sheet around the fruit and I have planted six courgette plants which should give enough courgettes to feed the whole of the northern hemisphere let alone Old Basing, Lychpit and Hartley Wintney.

The walking stick cabbages looked a sorry site but a good soaking and they soon recovered. They are ready to go in the ground and the rate at which they are growing, they are going to need good staking. Shame we didn't grow them last year to give stakes for this year.



We do have a crop other than raddish (which are huge by the way) we now have baby turnips, which are the thinnings from the rows. They are very tasty and ready to be casserolled. We also have loads of salad leaf and will soon have gooseberries as long as the pigeons don't get there first. The tomatoes are setting and there are quite a few tiny ones already.