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Most commercial spuds are sprayed once a week. No wonder farmers say avoid the 3 Ps, pigs, potatoes and poultry. I guess the Cornish growers have to take advantage of the earlier season.

If you live in one of the wetter parts of the country blight is more likely to be a problem. Potato growers look out for a 'Smith period', 2 consecutive days where temps are above 10 Deg C and humidity at 90% or higher for at least 11 hours. If this is forecast they spray with fungicide. There...

Commercial composting is a hot method that will kill pathogens such as these. You might want to wash the bin out well afterwards though

Aesculus indica I think, Buckeye or Smooth horse chestnut

Thank you for the practical suggestions, in this instance the bike is my wife's. It is only ever likely to be used in dry weather to potter a few miles on local lanes. The aim was to make it safe for that which I have started to do. As it's a 1980s three speed it's more about the aesthetic than...

Looking at the stem lesions and fruit spotting I would think it is early blight.

That's useful to know, explains why it took me ages to get them centred. I'm sure I've got an old punch somewhere I can adapt. Presumably you have to make the adjustment close to the loop of the spring otherwise the spring would absorb the shock rather than bend?

Thank you, Cotswold cycles have been very helpful on advice in the past, but as you say this wouldn't usually be their thing. I'd forgotten about the CfC shop, I could drop off a couple of my daughter's outgrown bikes at the same time.

From one novice to another, take the cutter out and hold a spirit level against both sides of the fence, as if you were routing it. Do both sides lie tight against the level? I have a feeling they might not be in line with each other. HTH Tris

I managed to strip down the callipers yesterday and found that two washers were a soft aluminium alloy that had worn through. This meant the arms were able to slide about, giving the movement I had found before. Quick clean and reassemble with new washers. Now they grip with minimal movement but...

Thank you for all the replies and advice, I should have typed calliper not fork which some of you have rightly queried. I will try to get a couple of photos later. The rims are indeed steel, and quite polished. The first thing I did was to put new brake blocks on, rubber not leather, and clean...

As I know there are many keen cyclists here I hope someone can provide some ideas. Some time ago my wife bought a 1980s Raleigh ladies town bike. I'm giving it a bit of an overhaul but have hit a problem with what we laughingly call the brakes. The original callipers are flimsy pressed steel...

Whose kneecaps to bite?

Pet tags? Seem to remember oval ones but may be too big or thin

In my (albeit limited) experience box seems to have a slow spiral to the grain. If you don't have to split it I think I'd just seal it for now

Hello John, like you I was tempted to use a vice screw and a solid timber frame but in the end didn't get round to it. Now I just use a Sizzix Bigshot die cutting machine, they do A5 and A4 versions. There are some interesting designs using a bottle jack from underneath and a frame of 4x2 with...

If it's E. Gunnii it's not worth bothering with. I was given some for turning and it's horrible to work with, tear out, splits and a boring grain. I seem to remember it wasn't even good firewood.

That's a good point about fencing, I planted a hornbeam hedge at a corner plot house last winter and had to put up 3 stands of wire through it to stop the local kids running and cycling through it. Ashridge are good, tend to sell out of the popular stuff quite quickly. Have used Buckingham...

Privet is quick to establish and easy to trim. Lonicera nitida is good for hedges up to 3 feet or so but goes floppy if much taller. Lonicera pileata will grow taller. Ilex crenata is a good alternative to box but expensive and slow growing, better suited to a knot garden. Holly is a good hedge...

To add to what Hairy mentioned, I can highly recommend Henchman mobile platforms as they are designed for hedge cutting with large wheels for uneven ground and long stabiliser legs. Not cheap but really make the job quicker and safer.