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Post by SueA on Apr 17, 2015 20:08:35 GMT
I think you might have found the problem roofy with your water butt if that's what you've been watering your seedlings with. The seedlings will be 'damping off' because of the algae & mould in your butt with the lid being off. I always use just tap water on seedlings to be on the safe side until they're big enough to look after themselves but if you have a well sealed butt you can sometimes get away with using that. Our tap water is pretty good around here not like the stuff that makes kettles go fluffy further south!  |
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 19, 2015 17:44:22 GMT
Roofy, how often are you watering? Also, how wet is the compost? I water the seedlings almost every day... certainly every second day... but ONLY if the soil lookes dry. If it looks dark and damp, I leave it. Are you thinking that I might be over-watering ? I must admit that I WAS worried about that (since day one), so I've tried to be cautious, but I don't really know what I'm doing. Oh well... moving on a bit.....
Cheerful News.
I was feeling a bit depressed at the end of last week, what with all the plants dying, so I thought I'd cheer myself up with a little Gardening Retail Therapy, and I hie'd my way down to the Church of Wilkinsons.  | "Cheerful Thyngs"
- Three large-ish plantpots, which might work well for my peas
- Three smaller ones, which should be good for Pak-Choi ?
- Saucers for all of them.
- Three sets of gravel tray/seed tray/plastic roofs. I'll be planting replacement Marigolds and Begonias, amongst other things.
- Last, but not least, three pairs of lightweight gardening gloves.
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Container Retrospective. I am particularly pleased with myself this year for the idea of container boxes used as "large plantpots" ... or small growing beds. The inspiration came from Bess in this post earlier in the Blog. I've now got three in use at the moment, with three more available should I work out what to do with them. Here's a shot of two of them.... you can click on the pictures to open a full-size version.  On the left are carrots, and on the right spring onions. (off-camera is a box of leeks). The seeds in all three have germinated, and appear to be growing strongly.  So.... raise your glasses... and give three cheers for Bess 's inspiration ! Other Gardening News A second courgette has emerged, along with a host of Broccoli ! Still no signs of life from the runner beans, herbs, or - most critically - the Capsicums. One REALLY cheering discovery was that my Strawberry plants (or at least... one of them) has produced flowers ! Little white things. As part of my "cheer myself up" trip, I also bought some seeds. Iceberg lettuce (never tried this before) Chives (I've already got ONE pot, but I wanted to grow some more for my sisters garden. Plus, you can never have TOO many chives ! ) Radishes Marigolds and Dhalias, to replace the ones that died. I havn't actually planted them yet; I spent my time yesterday with more soil reclamation (now almost complete), and preparing the six new plantpots to receive the Peas and Pak Choi (e.g. filling them with soil). I also took some time to re-organise the greenhouse to make space for the extra trays, as well as cleaning out all of my watering cans (which had been filled with - possibly contaminated ? - water from the butt.) So it is all ready to go; I'll probably get down to it tomorrow (Monday) evening ! |
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Post by Moonlight on Apr 19, 2015 19:42:00 GMT
Very good post. Respect.
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 23, 2015 12:59:08 GMT
Thank you, Moonlight.
Well, a somewhat slow week in the Roofgarden. Slow but steady.
I realised that the amount of watering required has increased, so it's time for a second water wheely-but. I've chased a hosepipe around the edges of the garden (so it is mostly out of site), running from the current but site, to the proposed new but site.
I should explain that I already have a pipe running from my door to Wheely-but #1. At the door end, there is a trailing cable that can be dragged into my kitchen, and clipped to the tap. Viola ! I can fill my water but up via the hosepipe, without even walking much from my Comfy Chair. When But #2 needs filling, I just swap the hose connection at but#1, and the water is now diverted to but#2.
I shall take some photographs !
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Post by dianthus on Apr 23, 2015 18:15:22 GMT
Are your water butts happy being short-changed on their 'T's..... good thing they only drink water
Looks like the roof is a hive of activity..... I haven't even thought of starting my runner beans yet. |
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Post by daitheplant on Apr 23, 2015 18:35:03 GMT
Sowed my runner beans last Monday.
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Post by dianthus on Apr 23, 2015 18:45:08 GMT
Sowed my runner beans last Monday. We are forecast to get snow here next week, so will wait a few days. I don't usually plant them out till the end of May
What varieties are you growing Dai?
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Post by daitheplant on Apr 23, 2015 18:56:26 GMT
Enorma. They are a superb, stringless variety.
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 23, 2015 20:06:55 GMT
I'm not sure what variety mine are. Wilkinsons, I think ?
I AM worried that I've started them to early, but now that they've sprouted, what is a chap to do ?
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Post by dianthus on Apr 23, 2015 20:32:16 GMT
I'm not sure what variety mine are. Wilkinsons, I think ? I AM worried that I've started them to early, but now that they've sprouted, what is a chap to do ? Are they in 3" pots, roofy?
Don't let them get to hot or they may get 'leggy', then wont stay strong when they are full of leaf and growing beans. Transplant them just as they are showing their second pair of true leaves.
Runner beans prefer to climb up something they can grip to. They do like bailer twine and they prefer to twist anti-clockwise. You'll need to check them everyday, to make sure they are climbing ok.
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 23, 2015 21:14:08 GMT
They're just vertical green sticks at the moment, Dianthus.
My dilema is.. the greenhouse is too hot, but outdoors may be a bit cold at night.
Perhaps I'll just have to take them out in the mornings, and return them at night, whillst the warm spell lasts ?
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Post by dianthus on Apr 23, 2015 21:28:55 GMT
They're just vertical green sticks at the moment, Dianthus. My dilema is.. the greenhouse is too hot, but outdoors may be a bit cold at night. Perhaps I'll just have to take them out in the mornings, and return them at night, whillst the warm spell lasts ? Good plan for their night time location. |
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Post by daitheplant on Apr 24, 2015 19:26:58 GMT
They're just vertical green sticks at the moment, Dianthus. My dilema is.. the greenhouse is too hot, but outdoors may be a bit cold at night. Perhaps I'll just have to take them out in the mornings, and return them at night, whillst the warm spell lasts ? Well done Roofy. You have taught yourself how to harden things off.  |
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 27, 2015 8:19:18 GMT
Hmmm.... Phaseolus coccineus Perambulatis. I'll just have to hope I don't forget each evening/morning. OK.. onto jollier things. Whill'st a small thing in the Grand Cosmic Scale, this little thing pleased me greatly.  | I discovered it whilst tidying up at work. Originally, it was a biscuit selection from Morrisons - a Christmas present. The biscuits didn't last much beyond January, but the tin remained forgotten and forlorn in a corner.
(click to see a larger version).
It is a painted steel box, perhaps 12" tall with a hinged lid, 8" wide, and 3" deep. It is made up to imitate the sort of 1950's "retro" tin boxes of the time, with thick paint and a contoured surface. For example, the windows actually bulge outward, as does the bicycle, and a few other features.
It is PERFECT for putting seed packets in ! I was well chuffed with it.
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I also - during the same tidy-up - found a smaller steel box with a hinged lid, labelled "SEEDS". I have NO idea how that got where it is. Seeing as it is labelled seeds, I have decided to use it for storing..... Plant labelling sticks. Well... it is the perfect height for it. / MMMMMMMarvelous ! |
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 30, 2015 15:53:44 GMT
A bit of an update..... I had a superb weekend on the 24th-26th, so much so that by the time I'd taken the photographs of it, and developed them, and shrunk them down a bit, and uploaded them, it was suddenly Thursday. Good heavens ! Well.. where to start ? Ah right..... SLUGS I was halfway through planting some seeds, and left a seed tray all soiled-up and ready overnight. The next morning... I couldn't believe it ... there was a slug/snail trail running diagonally the full length/width of the seed tray !!!
Needless to say, I hied me to the local Wilkinsons for some slug pellets, and have been vigourously sprinkling them all over everything. |  |
Polytunnels with Lasers in their Foreheads I've got a theory. I think the curve of my polytunnel is acting a bit like a lens, and focussing sunshine onto my germinating trays like a little laser. The 'hotspot' would move across the trays as the sun moves across the sky. Perhaps this has been responsible for some of my die-back. Soooo.... to test this, I've hung a bunch of sheets inside the polytunnel. The great thing about the PT is that it has a tent-like skeleton, so there are lots of structural poles to hang things from. Sadly, I only had a couple of single fitted sheets to use... which didn't even get CLOSE to covering the whole greenhouse roof. And they keep falling down. Still... it's a start.. and I think it gives the PT a rather raffish tent-like feel. (click on the picture to enlarge it)  Well, I have more news, but I've run out of time at work ... so I'll have to continue this back at the RoofGarden. |
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