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Post by SueA on Apr 30, 2015 18:36:39 GMT
Loving the Berber tent/glamping effect roofy!  Lots of people paint shading on greenhouses in summer to stop their plants getting scorched so your sheets should act in the same way - just hope you're not sleeping on a bare mattress now! |
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Post by daitheplant on Apr 30, 2015 18:54:59 GMT
Sue, he`s just doing his flipping laundry, is all.  |
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Post by dianthus on Apr 30, 2015 21:03:13 GMT
Roofie.... you can get green bubble wrap, which you could place where you have put your sheets. I used to use it across the roof of my greenhouse in York, which got all day sun, and I had erratic work hours.
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Post by roofgardener on May 5, 2015 8:31:13 GMT
Hmmm... green bubble wrap... not a bad idea Dianthus; thanks for that. Still, I've found a large NON-fitted king size sheet over the weekend, and fitted that. Along with the existing fitted sheet, and the judicious application of string, it all seems stable now. And I still have the option to "roll it up" in-situ on duller days. Pricking News Apparently, my Petunia Pricking was a pigs ear. I had merely transferred clumps in seed cells into clumps in a trough. Well I didn't know, did I ? I assumed that they would sort of... spread out ? Or perhaps just grow in a clump ? After all, we buy cut flowers in bunches don't we ? I just assumed they GREW that way. Soooo... I spent a happy couple of hours trying to separate out my clumps, without killing TOO many seedlings. I managed to sort out 2 clumps, but much of that time was sorting out methodology. Funnily enough, I was thinking of throwing away all my old 2.5" round pots, and I'm now glad I didn't, as it is these that I am decanting the individual declumped seedlings (new word: declumplings ? ) into. Sooo.... I've got three troughs of Petunias to declump, followed by a tray of pansies, plus a tray of dhalias ... plus some Marigolds. PLUS.. I've got to make time to pot my Broccli seedlings on. For that matter, the tomato's and Capsicums aren't far behind. And the runner beans aren't going to stay that size forever. And the radishes are coming along RAPIDLY, along with the iceberg lettuce and the generic 'mixed salad leaves'. And... and.. and... It's just a Rollercoaster here on the Roofgarden. Oh well... one clump at a time. |
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Post by roofgardener on May 5, 2015 15:16:01 GMT
Allotment News Well, I don't actually HAVE an allotment. However, on Bank Holiday Sunday we had a family trip out to a local attraction. A victorian allotment. Actually, a whole HEAP of victorian allotments. 75 acres of them, to be precise, all interconnected with a maze of tiny alleyways, and the occasional "main road" (so big, that up to TWO horses can ride side-by-side, complete with servants !) Well, we'll be going back in a couple of weeks, and THIS time I'll take my camera. What I wanted to mention was a discussion I had with a couple of beekeepers. They had a diddy little 'visitors stall' to show off their honey, and explain the art of beekeeping. Halfway through, a portly chap came clumping down Main Avenue in a state of excitement, shouting about "t'swarm... t'swarmin in me plot", or some other gibberish. The beekeepers immediately leapt to their feet, grabbed a selection of tools and clothes, and where led by the excited chap back up the avenue. They stopped, and peered intently at a hedge. Well, we all dashed up the avenue to see what was going on. They weren't starting at a hedge; they where staring through a recessed wall and into the excited chaps "plot" (e.g. allotment). As I drew level with them, I became aware of a deep, powerful, and somewhat awesome "THRUMA THRUMA THRUMA THRUMA" noise. After a few minutes of determined elbowing, I got into the allotment, and there is was. An actual bee-swarm that had just left its hive, and was seeking a place to create a new one. A beekeeper had already found an unwanted wickerds basket, and turned it upside down, and brought it down over the queen, 'trapping' her inside. Actually, she wasn't trapped at all, and this dark, tall space was quite to her taste. The other bees could get in via various holes and gaps in the whicker, or through the gaps where the base didn't quite touch the ground. Already, the throng of hundreds of bees was thinning, as more and more bees entered the basket and settled down. The beekeepers where sitting in the middle of this, COMPLETELY unfazed as the swarm orbitted around them. It was a humbling experience, and i feel privlidged to have witnessed it. |
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Post by grindle on May 5, 2015 15:24:16 GMT
wow ! that was something to see, those beekeepers are a clever lot. The allotments sound fascinating too, look forward to seeing some pictures if you manage to take any
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Post by roofgardener on May 5, 2015 15:45:12 GMT
Funnily enough, as we where walking back through the visitors compound (this is about 1 hour later), the three beekeepers where frantically hammering away with little hammers making wooden picture frames out of lengths of wood, and slotting pre-bought plastic "honeycombe" sheets in. One was fabricating the wooden box that the frames slot into. I reckon they would have finished in another 30 minutes.
If you think anglers can be a bit... well.. odd, you should try bee-keepers. They are virtually mystical !
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Post by Cherry on May 6, 2015 20:42:03 GMT
My neighbour is looking for a swarm as the bees ready to go cost about £120. However, we live in sunny Norfolk which may be a long way from you. I like the description of the 'picture frames' being made. When bees are swarming, they are not dangerous and protective clothing is not necessary, but don't shake the box or wear after-shave. They are deaf, but sensitive to smells.
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Post by dianthus on May 6, 2015 20:45:34 GMT
My neighbour is looking for a swarm as the bees ready to go cost about £120. However, we live in sunny Norfolk which may be a long way from you. I like the description of the 'picture frames' being made. That's a lot of money for a brood of bees, isn't it? |
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Post by Cherry on May 6, 2015 20:55:54 GMT
You were quick dianthus. I just added my meagre knowledge to the above post. I think that is a lot of money and she has not had to buy any before, because she inherited the bees and kit from her son who went to Australia to live. However, I think there is a bee man who will tell her of any swarms going spare |
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Post by dianthus on May 6, 2015 21:23:41 GMT
You were quick dianthus. I just added my meagre knowledge to the above post. I think that is a lot of money and she has not had to buy any before, because she inherited the bees and kit from her son who went to Australia to live. However, I think there is a bee man who will tell her of any swarms going spare The problems with 'Valroa' and heavier winter losses, means beekeepers are keeping more of their bees, and they only swarm when a queen gets old, rather than through overcrowding.
Apparently, bees make a higher pitched sound when they are about to swarm.
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Post by roofgardener on May 8, 2015 15:45:36 GMT
I killed a snail. Or rather.... the snail pellets killed a snail. I found it in one of the tomato seedling cells !  |
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Post by dianthus on May 8, 2015 17:23:17 GMT
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Post by daitheplant on May 8, 2015 19:32:09 GMT
I killed a snail. Or rather.... the snail pellets killed a snail. I found it in one of the tomato seedling cells ! The snail or the slug pellet?  |
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Post by roofgardener on May 12, 2015 15:36:48 GMT
The snail !
It looked like it picked the pellet up in the Marigolds, and its progress was decidedly erratic until it reached the tomato cell, at which point it collapsed.
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Lots of people paint shading on greenhouses in summer to stop their plants getting scorched so your sheets should act in the same way - just hope you're not sleeping on a bare mattress now! 
