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Post by roofgardener on Nov 3, 2015 9:09:06 GMT
I have decided to put this in the hands of the Police. I have called in the Special Branch  |
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Post by dianthus on Nov 3, 2015 20:21:17 GMT
Undercover operatives now hiding in the empty spud barrels
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Post by daitheplant on Nov 3, 2015 20:42:27 GMT
Leaf it out you two.  |
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 7, 2015 17:57:14 GMT
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 7, 2015 18:13:18 GMT
Capsicum Connundrum !
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I swear they do this on purpose !
My three capsicum plants had finally finished producing peppers. And just in time... I needed the space in my Polytunnel for other things.
So I duly dumped them outside, meaning to throw them away at some point and reclaim the pots + soil.
The wretched things are THRIVING !! They are producing new leaves... and new flower-heads.
I've had to stick them in the small greenhouse. Is it POSSIBLE for these things to survive the winter, and resume growing in the spring ?
I'm beginning to suspect that they can't understand spreadsheets and schedules. Heck... I'm beginning to suspect they can't even READ !
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 7, 2015 18:20:25 GMT
Embobblement News
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My extra bubblewrap duly arrived this week, allowing me to complete the Embobblement of the Polytunnel.
It's a LITTLE bit heath-robinson, but I'm well pleased with it.
I've zero'd my power monitor, turned the heater on, and intend to leave it running overnight with a target temperature of 15 degrees centigrade. Lets see how much money the newly-insulated BobbleTunnel uses up ! Granted, its a mild night.. but.. well, we will see.
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The bubblewrap was sagging, so I utilised some thin canes to provide additional support. This is handly, as it means I don't have to worry about storing the canes !
I also think it adds a little to the "Glamping" motif !
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Post by dianthus on Nov 7, 2015 21:57:53 GMT
You've got that really cosy now, Roofy! |
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Post by SueA on Nov 7, 2015 22:26:07 GMT
Very impressed with the 'Flower Shower' Roofy! Very handy that it will collect rainwater as well.  Your capsicum plants can survive winter as long as you keep them warm & in the light, in a mild winter I've kept one alive in a mini greenhouse but they're best on a kitchen windowsill, some of the leaves tend to drop off but the plants do perk up again in the spring. |
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 9, 2015 13:07:25 GMT
Well, a quick update. No photographs I'm afraid.
Firstly, the cost of heating the Bobbletunnel is STILL prohibitive, despite the insulation. Keeping the Tunnel at 15 degrees for 24 hours cost £1.20, even on a mild night/day. Still, it may WELL be feasible to run it for a few short 'pulses' overnight to keep the frost at bay if it gets REALLY cold.
It was a busy weekend. I did a lot of general tidying-up of the RoofGarden, which HAD become seriously neglected over the last two months, with lots of dead plants in tubs all over the place. It was looking like a horticultural version of Steptoe and Son's scrapyard.
After MUCH effort, it now just looks untidy !
One major event; I planted out about 20 germinated onion plantlings in troughs... lets see how they get on ?
I've also started my soil reclamation in earnest, with lots of troughs and plantpots huddled in the various greenhouses to try and dry out a little bit, at which point I tip the soil out into a large container, mix it with a bit of fresh compost, and then refill the troughs ready for the next batch of germinated onions.
Well... I say onions... I also tidied up my Strawberry troughs. They had thrown out LOTS of colonising stalks, and I re-planted half a dozen of those (two troughs worth). So far, I think I'm growing more strawberries than I am Onions !
I've GOT to get into the habit of spending a little bit of time every evening in the Polytunnel, otherwise I'm NEVER going to be ready for Spring. 'Problem is....I'm still in my old habits of "Winter=No Gardening"; I've got to break out of that, and take advantage of my lovely warm BobbleTunnel. (complete with lighting, in-greenhouse entertainment system (radio), and hot-and-cold running condensation !)
The pink flooring blocks are proving a GREAT success. The 'Tunnel still floods; not because of leaks, but because pooling groundwater on the roofgarden seeps under the sides and floods the floor. But that's OK, 'cos I'm not walking ON the floor... I'm about 5mm above it, on the flooring tiles. Result: dry feet.
Condensation is still a BIT of a problem... "sort of". It's manifesting in a different way though. Rather than dripping on my head, it instead starts to pool into little lakes inbetween the Bubblewrap insulation, and the tunnel 'skin'. I absent-mindedly poked one of these "lakes" with a stick, and the water immediately ran along the bubblewrap sheet to a seam where two sheets overlapped, at which point it poured down onto the floor.
But don't worry... the floor didn't get wet, on the grounds that my head got in the way and sheltered it ! A close escape !
I think my NEXT major problem is the tomato plants. Granted they are producing 'late' tomatoes very successfully, but they take up a LOT of space, which I could REALLY use for the onions. Hmmm......
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Post by dianthus on Nov 9, 2015 20:53:59 GMT
Oops...... polytunnel shower with cold water, is not great, is it?  |
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Post by SueA on Nov 9, 2015 21:13:21 GMT
If your tomatoes are a decent size Roofy I'd pick them & take them inside to ripen & get rid of the plants out of the bubbledome/poly/bobble tunnel as there probably isn't enough light for them to ripen naturally outside now.
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 10, 2015 9:25:19 GMT
Oops...... polytunnel shower with cold water, is not great, is it? It certainly wakes you up, dianthus. Especially when it runs down the back of your neck ! In regards the tomatoes: I was thinking that very thing, SueA. I've already started doing this with my two 'outdoor' tomato plants. They are turning red, but some are then rotting on the vine, so I'm bringing them in and putting them on the windowsill as soon as they DO turn orange. In regards the Bobbletunnel tomatoes... I wonder.. if it is light that triggers the ripening process, then it might be an interesting experiment to buy one of the cheapo LED "grow lights" sooner rather than later, and see if that ripens them. If nothing else, the grow-lights are a sort of purplish colour, which may make the tomatoes LOOK as though they've turned red ?  |
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 10, 2015 13:48:25 GMT
Well.... I've ordered the cheap growlight ! It should be here in time for the weekend !  Lets see what happens ! |
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Post by SueA on Nov 10, 2015 19:42:24 GMT
Are you opening up a disco in the bobbletunnel Roofy? |
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Post by roofgardener on Nov 10, 2015 20:41:16 GMT
It IS a tad garish, isn't it SueA ? Hmmm... disco theme ? What shall we go for ? Bubblewrap Inferno, by the Trammps ? I feel Onions, by Donna Summer ? Mind you... considering the disaster in my Onion propagator, perhaps it should be... "I will (probably not) survive" by Gloria Gaynor ? |
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Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Sept 6, 2018 17:58:08 GMT
Aug 10, 2019 9:01:47 GMT