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Post by roofgardener on Mar 24, 2016 20:58:12 GMT
Conversation at the Moscow branch of Blacks.....
Roofgardenerski: Greetings tovarich comrade sales assistantski; do you have boots for Owls ?
Sales Assistanski: For Owlski ?
Roofgardenerski: No, just for gardening !
cue "wah... wah... waaaaahhhhh" trombone effect .
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 11, 2016 10:36:31 GMT
Allium Adventures
Miss M came to visit last weekend. Over cakes and tea I mentioned how excited I was about the vigorous growth of my Ailsa Craig onions. So we wandered down the Annexe Area to the Onion Patch for me to proudly show her. And there they where... rank after rank of vigerously-growing "onions". Well... she just burst into giggles.
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I guess the Alliumatic Experts amongst you will see the problem straight away.
You see, these plant's 'wot I had been lovingly tending and nurturing for several months are NOT onions.
(well, not ALL of them, anyway).
Most of them are actually.... Grass !
Oh how I laughed !
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Still, it's not ALL doom and gloom. Some of my F1 Toughball's are FINALLY showing some signs of life....
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And I am PARTICULARLY pleased with THESE two trays (Toughballs on the left, and Bedfordshire Champions on the right), because THESE onions are now planted in my Parent's garden ! (along with another 50-odd in my Sisters garden). So all in all, things are moving along.
Just in time for the frosts forecast for this week. Grrrr.......
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NEXT year, I'm going to do things differently. Now, and update on the Garlic News, and it <beep beep beep... please insert another 10p to continue posting...beep beep beep> oh blast... fumbles with change .. hold on.. I'm sure I've got another 10p here som CLICK beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep |
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Post by Moonlight on Apr 11, 2016 13:24:23 GMT
And there they where... rank after rank of vigerously-growing "onions". Well... she just burst into giggles. NEXT year, I'm going to do things differently. Now, and update on the Garlic News, and it <beep beep beep... please insert another 10p to continue posting...beep beep beep> oh blast... fumbles with change .. hold on.. I'm sure I've got another 10p here som CLICK beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep  . Love your posts Roofy. I was going to 'like' your post but decided against it because you mentioned the dreded 'F' word. I hope that you are wrong.
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Post by dianthus on Apr 11, 2016 18:44:58 GMT
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Post by SueA on Apr 11, 2016 20:37:18 GMT
Oops Roofy!  Just when you were trying to impress Miss M with your horticultural successes!  It's very nice grass though! Your other onions all look good, I'd just get your parents/sister to put a bit of fleece or newspaper over the plants if frost is forecast. |
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Post by roofgardener on Apr 11, 2016 21:10:45 GMT
I've been very lucky dianthus. The garlic cloves that I planted where just off bulbs from a grocers; not even special varieties. But they seem to have sprung up very quickly, and are thriving. (photographs to follow.. perhaps on the weekend ? ) SueA - thanks for the suggestion. As it happens, the weather forecast has improved, and the frost seems to be receeding. Fingers crossed ! |
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Post by roofgardener on May 16, 2016 11:50:44 GMT
Allium Update
Onions appear to be like buses. Nothing happens for ages, then they all turn up at once ! The last two weeks - and particularly the May Bank Holiday - have been a busy time on the Roofgarden; so much so that I havn't even had time to take photographs ! I was ready to photograph 10 days ago, pointed my camera, and.... the battery ran out. I was so upset, I went to work ! It was a novel experience for all concerned. In a nutshell, my time has been spent "planting out" my onions from their little 2" and 4" seedling pots, and into their final resting places; these being a mixture of troughs, storage boxes, plant pots, baskets, drawers, hangin baskets, some old fridge shelf drawers, varous nooks and crannies, and a few leftovers in my bath. Well.. not quite...but it felt that way. There where only about 120 of them, but it seemed to take FOREVER. It was one of the longest and most tedious jobs I have EVER done on the Roofgarden, and I am VERY glad that its all over. Now I can relax, and just watch them grow. The pictures are posted onto the RoofNet so - as ever - you can click to see a larger version. 
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"Ailsa Alley" - my Ailsa Craig onions up against the Sunny Wall. Some of them are still thin and weedy, but many are thickening up and starting to LOOK like onions.
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The Allium Annexe: James Longkeeping and Vision onions on the right, and the garlics on the left.
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The Discarded Drawers !
My Random Neighbour threw these out... JUST as I was running out of containers for the next batch of onions. (the aforementioned James Longkeeping, and the Visions F1). It turned out to be a timely piece of "upcycling", and I was insufferably smug with the results.
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A close-up of the Garlics, which seem to be coming along nicely. The left-hand ones initially seemed to be suffering from some sort of disease; the outer leaves where twisting and yellowing. However, they seem to have recovered. Well... except for the four that never actually "hatched" out of the bulb. Still... it gave me some extra space to plant the last of the Vision F1's, which wouldn't all fit in the Discarded Drawers.
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And that is pretty much it ! Along with the four Storage Boxes (not shown here, but see the "Roofgardener Wets His Bed" post), I now have 120-odd onions slowly thickening on the Roofgarden, with another 40 at my Parents house, and perhaps 20-30 at my Sisters. I orginally intended to grow around 400; obviously I'm barely at HALF that target, but I'm happy anyway.  NOW all I need to do is wash and rinse 120 seedling pots ! But that's another story. |
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Post by dianthus on May 16, 2016 14:06:53 GMT
They look great, Roofy. Look how much you have developed as a gardener since last year.  |
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Post by SueA on May 16, 2016 21:01:48 GMT
Looking good Roofy & as dianthus says, you're an official 'Gardener' now, you'll never escape! |
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Post by roofgardener on Jun 22, 2016 15:58:37 GMT
Wow... over a month since I updated this diary. But then... not a HUGE amount has been happening. Well.... thats not true... the Onions have been GROWING, and I'm very pleased about it ! Here's a quick 3-minute video (set to music) of t'Onions. I hope you like it It also features the Owls... as you've never seen them before !!!! |
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Post by SueA on Jun 22, 2016 21:25:51 GMT
Love it Roofy & aren't the owls clever ( bet that took some doing!). |
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Post by dianthus on Jun 22, 2016 22:53:53 GMT
That was brill Roofy.
The roofgarden is looking so much more roofressional this year 
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Post by grindle on Jun 23, 2016 4:20:39 GMT
 better than anything I've seen on tv lately the owls definately took centre stage
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Post by roofgardener on Jul 25, 2016 11:55:41 GMT
July Update
The thing with onions is that they don't really DO anything, so there's not a huge amount to write about. It's not as though they throw wild parties and invite celebrities around, or have poetry recitals, or stage performances of Bach Concertos. So writing about them gets a bit.... well... repetitive ? "Day 287 ... the onions are getting fatter... " "Day 288 ... the onions are getting fatter..." "Day 289 ... the onions are getting fatter..." "Day 290 ... the onions throw a party, and Mick Jagger is ill all over the Courgettes... " "Day 291 ... the onions are getting fatter..." Having said that, the onions ARE getting fatter... even the late additions like the Vision F1's and James Longkeeping F1's in the white drawers. I'm actually very pleased with them ! The Shallots seem to be alive as well, though not bulbing up yet. (But then, I only sowed them two or three months ago). One development; I've harvested a few garlics. They are MINISCULE... but they ARE garlics. So I'm kinda happy. There are a few more still growing, so perhaps THEY will be a bit bigger ? I've hung them up in the Polytunnel to dry out. The Owls and the Insects certainly seem to like them ! The pictures are posted onto RoofNet, so you can click them to see a larger version.  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Two of my 'early' onions seem to have started rotting, so I've pulled them out.
Perhaps if I dry them out, they can still be used ? |
.. and for the most part, that's that. I'm guessing I'll be able to start pulling the more developed ones out in a couple-or-three weeks ? There will be a celebration when THAT happens ! |
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Post by daitheplant on Jul 25, 2016 18:28:14 GMT
Roofus, the ones that have gone over have done growing.
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Just when you were trying to impress Miss M with your horticultural successes! 
It's very nice grass though! 
better than anything I've seen on tv lately the owls definately took centre stage 
