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Post by roofgardener on Mar 6, 2016 16:46:44 GMT
Well, perhaps SueA.. perhaps. At least its lighter in the evenings now (and the mornings for that matter) , which is a VERY welcome development. Meanwhile... back in the Polytunnel.... As ever, the pictures are posted onto the RoofNet, so you can click for a bigger version.
Weekend Roundup
Once more, there wasn't a HUGE amount done between Monday-Friday, just the odd desultary sorting-out of some seed trays and stuff. But it was a VERY productive weekend. Quite a bit of progress was made with the Onions, but you can read all about that in the Onion Diary.  |
The highlight was Sunday afternoon, when Miss M popped around for tea and cakes ! So there was much brushing, sweeping, and general tidying up of the Polytunnel, and I put out my best Sunday Plantpots on display !
I even washed the cups !
I garnered some more useful advice. Also some news; it appears that a (possibly) new type of parasite/fly is attacking Runner Beans throughout the Midlands (it seems to have started in Nottingham). This was reported in the Nottingham Evening Post, but the person reporting it subsequently went onto Gardeners Question Time, and the panel was utterly baffled.
The symptoms are that the beans germinate, begin to grow a BIT, but then just stop growing before they have even twined around the cane. Apparantly the bug attacks the roots. Thus far, the only "solution" is to pull up the effected plant and dispose of it before the parasite spreads to adjacent plants.
|  | After a lot of faffing around in preperation, I finally got around to actually PLANTING stuff. The little label sticks are working well.
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Only SLIGHT problem is that I'm running out of gravel trays, plantpots, compost... AND SPACE.
The "germination rack" is almost full, and I've got LOTS more stuff to plant !
I reckon that within 2 weeks, perhaps just 1, the germination trays will have overflowed to fill my "working space", at which point... I'll have to stop !
Mind you, by the end of March, I would be hoping to start planting out my Onions, so in theory that SHOULD free up tons of space ! Which will be good, 'cos these newly planted seeds are (hopefully) going to start growing, and THEN where do I put them ? 
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Post by dianthus on Mar 6, 2016 19:01:53 GMT
Set up some of your bakers trays outside, create a tent effect with fleece or mesh webbing, then you can harden off the onions and, once you have planted those, move your transplanted seedlings, when they have grown large enough to start to harden off.. If it's fleece, you can often spray over it, but it's probably better to lift the frame off or open from one side to water up. Keeping everything on the baker trays will let the air circulate and nothing should drown if we get rainfall. 
My sister uses clothes pegs to secure the fleece around thinner canes, so easy to open up and then shut away each evening if air frosts are likely. |
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 6, 2016 20:17:55 GMT
Hmmm.... fleece ? Would Bubblewrap work dianthus ? That would even shelter them from the rain ? |
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Post by dianthus on Mar 6, 2016 20:37:46 GMT
You want it to breathe and get acclimatised to outside. It used to be all cold frames, with the lids opened during the daytime, but they would still breathe ok. The bubblewrap will hold the damp.
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Post by grindle on Mar 7, 2016 5:04:19 GMT
the trouble with polytunnels and greenhouses is that no matter how big they are, you will always find that you need more space  this is my third extension, my only way now is to knock the shed down to make it bigger  |
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 7, 2016 11:11:35 GMT
Weeeell... the crisis point won't be reached for another week, possibly two dianthus and grindle. Andy by THEN, I really should be planting out many of the onions into my Parents garden, and my Sisters garden. As an experiment, I've put a platter of Ailsa Craigs outdoors. They will get some sun, and SOME shelter from the wind. Lets see how they get on ? I'm intrigued by dianthus's idea of the Fleece Tents based around the baking trays. I feel a spot of DIY coming on ! |
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Post by peony on Mar 7, 2016 16:03:14 GMT
Set up some of your bakers trays outside, create a tent effect with fleece or mesh webbing, then you can harden off the onions and, once you have planted those, move your transplanted seedlings, when they have grown large enough to start to harden off.. If it's fleece, you can often spray over it, but it's probably better to lift the frame off or open from one side to water up. Keeping everything on the baker trays will let the air circulate and nothing should drown if we get rainfall.
My sister uses clothes pegs to secure the fleece around thinner canes, so easy to open up and then shut away each evening if air frosts are likely. I use the clothes pegs, fleece and canes to make 'wigwams' over tender plants in the garden, works well |
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Post by Moonlight on Mar 7, 2016 16:35:27 GMT
I like the baking tray wigwam idea.
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 7, 2016 19:00:10 GMT
So di I, Moonlight. However, it has inspired me to a new idea ! I'm not actually that GOOD at DIY, and I don't have THAT many canes. If I tried to make a wigwam, it would be lop-sided and wonky. And it would probably fall over. Or catch fire. Or fill up with water. Or get hit by an iceberg, explode, fall over, and THEN fill up with water. But what I DO have is..... Ah... but you'll have to wait for the weekend for me to tell you. (I'm going to BUILD it first) |
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Post by dianthus on Mar 7, 2016 21:32:03 GMT
Right.... who's sending out the invites, making the popcorn and the coffee
Six days is a long time to be curious, you know! |
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Post by ladybird on Mar 8, 2016 8:34:46 GMT
So di I, Moonlight. However, it has inspired me to a new idea ! I'm not actually that GOOD at DIY, and I don't have THAT many canes. If I tried to make a wigwam, it would be lop-sided and wonky. And it would probably fall over. Or catch fire. Or fill up with water. Or get hit by an iceberg, explode, fall over, and THEN fill up with water. But what I DO have is..... Ah... but you'll have to wait for the weekend for me to tell you. (I'm going to BUILD it first) I look forward to that roofy I do love a bit of creative diy. I have a wee book where I "brain storm " it produces lots of unusual and more importantly cheap or free ideas. at the moment I`m trying to brainstorm something for my tomatoes , started with an expensive new greenhouse idea now I`m thinking how to suspend plastic/ bubble wrap from the walls. i do hope you have a good idea i can pinch . Just wondering how did you stick your lolly sticks to your labels ? I`m going to use cuat down plastic strips from venetion blinds . I`m also going to use real pictures from the t&M site () I emailed them asking their permission to do so for personal use and they said it`s ok ) |
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Post by roofgardener on Mar 9, 2016 16:13:38 GMT
What are the "walls" made of, ladybird ? Oh... as for the lollypop sticks; I used very strong Duct tape, wrapped over on itself to make it double-sided, to stick the labels to the sticks. |
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Post by dianthus on Mar 9, 2016 20:23:06 GMT
Use 'red' tape, Roofy. It's a double sided tape, once you stick it to one surface, peel off the red backing and reveal the second sticky side. Available in 3,6,9,10,12, 15, 20 and 25mm widths. 
Will save you getting all knotted up in tape, or getting it stuck in the owls' beaks |
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Post by ladybird on Mar 9, 2016 23:53:04 GMT
What are the "walls" made of, ladybird ? Oh... as for the lollypop sticks; I used very strong Duct tape, wrapped over on itself to make it double-sided, to stick the labels to the sticks. The "walls " are the gabion ones all across the back of my garden , it has a fence on top which belong to the gardens of the estate behind us. i recon they are about 4-5 foot high in places I`m thinking they would hold the heat and I could have loads of tomato , blight resistant of course along a fair bit of this 40 foot wall. That would eliminate the need for another greenhouse . i just have to think of a way to suspend some pvc out and down . |
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Post by ladybird on Mar 9, 2016 23:56:23 GMT
Use 'red' tape, Roofy. It's a double sided tape, once you stick it to one surface, peel off the red backing and reveal the second sticky side. Available in 3,6,9,10,12, 15, 20 and 25mm widths.
Will save you getting all knotted up in tape, or getting it stuck in the owls' beaks Excelent idea dianthus . I got some very thin double sided tape in a £1 shop a while ago for another project . |
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this is my third extension, my only way now is to knock the shed down to make it bigger 
