brightspark
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a bit gangly are they getting enough light
- Thread starter Onoff
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Anything you do to help warm the ground up helps. I've made cloches by leaning bits of polycarbonate sheet against each other (the stuff they make conservatory roofs from) and from plastic sheet stretched over hoops of plastic water pipe in the past.
I've come to the conclusion that for me it's not worth the bother though. All the work gets things a couple of weeks ahead at most, and by mid June or July, things sowed a couple of weeks later once its warmed up a bit tend to have caught up with the earlier stuff.
I guess that it would be a bit different if your in an exposed or more northerly location though.
OJCar
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We've successfully used clear plastic bag ( was packaging around a mattress) over some offcuts of plastic pipe to make cloches from.
Also used rubble net over plastic pipe to keep the pigeons off the vegs.
Works for us but we are a lot further north than DanZac, we're still getting ground frosts at the moment.
I have a roll of plastic sheeting I could try.
They weren't. I have started hardening them off outside in the sun, it's been a bit cold here, but they are starting to look better. The tomatos anyway. I'm going to go buy some kale plants, lol.
premmington
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Parents house sold and nearly gone thru.
So today I dug up loads of Dad's chive plants/bulbs and devided them out and transplanted them.
Dad had these Bohemia chive plants everywhere - nice purple flowers and nice green mild onion stems to eat.
Found sunny spot in my workshop yard by a bit of palisade fencing - cut grass down - dug a shallow 12ft trench - put some fine granite chippings I got lying about in the base for drainage - dug in some compost with the earth I got out (this was from Dads compost bin in his garden). Re planted the chive bulb/plants 12" apart. Edged the little plot on four sides with some old red brick weave blocks I had - put these in level - so I can run a Honda mower up against "plot" - then hoe round the chive plants. Had just right amount of these blocks as well - exact amount to the last one I needed to edge it.
So today I took from Dads empty house. Some chive plants - some compost - one decent spear and jackon stainless hoe and a stainless hand trowel (plus one decent lawn rake) to leave up workshop. Been wanting a lawn rake up workshop for years when hedgecutting.
I will have to water them for a few weeks - they will spread in the12x2ft ish plot over time - but I can control/contain them reseeding with a lawnmower in the grass around them - they pretty things when in flower and near the main gate they will look like a flower bed. Plus I will get to eat them...
So today I dug up loads of Dad's chive plants/bulbs and devided them out and transplanted them.
Dad had these Bohemia chive plants everywhere - nice purple flowers and nice green mild onion stems to eat.
Found sunny spot in my workshop yard by a bit of palisade fencing - cut grass down - dug a shallow 12ft trench - put some fine granite chippings I got lying about in the base for drainage - dug in some compost with the earth I got out (this was from Dads compost bin in his garden). Re planted the chive bulb/plants 12" apart. Edged the little plot on four sides with some old red brick weave blocks I had - put these in level - so I can run a Honda mower up against "plot" - then hoe round the chive plants. Had just right amount of these blocks as well - exact amount to the last one I needed to edge it.
So today I took from Dads empty house. Some chive plants - some compost - one decent spear and jackon stainless hoe and a stainless hand trowel (plus one decent lawn rake) to leave up workshop. Been wanting a lawn rake up workshop for years when hedgecutting.
I will have to water them for a few weeks - they will spread in the12x2ft ish plot over time - but I can control/contain them reseeding with a lawnmower in the grass around them - they pretty things when in flower and near the main gate they will look like a flower bed. Plus I will get to eat them...
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Euphemism?
premmington
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@Anguz - I thought about digging some of Dads Rhubarb up today - but we got plenty at home.
Dad's was some giant variety - Goliath or Victoria at a guess....? Who knows...? It would be donkeys years - decades old - older than me - it been dug up and the root rhizome split with spade and replanted many times.
We got smaller stuff in our garden - Timperly and Champagne.
-----
My Dad was an OK gardener - but he liked "something for nothing" - he was into "free low cost gardening" - perennial plants - saving seed and drying it for next year - letting beans go to seed and run again with them next year. Dad would cut about and replant veg that had "shot". My Dad was into growing Chard before it became into fashion - as it keeps growing and nothing eats it - then on second year - he would havest the seed and run again. Dad never failed with letting onions go to seed and replanting next years crop (I doubt my Dad knew what an onion set was..!) Dad liked his little alloy greenhouse - trays and trays of seedlings and cuttings early spring. Then tomato plants and cucumbers all summer.
OJCar
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About three weeks ago I pulled the first rhubarb here.
The rhubarb seems to have started very early this year for some reason, got a glut already!
premmington
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I like a "Rhubarb fool" - stewed rhubarb and whipped cream.
Wifey does it with thick Greek yoghurt. No sugar - sour but nice..!
My Mum used to make her's with custard powder/ginger biscuits and Grand Marnier or Brandy or Pernod/Ouzo - and serve it to us as kids - no wonder I got such an alcohol probem when I grew up - TeeHee...
Stewed Rhubard with ginger spice and sherry in the bottom of a custard triffle was another of Mums way of getting rid of a Rhubarb glut...
Mother gave us a lot of custard as kids....!
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RaceDiagnostics
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Unwrapped the bananas a couple of days ago, they survived winter.
RaceDiagnostics
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Will be watching the forecast and keeping the fleece to hand.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Gave my Nepalese neighbour at my rental place some home grown runner beans last year. He saved some beans and showed me the results today.
Apparently the 3rd lot he's attempted to grow.
I did think "too early mate" when he put them in. We're still getting morning frosts here in our microclimate of a valley but we're also about 10 miles further into the sticks than he is.
Apparently the 3rd lot he's attempted to grow.
I did think "too early mate" when he put them in. We're still getting morning frosts here in our microclimate of a valley but we're also about 10 miles further into the sticks than he is.
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MattF
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She did the same last year. Found that she preferred being shaded by the Yew rather than being in full sunlight. Checked on her today when I got home, & thankfully she's looking a bit perkier now.
MattF
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She's perked up a bit now.
This came home with me yesterday.
Not sure if that one will survive, as the end of the tap root snapped off. It was in tight between paving. It couldn't stay where it was though, so it was either spray it or cut it, else uproot it & give it a slight chance here. Time will tell if it survives or not.
This came home with me yesterday.
Not sure if that one will survive, as the end of the tap root snapped off. It was in tight between paving. It couldn't stay where it was though, so it was either spray it or cut it, else uproot it & give it a slight chance here. Time will tell if it survives or not.
Long and thin , covered in skin , red in parts and slips in tarts ??
