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ajlelectronics
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My instructions said that overwatering leads to tasteless fruit, aka supermarket produce. But then Percy Thrower I'm not.
Carrots look like grass and they rarely transplant successfully.
Once you get three inches green poking its head out the can neck unroll and add more compost so there is an inch of greenery showing , water with a decent liquid manure but don't go crazy or you'll get six foot of greenery and no spuds.
If you put the bags of growing spuds a foot or so away from a south facing wall the reflected heat will be very beneficial ..
Strong big black bin bags are also ideal , roll them down and pop in a spud close the rolled down neck around a big tinned fruit can that has both ends removed , using an elastic band or a wire twist .@Onoff I also understand that you can grow potatoes in barrels, start them at the bottom and as they grow add soil. Supposed to get a barrel full eventually.
Not tried it myself but it is on the agenda!
Grow Potatoes in a Barrel: Easy Steps & Tips
Discover the simplicity of growing potatoes in a barrel with our easy steps and essential tips for a bountiful harvest right at home.everythingbackyard.net
Once you get three inches green poking its head out the can neck unroll and add more compost so there is an inch of greenery showing , water with a decent liquid manure but don't go crazy or you'll get six foot of greenery and no spuds.
If you put the bags of growing spuds a foot or so away from a south facing wall the reflected heat will be very beneficial ..
Get your own strawberry seeds ..
Buy a decent tasting punnet at a super market , get a large berry , crush it gently add the pulp to half a pop bottle of water , shake it like crazy for 30 seconds , repeat this daily , change almost all the water once it has settled every third day .
After ten days you will have loads of seeds and very little pulp . Pour off most of the water ,slide them on some kitchen towel and pop in the airing cupboard on a plate for three days to get them dried .
Sow the seeds lightly in a 3 inch deep tray ( old washed grape or strawberry punnet ? ) of quality compost & soil , mist with water & cover in cling film put them in a bright room but not in direct sun or above a radiator . Check them next day . give it another day then mist again but leave the cling film off Once they germinate mist them every other day . Leave them to grow to an inch high then prick them out into three inch pots .
When three inches tall transplant into beds o barrels .
Strawberries are biennials they flower & fruit in their second year so stagger the plants to get them every year . You can take runners buy pegging a runner down in a pot next to the host plant or better still split the plant at the end of the season and plant the split ( It's what I moved over to when I found a decent juicy sweet strawb I liked .
Put strawberries in new ground every third year or there will likely be a big build up of the strawberry saw root fly larvae & vine weevils. I use tubs of new farmyard manure & sedge peat for this and dump the spent compost mixture on the beds that need it .
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I put my strawberry tubs and hanging baskets on to one of my micro misting water lines today .
Even in as little as six hours of being well misted for three minutes in a fine misting spray there is a very noticeable difference in plant appearance , leaf colours and even some decent sized strawberries are starting to turn red, They will get a seaweed extract feed tomorrow at the rate of half a pint per plant.
Even in as little as six hours of being well misted for three minutes in a fine misting spray there is a very noticeable difference in plant appearance , leaf colours and even some decent sized strawberries are starting to turn red, They will get a seaweed extract feed tomorrow at the rate of half a pint per plant.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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I started the 32 Czar runner beans off on April 12th, using some tbh horrible compost from Lidl. They were put into compostable pots.
This is the tray yesterday:
All but one have grown to varying degrees. Some strong looking ones and a few weaklings there too.
Can't help wondering if better compost would have helped?
Also there are like tiny green plants in each pot along with some mushrooms of some sort. I presume I should take these out?
This is the tray yesterday:
All but one have grown to varying degrees. Some strong looking ones and a few weaklings there too.
Can't help wondering if better compost would have helped?
Also there are like tiny green plants in each pot along with some mushrooms of some sort. I presume I should take these out?
Pigeon_Droppings2
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I always think of this as nature's way...the randomness ensures that some will almost always survive whatever the weather/soil throws at them.
Bullet2012
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Its taken 2 1/2 years to get to this stage, but finally some fruits.
Honeyberries.
Honeyberries.
droopsnoot
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Watching Gardeners World last night, Monty Don seemed to be saying to plant lettuce seeds in a seed tray, then put the tray in a larger tray of water. I expect that leads to the compost being a lot wetter, I wonder if a lack of water is why mine came to nothing last year. I've got some seeds left so I might have a go at that tomorrow.
richie00boy
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Since the banning of peat in compost the quality of what you get from supermarkets and DIY shops etc has taken a massive nosedive. That said, the fact that you got 30+ of 32 growing from seed is a good result even with expensive compost. The mushrooms and unwanted growths are due to the cheap compost though and yes you should pull them out. Unfortunately now you have to spend like 3x the price of what we have been used to to get decent compost and you have to be really picky on brand - I just got 3x 60 litre bags delivered and it came to £26.
I purchased a ton of the best Irish sedge peat three years ago IIRC it was £158 from the Irish supplier in their logo'd truck , they dropped it of whilst making big commercial grower deliveries and carried the pallet off their truck on a tail lift & a nifty electric pallet truck .
I still have a full bale and one with a few trowels of peat taken out of it. make my own compost up from wheat straw several animal dungs and their urine soaked beddings
I work on the rule of 2/3 rds.
1/3 animal based manure well composted
1/3 Irish peat
1/3 home made kitchen / garden waste and lawn cuttings , composted anaerobically for at least three years in a Dalek style composter bin ( we have seven , set on concrete bases. ) .When I was fit enough it was turned every three days to get " 18 day hot composted compost " Cornel university extension arm USA .
I still have a full bale and one with a few trowels of peat taken out of it. make my own compost up from wheat straw several animal dungs and their urine soaked beddings
I work on the rule of 2/3 rds.
1/3 animal based manure well composted
1/3 Irish peat
1/3 home made kitchen / garden waste and lawn cuttings , composted anaerobically for at least three years in a Dalek style composter bin ( we have seven , set on concrete bases. ) .When I was fit enough it was turned every three days to get " 18 day hot composted compost " Cornel university extension arm USA .
When using animal dung based manures try not to use horse muck as their digestive system does not kill off weed seeds like ruminant animal guts do .
Adding in bird muck , pig muck & sea weed & rotting fish make for an astounding quality compost .
Adding in bird muck , pig muck & sea weed & rotting fish make for an astounding quality compost .
Too much water will lead to damping off moulds appearing Temperature and no strong sun light also have a big effect on germination growth .
I'm still using the 15 yr old 87 mm lengths of 42 mm waste pipe with 10 mm thick holed old gym mat washer bungs ( Cut with a 42mm hole saw in the drill press from a dead gum mat )
I made a simple seed sucker so I can fill a grow tube , poke a 10 mm dimple in the lightly pressed compost and sow a single seed in each tube .
Give it a sprinkle with horticultural vermiculite to fill the hole , water well by standing the tubes' in 2 inches if water for 24 hours .
The vermiculite is magic for it keeps the compost and the area around the seeds at a consistent humidity and even temperature , peat on its own wicks away moisture ,often leaving the seed quite dry .
addjunkie
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Alpaca poop is what you want far more balanced, and doesnt burn the plants can be used with out waiting to break down.
droopsnoot
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I put some seeds in a tray and then put that in a tray of water, just to give it a go. Not surprisingly all the water is soaked up into the compost in the tray so I imagine it's pretty water-logged in there. I've nothing to lose by leaving it to see whether they do anything, he didn't make it clear whether I'm supposed to keep filling up the water tray but I presume not. I had no luck on previous attempts - maybe one or two leaves but nothing like an actual lettuce. He talked about vermiculite, but said I could cover them with compost, so I did that as I haven't got any vermiculite.
so is sheep droppings , llama beans , goat droppings and rabbit dung .
Lift the soaked tray out he water tray let it drain for 12 hrs or so put it back in the empty water tray and place it a bright room, but not on a windowsill with full sun where it will be far too hot . Keep it trigger pack spray moistened .
Lettuce seeds usually take 7 to 10 days to germinate. During the seed germination process, the temperature is maintained between 15 to 20°C. Once the seeds have germinated, they will turn into small seedlings with 2 to 3 tiny leaves.
addjunkie
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But how many sheep or goat owners pick up the poo for you to use on your garden/ compost heap. With llama or alpaca most breeders pick it up so is readily available for gardeners as the animals are far more susceptible to high parasite burdens.
