I Should have mentioned this; with some of the cheaper thermometers you should check that the readings are the same on both sides of the gauge. I have been presented with thermometers where the readings displayed differed by over a degree centigrade. I think it has something to do with the way the n...

Mercury ones are not available anymore. They have been replaced with alcohol(?) ones. These have a big disadvantage; the dye used to make the readings legible fades so they don't last very long. Here is one I found online. https://www.amazon.co.uk/TFA-Dostmann-GmbH-Co-KG-10-3014-14/dp/B004TWWU8A/ref...

Around 8 weeks before you plan to put them out is my usual rule of thumb. I prick out into a 3 inch pot and then into a 5 inch pot (with cane if needed) before planting out. Planted deeply when they are put into the ground they won't flop around too much.
Regards Sally Wright.

What about something like cacti or succulents; there are some really small ones that are very slow growing such as lithops which would look really good in a clay pot. The weight of the clay pot will stabilise cacti etc much better as they can be quite top heavy.
Regards Sally Wright.

I know what you mean about not parting with your vintage clays. I have one in my stash that came from the nursery that existed before the old Spurs stadium was built; which makes it around 150 years old I think. I also have some hand thrown ones which are really lovely. Most of the ones I have are m...

DISPLAY CABINET!!!!! Love it!!!!! It sounds so MUCH MORE organised than a mere pot stash..... I have perhaps 5000 pots of various sizes and enough cells for about 8000 bedding plants so I would like to think I know what I am talking about. So here are my guidelines for a well organised pot stash. On...

None of my corn varieties are F1; they are the fancy coloured varieties, red, black and glass corn (it looks so cool in the pictures!).
https://www.premierseedsdirect.com/prod ... n-organic/

Haven't got any rootrainers so cells it will have to be.

Regards Sally Wright.

I generally try to have no more than 250 seeds sown to a standard sized seed tray (the A4 size). This is for medium seeds such as tomatoes, peppers and brassica seeds. For smaller seeds you could go up in seed count but I don't usually do that as they still need the space to grow to a size at which ...

On re-reading my first post I realise that I have not addressed the initial question of what type of pots to use in your conservatory. Well my answer is plastic for the following reasons - not in any particular order of merit. Plastic pots will cause less damage to the floor tiles - either by scratc...

I normally grow my tomatoes in pots and I use a minimum size of 20L for a standard cordon (indeterminate) variety grown to 5 trusses; but I will use bigger pots if I have them available for plum and beefsteak types. This is because they are more prone to blossom end rot (mainly caused by irregular w...

Yes because A. the ground has been freshly dug and this will cause the roots to fang. B. all the breaking down organic matter will increase the nitrogen content too much in the soil (for parsnips anyway) which will cause the roots to fang. Fanging is where instead of growing into one single root the...

Paint those breeze blocks black and they will absorb more heat during the day time. I have used candles to heat my greenhouse at home over winter before now. I would use them by putting them on the floor and having the electric heater stationed about two feet above and to one side of them so the fla...

TWIN WALLED POLYCARBONATE is used in conservatory roofs and in greenhouses and this is possibly an answer for you as long as it will fit depth wise. As for what to stick it down with I feel I am not qualified to answer; as that may be something the polycarbonate vendor will be most familiar with. It...

If you have ever watched the chefs on the telly cooking an omelette cheffy style you will have noticed that the top is not very well cooked ie still runny (ick!). This makes it easy to fold. Personally I like my omelettes solid; no funny bugs that turn into tummy bugs!
Regards Sally Wright.

DT Brown and Fothergills have sales on this weekend. Just thought you all needed to know.
Regards Sally Wright.