Late Winter Bits and Bobs - 2017.

[Geoff]

Another annoying issue of the magazine. On the day I was sowing my hot and sweet peppers I find an article showing head high peppers in a polytunnel. I've never grown anything like that size! The only good thing, they sowed on 1st March so I'm a day ahead.

[Pawty]

Thanks OH and Westi - Mr Pawty is the photographer- black and white definite showed the mood of the storm damage.

All sorted now, new posts in and wires up. Only a couple of vines were completely destroyed. Tree surgeon booked to take down another 4 poplars from the wind break which divides the lower and upper fields.

Robo - the trunk of the vines (some of which are 30 years old) are roughly 50-100 cm off the ground. We prune back to keep two runners each about 60 cm long. Last years old growth gets used for kindling. New growth gets mowed in.

I've booked a day off tomorrow to spend on the allotment.... but I've just seen the weather forecast... maybe it'll be a housework day. I do wish I had a potting shed!!

Pawty

[robo]

I'm still moving top soil we had a dryish day yesterday and made the most of it but I'm aching from top to bottom I'm getting to old for this game ,a few years ago I moved thirty tons in three hours I think it will take me three weeks to move this lot

[Geoff]

Some of the peppers I sowed on Tuesday are up today. I can't remember who but somebody posted a link to Simply Seed's notes about pre-germinating chillis and peppers so I put some on tissue in plastic boxes in the airing cupboard on the 22nd and some of those have germinated. Some had just swollen but a few had little roots so I guess it is those that are up. I'm always a bit dubious about what you gain by this sort of method, will the dry ones be up in 8 days anyway? It has gained me something as the propagator was full on the 22nd!
While on seed sowing. I bought individual varieties of sweet peas this year and they came with sowing notes:

DO NOT SOAK or CHIT the seed. Take the pot you are going to use (nice and deep to get a good root system) and ¾ fill with general purpose compost. Soak well. Top up the pot with dry compost from the bag. Plant the seed ¾" deep - DO NOT water again until germinated.

I did almost that, half filled with home made potting compost then a layer of multi-purpose and watered and put in propagator to warm up. Next day topped up with dry seed compost and sowed the seeds. I've now got 88% germination with odd ones still appearing so either the method is good or the seeds were good. So with 235 plants the five people I give plants to should do well!

[Ricard with an H]

I have to cut grass, did I tell you ? Pembrokeshire grass grows faster.

Whilst you-lot are faffing with seeds and collecting tomatoes and stuff I'm faced with a neglected landscape at a time the most important considerations are getting the early spring tidy-ups done in the Barn. Skirting boards, new carpets, paint walls, moving furniture, moving it back.

The closest I got to gardening this week was keeping top side of the doggy poos.

[retropants]

I thought I was a bit late sowing my chilli & pepper seeds, only put them in yesterday, along with the tomatoes. Hopefully they'll be up soon, they are in a heated propagator in the greenhouse. is it wrong that I used the dining room table to do this? it was so ghastly outside!!

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Retropants, as long as you thoroughly cleaned the table, before you started seed sowing, it should be fine.....

[Geoff]

Nothing wrong with that, they'll hopefully end up back there eventually.

[retropants]

OH, yes, it was freshly polished!

Geoff, indeed, they usually do!

I've just discovered the wee like button, or 'thumbs up' ! I'll be using that a lot methinks!!

[tigerburnie]

Just put this up for the " roots " bed, it worked well last year, but sadly after only one season, it is falling apart at the seams, very poor quality construction. I will have to see if I can find a better solution for next year(assuming this survives our summer that is).

Tunnel.jpg (1.08 MiB) Viewed 3437 times

[Ricard with an H]

I've just discovered the wee like button, or 'thumbs up' ! I'll be using that a lot methinks!!

Me too.

[Ricard with an H]

I've just discovered the wee like button, or 'thumbs up' ! I'll be using that a lot methinks!!

Me too.

Tiger, is this any help to you. I have yet to use it with polythene though am confident the method of clamping will hold it down even on my very windy site.

[Primrose]

Tigerbernie and Richard. It does seem that as gardeners we sometimes go to extreme lengths and expense to protect the crops we try to grow, sometimes with the cost and effort out of all proportion to the value of the crop itself. as things get more dificult as we grow older I'm having to have a serious debate with myself at what point the disadvantage outweigh the advantages and whether some of these elaborate procedures are worth the effort.

[Ricard with an H]

Sadly, I agree with you Primrose. I have had benefits with carrots, brassica and garlic. In the case of brassica I can't see the point for the amount I eat. Garlic is worth the effort because I can't buy garlic as good as I grow and I do enjoy carrots that don't taste like paraffin. Both Tiger and myself suffer quite extreme weather conditions. Him more than I, so certainly in my case and no doubt in his case the protection you see is required year round.

In my case it;'s an interesting hobby rather than a sensible way of producing food because I throw more away than use.

[PLUMPUDDING]

My home made constructions for crop protection usually consist of hoops and canes or squares made from canes and the enviromesh attached with large strong clothes pegs which enable quick access too. Then I just put a heavy piece of wood or metal bar, bricks etc to hold the bottom edges down. Don't know if they would survive your gales though.