Ready for spring yet?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Tigger, please don't feel to low, i know it's frustrating, there always seems to be something stopping us gardeners from having an easy life.
But come the better weather when things get growing our feelings quickly change, and we suddenly remember why we do it.

Now wheres that big smile that your world famous for.

[Allan]

You have to be on your guard against all sorts of creatures. We rely very heavilt in our mobild mesh cages, not cheap but without them lots of plants would not be worth growing. They are in use somewhere for the whole season. I posted details some time ago, if you can't find it from a search I will repeat it.
Allan

[Tigger]

Thanks Allan.

[Allan]

I have put it in Technical Data

[Sue]

I know how you feel Compo - got the Sunday night blues as back to work tomorrow. I do actually like my job - it's just the thought of the end of the holiday. The mega-cloche sounds interesting. How are you building it?

Keep your chin up Tigger. It often seems a struggle this time of year. Guess the critters are hungry and more bold than usual. Come the time of plenty in the summer you can forgive them the odd munch, but not all your seedlings for your early crops

As for you OH - big smack on the legs for being so cheeky

Sue

[oldherbaceous]

My old english teacher always used to say, cheeky should have been my middle name.
And she also said i would go a long way in life.

Well i couldn't expect her to be right on both counts.

[Jenny Green]

So sorry to hear of your misfortune Tigger! Were they globe or Jerusalem? And when you said there were only two left, was that rows or plants? There's still time to grow globe artichokes from seed. Have you got any cats? We have mice around but they don't seem to do much damage, which I attribute to all the cats in the area.
If it's any consolation my 3 year old 'helped' me by digging up some broad bean plants this weekend.
At least there's still time to make good.

[Compo]

Tigger commiserations (did I spell that right?). rats are awful creatures, but I would agreed with Alan on the frames, protect your crops if you cannot eradicate the pests.

Sue.........thanks for asking about the cold frame, talking about it helps with the paranoia.

What I have done is part bodge, part carpentry. I have a long raised bed which is about 7m long by 1.5m wide. It is fixed to the ground with hammered in stakes and basically I have added another 6inch board to the front. I have built up the back of the bed with a timber frame and recycled poly carb sheet.

For the roof / lid I have used corrugated plastic sheeting made into separate lids approx 1.5m square, framed with roofing battens, and hinged them to the high side with T hinges.

I was hoping to sew some early parsnips and carrots in it today, but did not manage it, so hope to do that next weekend, along with a few rocket spuds and peas, and lettuce, salad leaves etc.

Any other planting ideas for this bed would be welcome, unfortunately due to the construction work on the greenhouse etc, the sewing is a bit behind. is a pic of the greenhouse in it's new spot, reglazed in polycarb.





These two are of the new cold frame, still under ocnstruction.







Compo.

[Jenny Green]

That sounds fab Compo. How about some dwarf french beans later in the year? They'd really appreciate the extra shelter and warmth. And what about melons or even ..dare I say it?...watermelons?

[Compo]

Hi Jenny

Never grown melons before, would imagine they take up a lot of space?

Compo

[Jenny Green]

Mmmm...yes, they do. I've only ever grown them up the side of a greenhouse, but grown this way one plant takes up about 5' x 4' from memory. I think you could probably bunch them in a bit lying flat. They're a bit like squash in their growth habits.

[Compo]

Thanks Jenny, will think about the melons, what variety are easiest, water melons are probably the wife's favourite, the pics are on the previous posting, I probably should have put them in a new one rather than edit the old one, but have done it now.

Compo

[Jenny Green]

That cold frame looks great and I'm jealous.
Sweetheart is the melon usually recommended to new growers. I've grown that and Ogen and Blenheim Orange. Of these the last was the best for me, yet that's supposed to be the hardest to grow. So go figure.
I tried watermelon once and couldn't get the fruits to stop going bad. Watermelon is notoriously difficult, so if you like a challenge, go for it! One thing I would say is that growing on the ground rather than up a wall, the melons are going to be subject to attack from slugs, woodlice etc. The fruits aren't as tough as squash and one nip will most likely cause the whole thing to rot, so you'll have to be careful to rest the fruits on something that'll deter the pests. If it were me I'd pile a load of woodash under them as this'll 'breath' too and you won't get patches of wetness from condensation.

[Cider Boys]

Some very good pictures Compo,especially like the blue water butt, I have a few identical to that. What would we do without the local jam factory?

All the best

Barney

[Compo]

Is that where they come from Barney, I bought mine from the woodpile in Huntspill, they were used for aircraft anti-freeze I believe, but the ones in the pic belong to a neighbour so he might have got them from there?

Dave