Kitchen Garden Forum

I was doing my craft market today, so cold And windy compared to yesterday, and I got stuck in traffic on the way home. The 25 minute journey took me nearly 3 hours completely fried now, but dh cooked dinner, so feeling slightly better! Off to the plot tomorrow

This practice of garden centres selling early unsuitable plants amazes me because there were a whole host of vegetable and flower seedlings out in the open with no shelter at all for low night temperatures . They will probably lose many of them before they are sold so what does this do for their profits ? Certainly a few of them can be grown or sheltered in greenhouses but many will just be ruined.

They need to get better at educating their public on the susceptibility,of plants to low temperatures to stop this waste of plants, the fuel used to rear them and the disappointment of their customers.

I have some runner beans started in pots in the greenhouse, but i was lucky to be given some large sheets of twinwall polycarbonte and these seem to keep the frost off the plants when they are planted out early.

I was taught in the 'old school' growing ways and no tender plant was put out for sale before 1st week of June. Then along came multi-nationals, and B&Q was the biggest offender in the '80's,who started to sell tender plants earlier and earlier, small nurseries had to start getting earlier too or loose customers. It seems there wasn't a learning curve and customers just bought again if they lost them, ok for the big boys with large suppliers but small growers don't have that sort of capacity.

Even down here on the isle of wight I don't sow runners until the last week in April in the glasshouse for planting out around the 3rd week in May.

Perhaps people don't get up early enough to see the frost some May mornings....

MW

There was a sharp frost here this morning, but it has all but gone, already.
Our local big garden centre did put a sign up saying "protect from late frosts", after i complained one year, but you needed a magnifying glass to read it....

Monday did third post excavation for next door. Couple of evenings helped eoth panel replacement. Her eldest daughter broke her wrist trying to "save" a falling panel her sister & brother in law had let go of after it got hung up and them started toppling, they did yell let it go, but she tried guiding it with one hand.
Finished assistance yesterday by emptying and moving by 2" my little shed so we could swap the last pane in the rain.
Rearranged contentsgof three sheds then did the pitch side bar while our 1st team stuffed Lydney. Home to roast leg of lamb.

This morning's glorious gardening weather will be spent collecting my son from university.

Forgot the comment I got from jext door's younger daughter as I resolved the 3" gap caused by narrower (metric v imperial?) posts and went to get another appropriate tool, "Pete, have you got a Wickes in that shed?"

Carrots sown, under enviromesh, Nairobi F1 and St Valery courtesy of KG.

Have had my 1970s Merry Tiller out with the finger tines on and then pulled through and levelled with old Wolf 3 tine cultivator...a bigger size than is sold now, it goes well in our soil.

Early Onward Peas next. now I've had a pace up and down and worked out what will fit best where...there's a seedling row of Wallflowers that didn't get transplanted that are just coming into flower, so having to fit around them.

Clive.

I had a pace up and down yesterday too, Clive and still ended up putting things in slightly different places this morning.....it's always parsnips that mess my plans up...

I have room for Parsnip Palace on the South side of my Carrot rows...so had that one sorted, but likewise my layout changed overnight....the two Pea rows swopped with Runner Bean canes.

Gusty lot now...my work location has closed due to predicted gust speeds.

Clive.

Here's my 4 potato rows....and then next doors...

Clive.

Sometimes less is more, Clive.

It's quality not quantity that counts, Clive!

Our potato growing is greatly reduced this year, with having only half an allotment. Those in pots in the greenhouse are just coming through and the six (yes, six, not sixty!) potatoes planted on the allotment are under double fleece.

After a very wet and windy day the sun has finally come out and the sky has cleared. Looks like frost tonight.

Drop of rain late afternoon to settle in my seed plantings...and likewise it has brightened out West.
I have just been in to work to close the greenhouse windows...and I see the Lincoln Reds have been turned out into the Parkland.

Clive.

Well Lincoln Reds are certainly beautiful cattle. I have always liked the native traditional breeds and now that I have found my long lost camera I may even take some pictures when I see some.

Barney