It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

mardatha

ok ElizaB ta. I wont put them out , just keep them in the front room. Its a big room and empty , faces south and has a 7ft windowsill. Outside they'll get ruined by the wind up here. And I got a whole box ful of plastic bottles/meat trays/wotevers thatthe OH has been moaning about all winter, will be good to use them soon.

kidcat

daska wrote: »

For those of us sowing seeds at the mo 4 and 6 pint milk containers are great.

Cut the bottom off and punch a few holes for draining to make a tray, fill it full of half loo rolls, block the bottoms of the loo rolls with used tea bags before using the top half of the bottle as a funnel to top the loo rolls up with compost.

Stick the top back on to use as a propagator and then as a cloche when your seedlings move outside.

If you cut the middle of the bottle to make some rings you can use these to help protect your plants from being nibbled and poo'd on.

There are probably a hundred more uses for them at harvest time but I haven't got that far.

Great, I was just saying I would have to investigate how to begin growing some bits.

Was in Wilkinson this morning and they had pots presown with tomato seeds. I can only describe the pots as being like McDonalds coffee cups. No price on them but I was tempted as they would fit my window sill perfectly. However the milk bottle idea would fit even better and fit my purse too!

Rummer

I have planted up some seeds in the greenhouse and some on window ledges indoors that I will move to the greenhouse when it gets a bit warmer. So exciting planting the first seeds of the year!

daska

daska wrote: »

For those of us sowing seeds at the mo 4 and 6 pint milk containers are great.

Cut the bottom off and punch a few holes for draining to make a tray, fill it full of half loo rolls, block the bottoms of the loo rolls with used tea bags before using the top half of the bottle as a funnel to top the loo rolls up with compost.

Stick the top back on to use as a propagator and then as a cloche when your seedlings move outside.

If you cut the middle of the bottle to make some rings you can use these to help protect your plants from being nibbled and poo'd on.

There are probably a hundred more uses for them at harvest time but I haven't got that far.

N.B. it's actually easier to do this with wet teabags - they help the cardboard inners settle into the tray.

Primrose

elizabunny - it depends how deeply your rhubarb was planted in the first place but yes, any sign of it does disappear. The first you will know of it having survived is when you will see some thick greenish pink "nodules" poking through the soil again around early March when the weather is getting milder. . Putting a cover over it is normal practice if you want to "force" your rhubarb, i.e. get it to grow quickly and throw up those early light pink stems which you pay a fortune for in the greengrocers. Once you take the bucket off and the light can get to the growing stems they revert to their darker reddish colour. If you force too many stems it will weaken the plant but we normally treat ourselves to one forced picking as a Spring treat.

Patchwork_Quilt

BB1984 I made bunting last year very easily - get a spool of ribbon and lots of different coloured fabric from the charity shops. Cut yourself a triangular template and draw round it. Use a pair of pinking shears (with triangular teeth on the blades) to cut your triangles. I try to cut two at once to save time. Then, pin them to the ribbon (with the pins going vertically, it's easier with the machine) leaving a gap of one triangle between each. Sew all the way down the ribbon. There may be an easier/more professional method but it only took me an afternoon to do 30 feet of bunting.

mardatha

I've had a very good MSE day today --rare for me ! First we phoned in the elect reading because the bill is due... £98. Whoooo! The last one before we switched off and cut down was £130 & that was at lower prices.
So then Sky phoned and offered us half price viewing for 6 months
(we had cancelled to cut down).
Anddd thanks to this site, I called AOL and whined that everybody else was paying less than me - and they reduced the payment from £17.99 to £15.99, which is the best they can do with my exchange. So feeling dead chuffed now

Bobbykins

well done mardatha - you are a star! :T :T :T :T I wish I could have as much success with my broadband supplier!:mad:

kidcat

Well done mardartha, I wish I could get my elec bill so low, ours this time was £250 and the gas was £725. It is so annoying that the prices show no sign of going down.

mardatha

Well... we make up for it in the amount we spend on coal !! But every little helps.. as they say