The Potting Shed - come on in, the kettle's on!

angelavdavis

Hi everyone!

Early start for me as I couldn't sleep - I have been planning my seed planting since 5.30 this morning!

We spent an afternoon at the allotment yesterday. I had a frustrating two hours trying to put some old aluminium staging together (the instructions long since lost) but ended up giving up in the hope that I can obtain a set via the original supplier. I guess meccano isn't my thing! I thought I had cracked it, then discovered it was about four inches too wide for the shelving! Looks like I had swapped the leg sections for the shelf supports. Undid it all and then couldn't see how it would fit otherwise! Aargh - what a waste of two hours at the allotment! :mad:

DH had better luck - clearing and digging over the final uncultivated bed on the plot ready for the potatoes to be planted in a couple of months.

I compensated myself by digging a runner bean trench to start filling with kitchen waste and put the first bucketful in.

I then managed to get some poundland buys into the soil of the cut flower border - paeonies, eryngium, freesias, irises, etc.

Then it was too dark to work outside any longer sadly so we came home.

Will be doing some work in the garden today. We are taking a short break to Centreparcs during the week for my birthday, so we need to give the chickens some tlc as they are being chicken-sat this week by my brother.

Gotta dash, lots to do!!!

laineyc_2

This board is great. I wanted to say hello. I am new to gardening. My garden has been a play area for my 4 boys since we move in 15 years ago. Now they are older, I am taking over the garden. At the moment, I am cleaaring it up and planning. I am sure I will be posting often to pick your brains.

Living_proof

Hello and I am also new to the board. I've just heard the ILA funded horticulture evening course I was to start on 3rd February has been cancelled - no explanation, but I am sure funding will come in to it somewhere. I don't want to have to join the Dahlia society to meet other people who are interested in growing things, but would like a more formal and varied structure to furthering my knowledge.

I was hoping it would give me another string to my bow if my present job became precarious.

[Deleted User]

oh I am so itching to go up to the allotment but it is far too cold to be on my hands and knees weeding, I am dressed in half my layers but am killing time and waiting for the washing anyway. I have been making labels on my new label maker as I got so fed up with faded labels, I couldn`t read them. Its a lovely new toy and I have made 8 so far, especially for gardeners and none fade

My electric propagator is doing the business and aubergine, parsley, thyme and basil are all up. Just waiting for leeks. Potatoes chitting on any bit of light cold cill that I could find. Broad beans have started showing their roots and so have gone into rootrainers and all the winter lettuces are doing well especially the ones in my bargain patio grow, covered in the greenhouse plastic cover with a fleece cover on top. Its amazing that such fragile looking plants survived so well all through -14

I have had a small mug of tea and some toast, daren`t drink any more or I`ll be taking a quick bike ride back from the allotment, if I brave the cold. lol dh did put an internal bolt on the little shed up there but only for dire emergencies and I hope I don`t have any

square_bear

Hello there, I would like to ask a quick question.

Is it ok to sow grass seed at this time of year?

Thanks.

Rummer

kittie wrote: »

I have been making labels on my new label maker as I got so fed up with faded labels, I couldn`t read them. Its a lovely new toy and I have made 8 so far, especially for gardeners and none fade

Which label maker have you got? I have on numerous occasions planted oodles of things only for the labels to fade and for me to have no idea which brassica is which :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: so a non fade option sounds fabulous!

Primrose

square_bear wrote: »

Hello there, I would like to ask a quick question.

Is it ok to sow grass seed at this time of year?

Thanks.

I'd really be tempted to leave it until April. Seed needs the soil to have warmed up and reached a certain temperature before it can germinate effectively and February & March are likely to see plenty of frosty nights and cold days. All that's likely to happen is that either the cold temperatures will kill most of the seed off or hungry birds will come down and gobble most of it up. If the weather stays mild and you sow now, you'll possibly get a few sparse shoots creeping through but you won't have a nice thick carpet of grass and will probably only have to resow over the whole area in April to fill in all the bare patches. Could be expensive if you've opted for high quality grass seed and have a big area to cover.

Primrose

kittie wrote: »

I have had a small mug of tea and some toast, daren`t drink any more or I`ll be taking a quick bike ride back from the allotment, if I brave the cold. lol dh did put an internal bolt on the little shed up there but only for dire emergencies and I hope I don`t have any

You obviously need to get yourself one of these !!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=travel+urinal&!!!!!googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=6403847049&ref=pd_sl_5qz5xq7nsi_b

My OH bought me one after I and thousands of others were stuck on a motorway one day for about five hours after a serious incident. After an hour of crossing my legs and hoping traffic would start moving, I ended up having to spend a penny in full view of everybody on the hard shoulder. (Oh the embarrassment! - I was the first of many as it turned but that didn't make it any less humiliating).

[Deleted User]

Rummer wrote: »

Which label maker have you got? I have on numerous occasions planted oodles of things only for the labels to fade and for me to have no idea which brassica is which :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: so a non fade option sounds fabulous!

brother GL200 and amazon was cheapest. I have just made some more and am having to think hard to remember what I planted where, as all the labels I made then are blank because of fading

primrose!! the mind boggles, trying to get that sheewee in position in the car!!

boltongirl1

I would like to have a go at growing potatoes in pots what is the best way to go about it?

Sun or shade?
What size pot?
How many to plant?