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

Primrose

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

I also have a compost bag providing my first attempt at a compost heap (the bins the the garden centre are absolutely huge and I can't afford the £90 the council wants for a 'discounted' wooden skep one, as it is half full of garden bits, leaves from nearby trees, crushed eggshells, a couple of bits of brown paper and veggie peelings.

I rather like your idea of a compost bag. I don't know what size it is but after the trouble we've had recently with rats in our wire compost cages, I'm thinking that one of those jumbo nylon builders sand or rubble bags might be a good alternative for rotting down compost. The only problem is that they take a huge amount of rubbish and you would have to wait until the very top layer had rotted down before you could start digging it all out and using it, unless you used it once only and cut one of the sides away so that you could start digging out the bottom layer of thoroughly composted material from the bottom of the bag. I guess with much smaller bags you could probably just drag them to where you wanted the soil put and tip the bags over.

Keiss_21

My DH made three large compost bins out of wooden pallets. We got them for free from some of our local building suppliers. I just emptied our estate and went a-hunting. It's amazing what you can get when you smile and ask nicely!! I had to take them home in three trips as I could only get three in the car at any one time...(they are the big 4'x3' ones). Theye are just screwed together, with fronts that are easily unscrewed when a bin is full and needs emptying/turning.

We had lots of cardboard from getting a couple of new mattresses last year, as well as a large Approved Foods box, so line the bins after each one is emptied, before the next lot of compost gets started. This stops stuff falling down between he two layes of wood in each pallet, as well as insulating the bin. We only turn each bin once...usually into an empty one next to it. Seems to work for us, we get luvverly brown/black stuff at the end of 8 months/a year. Mind you, we still get stray tomato plants coming up everywhere...not much else though !

There have been times, when we almost have too much compost....but somehow we always manage to find a home for it :rotfl:. Our last lot of pallet bins lasted 13 years, so a pretty good return for something we got for free!!

I also have a few bins made up of old plastic dustbins (we had bags and now wheelie bins). Just cut the bottom away, leaving a rim round the edge, turn upside down and then use the lid, well, as a lid! I also have a couple of of split water butts that will also find a home among the compost factory we seem to have created!! Despite all these recepticles, there are times in the year when we nearly run out of bin-space!! :eek: That's what comes of having a 180' long (but only 20' wide) garden, wth hedges on both sides. My shredder is kept busy for a large part of the year

Hope to get more weeding/cutting /sowing done over the weekend...hurray Spring is nearly here!! :j:j

Have a productive weekend everyone.

PS I have a builders tonne bag where I put the shredder into it completely, it keeps all the shreddings together and can then be moved elsewhere later...actually, thinking about it...need a new one this year...our 8 year old ones have all given up now!

little_lil

My greenhouse is finished :j We have had to do it in stages when we had an hour or so spare and it seemed to take forever, but finally on Sat morning we finished it. Then my son and I spent a few happy hours sorting it out and planted up some seeds (probably a bit early for some of it but I don't care cause we had fun!)

My OH then spent the day removing a serious amount of soil from the front garden and taking round the back to sort all the levels out around the house. Once the front is sorted he will then build my sleeper beds and i will have loads of room for planting. I am lucky with this house because my front garden is quite large and fenced in with car parking spaces seperating it from the street so i will be able to have a few beds.

fingersxed

Well I planted my asparagus roots in a large tub today. Then nipped down to focus and got some lovely primulas. They are all planted up on the front so will have abit of cheerful colour to come home to.

Must start and get some seeds planted.

Brought some potatoes to chit yesterday. I have sent for some in the Gardeners world mag but they haven't arrived yet. Got some bags to fill when they arrive as only have a half size allotment.

Dustykitten

Water feature has been moved and install and looks really good in it's new home. Now we can lay out the area for the small wildlife pond and I need to remove all the plants in that area which are in the way.

DH has made a start on the new wood store (where the old one is the space has been taken up by one of our new council recycling wheelie bins). We are predominately reusing the decking lids from the redundant sandpit so new materials required are minimal. We have piles of wood that needs sorting, chopping and storing once it is done.

I hope the few sunny days forcast for this week appear and are warm as I'd really like to get a few more bits done.

hollydays

Hi everyone.New to the greenfingered forum,but I am a keen but lapsed gardeneress.Got a house with a garden again.:j
This morning I am going to take a rest from the gargantuan house renovation,and turn my thoughts to our garden.:D

I think I am going to start by making the view from my dining room look pretty,pots etc? on the patio.Did the first garden sort out yesterday,clearing away some winter debris.

i hope I can get plenty of help here to get brain back into gardening mode.i
Also now browsing trusty copy of my bible-the gardening year by readers digest,whilst listening to smooth radio, cuppa in hand, loking out into the garden,could life be more perfect?

Primrose

I LOVE being a gardener. It's one of those hobbies, which whilst not exactly always being cost free, is one that always gives you some anticipation to look forward to, especially in Spring when you have another whole growing season ahead of you and the previous year's disappointments can be left behind.

Yesterday we scarified our back lawn. Hard work, but we got loads of moss out which is now in a little heap for the birds to use for their nests, and the remainder will be composted. My OH also re-edged all the lawn borders, and did a first light cut of the lawn. The whole garden looks so much neater as a result of doing that and as I looked out of the kitchen window waiting for the kettle to boil, I felt really energised and keen to get going out there again.

I need to write out a diary sowing calendar now, redig, rake & put in all the string sowing lines in my vegetable patch and am raring to go!

HighlandLass

Hi,

This is my second year at growing my own. Last year seemed to be quiet good...possibly that was just beginners luck. We will soon see.

Everyone seems to be speeding along. I have started some seeds on the windowsills but think i may have done them to early. Just when i thought it was safe to start (my Rhubarb, toms,chillis peppers and some herbs peeking through) it starts snowing today and we are told that it will be like this for the rest of the week :mad:

Will be coming back for some advise if the snow ever stops. :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Primrose wrote: »

I LOVE being a gardener. It's one of those hobbies, which whilst not exactly always being cost free, is one that always gives you some anticipation to look forward to, especially in Spring when you have another whole growing season ahead of you and the previous year's disappointments can be left behind.

You are right primrose re the anticipation. The small miracle that happens when a seed germinates or buds start to burst. There is something uplifting every day

Orange_King

HighlandLass wrote: »

Hi,

This is my second year at growing my own. Last year seemed to be quiet good...possibly that was just beginners luck. We will soon see.

Everyone seems to be speeding along. I have started some seeds on the windowsills but think i may have done them to early. Just when i thought it was safe to start (my Rhubarb, toms,chillis peppers and some herbs peeking through) it starts snowing today and we are told that it will be like this for the rest of the week :mad:

Will be coming back for some advise if the snow ever stops. :rotfl:

I share your frustration! I was hoping to make a major dent in the things to be done this weekend but it has been blowing a gale all day today, hail stones are coming down and the forecast doesn't look any better for Saturday.

Hopefully can nip out between showers though - have plastic sheeting over a couple of the beds and things are already shooting through - radish, onions and the peas started off indoors.

Still very early for somethings though so I suspect early April will be the key time for getting the other seeds sewn.