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

Dustykitten

Kittie, rub oil into them helps (any really). Martha Hill gardener's hand cream is good but a bit pricey.

oligeo

Body Shop Hemp Hand Cream, its brilliant!

socks_uk

jenie wrote: »

We are almost constantly windy here kittie, but we are very close to the river Humber/North sea and I tend to blame that, don't know if i'm right though .

Always windy here in Cleethorpes not good for the plants and fences but the kite Festival in a couple of weeks should be good. Wrap up warm for the night flights!

gillian62

For the first time ever I have invested in gloves this year. I wear them for most work that I do, so I'm having less problems with ground on dirt and dry hands. I say invested, but I bought a couple of the pink ladies gloves from poundland, they have rubber layer on the palm side.

Hand cream wise, we love the one from Aldi, which looks like a copy of vaseline intensive, but half the price.

Keiss_21

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Have you grown those before? I am growing them for the first time. I was planning growing them as a cordon, as that's what the packet said do. How do you grow yours then, as a bush?

I have grown them for a couple of years now, they taste gorgeous! I start off by growing them as a cordon...but invariably I miss a few sideshoots sprout and fruit. I just plan on putting them outside and not take out many (if any!) of the side shoots. The Estonian Yellow Cherry is a rambler, so I will just let it go!! I will have a series of supports...canes or I am toying with a wigwam or obilisk this year...we'll see how it goes!

Dustykitten wrote: »

Keiss thanks for the tips. What is the best way to stake in a growbag if our side? Where I had planed to put them there is no wall behind for support.

I use these...they're brilliant! I have had the same ones for 7 years so far, and have only managed to break one...and that's held together with duct-tape and still works OK. They are a bit fiddly to put on if you already have plants growing in the bags...I always add them before cutting into the bag, so there is less spillage if compost. Ask for help from someone, his will make it much easier.

mutley74 wrote: »

any advice for young sunflowers? i planted some young sunflowers from seedling sout,there were about 10" high. But after a few days one had numerous ants all over and leaves had wilted all over, whereas another was okay. Any reason why sunflowers are so sensitive when planted out?

Did you harden them off first? That's taking them outside every day and bringing them in at night. Do this for a week, then leave them outside, but in a sheltered position for a few nights, before planting out in their final growing position. Also, this wind is very drying, so remember to protect and water them well everyday.

I often put a protective collar of a 2 litre fizzy-stuff bottle around new seedlings, vary the height depending on your plant height. This shelters them for a bit as well as acting as a barrier to many pests. The ants are there looking for (or bringing!) greenfly, as they farm them for their honeydew sweet secretions...honest!!

Now off to see if I can make more room in the greenhouse...not sure how I will manage it though!! Really need to harden things off, but many things are not big enough, and we are still getting quite cool nights...my chillies are complaining at the moment...must get the fleece out again!

Have a great day in the garden everyone.

Primrose

I think quite a lot of us are burning off extra calories at the moment, taking our seedlings in and out of the garden to try and harden them off. My chillies & tomatoes have been in and out about 3 times today and I now have to accept defeat from the wind and take them back in permanently for the day. The tomatoes might survive - I've spotted some self seeded ones growing in one of my borders which seem to be surviving the cold nights OK but I've a suspicion that those sowed and germinated indoors might not be so hardy.

The few tomato & cougettes I've already planted out are permanently protectly by large cloche water bottles. I've planted them out because I'm hoping the better light levels they will get outdoors rather than beig kept for a while on window sills, will help them develop a little faster but I'm not really sure whether this is the case.

cdam

Hi all
I'm kind of new to this gardening lark, but enjoying giving it a go. I've just got a greenhouse and wonder what people would recommend for shelving, (you know, a counter to work on doing my seeds etc), preferably not too pricey.

Whilst I'm on. water gets into the corners of my greenhouse at the sloping roof, is this normal?

Thanks, and apologies if this isn't the right forum.

diddly74

Afternoon people. I have been up the allotment, but as soon as we get there - the family want to come back! Really, its not on. Yes I know it was chilly there today and because it is brand new there is no shelter but how am I supposed to do anything if I am not there!!!

I changed plots on Friday - I didn't have anything planted in the previous plot but the new one is all pegged out now, and I am more of less happy with the layout/size of beds. I want to work raised beds, and work of the blueprint that Dr George from Liverpool has used, but I really don't have the dollar to buy the timber I need to do that right now, so it will have to be done as I go along.

One question I do have tho is. While I was working on the pegging out, a young chap came up to me and offered me a 18month old 8 x 6 shed for £80 it was in his garden when he moved home and doesn't want it - should I have snapped his hands off??? LOL. I have asked him to hold on to it for 24 hours as I needed to check I had the funds to afford it in the bank. I do - I was going to wait until after work tomorrow to see him. So funds have been taken care of - the other problem I have is my MIL (who is going to help out on the plot) has an 8 x 4ft metal shed in her garden that she had happily donated, but I don't have the means to move it, and neither does she. I am not confident about dismantling it. Am I just being lazy about it????

This will be the first time I have seriously grown any veg, I did a few experiements a couple of years ago, but as a Student Nurse you don't always have a lot of time to think about plants! At the moment my whole life seems to revolve around beds. Patients in beds, and plants in beds - and any other time its me in Bed! lol.

Keiss_21

cdam - congrats on your greenhouse, a great investment. I got shelving when I got mine, metal modular stuff. It has gone a bit wonky, and lives in the garden at a precarious angle at the back of the greenhouse. Only the water butt is stopping it from falling over atm!! DH has been promising to have a look at it for years!! :rotfl: All the bolts have seized up, so it will need a lot of attacking with a hacksaw

In the meantime I use an old patio table, which gets moved out when I get all the toms planted in growbags...this should be in a couple of weeks time. It spends the summer outside holding lots of other plants. I also have a small metal frame which I rest a piece of kitchen worktop on (originally in our first house 28 yeas ago!). This is easy to move, and although getting rusty, it does the job. I tend to have growbag trays on top to catch the water, so I can water the plants from the base. I also have trays on the patio table in the greenhouse, and a pieces of plastic outside.

It can get expensive buying staging...have a look at some on ebay, or try Mr T or B$Q...they can have some decent stuff. It all depends if you want metal or wood...or even plastic. I have one of these mini
greenhouses, that spent ages in the greenhouse, and I now use as permanent shelving in my potting shed. You can have the plastic cover off and have a tray on one of the shelves and use it as a potting area. Mine is 10 years ols and still going strong, so worth a look.

diddly - not sure which way to go with this. Most new 8 x 6 feet sheds seem to be going for about £200...so £80 is pretty good!. Also if the chap can deliver it and help you put it together, then fantastic! However, getting another for free would also be good, but difficult if you are unsure if you can dismantle and erect it!

If you have the funds, then go for the £80 one, perhaps try and get a lower price for it, or get him to include deliver and rebuilding it in the price. Then, having worked on this one, you would have the confidence to dismantle and re-erect the other one too...you can never have too many sheds! :rotfl:

We have one 7' x 4'; one 6' x 4' and two 8' x 10' sheds, as well as a 10' x 10' observatory and an 8' x 10' greenhouse! :eek:

Sorry for the long ramble, hope the info helps you though.

Have a great week everyone.

katholicos

Keep forgetting about this gardening chat thread

Didn't get into the garden today, but yesterday i did and crikey it was full-on! It seemed like everything needed planting/potting on at the same time. Tomatoes were desperate for larger pots....and the various peas had to be planted...the beauty of raised bed and container gardening was that it wasn't too demanding...though i did have to stop and rest a lot.

It's lovely seeing so much green in the garden, with all the soft fruit bushes and veggies growing :j

Sadly, my blueberry died. I've tried to resurrect it and i've even stuck it in a different area to see if that brings it back to life, but it's pretty brown and crispy and looks withered and dead so i don't hold out much hope. It was all looking so promising, loads blueberries on it

I'm thinking there must have been some connection between its demise and the wood chip bark i put around it and the other fruit bushes (the other fruit bushes are ok).