Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

mrbadexample

lilyjune wrote: »

MBE, will you get honey from your log or is it just for the bees only?

Nice idea but no - they're not that sort of bee. It's just giving them a home.

Drea

I can't believe it's nearly 4pm already... where has today gone?!

Have been meaning to repot my lettuce all week to spread them out a bit but still haven't got round to it, someone needs to give me a kick up the backside!

Still learning lots and figure that when things go wrong at least I know better for next time

djohn2002uk

mrbadexample wrote: »

As far as I can establish, the bee lays an egg in the hole, fills it with pollen as a food source for the larva, then plugs the hole with mud to protect it. I've got about half a dozen holes bunged up now, which is better than it sounds.

I reckon that they just got fed up seeing you peering in and thought "I'll stop his game"
Gotta find me a log before next year.

annie123

Angelfeathers wrote: »

Annie, I'd have thought something leafy would like the self-watering trough and relative shade - lettuce/rocket/spinach/chard, something like that?

lettuce in the front garden it is then:)

Mad-Frog wrote: »

My mini pumpkins haven't germinated, I took the advice and put them on a radiator but now the weather is warmer heating is off so my question now is would it be worth buying some more? and how would I get them to germinate? No doubt this warm weather won't last

Mine haven't either this year along with 8 cucumbers and 2 types of courgette. Only the squashes I did back when it was still cold enough to have the heating on germinated as usual.
I've no idea why, tried the plastic bag and kitchen roll so now I've put them outside sitting in the sun in little pots with plastic bags over them, they have till next week to wake up or they're off to the compost bin.

Lotus-eater wrote: »

My tomatoes are now in the greenhouse borders, going to have to make the most of this weather and hope that it doesn't get bad again, as they were desperately needing to be moved on from their pots.

You and me both, never put toms from 3" pots to final position before and in flower buckets too, they usually go in the ground but they were so pot bound they are probably very grateful.

Decided to raid the 2nd compost bin as buying compost is expensive and was surprised to see that I could fill nearly 2 old compost bags , not quite as rotted as I'd like but usable nevertheless. Do wish I hadn't done it this afternoon though as it was b****y hot and I was dripping but at least its done now.
Got my piece of turf down too, very pale but it'll soon green up.

My 3 marketmore cucumbers aren't happy still, one leaf has gone pale with dark green veins and woe betide me if I leave them in direct sun, major sulk and flop. They are also going to the compost heap if they don't stop being so fussy, there's too much to do all at once to deal with stroppy plants.

Fay

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

What you do with onions is to put them in in Sept - wide spacing and under an enviromesh type cover. Take that off in March, weed, loosen the soil around them all and put root veg feed down, and water in. Replace cover. Leave until the onion leaves are starting to touch the cover or mid April, weed again and if there are no weeds, just loosen the soil around them and water. They take up the spring rains and start getting wider and wider. My largest is currently about 4 inches wide. Then, as you start to harvest and use the big ones - plant your next crop in it's space. I usually put kohl rabi, lettuces, cabbages in - things that take a while to get going whilst the rest of the onions are thickening up. So no space lost to them in the spring/summer.

I also recommend Radar sets to use - they are always significantly better than any of the others. IMHO.

Excellent advice and tips-thanks Sambucus, maybe I will guve onions another try. But it's their last chance;)

mrbadexample

djohn2002uk wrote: »

I reckon that they just got fed up seeing you peering in and thought "I'll stop his game"
Gotta find me a log before next year.

I suspect you're right John - I've been looking in the other one too:



It appears my bees like a nice 10mm hole, preferably in a compressed woodchip pallet block.

mrbadexample

I've taken a cut from the comfrey, to shred and put in my tomato pots as a feed:



So the tomato factory is in place:



Every one a different variety. I've still got about 4 more to go, if I can find the space. I'm sure they'll be ok with no hardening off - it's forecast to be so warm for the foreseeable. It's still over 20°C in the greenhouse now. :eek:

mrbadexample

I've planted out some French beans, but the runner beans had rotted so I've sown new ones. They were really old anyway so no real surprise.



I hadn't prepared a bean trench some months ago as is recommended, so I just dug down a bit and chucked a bucket of compost in. I used the fresher stuff as I'm almost out of the older lot and I don't think beans mind. I couldn't believe the temperature of the compost - I stuck my hand in the middle and physically couldn't leave it there. It's been a hot day and I gave it a good mix up at the weekend, but even so I was surprised.

I've planted the courgette out too, also with a bucketful of compost in the hole.

mrbadexample

I think it's probably time I planted out my little marigolds too. Some are just starting to form a flower head:



Nice not to have to buy them this year.

mrbadexample

It's been a nice productive week here thus far. I've got plenty done and it's starting to look like it should - with plants in the ground instead of huddling round a candle in the greenhouse.

I've sown a few peas too - should have done it ages ago but never quite got round to it. I'm actually starting to run out of space a bit. I've got a squash to go out somewhere too. I think I know where I can put it, but just potted it up today as it's still recovering a bit. Coming along nicely though.

I've got a gherkin just germinated, and an achocha looking for a home. Trouble is, they all want to go in the same place. I've heard that the achocha goes a bit rampant too, so really can't make up my mind where to put it.

One of my compost bins is all but empty. This works out quite nicely, as I need to take up some turf round the edge of the pond. I can stack it up at the bottom of the heap before starting to fill it again.

Roll on the weekend.