Help MBE grow his dinner 2012

annie123

http://www.wilkinsonplus.com/garden-accessories+clothing/wilko-protection-fleece-15mx8m/invt/0299033/?gf=a

fleece available in 99p and poundland stores too.

It can be single or folded over many times depends how cold it is where you are really and what you're growing.

Very useful for hardening off as you can reduce the thickness every few days.

Never needed to do it for peas, mine were sown outside at the beginning of the month and are fine at night here. If I got a late frost I'd probably through over them at double.
It's very light, I've just thrown it over the plant but if it was delicate seedlings maybe put a few twigs/sticks to hold it off them?

I chuck it on my shelving in the garden at night........I'll take a pic later so you can see it.

And when we've had a really cold snap (unusual for London) late in the season I have even run out and used old primark fleece pj's to cover my Toms when I ran out of fleece:D

annie123

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_april_1_pea.asp
put your location in to get your frost dates and the pea sowing time will be displayed for you on the pea page. They are very hardy if you sow them directly outside.


or maybe get yourself http://www.poundland.co.uk/product-range/a-z/poly-tunnel-protection-cloche/
then you can sow peas sooner, or pop one over them now maybe?
if it got really cold you could chuck a fleece over it too.

aliasojo

I started them off indoors and they are maybe 9 or 10 inches tall now with a number of shoots coming off the stem.

Our last frost date is listed as early May.

I've got some cloches similar to those in your link and I also have a plastic cover for the raised beds they are going into so could use that too if need be.

Ok, next daft question..... how long do I need to harden them off for? Is 2 or 3 days enough?

aliasojo

What's happened to my cucumbers?








I have 3 of 2 different kinds. One kind is fine but these ones have all got whitish spotty leaves and they seem to be dying.

Two of my pea plants that were next to them on the shelf seem to have white leaves too.

No beasties or the like that I can see anywhere.

Edit: I think they may have mosaic virus.

annie123

aliasojo wrote: »

I started them off indoors and they are maybe 9 or 10 inches tall now with a number of shoots coming off the stem.

Our last frost date is listed as early May.

I've got some cloches similar to those in your link and I also have a plastic cover for the raised beds they are going into so could use that too if need be.

Ok, next daft question..... how long do I need to harden them off for? Is 2 or 3 days enough?

Oh dear you have sown them too soon indoors for your area. Personally I'd take at least a week to do it. If I were you I sow some outside too. Pop the cloche over the ground today and pop some seeds in this weekend.
Or treat them as greenhouse peas and see if you can get a crop.

aliasojo wrote: »

What's happened to my cucumbers?








I have 3 of 2 different kinds. One kind is fine but these ones have all got white spotty leaves and they seem to be dying.

Two of my pea plants that were next to them on the shelf seem to have white leaves too.

No beasties or the like that I can see anywhere.

Ok you sowed those way too soon. The white stuff is probably powdery mildew. Too damp and not enough ventilation. It can spread to other plants so I'd bin them personally and start again, but others may think differently.

However long it's taken you to get them to this stage, work backwards from your last frost date. If the weather is ok you could start hardening off a couple of weeks before that.

aliasojo

Does that look like the powdery mildew?

Better go and inspects all my tomato plants now too.

annie123

Could it be leaf scorch?

Only seen mosaic virus pics on the web so no first hand experience of it, but it would appear that the leaves die pretty quickly. It looks quite healthy in that pic.
Maybe move it out of direct sun and away from other plants to see if the next set of leaves come through better.

But I'd still sow some new ones.
Sambucus Nigra will have some good advice I'm sure.

aliasojo

I think my level of dismay is at least equal to that I feel when the kids get sick.

My visions of a bountiful fruit and veg garden are fading into the distance.

So far I've managed to drown some of my marigolds, kill my cucs and cause who knows what disease to my peas.

I seem to be the MSE gardener's version of Mr Bean. :rotfl:

mrbadexample

emiff6 wrote: »

How are these getting on emiff6?

I took some cuttings today, from lavender and rosemary. I've no rooting hormone so it might not work.

On both plants I found larvae living in cocoons made from the uppermost leaves held together with silk. I squished all that I could find - any idea what they were?

lemonjelly

Got a kind soul to fetch me some compost this weekend.
Planted my first batch of carrot seeds, & onions (mainly to keep the carrot fly away...)

Peas have sprouted, as has the good old faithful lettuce!
Nowt yet from my toms, beetroot, pepper or cucumber. Plenty of time yet though!