The great, good and not so good bits about growing your own dinner 2017

determined_new_ms

CAFCGirl I thought I had left garlic too late so I haven't bothered this year

MissPop

CAFCGirl wrote: »

Have you thought about building the greenhouse indoors, you could use at least the two top shelves for seedlings then? If you put it in front of the window, you could then posily use the windowsill behind it as it would be guarded against naughty puppies

I have a naughty 3 year old 'puppy' too :rotfl:

Ooh, that's an idea, thanks! My other half has some sort of grudge towards my little greenhouse (possibly because he sees it as where all my plants go to die :rotfl: ) so I might have to butter him up to let me have it indoors :rotfl:

Davesnave

mardatha wrote: »

Looking for info on polytunnels please. I'm in a windy location at 1000ft but thought if I positioned the tunnel east-west then the wind would blow right through. Are they hard to put up? Are they tough? And are they all enormous? lol plenty questions!

What would be the point of having a tunnel the wind went right through? The whole point of a tunnel is that it's calm inside when merry hell is breaking-out all around!

Besides, the weak point on all of them is the ends, which aren't streamlined and need a door somewhere.

The best alignment is probably north-south where wind is concerned, but wind comes from all directions at different times.

1000' is a challenging location, but a good tunnel will stand it. 'Good' refers to the way it's put up as well as the components, but obviously they have to be tough. This is maybe why you think they have to be enormous, because the cheaper domestic ones will have thinner frames and might not stand 80mph+ winds like the commercial jobbies.

So, you are probably looking at a minimum of 16' wide, but how long is up to you!

You could look at First Tunnels for an idea of price and then see if someone local can do better. Haggle hard. You can get upgrades as freebies.

https://www.firsttunnels.co.uk/

I have a 24' wide First Tunnel. It was nowhere near as easy to construct as the makers claim and their instruction book had large errors in it too, but I'm fussy.

However, 7 years later, it's still there! :rotfl:

(Back to lurk mode.)

CAFCGirl

MissPop wrote: »

Ooh, that's an idea, thanks! My other half has some sort of grudge towards my little greenhouse (possibly because he sees it as where all my plants go to die :rotfl: ) so I might have to butter him up to let me have it indoors :rotfl:

in which case tell its so that they can live out their days free from the abusive winds and torrential downpours :A

CAFCGirl

determined_new_ms wrote: »

CAFCGirl I thought I had left garlic too late so I haven't bothered this year

well darn.... :mad:

Although Gardener Google and The Garlic Farm website tell me we can spring plant till end of March for Wight varieties.
There may still be hope!:T

CAFCGirl

Trip to garden centre.
Now own some peas, beans, mung beans (sprouting those for the chickens), fennel, pea shoots and shallot seeds as well as red and white onion sets - which will go in this week - ideally tuesday if today and tomorrow stay dry.

zafiro1984

mardatha wrote: »

Looking for info on polytunnels please. I'm in a windy location at 1000ft but thought if I positioned the tunnel east-west then the wind would blow right through. Are they hard to put up? Are they tough? And are they all enormous? lol plenty questions!

I've got a couple of Solar Tunnels, they are very well constructed. A bit more expensive than a polytunnel but not as much as a greenhouse. They are also easier to put up than a polytunnel, My DH and daughter managed the first one in a day and the second which is about four times as big in two days. You can also extend them at any time as the coverings come in sections.

https://www.solartunnels.co.uk

tootallulah

I have planted a couple of packets of flower seeds every day this week and I don't have much left to go in. Lots are germinating nicely and the kitchen looks like a sad weed factory.......... I put in 6 new autumn raspberries, a blackcurrant bush and four tay berries. Hopefully by April I will be able to pot everything on, if I manage to clear all of the stuff I put into the greenhouse to keep it 'safe'.

determined_new_ms

yippee another lovely day and I managed to get down the allotment for an hour before oh went to work so could watch madam finished digging over 1/2 a small bed. so I have worked out I have two 2m x 2m & two 1.5x1m beds that are ready. I have now cleared over 1/2 of the beds. Still a whole lot more to do after this! Originally I thought it would take 3 years to get it completely worked and it looks like my prediction was a fair one

Trying to work out a plan for what will go in where. Finding this part hard!

Today I am sowing leeks, calabrese, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, aubergines, some lettuce and some flowers. Think it's all going rather swimmingly!

elburnzo

oh my, i havent started sowing anything yet! we spent Sunday weeding part of the new plot and getting some seeds, fruit trees and other bits and pieces together.

this weekend will be spent doing yet more weeding since the plot hasnt been touched in over a year.