Resourcefulness: The budgeter's friend

foxgloves

Another useful piece of plastic waste which is worth saving for the garden is the clear plastic cake packaging..You know when you buy a pack of 2 cakes or similar from the supermarket, they are often in a see-though plastic container with a hinged lid? These make useful mini-seed propagators. Fill the base with seed compost & sow seeds, water as usual, write a seed label, then close lid..As soon as they have germinated, use the seed label to prop the lid open, like a teeny tiny cold frame. 
I hope I haven't just given any new gardeners free licence to eat lots of cakes!
F x

Cheery_Daff

😂😂 I was definitely thinking about eating cakes when I read that! 

Glad you enjoyed your greenhouse time. I've not been in mine for ages - I confess the window has fallen off and I've not yet been out to fix it (it's a plastic window after the glass one broke a couple of years ago). No point starting anything here yet, our season is so far behind everything else I rarely plant anything outside until almost June anyway, and sowing seeds now just means even more chance they'll die before they get out if the greenhouse 😂 I plan to start in April - might clear the greenhouse if we have a sunny day before then though 😊

Suffolk_lass

I've only got tomatoes and chillies started but I plan to sprinkle some salad leaf seeds in a plastic window box and move it into the greenhouse so I have some cut and come again leaves to mix in with my iceberg lettuce (if there is any). We don't buy anything in plastic bottles so no cloches here.

In fact, I deliberately bought a bottle of fat OB cola and a 2l sparkling water last year just to make wasp traps. Cut through the middle, invert the top, put some full fat cola and a bit of raw meat (to stop bees going in) in the bottom. Works really well come August. 

We do have yoghurt but only the 500g pots so great for beans. I tend to reuse plastic flower pots though, five to a 6-7" (15-18cm) pot. I was given a hundred or so by someone concerned about their plastic use. I use them until they split (sometimes with duct tape after that and eventually they go in the black bin here (which is incinerated with the best filters and the energy is sold back to the grid). Toilet roll inners are for sweetcorn, 7 to a 7" pot

foxgloves

@Suffolk_lass - I didn't know about a piece of meat in wasp traps deterring bees from going in - how interesting. I've rarely needed to make wasp traps, but I remember my Nana making them because she had a fab cherry tree sort of espaliered up Grandad's shed. They were a cooking variety & made the most fabulous jam, but the wasps liked them a bit too much, so Nana used to hang jam jars covered with holey foil over the top with a solution of jam & water in the bottom. 
I must get some salad leaves started. In fact my March sowing needs to step up a gear all round.
F

foxgloves

@Cheery_Daff -No, it's not worth starting seeds off quite yet if you are a long way north or in a frost pocket. I'm only sowing stuff I know from experience is usually ok in my unheated greenhouse & I cover with a cloche & a layer of bubble wrap or similar if very cold overnight temperatures expected. The more mediterranean stuff is sown in my little heated propagator indoors. I'm in the East Mids (northern end). I don't sow courgettes, squash & beans till April.
F

foxgloves

Well, it's been nice to spend a week together as Mr F uses up his annual leave, but he's back at work tomorrow & I need to get back into my routines. Apart from Tuesday, when I'm otherwise committed, I really need to progress a few things, mainly in the garden, as the veg plot is nowhere near the state of preparedness I usually like to see it in by mid-March. Many small tasks hanging around looking at me accusingly too, as well as my Fitbit providing fairly damning evidence re my woeful lack of steps on too many days.
Hoping for a productive & forward looking week ahead. See you there.
F x

scandimore

Also under prepared here. Have suggested helping me clear and clean the greenhouse as a mother's day present. Had 4 seasons in one day here, just as I was ready to head out into the sun it would start snowing again.

Four_Seasons

Hope you are ok Foxgloves not sure if today was dentist day.  I would love to sort my greenhouse but like scandi one foot through the door and the weather changes, off to Norfolk for a few days next week so I am not planning to start any seeds off until I am back, just looking foreward to fish/chips at Wroxham x

foxgloves

@scandimore - I am just about to put my coat on over 3 layers of clothing to spend a much-needed couple of hours in the greenhouse. 

@Four_Seasons - Enjoy your time in Norfolk. Yes, I'm ok, thanks. Pleased to say it was the opera, not the dentist yesterday. I'm awaiting a video call from dentist to discuss my recent conebeam scan & can feel the surgical bit of my current treatment plan looming. I'm dreading it, but also want it done & out of the way, both from a teeth & budgetary perspective.
F x

2Scratters

After reading on here somewhere in the last week about the use of plastic cake boxes as mini greenhouses for starting off seeds. I had actually picked up 2 TGTG bags and each had 3 of said boxes in them, there are no contents left in them overnight  . All are now washed and waiting their next task. Thanks for the tip.
My boy collie dog has just crawled under the heated airer (its not on yet today) to find the warm spot. Must remember not to put "dangly" clothes on the bottom shelf. 'Ha he's come out now he's realised there is no benefit there. 
Not sure if I have mentioned before the refusal/denial of DH not making use of a blanket when needed. He has a favourite one that has landed from my parents house and now using it. I smiled to myself and said nothing. 

Have a good day

2 Scratters xx