Gardening & Growing thread
Printed From: Scarlet Fever Llanelli Rugby Sport Wales Tickets
Category: SOCIAL
Forum Name: CHAT BOARD
Forum Description: No topics, just chat
URL: http://www.xxxxx/forum_posts.asp?TID=47203
Printed Date: 02 June 2023 at 2:58am Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Gardening & Growing thread
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Subject: Gardening & Growing thread
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 8:48am
Judging by the popularity of the wine & beer & food & cooking threads how about this one??? Any thoughts? My wife & I are very keen amateur growers with 16 raised beds, a large polytunnel & two greenhouses which keep us pretty busy basically from now until October/Nov.
We would love to share stories with anyone who is interested. If we can encourage one family to think about growing their own it would be great.
|
Replies:
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 9:15am
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: Kentexile
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 9:27am
I took on an allotment last year something of a jungle at the time hadn’t been touched in years After the clearance and the weather in the southeast I should probably have let it out for camel grazing as very dry soil and anything planted struggled to grow . However high hopes for this year!
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 9:49am
lofty evans wrote:
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
|
Lofty I assume you mean pot to ground. If it was a bare root tree it should be now i.e. in the dormant season but container/pot grown trees can be transplanted any time. I would suggest now is good as you are probably not going to need to spend too much time watering.
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 10:10am
I look on in admiration at the grow your own-ers. Done stuff in the past but available time and competition from wildlife means anything grown in our garden is eaten by birds and/or various 4 pawed wildlife. The dogs get in on the act only if they’re very lucky. Raspberries, gooseberries, fruit trees etc….all recycled into nature without human contact. All flourishing with organic neglect.
A word of warning for pine trees and conifers.
Lofty’s topical conifer question gets first - when your conifer is at the size you want it, trim it then/shortly after it. If you leave it too long, then cut it back to size, you’ve no longer got any green coverage.
Pine trees, plant at your peril. Given long enough to grow and if not reined in, they just kill off the rats below. Near our office, there were some pine cone seeds brought back from WW2 and planted. They’re now over half-way to the nearest building and the lovely green grass beneath has gone. The farm don’t want to trim it for some reason either ☹️😠
Look forward to reading all about everyone’s adventures.
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 10:12am
Cheers GPR..
Hasn't rained here in Kenya since early December, not a drop. Love it- Citrus plants! Don't love it- anything in the ground!
Fruits I have that are going well... Loquats ( small yellow and juicy...cumquat family) - fruit end March. Got to be quick to pick as the local birds love 'em. Lemon and Orange trees- 2 years old but going well. Banana tree - just yielded a nice crop of 80+ bananas. Guava apple-due in April-looks a good drop. Pomegranates- just finished their season...best yet.
Not going well.. Avocado - battling the lack of rain. Papaya - seems to be something attacking the base of the trees.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 10:30am
Wil Chips wrote:
Cheers GPR..
Hasn't rained here in Kenya since early December, not a drop. Love it- Citrus plants! Don't love it- anything in the ground!
Fruits I have that are going well... Loquats ( small yellow and juicy...cumquat family) - fruit end March. Got to be quick to pick as the local birds love 'em. Lemon and Orange trees- 2 years old but going well. Banana tree - just yielded a nice crop of 80+ bananas. Guava apple-due in April-looks a good drop. Pomegranates- just finished their season...best yet.
Not going well.. Avocado - battling the lack of rain. Papaya - seems to be something attacking the base of the trees.
|
That sounds great Wil. Can only look on with envy at those exotic fruits. We grew some lovely melons in our polytunnel last year - hoping for a repeat this season. You mention avocado - when I lived in Zambia we had a very large avacado tree in our grounds. It used to have a fantastic crop every year. Probably helped by copious amounts of water during the rainy season. Getting to the fruit before our Rhodesian ridgeback was another matter.
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 12:37pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
|
Lofty I assume you mean pot to ground. If it was a bare root tree it should be now i.e. in the dormant season but container/pot grown trees can be transplanted any time. I would suggest now is good as you are probably not going to need to spend too much time watering. |
My apologies for spelling smart phone fat fingers don't mix.....yes pot to ground...ive had it 2 years and it's a gem..time for it to go nuts......I once had 2 spiralling confiers bought them and planted them 2 ft tall....20 years later they were 20ft tall the bottom spiralling was 15 ft the next 13 the next 12 etc all the way up the the top....I pruned them, shaped them they were staggeringly beautiful...people used to stop outside the house and knock on the door and ask me if I could do the same for them....and Christmas lights were just stupendous on them....when I moved I wanted to take them with me, called in experts to see what could be done.i was told moving them was a high probability I would kill them.....house gone and new owners just chopped them down.....20 years down the pan....of love and care, I just adore trees
thanks for the advice
will plant my next four days off ...but the weather is changing for snow next week...so should I delay ?
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 12:40pm
Eastern outpost wrote:
I look on in admiration at the grow your own-ers. Done stuff in the past but available time and competition from wildlife means anything grown in our garden is eaten by birds and/or various 4 pawed wildlife. The dogs get in on the act only if they’re very lucky. Raspberries, gooseberries, fruit trees etc….all recycled into nature without human contact. All flourishing with organic neglect.
A word of warning for pine trees and conifers.
Lofty’s topical conifer question gets first - when your conifer is at the size you want it, trim it then/shortly after it. If you leave it too long, then cut it back to size, you’ve no longer got any green coverage.
Pine trees, plant at your peril. Given long enough to grow and if not reined in, they just kill off the rats below. Near our office, there were some pine cone seeds brought back from WW2 and planted. They’re now over half-way to the nearest building and the lovely green grass beneath has gone. The farm don’t want to trim it for some reason either ☹️😠
Look forward to reading all about everyone’s adventures. |
I'm a tree nut, the inverted branches of a tree is a replica of our lungs... we are cousins.
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 12:42pm
lofty evans wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
|
Lofty I assume you mean pot to ground. If it was a bare root tree it should be now i.e. in the dormant season but container/pot grown trees can be transplanted any time. I would suggest now is good as you are probably not going to need to spend too much time watering. |
My apologies for spelling smart phone fat fingers don't mix.....yes pot to ground...ive had it 2 years and it's a gem..time for it to go nuts......I once had 2 spiralling confiers bought them and planted them 2 ft tall....20 years later they were 20ft tall the bottom spiralling was 15 ft the next 13 the next 12 etc all the way up the the top....I pruned them, shaped them they were staggeringly beautiful...people used to stop outside the house and knock on the door and ask me if I could do the same for them....and Christmas lights were just stupendous on them....when I moved I wanted to take them with me, called in experts to see what could be done.i was told moving them was a high probability I would kill them.....house gone and new owners just chopped them down.....20 years down the pan....of love and care, I just adore trees
thanks for the advice
will plant my next four days off ...but the weather is changing for snow next week...so should I delay ?
|
I would wait for the weather to warm a little after next Thursday I think its forecast. In the right place conifers can be stunning. When we arrived at this house in 2017 we planted two oaks in a small woodland at the bottom of our plot. They are 12-15 foot tall at the moment & are going to be really beautiful.
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 12:45pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
|
Lofty I assume you mean pot to ground. If it was a bare root tree it should be now i.e. in the dormant season but container/pot grown trees can be transplanted any time. I would suggest now is good as you are probably not going to need to spend too much time watering. |
My apologies for spelling smart phone fat fingers don't mix.....yes pot to ground...ive had it 2 years and it's a gem..time for it to go nuts......I once had 2 spiralling confiers bought them and planted them 2 ft tall....20 years later they were 20ft tall the bottom spiralling was 15 ft the next 13 the next 12 etc all the way up the the top....I pruned them, shaped them they were staggeringly beautiful...people used to stop outside the house and knock on the door and ask me if I could do the same for them....and Christmas lights were just stupendous on them....when I moved I wanted to take them with me, called in experts to see what could be done.i was told moving them was a high probability I would kill them.....house gone and new owners just chopped them down.....20 years down the pan....of love and care, I just adore trees
thanks for the advice
will plant my next four days off ...but the weather is changing for snow next week...so should I delay ?
|
I would wait for the weather to warm a little after next Thursday I think its forecast. In the right place conifers can be stunning. When we arrived at this house in 2017 we planted two oaks in a small woodland at the bottom of our plot. They are 12-15 foot tall at the moment & are going to be really beautiful. |
It's a great buzz seeing your handiwork.....
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 1:21pm
lofty evans wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
|
Lofty I assume you mean pot to ground. If it was a bare root tree it should be now i.e. in the dormant season but container/pot grown trees can be transplanted any time. I would suggest now is good as you are probably not going to need to spend too much time watering. |
My apologies for spelling smart phone fat fingers don't mix.....yes pot to ground...ive had it 2 years and it's a gem..time for it to go nuts......I once had 2 spiralling confiers bought them and planted them 2 ft tall....20 years later they were 20ft tall the bottom spiralling was 15 ft the next 13 the next 12 etc all the way up the the top....I pruned them, shaped them they were staggeringly beautiful...people used to stop outside the house and knock on the door and ask me if I could do the same for them....and Christmas lights were just stupendous on them....when I moved I wanted to take them with me, called in experts to see what could be done.i was told moving them was a high probability I would kill them.....house gone and new owners just chopped them down.....20 years down the pan....of love and care, I just adore trees
thanks for the advice
will plant my next four days off ...but the weather is changing for snow next week...so should I delay ?
|
I would wait for the weather to warm a little after next Thursday I think its forecast. In the right place conifers can be stunning. When we arrived at this house in 2017 we planted two oaks in a small woodland at the bottom of our plot. They are 12-15 foot tall at the moment & are going to be really beautiful. |
It's a great buzz seeing your handiwork.....
|
Yes Lofty - growing something & seeing it thrive is one of life's great pleasures.
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 04 March 2023 at 7:40pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
Good stuff ...love gardening...quick question I want to plant conifer from pit to ground...Best time please
|
Lofty I assume you mean pot to ground. If it was a bare root tree it should be now i.e. in the dormant season but container/pot grown trees can be transplanted any time. I would suggest now is good as you are probably not going to need to spend too much time watering. |
My apologies for spelling smart phone fat fingers don't mix.....yes pot to ground...ive had it 2 years and it's a gem..time for it to go nuts......I once had 2 spiralling confiers bought them and planted them 2 ft tall....20 years later they were 20ft tall the bottom spiralling was 15 ft the next 13 the next 12 etc all the way up the the top....I pruned them, shaped them they were staggeringly beautiful...people used to stop outside the house and knock on the door and ask me if I could do the same for them....and Christmas lights were just stupendous on them....when I moved I wanted to take them with me, called in experts to see what could be done.i was told moving them was a high probability I would kill them.....house gone and new owners just chopped them down.....20 years down the pan....of love and care, I just adore trees
thanks for the advice
will plant my next four days off ...but the weather is changing for snow next week...so should I delay ?
|
I would wait for the weather to warm a little after next Thursday I think its forecast. In the right place conifers can be stunning. When we arrived at this house in 2017 we planted two oaks in a small woodland at the bottom of our plot. They are 12-15 foot tall at the moment & are going to be really beautiful. |
It's a great buzz seeing your handiwork.....
|
Yes Lofty - growing something & seeing it thrive is one of life's great pleasures. |
Thanks for the advice appreciated.
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 05 March 2023 at 8:27am
One of the great benefits of a polytunnel is the ability to plant/crop certain veg early. We live at 700 feet above sea level which has a surprising effect on growing season. We very often have frosts in April/May so for instance we do not sow first early potatoes outside until late April early May to crop late July.
We are currently chitting some first earlies for planting in the polytunnel mid March, crop early June. Any danger of frosts of course is reduced with the polytunnel and we can save the small plants by using a straw cover if needed.
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 05 March 2023 at 8:47am
Never thought through the value of a poly tunnel tbh. Good call.
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 05 March 2023 at 10:14am
How do you minimise wind resistance and still keep them reasonably insulated from frost etc?
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 06 March 2023 at 7:33am
Eastern outpost wrote:
How do you minimise wind resistance and still keep them reasonably insulated from frost etc? |
Just picked up this question which I assume refers to plants outdoors. As we have raised beds we have adapted them to take either thermal covers or insect netting. Thermal covers stop all wind, warm up the bed and keeps any straw contained.
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 06 March 2023 at 11:20am
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Eastern outpost wrote:
How do you minimise wind resistance and still keep them reasonably insulated from frost etc? |
Just picked up this question which I assume refers to plants outdoors. As we have raised beds we have adapted them to take either thermal covers or insect netting. Thermal covers stop all wind, warm up the bed and keeps any straw contained. | Was thinking of the polytunnels, or aren’t they the sort you can walk upright in?
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 06 March 2023 at 11:33am
Eastern outpost wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Eastern outpost wrote:
How do you minimise wind resistance and still keep them reasonably insulated from frost etc? |
Just picked up this question which I assume refers to plants outdoors. As we have raised beds we have adapted them to take either thermal covers or insect netting. Thermal covers stop all wind, warm up the bed and keeps any straw contained. | Was thinking of the polytunnels, or aren’t they the sort you can walk upright in? |
Ok - our tunnel is 35 foot x 14 foot with a maximum headroom of 10 foot so comfortable to get about in. Double doors at each end which can be closed off in high winds with ventilation supplied through side vent panels. Our tunnel has raised beds so these lend themselves to straw insulation.
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 06 March 2023 at 11:52am
Can we put measurements in metric please, it's easier to order similar items on Amazon ..diolch
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 08 March 2023 at 11:00am
Quick tip while fresh on my mind. Slugs/snails. We save up our egg shells, batch dry them out when using our oven and then crush & store. They are very handy to scatter around tender plants which attract slugs/snails.
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 08 March 2023 at 11:45am
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 08 March 2023 at 1:07pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Quick tip while fresh on my mind. Slugs/snails. We save up our egg shells, batch dry them out when using our oven and then crush & store. They are very handy to scatter around tender plants which attract slugs/snails. |
I'd rather chuck mine next door..Nice lush vegetation for them to thrive.
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 08 March 2023 at 5:50pm
How do people find used coffee grounds as a snail/slug deterrent?
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 11 March 2023 at 8:34am
Wil Chips wrote:
Never thought through the value of a poly tunnel tbh. Good call. |
As a follow up Wil yesterday with snow on the ground and a max outside temp of around 3-4C the temp in our tunnel reached 22C. !st early spuds going in on Monday.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 14 March 2023 at 3:08pm
First earlies planted in polytunnel. Ready for picking last week of May hopefully. Got some autumn planting broccoli almost ready for the table. Probably next week or week after. Spring is coming - my favourite season by far.
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 14 March 2023 at 5:55pm
It's been snowing this afternoon
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 15 March 2023 at 2:31am
Are the Welsh assembly handing out free trees to plant ...one for each household....anyone ?
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: Scarlet O'Hara
Date Posted: 15 March 2023 at 5:45pm
lofty evans wrote:
Are the Welsh assembly handing out free trees to plant ...one for each household....anyone ?
|
Yes it is carrying on until the end of March. You can ask them to plant one for you or go and pick one up from one of their hubs. I had a quick look and the nearest ones are Swansea way or Folly Farm, I'm not going to Folly Farm at this time of year again. There are things I still can't unsee from the last time I went there. 
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 15 March 2023 at 8:25pm
Interesting ...perhaps we should start a new thread called ..'Tales from the naughty step ' and you can tell everyone
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 15 March 2023 at 10:58pm
Going to plant that fir soon...cant wait weather is warmer
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: scarletpimp
Date Posted: 15 March 2023 at 11:52pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Eastern outpost wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Eastern outpost wrote:
How do you minimise wind resistance and still keep them reasonably insulated from frost etc? |
Just picked up this question which I assume refers to plants outdoors. As we have raised beds we have adapted them to take either thermal covers or insect netting. Thermal covers stop all wind, warm up the bed and keeps any straw contained. | Was thinking of the polytunnels, or aren’t they the sort you can walk upright in? |
Ok - our tunnel is 35 foot x 14 foot with a maximum headroom of 10 foot so comfortable to get about in. Double doors at each end which can be closed off in high winds with ventilation supplied through side vent panels. Our tunnel has raised beds so these lend themselves to straw insulation. |
My God GPR. .like a garden centre ..LOL Sounds impressive ! my friend and I have just invested in a tunnel for our allotment. Its "national League ", compared with your premier league, but hopefully will do the trick. a lot of damage with cabbage whites last year and fly damage to carrots. We are both still min the learning stage of this project..lots of mistakes ATM 
------------- I stood yer on tanner bank
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 16 March 2023 at 8:01am
scarletpimp wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Eastern outpost wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Eastern outpost wrote:
How do you minimise wind resistance and still keep them reasonably insulated from frost etc? |
Just picked up this question which I assume refers to plants outdoors. As we have raised beds we have adapted them to take either thermal covers or insect netting. Thermal covers stop all wind, warm up the bed and keeps any straw contained. | Was thinking of the polytunnels, or aren’t they the sort you can walk upright in? |
Ok - our tunnel is 35 foot x 14 foot with a maximum headroom of 10 foot so comfortable to get about in. Double doors at each end which can be closed off in high winds with ventilation supplied through side vent panels. Our tunnel has raised beds so these lend themselves to straw insulation. |
My God GPR. .like a garden centre ..LOL Sounds impressive ! my friend and I have just invested in a tunnel for our allotment. Its "national League ", compared with your premier league, but hopefully will do the trick. a lot of damage with cabbage whites last year and fly damage to carrots. We are both still min the learning stage of this project..lots of mistakes ATM  |
Good move Pimp. The dreaded cabbage white. We have learnt to cover our brassicas with an insect stopping fleece until maturity. It stops the butterfly & therefore the caterpillars. The fleece has very small holes to allow watering.
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 16 March 2023 at 8:14am
If you play country and western music continuously next to your brassiacs..that also ensures no flies will come near them ...
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 17 March 2023 at 2:44pm
Just planted my Blue Spruce Christmas tree, it's 2ft high had it when it was 8 ins .....happy bunny lofty.
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 18 March 2023 at 8:58am
lofty evans wrote:
Just planted my Blue Spruce Christmas tree, it's 2ft high had it when it was 8 ins .....happy bunny lofty.
|
Onwards & upwards Lofty. 
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 8:44am
Picked our first Broccoli of the season yesterday. Temperatures in the tunnel are constantly now 26-33C for at least 6-7 hours a day so growing is well under way.
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 9:26am
How durable are those poly tunnels GPR?
i.e. wind resistant.
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 9:28am
They are pretty good , unless you live in Mississippi
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 9:39am
Wil Chips wrote:
How durable are those poly tunnels GPR?
i.e. wind resistant. |
We have had two tunnels. First one in Kent for 6 years and this one here in Rhydcymerau since 2019 - never a problem. I have to say this latest tunnel was superbly engineered ( British). Its quite large 35 foot x 14 foot & has inground anchors every 5 foot, & a bracing structure both horizontally and at each corner angle.
Diane & I installed it & had some fun getting the one piece cover on - any small gust of wind & its back to the start!!!!! If you want any further info on supplier just PM me.
|
Posted By: lofty evans
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 12:12pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
lofty evans wrote:
Just planted my Blue Spruce Christmas tree, it's 2ft high had it when it was 8 ins .....happy bunny lofty.
|
Onwards & upwards Lofty.  |
Since I planted it ...it rained continously more or lessgor 7 days....bloody marvellous.
------------- In 1972, Roy Bergiers scored that try and said "that was for you lofty"
"All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us"
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 12:38pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Wil Chips wrote:
How durable are those poly tunnels GPR?
i.e. wind resistant. |
We have had two tunnels. First one in Kent for 6 years and this one here in Rhydcymerau since 2019 - never a problem. I have to say this latest tunnel was superbly engineered ( British). Its quite large 35 foot x 14 foot & has inground anchors every 5 foot, & a bracing structure both horizontally and at each corner angle.
Diane & I installed it & had some fun getting the one piece cover on - any small gust of wind & its back to the start!!!!! If you want any further info on supplier just PM me. |
Brilliant....we have a home in Hill Mountain...clue to my question is in the name!
Will definitely reach out when the day comes ( home for good in the Summer).
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 12:50pm
Wil Chips wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Wil Chips wrote:
How durable are those poly tunnels GPR?
i.e. wind resistant. |
We have had two tunnels. First one in Kent for 6 years and this one here in Rhydcymerau since 2019 - never a problem. I have to say this latest tunnel was superbly engineered ( British). Its quite large 35 foot x 14 foot & has inground anchors every 5 foot, & a bracing structure both horizontally and at each corner angle.
Diane & I installed it & had some fun getting the one piece cover on - any small gust of wind & its back to the start!!!!! If you want any further info on supplier just PM me. |
Brilliant....we have a home in Hill Mountain...clue to my question is in the name!
Will definitely reach out when the day comes ( home for good in the Summer).
|
Have a feeling I may have played cricket there many years ago. Lovely area of Pembs., Losing our intrepid African correspondent is a blow but welcome home Wil in advance. If you are around the Lampeter/Llandeilo area call in for a coffee and see it first hand.
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 1:04pm
Tidy.
Burton cricket ground is about 200 yards away.
25+ years on the road, 4th grandchild on the way, son 3 off to Uni in Wales, daughter wants to come to Wales for her A's....yep...its time!
|
Posted By: Fscarlet
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 1:19pm
Wil Chips wrote:
Tidy.
Burton cricket ground is about 200 yards away.
25+ years on the road, 4th grandchild on the way, son 3 off to Uni in Wales, daughter wants to come to Wales for her A's....yep...its time!
|
But the best cricket team is a just down the road towards Black Tar 
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 2:48pm
Hook?
|
Posted By: Fscarlet
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 3:03pm
Posted By: ap sior
Date Posted: 27 March 2023 at 3:08pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Wil Chips wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Wil Chips wrote:
How durable are those poly tunnels GPR?
i.e. wind resistant. |
We have had two tunnels. First one in Kent for 6 years and this one here in Rhydcymerau since 2019 - never a problem. I have to say this latest tunnel was superbly engineered ( British). Its quite large 35 foot x 14 foot & has inground anchors every 5 foot, & a bracing structure both horizontally and at each corner angle.
Diane & I installed it & had some fun getting the one piece cover on - any small gust of wind & its back to the start!!!!! If you want any further info on supplier just PM me. |
Brilliant....we have a home in Hill Mountain...clue to my question is in the name!
Will definitely reach out when the day comes ( home for good in the Summer).
|
Have a feeling I may have played cricket there many years ago. Lovely area of Pembs., Losing our intrepid African correspondent is a blow but welcome home Wil in advance. If you are around the Lampeter/Llandeilo area call in for a coffee and see it first hand. |
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 28 March 2023 at 7:22am
ap sior wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Wil Chips wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Wil Chips wrote:
How durable are those poly tunnels GPR?
i.e. wind resistant. |
We have had two tunnels. First one in Kent for 6 years and this one here in Rhydcymerau since 2019 - never a problem. I have to say this latest tunnel was superbly engineered ( British). Its quite large 35 foot x 14 foot & has inground anchors every 5 foot, & a bracing structure both horizontally and at each corner angle.
Diane & I installed it & had some fun getting the one piece cover on - any small gust of wind & its back to the start!!!!! If you want any further info on supplier just PM me. |
Brilliant....we have a home in Hill Mountain...clue to my question is in the name!
Will definitely reach out when the day comes ( home for good in the Summer).
|
Have a feeling I may have played cricket there many years ago. Lovely area of Pembs., Losing our intrepid African correspondent is a blow but welcome home Wil in advance. If you are around the Lampeter/Llandeilo area call in for a coffee and see it first hand. |
|
You are more than welcome. We can have coffee & biscuits in the polytunnel - heating in the house is off see - bloody expensive. 
|
Posted By: ladram
Date Posted: 28 March 2023 at 8:21am
I've just put my first crop of rice in my garden as it's raining all the time
|
Posted By: Rob o'r Bont
Date Posted: 28 March 2023 at 9:42am
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Quick tip while fresh on my mind. Slugs/snails. We save up our egg shells, batch dry them out when using our oven and then crush & store. They are very handy to scatter around tender plants which attract slugs/snails. | About 3 or 4 years ago, we had an infestation of large (giant really) orange coloured slugs. They were everywhere and ate everything. It was just for one summer and haven't seen them since. Anyone else had them?
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 31 March 2023 at 7:13am
Busy time of the year if you have a polytunnel as lots of Spring planting veg can be sown that little bit earlier. Currently we have onions, leeks, beetroot, broad beans, spring onions & cabbage plants showing through ready for onward planting in our raised beds later when spring finally arrives. Have some lovely looking tomato plants in our heated propagator - they will be ready to plant out in the polytunnel in a couple of weeks. They will be followed by cucumbers & peppers.
At the moment we are harvesting autumn planting broccoli, lettuce & spring onions with some cauliflowers ready in a couple of weeks. Our first early potatoes planted last week are starting to show through. Happy days.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 02 April 2023 at 7:10am
Picked our first asparagus of the season yesterday. First time tried in a polytunnel - a good 4 weeks earlier than outside here.
|
Posted By: Wil Chips
Date Posted: 02 April 2023 at 8:43am
As a victim of jet lag I was watching a piece on the 'salad crisis' in the UK this morning. i thought it was just a short term supply chain fracture, but it's far more than that.
Growing your own just gained momentum.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 02 April 2023 at 10:13am
Wil Chips wrote:
As a victim of jet lag I was watching a piece on the 'salad crisis' in the UK this morning. i thought it was just a short term supply chain fracture, but it's far more than that.
Growing your own just gained momentum.
|
Higher fuel costs are hitting British growers very hard. I guess its going to be veg and salad crops outside their normal seasons which will suffer the most.
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 02 April 2023 at 10:19am
And don't forget Brexit , it's so much harder for European suppliers to negotiate the rats nest of paperwork that now exists that didn't before
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 03 April 2023 at 8:00am
Oracle wrote:
And don't forget Brexit , it's so much harder for European suppliers to negotiate the rats nest of paperwork that now exists that didn't before |
Bit of a red herring in all honesty. I have been exporting to Europe for the last 15 years & whilst the paperwork since Brexit has increased it is no more than a small piece of extra work. I accept food stuffs are more tightly controlled but once the producer and freight company have completed the first shipment the prototype paperwork is then in place & things should run pretty smoothly.
Of course if a producer in Spain is suffering from poor growing conditions like last Autumn apparently then the reduced amount of products will be shipped closer to home. That is just economics and nothing to do with the demon Brexit.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 03 April 2023 at 8:02am
minus 1C in the polytunnel last night. Golden rule for tunnel users - daily weather/temperature checks.
|
Posted By: tigerburnie
Date Posted: 05 April 2023 at 3:07pm
Hadn't noticed this before, I post on a couple or so gardening forums and started doing the videos primarily for newish gardeners, it helped with my re-hab after cancer surgery too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c2VGEZwnv4" rel="nofollow - Headless Gardener in the Spring - YouTube
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 05 April 2023 at 3:17pm
tigerburnie wrote:
Hadn't noticed this before, I post on a couple or so gardening forums and started doing the videos primarily for newish gardeners, it helped with my re-hab after cancer surgery too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c2VGEZwnv4" rel="nofollow - Headless Gardener in the Spring - YouTube |
Cheers Burnie. Hope you well on the road to recovery. We have a growing & gardening thread along with a cooking thread. look forward to your contributions.
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 05 April 2023 at 5:39pm
GPR - Rochester wrote:
tigerburnie wrote:
Hadn't noticed this before, I post on a couple or so gardening forums and started doing the videos primarily for newish gardeners, it helped with my re-hab after cancer surgery too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c2VGEZwnv4" rel="nofollow - Headless Gardener in the Spring - YouTube |
Cheers Burnie. Hope you well on the road to recovery. We have a growing & gardening thread along with a cooking thread. look forward to your contributions. | Good luck with your re-hab and post op recovery. May it be given a big boost this weekend by an away win in Leinster’s home ground for big games.
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 21 April 2023 at 8:20am
Early potatoes planted a month ago are now a foot tall (300mm - Oracle); planted the outdoor earlies on Monday/Tuesday then see the forecast for frost next week - fleece & straw at the ready!!!!!
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 21 April 2023 at 11:42am
Thanks for thinking of me ....moving to olden next Tuesday , no potatoes just more snow and blizzards expected ...I can't remember the last time I walked on soil not snow ..I can empathise with reindeer
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 22 April 2023 at 8:56am
Minus 1 in tunnel last night.
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 22 April 2023 at 8:59am
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Minus 1 in tunnel last night.  | Fingers crossed no casualties
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 22 April 2023 at 9:45am
Eastern outpost wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Minus 1 in tunnel last night.  | Fingers crossed no casualties |
Diane is busy checking the tomato plants as we speak. My early spuds are ok so there's hope.
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 09 May 2023 at 10:58am
Thought I would share a late spring update for potential gardeners out there and exchange notes with current gardeners. Spring has been disappointingly cool with the result that sowing is a little behind. This is fine as losing some time now is easily made up for in the weeks to come. Better late than suffering poor germination from planting when conditions are too cold.
Most seed sowing is now done with only carrots, parsnip & suede to come in the next 10 days. We have harvested autumn planted spring onions, lettuce & brocolli with autumn planted cauliflowers & broad beans to come within 7-10 days ( benefits of a polytunnel). Our first early potatoes will be ready in a couple of weeks. In addition we have the following herbs ready to use - mint, rosemary, bay leaves, sage, parsley & thyme with French tarragon & marjoram available soon.
Outdoor sowing has started with autumn planted onions, garlic & shallots all doing well - these should be ready to harvest around late June/early July. Leeks will be going out this week having been started in the polytunnel. Mid & Late summer vegetables are all in various stages of growth with tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, beetroot, spring planted broad beans & onions, melons, sweetcorn, peas and french beans all doing well. One of our favourite late summer veg - runner beans will be planted this week.
Spring is a very busy planting time of the year and from now on its usually the watering which keeps us busy. We are very lucky in that we have over 3000 litres capacity stored throughout our garden in butts. If anyone has any questions regardless of how basic you may think it is feel free to ask. If we can answer we will. Growing our own has contributed wonderfully to our lives over the past 15 years health & well being wise. We can strongly recommend it.
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 09 May 2023 at 11:02am
Why don't you record your work and open your own YouTube channel...I'm sure you would have a good following ...you could try twitter and Facebook too ...it would cover the cost of your sonatogen and ralgex
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 09 May 2023 at 11:11am
Oracle wrote:
Why don't you record your work and open your own YouTube channel...I'm sure you would have a good following ...you could try twitter and Facebook too ...it would cover the cost of your sonatogen and ralgex  |
Between you and me Oracle I still have some supplies of liquid morphine from when I had my knee replacement. Obviously thats between you and me. 
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 09 May 2023 at 11:57am
I would keep a bit for next season 
|
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 09 May 2023 at 12:30pm
Oracle wrote:
I would keep a bit for next season  |
My have to rely in my vino stocks 
|
Posted By: Oracle
Date Posted: 09 May 2023 at 1:03pm
Posted By: GPR - Rochester
Date Posted: 26 May 2023 at 6:50am
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Thought I would share a late spring update for potential gardeners out there and exchange notes with current gardeners. Spring has been disappointingly cool with the result that sowing is a little behind. This is fine as losing some time now is easily made up for in the weeks to come. Better late than suffering poor germination from planting when conditions are too cold.
Most seed sowing is now done with only carrots, parsnip & suede to come in the next 10 days. We have harvested autumn planted spring onions, lettuce & brocolli with autumn planted cauliflowers & broad beans to come within 7-10 days ( benefits of a polytunnel). Our first early potatoes will be ready in a couple of weeks. In addition we have the following herbs ready to use - mint, rosemary, bay leaves, sage, parsley & thyme with French tarragon & marjoram available soon.
Outdoor sowing has started with autumn planted onions, garlic & shallots all doing well - these should be ready to harvest around late June/early July. Leeks will be going out this week having been started in the polytunnel. Mid & Late summer vegetables are all in various stages of growth with tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, beetroot, spring planted broad beans & onions, melons, sweetcorn, peas and french beans all doing well. One of our favourite late summer veg - runner beans will be planted this week.
Spring is a very busy planting time of the year and from now on its usually the watering which keeps us busy. We are very lucky in that we have over 3000 litres capacity stored throughout our garden in butts. If anyone has any questions regardless of how basic you may think it is feel free to ask. If we can answer we will. Growing our own has contributed wonderfully to our lives over the past 15 years health & well being wise. We can strongly recommend it. |
Well how our climate can change. two weeks ago I was complaining above about how spring had been disappointingly cool. Since then we have had an unbroken run of glorious weather, no rain & a forecast taking us through, at the moment, to 8th June with no prospect of any rain and temperatures rising into the mid 20's. Our reserves of captured water are running low so plan B will soon be introduced - we have a stream running through our property & during prolonged dry periods we pump water from this stream to irrigate our plants. Just off to set it up and crack on.
|
Posted By: Eastern outpost
Date Posted: 26 May 2023 at 7:15am
GPR - Rochester wrote:
GPR - Rochester wrote:
Thought I would share a late spring update for potential gardeners out there and exchange notes with current gardeners. Spring has been disappointingly cool with the result that sowing is a little behind. This is fine as losing some time now is easily made up for in the weeks to come. Better late than suffering poor germination from planting when conditions are too cold.
Most seed sowing is now done with only carrots, parsnip & suede to come in the next 10 days. We have harvested autumn planted spring onions, lettuce & brocolli with autumn planted cauliflowers & broad beans to come within 7-10 days ( benefits of a polytunnel). Our first early potatoes will be ready in a couple of weeks. In addition we have the following herbs ready to use - mint, rosemary, bay leaves, sage, parsley & thyme with French tarragon & marjoram available soon.
Outdoor sowing has started with autumn planted onions, garlic & shallots all doing well - these should be ready to harvest around late June/early July. Leeks will be going out this week having been started in the polytunnel. Mid & Late summer vegetables are all in various stages of growth with tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers, beetroot, spring planted broad beans & onions, melons, sweetcorn, peas and french beans all doing well. One of our favourite late summer veg - runner beans will be planted this week.
Spring is a very busy planting time of the year and from now on its usually the watering which keeps us busy. We are very lucky in that we have over 3000 litres capacity stored throughout our garden in butts. If anyone has any questions regardless of how basic you may think it is feel free to ask. If we can answer we will. Growing our own has contributed wonderfully to our lives over the past 15 years health & well being wise. We can strongly recommend it. |
Well how our climate can change. two weeks ago I was complaining above about how spring had been disappointingly cool. Since then we have had an unbroken run of glorious weather, no rain & a forecast taking us through, at the moment, to 8th June with no prospect of any rain and temperatures rising into the mid 20's. Our reserves of captured water are running low so plan B will soon be introduced - we have a stream running through our property & during prolonged dry periods we pump water from this stream to irrigate our plants. Just off to set it up and crack on. | Great set up there, GPR.
------------- In a world where you can be anything – Be Kind.
|
Posted By: ladram
Date Posted: 26 May 2023 at 7:44am
Pulled my dandelions Monday unfortunatley it was a very good crop hoping to get some spuds in Monday.
|
|