Gilly's Allotment

[Kristen]

Will the cucumbers be better off staying in the living room for now until the weather warms up or should I transfer them to the greenhouse where it's slightly cooler? They're on a south-facing windowsill during the day but brought onto my desk (or the small table next to it) once we close the curtains so they don't get chilled overnight. Am I pampering them too much and treating them too much like houseplants!

No, you are not pampering them too much (moving them off windowsill at night) - they hate cold. If they are in those bags, on a South facing windowsill during the day, they may cook though ...

[Gillykat]

Thanks for the advice re accidentally cooking them They were moved to the bedroom window (westerly) where the sun is less intense. Perhaps next week I might think about moving them up to the greenhouse...or the week after depending on temperatures

I'm like a fussy mother hen with my new baby plants

[Gillykat]

Sunday 22nd was absolutely glorious, after a slightly frosty start, and I spent 4.5 blissfully satisfying hours on the plot. Took out the manky raspberries as I'm not too keen on the fruit anyway, had a battle with a rampant blackberry on the wires behind the greenhouse and won (tho' received a few war wounds in the process!) and, the main job, gave the greenhouse a good clean inside and out. The only bits I didn't do were the roof on the outside as I was on my own and didn't want to risk falling through - that job will get done tomorrow when Neil is with me - and the back next to the gas bottles (on the outside) but that too willl get done tomorrow.

Woke up this morning a bit achy (after a lovely deep sleep!) but as the morning progressed at work I started to stiffen up!!! I obviously haven't done this much exercise for a while and my poor body ain't happy about it!

I fetched the two black bin liners full of seed trays and pots from the shed this afternoon and I've got one lot currently soaking in the bath to loosen any old gunk and I can them give them a good scrub clean so that my seeds will be going into lovely sterilised trays/pots.

Before & After Pics








Apart from a 6am - 9am shift on Wednesday I'm off wortk now until Saturday afternoon so got loads of time to play...errm work on the plot and get everything ready.

[Gillykat]

Just remembered something I meant to ask last week!

As you can see from the greenhouse pics there is a bit of moss growing on the outside on the roof. I was going to remove this but my plot neighbour said to leave it as it'll stop the panes rattling in the wind and coming loose...his reasoning being that he took the moss off his and loads of panes came out and smashed in the winter gales! Is this true? Personally I think it'll be ok to take it off tomorrow when I clean the roof panes. I've checked the whole greenhouse and there's nothing loose

[Bigmallly]

If all the seals & clips are in good fettle, there is no reason why removing moss should loosen the panes, run a plastic plant label under the seal to remove any moss then swill off with a brush & water.

[Gillykat]

Thanks - that's what I thought The roof cleaning will have to wait a few more days as poor Neil is bedridden with a very nasty bout of Man Flu His boss even sent him home just after midnight as he was puking left, right n centre His joints are all aching and he's full of cold too. He's gone back to bed to try to sleep it out of his system before I call the vet with the humane killer

[Gillykat]

I spent 2.5hrs on the plot and sowed a few flowers today

Poppy 'fruit punch'

Poppy orientale 'Brilliant'

Sunflower 'Skyline' x 12

Tagetes 'starfire mixed'

Catmint

Rudbeckia 'cherokee sunset' x 50

Rudbeckia 'cherry brandy' x 50

Morning Glory 'Grandpa Ottis' x 12

Calendula 'art shades' ~ 28 pots (!) :P

I also potted up my six tomatoes into slightly bigger pots and brought them back home where it's warmer. Hopefully they won't react to the repotting and keel over!



Feels like I've done tons but barely even covered one shelf in the greenhouse!!!

[TheChemist]

I have serious greenhouse envy Gilly! Our plot is in a fairly picturesque area overlooked by a few houses and for that reason, I suppose, they're very funny about structures. My blow away shelf would be full with what you've got there!

When did you sow your toms? Mine are still diddy plants, each with one pair of "true" leaves. I'd love a pic.

Looks like you're going to have a very pretty plot come summer

[Gillykat]

I sowed the tomatoes and cucumbers on 3rd March and they've been on my south-facing living room window ever since. I've just out the tomatoes into bigger pots as they were outgrowing the module they were in and thankfully after an hour or so of looking rather limp (and scaring the life out of me!!!) they perked up In the evening I bring the plants away from the window and put them on a small table about 2ft from the night storage heater (not intentionally warm - just wanted them away from a possibly frosty window). I put the cucumbers into these cut-down bottles last week with a plastic bag on top to mimic the propagator conditions but after a couple of days I removed it and they're still growing like mad! They are a variety called Marketmore 76 and can be grown outside so I planned to put two/three plants in the polytunnel and the others outside. I'm not sure if I'm doing everything right but the plants seem happy enough for now. Once it starts to warm up properly they can be moved to the greenhouse and then the polytunnel to harden off....hopefully this will be BEFORE they are fully grown triffids on my windowsill taking over all the space and denying the cats their sunny beds

Tomatoes


Cucumbers

[Bacchus]

Keep the updates coming - photo's always bring threads to life and it's great to see your progress.

[Gillykat]

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL day today, despite the galeforce winds, and the heavy showers that the weathermen forecasted from lunchtime onwards never actually materialised.
I popped up to the plot for a quick check of my sweet pea seedlings...a quick check which due to the weather conditions (ie not wanting to waste such a lovely warm day) turned into three hours! Checked over the plants in the greenhouse (I moved the plants in the tunnel back into the warmer greenhouse two days ago) and they're all looking happier, some of my seeds are germinating (Tagetes, Calendula, Catmint and Cosmos) and I decided to dig over the beds in the polytunnel as I want to sow my carrots, lettuce and spring onions in the next few days. My dear husband had started to use the tunnel as a bit of a storage place so I moved his junk....errr stuff...into the shed instead. I then got distracted (as I do!) and decided to dig over the first bed next to the gate and get it ready for the potatoes which I may put in this weekend. I blessed the wonderful guy who had the plot before me because the soil needed hardly any work to have it all turned over beautifully
I then moved on to the polytunnel and dug over one complete side and did a rough diagram of the five, possibly six, separate beds and measured them up. They're all around 60 inches in length. All I have to do now is work out what's going where!

Tomorrow I'm going to weed & dig over the other bed next to the gate and do the other side of the tunnel. I 'only' spent 2.5hrs at the plot today but it WAS lovely - after weeks of grotty cold weather that has had me REALLY frustrated because I just want to get started - to be enjoying some lovely balmy weather finally! It was around 24c in the greenhouse and 20c in the tunnel. Hopefully the weather will continue to improve bit by bit.



My latest 'treats'

[Gillykat]

First Bed Dug Over


Tomorrow's Job


Polytunnel Beds


I've got of a weakness for these guys

[Gillykat]

Second bed dug over on Thursday as Good Friday's forecast was dire. Spuds hopefully going in either Sunday or Monday

Felt GREAT to get another bed dug over....cannot remember the last time I felt like I was actually doing something so satisfying and worthwhile!

[Bigmallly]

Looking really good, you've both done a lot of work. Being a bit of a perfectionist, I'd like to make one suggestion if it's possible to do.................I notice you have added timber bracings in the tunnel, I would have been tempted to measure the distance at the bottom then have someone pull or push the outer vertical post to meet that measurement. This in my eye would have levelled up the outer posts. Obviously without actually seeing it, I don't know if that would be possible. Looks great either way.

[Snadger]

First Bed Dug Over


Tomorrow's Job


Polytunnel Beds


I've got of a weakness for these guys

Always fancied a passion flower but it would have to be the edible fruit variety (edulis?)