What I Did Today (Undercover)

[SarzWix]

I have almost completely run out of water About 50l left in the big tank and that's it. Panic is setting in because it takes nearly 100l to do a full water of the tunnel and greenhouse. Seriously considering asking the householders adjacent to my plot if they'll sell me 1000l of water to refill the tank...

[VirginVegGrower]

Watered both poly beds. Fed tomatoes, peppers and cucumber plants. Pulled some onions at the front HOOGE Radar onions, thank Zazen for the recommendation (bye bye Shakespeare, hello Radar), which made way for three more tomato plants. Planted remaining oca plants, so all are now in, bar the one I gave to Bins. Be interested to see if there's a difference between outdoor and undercover grown. Harvested a mass crop of broad beans, with more still coming. Hung onions from the trellis wires - that feature is so handy. I love it. Wish I good have another polytunnel with a swimming pool sunk into it. I need a cool down when I've spent time in there.

[Bren In Pots]

Planted Chinese Slangen and Marketmore cucs in the GH border.

[VirginVegGrower]

Pulled the remaining garlic - got so sick of waiting and so did the oca. Lazy garlic made and oca put in the new gap, placed in a row, behind the tomatoes. Watered everywhere. Tied the grape up and noticed I have GRAPES. Teeny tiny, but bunches nonetheless. Picked a load of broad beans off for freezing. Noticed potatoes have flowers now - hurrah. I also have parsnip seedlings through in the poly. Double WAHOO. Whilst I would not grow garlic or shallots again in the poly (epic fail compared to allotment grown) I would grow overwintering onions in there. I have beauties fattening nicely, compared to my lotty ones. The Broadies have been a bonus in there as the lotty ones this year are rubbish. Carrots have foot high tops on but no shoulders showing yet. I may pull one and take a peek. Loving this polytunnel lark

[VirginVegGrower]

Delia Sniff's if you haven't got it, I'll post it up. It is a lovely soup. It is a bummer about the garlic as most of mine went into the poly, but hey you win some, you lose some. Maybe you will fair better than I have. At least I know for next year.

[redser]

Bummer about the garlic, god I hope I get some this year, last year was a wash out. Going to pull a good few of my onions on Saturday, what recipe are you using for the soup?
And just to make the post relevent, I've been eating a handful of strawberries each day from the tunnel for the last few days, yum!

[VirginVegGrower]

I've pulled half the garlic for lazy garlic. Some never split so no garlic for me in the polytunnel again. I did at least escape rust
Pulled 20% of my onions in order to plant my tomatoes - French onion soup on the go. I now have a nice long line, inter planted with marigolds. Peppers are beginning to flower, so they were fed.
Planted a Black Hamburgh grapevine in the poly and Bins' cape gooseberries - thank you. Earthed spuds again and put chicken wire up and over canes for the climbing peas. Watered and fed the tomatoes in the greenhouse. Fed and watered the fig. Potted on stocks and night scented stocks. Considering planting the yacon into the polytunnel. Could oca go in behind the tomato line?

[VirginVegGrower]

I'm having the same problems deciding when to evict stuff. Have 10 large pots of spuds. It like tight-rope walking trying to get from one end of the tunnel to the other with them on teh path. My onions have actually done really well and are above medium size now and a nice shape. Dilema is whether to leave them to go big or get them out now. The garlic tops are starting to turn yellow and purple, I wish they'd hurry up and die off! Next year I'm going to have to make sure that my tomato section is empty, no matter what sort of winter and spring we have!

Sounds like my PT I will remind you, if you remind me. Garlic outside!

[salilah]

All the remaining chillis are now in Morrisons buckets on the staging, on big black trays with one dripper per 2 buckets - fingers crossed, will see if 1min a day is right for them! Very poor aubergine this year - only 3 or 4 and htey are tiny! Chillis look good though

One tomato failed in the week so has been replaced...

One cucumber on one plant - they all look OK but none of them are really going "up" as I expect - yet!

[Ericthehalfabee]

Similar problems here, with a planned eviction of lettuces looking imminent, so lettuce soup here we come. Feeling relieved at only planting one Tumbler tomato plant per 14" hanging basket as each one is looking like a huge shapeless triffid at the mo. Fortunately it's full of flowers and even more buds, but I'd have felt quite threatened if there were two or more of them per basket to contend with. Managed to get all the other plants hardened off and planted out yesterday, they all seem to have survived their first night in the great outdoors and are enjoying the thorough soaking we're having in the north west today. What a contrast to yesterday when it topped 35 degs C in the gh with both doors and all vents open.

[redser]

I'm having the same problems deciding when to evict stuff. Have 10 large pots of spuds. It like tight-rope walking trying to get from one end of the tunnel to the other with them on teh path. My onions have actually done really well and are above medium size now and a nice shape. Dilema is whether to leave them to go big or get them out now. The garlic tops are starting to turn yellow and purple, I wish they'd hurry up and die off! Next year I'm going to have to make sure that my tomato section is empty, no matter what sort of winter and spring we have!

[SarzWix]

Ruddy onions are going to seed now, most of them still aren't much bigger than pickling onions Calabrese still isn't cropping either, should have been ready to eat in April It's getting far too hot in there for them through the day now. I'll be selectively culling things this week to get the rest of the toms in. Anyone else having these problems? I must admit it's making me reconsider my over-wintering plans for this year. Perhaps things in pots that can be moved out?

[salilah]

GH: came back from a week away to find the watering system not working: one hose had become detached so was gushing water over the GH floor (not sure how long for - oops); the timer hadn't therefore worked; and I'd forgotten to switch on the tomato line (though it wouldn't have worked either)!!!

All now sorted - tomatoes getting an hour every 2 days - with a few remaining mizuna plants (want to see if I can get the seeds) and mustard (for eating)

Gave the cucumbers and melons a good soak - everything else still in small pots. Think today might be the day to plant out the chillis and aubergines into Morrisons buckets - tho' that does mean I have to retime the drip system and hope it works (not drying out too much but not drowning either!)

Missed our plant sale yesterday (again) so have 15 or so tomato plants spare - anyone going past Cambridge either today or next weekend who wants some random mainly heirloom tomatoes please PM me! <grin>

[VirginVegGrower]

Some of mine were planted in last week - they've survived. I "draped" newspapers everywhere when the temp dropped a bit. Even so they look better for getting out of their pots.

I'd agree with this and I have done the same. I haven't even covered mine on any of the colder nights and they are shooting top growth, flower buds on some. I wouldn't worry now Sarz.

[Scarlet]

I took a chance, and planted a dozen tomato plants into the beds yesterday. Much harder to fleece them for protection once they're in the ground, so fingers are firmly crossed!

Some of mine were planted in last week - they've survived. I "draped" newspapers everywhere when the temp dropped a bit. Even so they look better for getting out of their pots.