Advice for a hopeless gardener

[Arzosah]

That's very good, Jenny! Beautiful looking. I have to ask, though, are you putting it out during the storms? Or waiting till they're past?

[jennyjj01]

That's very good, Jenny! Beautiful looking. I have to ask, though, are you putting it out during the storms? Or waiting till they're past?

LOL. We were putting the poly cover over it while it was blowing a gale. That plastic might be heavy, but I was very nearly taken away by my big kite.
Having tied it down*, We stood and watched for a while as the wind tried to do its worst. It looked like it was going to be able to withstand the very heavy wind.

We've moved it up next to the five foot fence, which is sheltering it a fair bit. The fence itself is on the edge of blowing down like it does every year. So, they are protecting each-other a bit.

At the moment, the cover is held down by parcel string. To be replaced by rope, ASAP.

Oh! and though this one withstood the gale, my shop bought plastic greenhouse cupboard thingy blew over, with my baby seedlings in it ( Lots of casualties!

While comparing to the previous box, I noticed that that one has started to collapse under the weight of the soil. That one was made with fewer, shorter screws. To be repaired before planting.

[ForgeCorvus]

You mentioned in the "What Preps...." thread that you'd got a supply of 'Equine Source Fertiliser' ?
Do you know if the hay/silage feed or pasture comes from land treated with Graze-on or a similar agri-chemical ?

Its a persistent broad-leafed herbicide and while (supposedly) safe for Dobbin, friends have had problems growing salads and root crops in areas they've used compost mixed with horse muck from land treated with the stuff.

[jennyjj01]

You mentioned in the "What Preps...." thread that you'd got a supply of 'Equine Source Fertiliser' ?
Do you know if the hay/silage feed or pasture comes from land treated with Graze-on or a similar agri-chemical ?

Its a persistent broad-leafed herbicide and while (supposedly) safe for Dobbin, friends have had problems growing salads and root crops in areas they've used compost mixed with horse muck from land treated with the stuff.

Good warning. I'll ask. But I believe this FB friend is likely to be inclined to be chemical free.

[jennyjj01]

A big parcel of seeds arrived today*. I'm itching and twitching and resisting with all my might, the urge to plant them too soon.
I've ordered cardboard potting trays, soil thermometer and I've set calendar alerts to tell me what and when to sow. I'm going to hit the ground running!

Started saving loo roll tubes and plastic pop bottles for sowing and propagating as mini cloches.

I sunmapped my garden and realised I'm wasting a precious square metre of sunny space with my composter, which is getting moved this weekend. Mistake realised and getting fixed.

I did probably buy some ambitious seeds: okra and aubergine. Ho hum, I plan to sprout them and trade some of my seedlings with neighbours.

* Yippee. three of my packs of ten crimson crush seeds had 11 seeds in: FREE food!

Your enthusiasm is boundless! okra I have never eaten,let alone grown. Aubergine I have grown in a poly tunnel,but they took way too much faffing about.

Anyhow, this week I have some precious time at home. The compost is warmed in the poly tunnel,and I shall start tomatoes,chillies,lettuce,radish and some more Welsh onions. We can compare germination rates!

HELP!!!!!!!!
I'm bothered. Maybe someone can reassure me. Or put me back on track. Jansman? My hero?

So... Of my first batch of Crimson crush seedlings, 14 of 20 got murdered either by my drowning them or blown away in a hurricane. 6 survived but only just. I gave them a week or two to recover in my kitchen window and now they are out in my cloche still in their own pots. I'm keeping them damp, but not soaked. Is that about right while they recover? They don't seem to be recovering much but they are not looking any worse.
Spring onions in card modules are sprouting sporadically. Some pots have ten, and as many pots have none at all. I think I gave them too hard a compost to grow out of. The prospering ones have just straightened up and are about 30cm high. They too are on a little table in my cloche.
Carrots (Paris Market 5) in pairs in loo roll pots also in my cloche. But I fear I buried the poor buggers too deep. Those teeny tiny seeds are 15mm down as per instructions, but until I see green, I'll be fretting.
Growing individual carrots seems silly?
I'll be doing a first sowing of chard and beetroot soon, in pots.

I have a big tray of onion seeds also being kept damp in my cloche. But not a glimmer: not a hint of green after near three weeks Do i understand correctly that these won't be mature till NET YEAR? Dammit!
Today I planted a dozen onion sets in plastic pots to get them started. Please tell me they will mature for Christmas?

How the heck does anyone grow enough of anything???

I have also sown another batch of tomatoes, also in card pods, but I'm starting to worry about them not breaking out yet. the poor seeds look so very tiny as I buried them alive.

Basically, I'm just concerned that Time is passing and i might not be incubating my babies correctly.

Should I artificially warm my cloche? At the moment, I have a garden table in it, rather than soil, and i COULD put an electric heated propagator in there... But I'm afraid that if i do, I might overly dry the pots of soil. With those cardboard pots it is super hard to know how much to water them.

Last but not least, I've just popped a dozen cloves of garlic in some 2 foot long planters. I bought them at the wrong time and they arrived in the post already sprouting. I plan to neglect them, because that worked well with the last lot

Any thought, suggestions, ideas?

[jansman]

I told you that you had started too early didn’t I? You will not beat Mother Nature.There is time now to start again. My plants are just starting to poke through. Read the instructions on the seed packets ,and adhere to them. You still have plenty of time. Do not stress.

[jennyjj01]

I told you that you had started too early didn’t I? You will not beat Mother Nature.There is time now to start again. My plants are just starting to poke through. Read the instructions on the seed packets ,and adhere to them. You still have plenty of time. Do not stress.

Tee Hee.
I did start again... and again again.... and again again again.
I'm actually progressively sowing in that every discarded loo roll becomes that day's seed nursery. With carrots, that is a cheap option because the pack of seeds seems endless. Not so much with my precious tomatoes. I just wish the buggers would pop through and say 'hi' I'm befuddled by my spring onions, for instance: I sowed 10 seed pods with about 10 seeds each. the first couple just seemed to burst in to live on the same day, seemingly growing litterally before my eyes.... but of half the tray.... not a glimmer

When the instructions say sow from February, I hit the ground running at 00:05 am on 1 February and if they haven't broken the surface by 8 February, I panic!

Reading and re-reading instructions and trying to comply. But silly things like keeping the soil at the right moisture level is driving me nuts.

Again, I observe..... How the heck can anyone be self sufficient in anything in this country? Feels like we are sat on out thumbs 6+ months of the year.

[jansman]

I told you that you had started too early didn’t I? You will not beat Mother Nature.There is time now to start again. My plants are just starting to poke through. Read the instructions on the seed packets ,and adhere to them. You still have plenty of time. Do not stress.

Tee Hee.
I did start again... and again again.... and again again again.
I'm actually progressively sowing in that every discarded loo roll becomes that day's seed nursery. With carrots, that is a cheap option because the pack of seeds seems endless. Not so much with my precious tomatoes. I just wish the buggers would pop through and say 'hi' I'm befuddled by my spring onions, for instance: I sowed 10 seed pods with about 10 seeds each. the first couple just seemed to burst in to live on the same day, seemingly growing litterally before my eyes.... but of half the tray.... not a glimmer

When the instructions say sow from February, I hit the ground running at 00:05 am on 1 February and if they haven't broken the surface by 8 February, I panic!

Reading and re-reading instructions and trying to comply. But silly things like keeping the soil at the right moisture level is driving me nuts.

Again, I observe..... How the heck can anyone be self sufficient in anything in this country? Feels like we are sat on out thumbs 6+ months of the year.

You will get there. When you sow,don’t put too much compost over. Literally ,rub compost between your hands to JUST cover.

[jennyjj01]

You will get there. When you sow,don’t put too much compost over. Literally ,rub compost between your hands to JUST cover.

OK. I'll blame you or give you the credit for this one....
My Paris Market 5 carrot seeds say to sow 3/4 inch down*, which i did with batch #1. But tonight, I sowed a card pod tray at a depth of about 5mm. But then these things say to sow straight to the final growing site and i'm defying that.


These seeds are about half a millimetre diameter. It just seems insanely cruel to bury them alive 40 times their height. How the heck are they supposed to dig their way through that This lot got a shallow grave. If they survive, I'll bury them again later

[Arzosah]

You're making me laugh, Jenny, and luckily I'm sure that's the result you're going for - I'm hoping that when I get my books back in my bookcase, I'll still have time to sow stuff - for sure, I won't have *space* to sow stuff until then. Last year, not only did I bury things too deep, I drowned them immediately after I planted them it was very sad