Well its like getting out of bed after a long nights sleep, that feeling of ive had enough rest now i want to do things,
Thats how im feeling know the weathers changing and the bulbs are pushing through, the buds on the flowering cherry are just starting to look sticky,
And the greenhouse is becoming a more attractive place to want to be in,
And its about this time of the year the "New gardener" will be looking at plants and also sowing seeds etc,
Pots.
Plastic or clay pots!
Is one better than the other?
Lets have a look at both and understand why plastic is different from clay pots.
Plastic.
Most pots you'll get your smaller plants in from the garden centre are made of plastic, Why? because they're cheaper to make,
The plastic pot differ in asmuch that as a norm they have a series of drainage holes around the bottom of the pot, And you'll find when you buy a plant in these pots and you want to re-pot to a larger size that you'll not find any small bits of croc or any other form of material to slow the water drainage down,
when you fill these plastic pots you do just that, fill them with compost no need to put any croc or small stones in the bottom as is done with clay pots, this is because plastic pots are made to drain off the water.
Plastic pots are a colder form of pot and do stay wet if they are placed on a saucer or bottom tray as they are not constructed to evaporate the water throught the plastic body of the pot unlike clay.
CLAY POTS.
Clay pots because of the material used tend to be both a warmer pot and cost more to buy,
A lot of gardeners like the clay pot because it will breath and take heat in through the clay, it also keeps the roots damp rather than wet as the clay soaks up water and this in time will dryout through evaporation even if the clay pot is standing in a saucer of water, in time the water will enter the clay material and evaporate through the natural breathing of the clay material, so you now have less chance of root rot or damage due to to much water.
Clay pots because they retain heat better than plastic are found to be better for the likes of geranium cuttings, if these cuttings are planted as close to the edges of the pot they tend to stay warmer and root better.
Clay pots have a drainage hole in the bottom of the pot and this is normaly covered with another broken bit of clay pot known as a croc, the idea being that the compost wont block this drainage hole and also so any water in the saucer can keep the bottom of the pot moist.
When using clay pots it should be understood that the pot will take water into its structure and so if you stand the pot in a saucer of water you can check to see if the compost is dry or moist by tapping on the side of the pot, if a thud sound is heared then the pots not dry in the centre.
So as you can see plastic and clay pots do have different drainage systems and heat retaining systems.
I myself only use clay pots for cuttings because of the warmth of the clay material and the fact that i can test by tapping to check how damp the compost is (with geraniums they dont like their roots wet they"d rather dry conditions than wet ones)
So thats a look at pots and why plastic ones have a series of drainage holes and clay ones dont and the advantages of each.
I hope the "Newer gardener" now can choose what pots they want and why.
Good gardening to you all,
Monday 20 February 2012
Tuesday 7 February 2012
Propagators by Kristen
Basic: Put the seed pots/pans, or trays, in a plastic bag somewhere of suitable temperature until they germinate. But keep an eye on them, twice a day, and get them out of the bag, and onto a bright windowsill, the moment they germinate. I did this method for years until ...
Medium: get a windowsill propagator with no thermostat (like a Garland 7). They provide gentle bottom heat. ... I've had a couple of these for years
Cheap bu unsophisticated. My Garland 7 takes 7 x 1/4 sized seed trays, each with transparent lids (make sure you get the vent open as soon as the seeds germinate, and the lid off as soon as the seedlings are reasonably "up", otherwise the damp conditions will be inclined to cause damping-off)
Flashy: get a proper thermostatically controlled propagator.
Unless the seeds are in the plastic bag / propagator-transparent-cover enclosures for a long time (slow germinating seeds) then there will be enough moisture retained by the soil & covers until they germinate, so no need to water - the water evaporates, condenses on the "cover", and runs back into the soil.
I recommend getting some spare seed-trays - I do batches every fortnight; most vegetable seeds are up in a fortnight, and ready to come off the heat, but not ready to be pricked out - that takes another couple of weeks, so by the time they are pricked out the second batch are ready to come out of the propagator. This also covers you if the manufacturer stops makign the original sized trays-to-fit (as Garland did a couple of years ago when they revamped the model ...)
Issues:
You have to grow-on the seedlings you raise. That needs space, heat and light. If you don't have the light (e.g. a conservatory that is heated / heat-able) then don't start too early - otherwise the seedlings will just grow leggy. You could splash out and get a light box (like a T5 Lightwave) ... but space is a limited under those ... You can grow-on on windowsills, but that is not really a good enough light for young plants in February ... by March its getting reasonable, and by April they can go outside on many days in the month ...
You can cheat a bit by keeping things in seed trays as long as possible, so they are huddled together and don't take up too much room, but the moment you prick them out into, say, 3" / 9cm pots then you need quite a bit of space. Of course if you leave them too long, huddled up, that becomes a problem in itself.
If you will have the seedlings /small plants on a windowsill make sure you provide a reflector on the room-side of the windowsill - so that the plants get some light from "behind", and that will stop them leaning towards the window and becoming "drawn". I used to use an old cardboard box cut in half and lined with aluminium foil, but I now understand that Aluminium foil doesn't reflect light very well, and a board painted matt-white is better; polystyrene (ceiling tiles, or a sheet of insulation material) is actually a better light reflector, and if you want to go the whole hog them some Mylar sheet or something like that is the best light reflector (but you don't really need anything that exotic - unless you are growing Cannabis perhaps!!)
Medium: get a windowsill propagator with no thermostat (like a Garland 7). They provide gentle bottom heat. ... I've had a couple of these for years
Cheap bu unsophisticated. My Garland 7 takes 7 x 1/4 sized seed trays, each with transparent lids (make sure you get the vent open as soon as the seeds germinate, and the lid off as soon as the seedlings are reasonably "up", otherwise the damp conditions will be inclined to cause damping-off)Flashy: get a proper thermostatically controlled propagator.
Unless the seeds are in the plastic bag / propagator-transparent-cover enclosures for a long time (slow germinating seeds) then there will be enough moisture retained by the soil & covers until they germinate, so no need to water - the water evaporates, condenses on the "cover", and runs back into the soil.
I recommend getting some spare seed-trays - I do batches every fortnight; most vegetable seeds are up in a fortnight, and ready to come off the heat, but not ready to be pricked out - that takes another couple of weeks, so by the time they are pricked out the second batch are ready to come out of the propagator. This also covers you if the manufacturer stops makign the original sized trays-to-fit (as Garland did a couple of years ago when they revamped the model ...)
Issues:
You have to grow-on the seedlings you raise. That needs space, heat and light. If you don't have the light (e.g. a conservatory that is heated / heat-able) then don't start too early - otherwise the seedlings will just grow leggy. You could splash out and get a light box (like a T5 Lightwave) ... but space is a limited under those ... You can grow-on on windowsills, but that is not really a good enough light for young plants in February ... by March its getting reasonable, and by April they can go outside on many days in the month ...
You can cheat a bit by keeping things in seed trays as long as possible, so they are huddled together and don't take up too much room, but the moment you prick them out into, say, 3" / 9cm pots then you need quite a bit of space. Of course if you leave them too long, huddled up, that becomes a problem in itself.
If you will have the seedlings /small plants on a windowsill make sure you provide a reflector on the room-side of the windowsill - so that the plants get some light from "behind", and that will stop them leaning towards the window and becoming "drawn". I used to use an old cardboard box cut in half and lined with aluminium foil, but I now understand that Aluminium foil doesn't reflect light very well, and a board painted matt-white is better; polystyrene (ceiling tiles, or a sheet of insulation material) is actually a better light reflector, and if you want to go the whole hog them some Mylar sheet or something like that is the best light reflector (but you don't really need anything that exotic - unless you are growing Cannabis perhaps!!)
Sunday 5 February 2012
Greenhouses & Cold Frames, by Moonraker
Evening all,
Well tonight instead of talking about having a plan for the start of the season, for us gardeners thats around april time "But" it depends we're you are on the map, some parts of the country (uk) can still be that little bit to cold or even snow still around,
And as todays been snowing like hell here i thought "again of the newer gardener's and things that are worth doing even in weather like we're having now"
Snow,!
Snow on glass ie greenhouse/cold frames, can weigh a lot and a lot of the green houses & cold frames that are used today are light framed metal and its this fact that needs tobe thought about.
The frame with glass in it can weigh a lot "But with snow on it",???? well its not rocket science to work out that this can be to much and the greenhouse can buckle under such weight & the glass crack.
I remove the snow as much as possible but to do this you should never use water, (it can crack the glass)
I use a long pole with a soft brush fitted,
I start at the roof's bottom first glass pane, and then the pane above this one and so on, Until ive got to the greenhouse roof ridge,
your pulling down the snow over the panes you've cleared, but it's about the same weight going over each pane of glass each time,
If you take your time and do not put pressure on the brush, and work from standing on the ground (its safer than using steps) you'll soon get the hang of this snow clearing,
If however you have the greenhouse heated? then the snow should melt by its self.
But again a word of warning!
If you have a greenhouse thats been unheated and you decide to remove the roof full of snow bt heating the inside using a heater? You should think about the heat and how it reacts with the light metal framed greenhouses,
the heat can cause the metal to expand very slightly and this again can cause the glass to break, It's the opposit re-action the the greenhouse getting hot in the boiling sun, but in this case the glass also is hot at the same time as the frames hot and so the glass as a norm stays as one piece.
But i feel the snow's better off the glass rather than building up all the time.
You've heard the one about the snow flake that broke the greenhouses back???
No, ?
Me too ive never heard that one
Goodnight & good gardening to you all.
Well tonight instead of talking about having a plan for the start of the season, for us gardeners thats around april time "But" it depends we're you are on the map, some parts of the country (uk) can still be that little bit to cold or even snow still around,
And as todays been snowing like hell here i thought "again of the newer gardener's and things that are worth doing even in weather like we're having now"
Snow,!
Snow on glass ie greenhouse/cold frames, can weigh a lot and a lot of the green houses & cold frames that are used today are light framed metal and its this fact that needs tobe thought about.
The frame with glass in it can weigh a lot "But with snow on it",???? well its not rocket science to work out that this can be to much and the greenhouse can buckle under such weight & the glass crack.
I remove the snow as much as possible but to do this you should never use water, (it can crack the glass)
I use a long pole with a soft brush fitted,
I start at the roof's bottom first glass pane, and then the pane above this one and so on, Until ive got to the greenhouse roof ridge,
your pulling down the snow over the panes you've cleared, but it's about the same weight going over each pane of glass each time,
If you take your time and do not put pressure on the brush, and work from standing on the ground (its safer than using steps) you'll soon get the hang of this snow clearing,
If however you have the greenhouse heated? then the snow should melt by its self.
But again a word of warning!
If you have a greenhouse thats been unheated and you decide to remove the roof full of snow bt heating the inside using a heater? You should think about the heat and how it reacts with the light metal framed greenhouses,
the heat can cause the metal to expand very slightly and this again can cause the glass to break, It's the opposit re-action the the greenhouse getting hot in the boiling sun, but in this case the glass also is hot at the same time as the frames hot and so the glass as a norm stays as one piece.
But i feel the snow's better off the glass rather than building up all the time.
You've heard the one about the snow flake that broke the greenhouses back???
No, ?
Me too ive never heard that one
Goodnight & good gardening to you all.
Saturday 4 February 2012
The Wheelbarrow, by Moonraker
Evening all,
The birds have had a good feed today and ive been servicing the the (Howard gem rotovator) today, As i did say it's a beast but built to last,
It was while i was doing the work on this machine that my mind came back to those "new to gardening" and the basic tools ect needed and used a lot that i thought 'i'd talk about one tool just below the engined tools,
The good old wheel barrow.
I think no matter what sort of gardening your hoping to do a good strong easy to use wheelbarrow is a big "Yes" from me.
It's a form of tool that saves so much labour and one that wont need a lot of attention if used properly,
But once again you have to think about one or two things before you buy.
Now again this tool has'nt really changed a hell of a lot over the many many years its been in use,
The early barrow was made of wood "including the wheel" these 'victorian designed ' barrow was strong and heavy,
one of the problems with it was that the wood had a good chance of being attacted by woodworm, and the wooden wheel had a metal outer rim and these wheels tended to be on the thin side and so if the ground was soft the wheel sunk into the ground and when fully loaded it could be hard work.
Tin was the next material used,
this was a more hardy barrow and the choice for wheels was solid rubbered tyre or the inflated tyre,
The garden form of tin wheel barrow was made with a thin metal frame and the main loading space tended to show signs of dents we're the spades corner had caught the tin when being used to empty contents.
Plasic body wheel barrow.
Again these are designed to both be cost wise and more for the garden than anything else,
But gardening can also lead into the use of bricks /mortor/sand:ect ect
in other words everything the general builder would use,
But these plastic barrows do have a metal frame and also a plastic inner wheel support (we're the tyre fits around ) and because this is a main area for the weight being carried ! the plastic tends to break.
The plastic body again by the use of anything thats brick or stone like can split the plastic,
Two wheel barrows.
At last for the person who do'snt want to feel that with a fully loaded 1 wheel barrow that they're walking a tight robe and are about to fall off or tip to the side any minute We now can buy a two front wheel tipping barrow?
These really are a step in the right direction for anyone who is a little unsteady on their feet through ill health,
they are made of both light metal, a very hard rubberised material/ pump up tyre's and for the new to gardening people (space to stick your "L" plate
)
But all this two wheeled barrow comes at a higher cost than the one wheeler barrow, So if you feel you have a need for a barrow you can set down in a very easy manner? then this is for you.
In my opinion the best buy long term barrow is!
After many years gardening and a few barrows later i feel the best place to buy and the best all round one wheel barrow is bought in the builders supply centres,
These barrows are made strong, a good strong metal frame, good long handles, (if you have any back problems or bending problems you can insert exta lengths of pole shape wood into the hollowed barrow handles,
this will give you that little bit extra length and will mean less knee bending in order to lift the handles & lower them again)
The builders barrow has a good wide all metal inner wheel with inflated tyre or if ordered a solid rubber tyre, (these are good in as much as you dont need to pump them up or worry about puntures but they can give a hard ride when on solid bumpy ground (no springs on a barrow)
The other good point ref builders barrows is the load size is a good wide and full size,
they are made to work and all in all they are cheaper than the garden supply chain of shops /centre's.
Well once again its a think ahead subject and a buy good "buy once subject.
A good barrow is worth having and will last a long time "after all"
ask youself this question!
How many second hand ones have you seen for sale?.
The birds have had a good feed today and ive been servicing the the (Howard gem rotovator) today, As i did say it's a beast but built to last,
It was while i was doing the work on this machine that my mind came back to those "new to gardening" and the basic tools ect needed and used a lot that i thought 'i'd talk about one tool just below the engined tools,
The good old wheel barrow.
I think no matter what sort of gardening your hoping to do a good strong easy to use wheelbarrow is a big "Yes" from me.
It's a form of tool that saves so much labour and one that wont need a lot of attention if used properly,
But once again you have to think about one or two things before you buy.
Now again this tool has'nt really changed a hell of a lot over the many many years its been in use,
The early barrow was made of wood "including the wheel" these 'victorian designed ' barrow was strong and heavy,
one of the problems with it was that the wood had a good chance of being attacted by woodworm, and the wooden wheel had a metal outer rim and these wheels tended to be on the thin side and so if the ground was soft the wheel sunk into the ground and when fully loaded it could be hard work.
Tin was the next material used,
this was a more hardy barrow and the choice for wheels was solid rubbered tyre or the inflated tyre,
The garden form of tin wheel barrow was made with a thin metal frame and the main loading space tended to show signs of dents we're the spades corner had caught the tin when being used to empty contents.
Plasic body wheel barrow.
Again these are designed to both be cost wise and more for the garden than anything else,
But gardening can also lead into the use of bricks /mortor/sand:ect ect
in other words everything the general builder would use,
But these plastic barrows do have a metal frame and also a plastic inner wheel support (we're the tyre fits around ) and because this is a main area for the weight being carried ! the plastic tends to break.
The plastic body again by the use of anything thats brick or stone like can split the plastic,
Two wheel barrows.
At last for the person who do'snt want to feel that with a fully loaded 1 wheel barrow that they're walking a tight robe and are about to fall off or tip to the side any minute We now can buy a two front wheel tipping barrow?
These really are a step in the right direction for anyone who is a little unsteady on their feet through ill health,
they are made of both light metal, a very hard rubberised material/ pump up tyre's and for the new to gardening people (space to stick your "L" plate
)But all this two wheeled barrow comes at a higher cost than the one wheeler barrow, So if you feel you have a need for a barrow you can set down in a very easy manner? then this is for you.
In my opinion the best buy long term barrow is!
After many years gardening and a few barrows later i feel the best place to buy and the best all round one wheel barrow is bought in the builders supply centres,
These barrows are made strong, a good strong metal frame, good long handles, (if you have any back problems or bending problems you can insert exta lengths of pole shape wood into the hollowed barrow handles,
this will give you that little bit extra length and will mean less knee bending in order to lift the handles & lower them again)
The builders barrow has a good wide all metal inner wheel with inflated tyre or if ordered a solid rubber tyre, (these are good in as much as you dont need to pump them up or worry about puntures but they can give a hard ride when on solid bumpy ground (no springs on a barrow)
The other good point ref builders barrows is the load size is a good wide and full size,
they are made to work and all in all they are cheaper than the garden supply chain of shops /centre's.
Well once again its a think ahead subject and a buy good "buy once subject.
A good barrow is worth having and will last a long time "after all"
ask youself this question!
How many second hand ones have you seen for sale?.
Wednesday 1 February 2012
Rabbit Defence by Clueless1
The most effective control is the fence. Its not always practical though. I'm guessing (seeing as the thread is in the allotments section) that this is an allotment we're protecting?
If so, it should be easy enough to keep them out, but the fence has to be right.
Chicken wire is not the most humane control, as the wholes tend to be just big enough for a rabbit to get its head stuck in. You can get rabbit mesh which is just chicken mesh but with smaller holes.
The bottom of the mesh has to be buried. I think the official advice is 9 inches deep, but if that's not practical, another option is to fold the bottom foot or so out over and then bury that, so that when the rabbit reaches the foot of the fence, it goes to dig under, can't (because you've folded the mesh out for a few inches and then buried it) the rabbit gives up.
Don't forget your gate. They can easily get under most gates, so you'd need to bury some mesh under the 'doorstep' too and ensure there are no gaps that a rabbit can fit through (wild rabbits are mostly fur and teeth, so they can fit through much smaller gaps than you might think.
Rabbits are creatures of habit. They make little paths and usually stick close to them. You can spot them easy enough in grassy areas, just look for the 6 inch wide grazed path with rabbit poo on it at intervals. If any such path goes anywhere near your boundary, fortify that part of your fence extra well.
They are also lazy. If there is a more accessible source of food for them, they will take it. That doesn't mean grass. They'll eat grass, but they'd rather destroy your crops, or someone else's. If you make your patch better protected than your neighbour's, the furry demons will ignore your patch and go and see your neighbour instead.
I don't think there's a magic bullet with rabbits. Lots of little steps are needed I think. I've been fighting them for about 4 years now. I've made a lot of progress, but they still get in.
If so, it should be easy enough to keep them out, but the fence has to be right.
Chicken wire is not the most humane control, as the wholes tend to be just big enough for a rabbit to get its head stuck in. You can get rabbit mesh which is just chicken mesh but with smaller holes.
The bottom of the mesh has to be buried. I think the official advice is 9 inches deep, but if that's not practical, another option is to fold the bottom foot or so out over and then bury that, so that when the rabbit reaches the foot of the fence, it goes to dig under, can't (because you've folded the mesh out for a few inches and then buried it) the rabbit gives up.
Don't forget your gate. They can easily get under most gates, so you'd need to bury some mesh under the 'doorstep' too and ensure there are no gaps that a rabbit can fit through (wild rabbits are mostly fur and teeth, so they can fit through much smaller gaps than you might think.
Rabbits are creatures of habit. They make little paths and usually stick close to them. You can spot them easy enough in grassy areas, just look for the 6 inch wide grazed path with rabbit poo on it at intervals. If any such path goes anywhere near your boundary, fortify that part of your fence extra well.
They are also lazy. If there is a more accessible source of food for them, they will take it. That doesn't mean grass. They'll eat grass, but they'd rather destroy your crops, or someone else's. If you make your patch better protected than your neighbour's, the furry demons will ignore your patch and go and see your neighbour instead.
I don't think there's a magic bullet with rabbits. Lots of little steps are needed I think. I've been fighting them for about 4 years now. I've made a lot of progress, but they still get in.
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