Lots to do

Putting the finishing touches to the new fence.

My polytunnel still hasn’t arrived. It’s in transit apparently and presently sitting in a warehouse in Carrick Fergus.  

 I have plenty to be getting on with before it comes and one of these things is to put up a small fence to keep the dogs away from the newly sieved veggie patch and also away from the tunnel entrance. I’m working on a bit of a slope so the gate has a five inch gap at the bottom. This would put most canines off but our Springer spaniel manages to turn herself into a liquid and can get herself under the narrowest of gaps.  Last week she did a slide reminiscent of Indiana Jones underneath a fence to retrieve a ball. It was only about two inches wide and I am still not sure how she did it. Chips the dog isn’t sure either because try as she might there was no way she could get back through it.  For this reason I will be inventing a rather nifty flap that will drop into place when the gat is closed tight enough that not even a slug can get through. The fence has pointy bits on the tops which will hopefully discourage her from attempting to jump over it, I have sanded the tips and edges of the fence panels to smooth them off, and this is for our health and safety needs as well as the dogs.

Sprouting well

The seeds are sprouting well in the house.  The humidity is a bit high and my glasses tend to steam up quite regularly but it’s worth it.  Having seed trays the same width of the sills has really helped to keep things tidy and some of the plastic covers are now coming off so the sprouted seeds can get some more air around them.  So far the lettuce, nasturtiums, tomatoes, sweet peas, beans, basil and broccoli have all popped up.  Sometimes seeds for some reason don’t germinate very well when we get their environment a bit wrong. With a bit of help from High Mowing Seeds, let’s have a look why this happens.

Moisture:  A dormant seed only contains 10-15% of water and is essentially dehydrated. The seed has to absorb water in order to become active. It is absorbed by the seed coat. The embryo then begins to swell. The softened seed coat ruptures as the seed grows too big for its encasement and germination has started. The first seed leaves or cotyledons are now apparent. Photosynthesis does not begin until the true leaves are developed and at this point in development the seedling is still surviving on its own food reserves.

 Air:  In the dormant condition the seeds respiratory rate is very low and so oxygen is required in very small quantities. But for germination, oxygen is needed in large quantities. The seeds obtain oxygen that is dissolved in water and from the air contained in the soil. If soil conditions are too wet, an anaerobic condition persists, and seeds may not be able to germinate.

Temperature:  Germination can take place over a wide range of temperature and is specific to individual crop types, and can be specific to varieties. The optimum for most crops is between 65-75°F, but exceptions do apply. For example lettuce germinates best at 65°F and can be inhibited at temperatures over 68°F while peppers and aubergines prefer warmer temperatures around 80°F and will not germinate well at cooler temperatures.  If your soil is too cold or too hot, your seeds may not sprout.

Light:  Light has varied effects on germinating seeds of different plants. Some seeds need light for germination, while in some seeds germination is hindered by light. Most wild species of flowers and herbs prefer darkness for germination and should be planted deep in the soil while most modern vegetable crops prefer light or are not affected by it, and are planted shallowly to allow small amounts of light to filter through the soil.

How deep do I plant?

Seed size usually is a good indication of how deep to plant your seeds, which usually corresponds to how much light they need. The general rule of thumb is to plant your seed at least as deep as the seed is long. Certain seeds need light to germinate and shouldn’t even be covered with any soil. Check the back of the seed pack for specific information on how deep to plant your seeds.

Why didn’t my seeds germinate?

When seeds fail to emerge from their shell there are a few things to consider. Have all the seeds failed? If this is the case, more than likely it is an environmental condition. Seeding too deeply, planting in cold soil, too much or too little water, improper soil preparation, and birds or rodents are the most common causes for environmental conditions that prevent seeds from germinating outside.

I have to go. There’s a knock at the door, it could just be the delivery I have been waiting for!

Seed Sowing and New gardening.ie Website

My gardening.ie website was unceremoniously taken offline last week.  It’s only just disappeared but I am already looking at it through rose tinted glasses.   The website had eight years of articles and information in it.  There was also business section for anyone to advertise free of charge.  I also had a classified section, a forum for anyone wanting answers to gardening problems, advertising, links pages, hundreds if not thousands of images.  All gone in a flash.  

The reality is that the site became a dinosaur full of spam which made the hosting company very upset as it clogged up their servers.  I had neglected the site for a good few years and in a way it was inevitable.  I can now do what I do best (and most frequently in gardens) and that is to start again from scratch. 

I've set up a Felco site selling what I think are the best secateurs on the market.

I've acquired the felco.info web domain too and linking that in.

Sowing Seeds

Last week I mentioned that I had ordered the polytunnel.  Unfortunately it still hasn’t arrived, which is both good and not so good news. The good news is that the rain has wet the ground enough for me to get a good straight edge on the ditch I need to dig for the polythene that goes over the tunnel.  The not so good news is that I need to get the seeds planted in time for the growing season and time is ticking away.

I needed to take positive action so I went through all of this year’s newly acquired seed packet instructions to see what I could plant in cell containers in the house and leave the “sow out of doors” types like peas, beetroot, spring onions spinach and lettuce until the tunnel arrives. I have finished sieving the soil outside (which took me 5 days) and incorporating loads of well rotted manure, so I can plant the peas outside when I get some sticks to support them.  

It’s all in the mix

The plastic 27 cell containers I have are specially made for growing on a windowsill. They are just 5 inches wide, which makes them just perfect for indoors.  The compost is proving to be a bit of a letdown this year.  I generally buy the same product on an annual basis but this year they have changed the mix.  I think the peat ratio has dropped dramatically as the big companies have finally both listened to public protests and realised that peat is a finite resource and won’t last long at the current rate of use.  Consequently the compost is now predominantly wood shavings and what looks like coco fibre with a bit of horse hair thrown in.  I’ll give it a go and see if it compares, if not I might have to make my own or buy the John Innes type soil based compost.  I have asked around and most people are commenting on the same issue with different suppliers.

I have also made labels from old yogurt pots onto which I am writing the seed types in indelible ink.  So far I have planted broccoli, curly Kale, squash, sweet peas, runner and broad beans, nasturtiums, coriander, parsley, tomato, sweetcorn, basil, courgette, sunflowers and chillis. I have now run out of windowsill space.

The new compost is coarse and looks as though it will dry out quickly, especially when the sun shines through the windows so I have concocted plastic covers made from small sticks and clingfilm for the time being until the tunnel is put up, then I can use some of the off cut of the plastic after it has been cut to size around the frame.  

I am also trying out some small moulded cardboard pots for the beans. I have found in the past that transferring them from pots into the ground can distress them a bit which holds back the growth.  These pots can be planted straight into the ground.  They do get very soft and weak when wet so I have packed them tightly together in small trays to keep them in shape.  They look and feel a bit like the egg box cardboard but a bit coarser.  I tried those a few years ago and they all went mouldy on me and killed off the seedlings. It’ll be interesting to see if theses pots contain a bit of fungicide to stop that happening. 

*Disclaimer: Unlike a lot of products on the market, there are no traces of horse in potting compost.

I've Ordered a Polytunnel

My latest toy. It doesn’t take much to entertain me, just a bit of plastic with holes in it.

I took the plunge and ordered my new polytunnel this week.  Choosing which company to go with wasn’t an easy task. I wanted a very specific size to fit a very specific space at the top of the garden.  The dimensions needed to be 12 feet by 20 feet. Another foot either side of the prepared area and the tunnel wouldn’t fit. This eliminated a couple of local companies, who only supply 10’ or 14’ widths. I had one suggestion from a very keen salesperson about squeezing a 14’ frame into the 12’ space. I didn’t pursue that one; I don’t want to have to make do at the prices being charged for tunnels.

Because of the tight space I also wanted the frame to have straight sides up to about three feet, as this will increase the working area. My old tunnel started to curve from the ground and you were on your stomach sliding along to get to the edges, this again eliminated another local company who don’t do the straight edges but the “Gothic Arch” types like my old one. I also eliminated another company because they didn’t supply the doors and another one because the galvanised frames were too narrow. I did try to find something close to home but I had a specific, detailed checklist and didn’t want to compromise on anything.  Eventually after all of my market research I bought from a company in Lancashire called Premier Tunnels, who offered me everything I was looking for at a price that is very competitive, even taking the delivery charge into consideration. The tunnel is coming in 8 separate packages by courier... The joy will just keep on coming! 

 

Crop Bars

One optional extra for the tunnel are crop bars, these bars are about four feet long and run diagonally across the three central hoops making an ideal place to hang baskets or stash bamboo poles above your head.  The problem with this is that they reduce the head height by just enough for my lad to walk into (he is 6’5”) so I have opted for bars that run the length of the tunnel below the central pole.  I thought these were a better option, I can keep the head height and I can use the poles (which also strengthen the tunnel) to tie string to then grow tomatoes up them, or hang the washing on, whoever gets there first. I think they were far more practical than the crop bars and were the same price. 

Repayments

I have calculated that the cost of the tunnel will take 20 years to pay back with the amount I will save buying vegetables from the supermarkets, but it’s not all about the money.  If you think of double glazing for example, this can take the same amount of time to pay back with saved heating costs, but look at those years you are not sitting in a cold draft in winter.  The same sort of logic can be applied to the tunnel.  It’s the quality and of vegetables over that time, and also the health benefits for us to be working outside for longer periods throughout the year.  

I’ve also checked and I can get Wi-Fi in the spot where it is to be built, so I can have the space as my outside office, TV viewing area and peaceful hideaway from the house. My own shed at the bottom of the garden sort of thing. I can’t hide away totally though as the plastic is transparent so I’ll wave into the kitchen window occasionally and mop my brow as I feign working.  I haven’t mentioned this to the family though; they would all be down there.

Best tool ever (this week)

€7has bought me the best tool ever and I am as happy as a pig in clover. I have LOADS of soil to sieve in the new beds around the tunnel area and bought a round plastic sieve measuring about 15 inches in diameter. I chose plastic over the more expensive metal types as everything made from metal I put in the garage rusts in a season. The only enemy for the plastic are the dogs, who love to chew.  It’s taking the best part of a week painstakingly putting every spadeful of soil through the small squares but like most things in life, it’s all in the detail. The ground is full of ground elder roots, the small sharp glass remains of an old greenhouse, stones and tree and ivy roots.  The resulting sieved soil is beautiful and in this dry weather looks like fine flour. The preparation work we are doing now will hopefully save us hours and weeks of weeding in the summer. I can dream!