A Plucky Affair

More pea and bean structures

A neighbour of mine recently asked me if I wanted to try some wood pigeon. Always up for something new I said yes, expecting a pre wrapped, plucked and oven ready bird to be presented to me. I wasn’t really surprised when I popped around to their house to pick them up.  The birds were still fully clothed with all of their limbs attached.

The same thing happened to me a few years back when I was living in Newport, Co Mayo, a neighbour asked me if I wanted a pheasant and after saying yes please, had it unceremoniously slapped onto the kitchen table with its beautiful plumage shining in the sunlight and dead eyes staring up at me. It took me all afternoon to pluck the feathers, retching continuously as I did. This time I was invited into the neighbour’s kitchen where we “prepared” the three unlucky birds. 

The horror of it

The whole scenario was akin to a horror movie with blood and feathers flying and made me realise just how much I like these birds. Alive.  Wood pigeons remind me of my mother’s garden and I love to hear them cooing in my own back garden and down on the park.  It might be a coincidence but since I brought the birds home and cooked them according to a recipe online, I haven’t heard a sound from the pigeons in the back garden. I’m not saying that I have eaten my garden friends, but I think that they know what I have done and are keeping well away. I have realised that this is why chickens either run away from me (or that they try to attack my legs) It’s because they know too. I eat their relatives. I didn’t really enjoy the meal and the lads spat out a few lead shot which didn’t go down well. I think I understand vegetarians a little better after this week.

Tunnel Vision

I love the tunnel. It’s been up a week and I have put all of the seedlings in there. I have also started to dig a few beds. I am not going down the road of building raised beds. The tunnel is built on a giant 12x20’ raised bed as it is so to build smaller ones on top of that would mean the drainage would be too good. I would need to be going in there every day, (maybe even twice a day for tomatoes), and water. By letting the plants find natural water with their roots will save me a lot of time and energy standing around with my hosepipe. I haven’t gone too mad digging the beds; I am expecting a delivery of two eight foot long tables courtesy of the old Fruit of the Loom factory. I had some in the old tunnel and they were great, just the right height and not easily damaged by water or humidity. I like the idea of just digging the soil as it makes the design of the interior so much more versatile. I can change things around at a whim. It’s funny I have this way of thinking. I did write a book of the virtues of raised beds after all last year. I might change my mind next year when things have settled down and I can see where things fit.

I have had so seal up the dummy door in the tunnel this week. The cold wind was relentless and came straight through one side of green netting and out of the other. It’s made a big difference to the temperature and the seedlings seem to be happier.  

As per the seed packet instructions I have been planting some seeds directly into the soil. I put in a few rows of beetroot, wild rocket and spinach. A Facebook chum told me that it’s still too cold for beetroot but I think if I don’t do it now then nights will be drawing in.  I’ll take my chances.

Just the way I like it

The other thing I have been doing this week is setting up the pea and bean structures. My lad informs me that I always seem to be making these, I agree it does take a bit of time and I tend to make a big thing of it, but I assured him it’s only once a year. The big difference is that I didn’t use hazel rods from the woods. I actually bought pre wrapped and prepared bamboo poles from the garden centre. They were neat, uniform, trimmed, clean and tidy. They were prepared in the very same manner that I would like to buy all of my meat in future. 

The Polytunnel Came this Week

The polytunnel came this week.  The friendly lorry driver handed me 14 packages full of bits and bobs carefully wrapped in polythene, paper and cardboard. I had three packs of wooden planks, a large box then the rest of the packages were varying sizes of shiny galvanised high tensile steel rods, some straight and some angled.  I placed them all neatly into a pile in the garage then rummaged around the inside of the box for the instructions to read as I drank my first of tea. There were 35 pages to get through.

Getting Bored

After page 5 I got bored and started to glaze over so I thought the best thing to do is start unwrapping and laying out the bits. I couple of things have changed in the 13 years since I last put up a tunnel in Clonbeg (it shocked me a bit when I counted the years back).  Most hoops just slotted together and the tension of the plastic kept everything in place. Now the hoops are held together with self tapping screws for extra strength, the supporting rods seem to go deeper into the ground as well. Maybe too many tunnels blew away in strong winds so this extra reinforcement is a good thing. 

Preparation

I had some of the preparation work already done for the tunnel. I cleared and levelled the ground and because one of the longer sides of the tunnel was to run along a wall I pre dug the foot deep trench to hold the plastic in place. The soil that was dug to make the trench needed to be on the outside of the tunnel for backfilling as you wouldn’t be able to do this after the plastic is put on – “if the soil was inside it would be the wrong side of the plastic” (It pays to read instructions).   I put this soil into bags so they could be handed to me in the gap between the tunnel and the wall.

The next three days have been spent securing everything into place. The securing poles were hammered into the ground and the 5 hoop sections were fitted and screwed into place.  I spent a while putting the door frame and door together, the top half is green netting for ventilation and the bottom is plastic, there is a dummy door at the other end that needed putting together which is virtually the same but without hinges.   I managed to do this work by myself and very happy I was too out in the sunshine.  The final stage was to put on the plastic cover.  It’s definitely a two person job so I booked Julie’s help after looking at the long range weather forecast and seeing the Saturday was to be really sunny with only a 7mph wind speed. Perfect.  I unpacked the plastic and after finding out which side was the “anti drip side” (this goes inside the tunnel) we unfurled the sheet, pulled it over the hoops  and let is soften in the sunshine for half an hour as I had another cuppa.

Putting the plastic on so it has even tension all over wasn’t the easiest thing we have ever done, but Julie managed to do keep up the tension on the sheet as I hit galvanised nails into wooden battens to trap the cover.  It was a question of being systematic and starting from the centre and working outwards.  There were a few anxious moments when I miss hit the nails and when a rogue twig started to try and poke through the plastic sheet, but we got there. Job done!

The small things

I am still at that - looking at the imperfections/things I would have done differently stage of the work but hopefully as we start to fill the tunnel up I will see this as a golden opportunity to restart growing under cover. I hadn’t realised I had missed growing in a polythene tunnel so much.  

The seedlings sprouting on the windowsills in the house will soon have a new place to grow and thrive. All that I need to do now is devise methods to keep the dogs away from the new sieved soil, actually add a cat to the list too. Ever since I sieved the soil and removed the sharp stones and glass, the beds seem to be gaining a bit of a reputation as a kitty toilet.  I’m not as badly off as a bloke from Freecycle though who I was talking to today. ( he answered an advert I put on asking if anyone had unused plant pots and said he had some to spare).  He has stopped growing vegetables and flowers all together as his garden is full of rabbits.  “I am very sorry to hear that” I said. “Don’t be” was his reply, “I prefer to watch rabbits than to grow plants.” Each to their own.

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!