Plans for planting

[Erichalfbee]

You could make a heated bench, I used an electric tube heater under a palet on top I used dpc polythene draped down both sides to keep the heat in can't find a photo but I know I used the bench for my runner beans.
I'll look for the thread and photo.

Now that’s a great idea.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Long term I think that's the sensible way forward.

Oddly enough, all my greenhouse staging is already made out of pallets

James

Tube heater. This one is like the one I used.
Runner beans
I didn't have a temperature control and I tied the tube about 6 inches from the underside of the pallet worked well starting the runner beans of early.

 

[Nannysbees]

Oh yes, land cress is wonderful. We've had some in the greenhouse and polytunnel since the Autumn and it's done really well.

James

Easy to grow?

 

[JamezF]

Easy to grow?

Yes, I'd have said so. They don't like drying out as far as I'm aware, so that's something that needs watching.

James

 

[Moobee]

Easy to grow?

Very easy and it’s started self seeding in the veg patch

 

[Martimart]

I think give it another week or so and I'll start off some seeds in plugs, indoors to germinate, then out into the greenhouse. I buy the compost pellets that you rehydrate. So with Beetroot, get a tray of empty modules, soak some compost pellets. Make a small hole in the centre and drop in x4 Beetroot seeds, with Spring Onions I do 10 seeds in a pellet. Once germinated, move into greenhouse as they then need light not heat, and when grown on, remove the "netting" from the outside and plant the whole pellet in the veg patch. at harvest time, things like spring onions you can easily pull up a bunch, the beetroot will push out from the centre and grow fine. The only veg I don't use the pellets for is Carrots, Runner Beans and sweet pea's and normal Pea's. Does anyone else use the pellets?

 

[JamezF]

I did seriously consider using those pellets. I think they have quite a few advantages.

Last year I decided I wasn't really happy with using plastic module trays because they break easily when removing the plugs which means they get thrown away, and I wasn't too chuffed that a fair bit of the seed compost sold at the local garden centre still contained peat, so I "wasted" a fair bit of time trying to find alternatives that I found acceptable. Coir seems to be a common alternative to peat but it would appear to have rather poor environmental credentials as well. That made everything quite awkward because for me it largely ruled out using the pellets, which up to that point had been the obvious solution.

In the end I decided to sieve some of my green waste compost from the council (which also makes up a proportion of some garden centre composts) through a fine mesh and use that. It seems to work fine, though it might sometimes need mixing with a bit of sharp sand or vermiculite. I would use my own compost, but it can be quite coarse and the council waste by it's nature probably contains a wider range of materials that are better composted.

I couldn't find an alternative for the module trays though, so for the time being I've decided to continue using the ones I have. However, I've used a 16mm-ish (more likely 5/8") hole punch to make a hole in the bottom of each cell. It's rather tedious to do, but means that I can usually remove the plug by pushing my finger through the hole without damaging the plastic. That way the module trays should last considerably longer which makes me feel a little better about the eventual plastic waste.

I have no intention of buying any more though, so it does still leave me with the challenge of finding a longer-term solution. I have been looking at "soil blocks" which seem like a possible way forward, but the tools to make them are not cheap. Perhaps I may be able to make my own. Another tedious job too, bearing in mind that even by mid-February I probably already have filled around 500 cells in module trays with seeds.

I use exactly the same "multi-sowing" method for beetroot, onions, spring onions, peas, leeks and radishes. Probably a few others, too. It works very well. In fact I often sow more than one seed per cell (often three) for other vegetables, then remove the weaker ones to leave a single plant. Some seeds come in packs that would last a decade or more if I only sowed what I needed (I love sprouts, but I don't need 200 plants!). I could sow in a tray and prick out the best, but it's a lot less faff just to accept that I'll "waste" a few seeds.

Oh, module trays also provide far too many places for slugs and snails to hide. That's another disadvantage. I seem to have some ninja slugs in my greenhouse. I have no idea how they get to the module trays.

James

 

[Newbeeneil]

I used to have a plastic version of this back in the 70/80s but im thinking of making one like this as I'm now getting back into my greenhouse.

 

[JamezF]

I used to have a plastic version of this back in the 70/80s but im thinking of making one like this as I'm now getting back into my greenhouse.

That's exactly the sort of thing I had in mind, but I think I need to be able to make rather more than one at a time.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

I think give it another week or so and I'll start off some seeds in plugs, indoors to germinate, then out into the greenhouse. I buy the compost pellets that you rehydrate. So with Beetroot, get a tray of empty modules, soak some compost pellets. Make a small hole in the centre and drop in x4 Beetroot seeds, with Spring Onions I do 10 seeds in a pellet. Once germinated, move into greenhouse as they then need light not heat, and when grown on, remove the "netting" from the outside and plant the whole pellet in the veg patch. at harvest time, things like spring onions you can easily pull up a bunch, the beetroot will push out from the centre and grow fine. The only veg I don't use the pellets for is Carrots, Runner Beans and sweet pea's and normal Pea's. Does anyone else use the pellets?

No I don't but that sounds like a good system

 

[Nannysbees]

I used to have a plastic version of this back in the 70/80s but im thinking of making one like this as I'm now getting back into my greenhouse.

Brilliant idea!!!!

 

[Nannysbees]

I did seriously consider using those pellets. I think they have quite a few advantages.

Last year I decided I wasn't really happy with using plastic module trays because they break easily when removing the plugs which means they get thrown away, and I wasn't too chuffed that a fair bit of the seed compost sold at the local garden centre still contained peat, so I "wasted" a fair bit of time trying to find alternatives that I found acceptable. Coir seems to be a common alternative to peat but it would appear to have rather poor environmental credentials as well. That made everything quite awkward because for me it largely ruled out using the pellets, which up to that point had been the obvious solution.

In the end I decided to sieve some of my green waste compost from the council (which also makes up a proportion of some garden centre composts) through a fine mesh and use that. It seems to work fine, though it might sometimes need mixing with a bit of sharp sand or vermiculite. I would use my own compost, but it can be quite coarse and the council waste by it's nature probably contains a wider range of materials that are better composted.

I couldn't find an alternative for the module trays though, so for the time being I've decided to continue using the ones I have. However, I've used a 16mm-ish (more likely 5/8") hole punch to make a hole in the bottom of each cell. It's rather tedious to do, but means that I can usually remove the plug by pushing my finger through the hole without damaging the plastic. That way the module trays should last considerably longer which makes me feel a little better about the eventual plastic waste.

I have no intention of buying any more though, so it does still leave me with the challenge of finding a longer-term solution. I have been looking at "soil blocks" which seem like a possible way forward, but the tools to make them are not cheap. Perhaps I may be able to make my own. Another tedious job too, bearing in mind that even by mid-February I probably already have filled around 500 cells in module trays with seeds.

I use exactly the same "multi-sowing" method for beetroot, onions, spring onions, peas, leeks and radishes. Probably a few others, too. It works very well. In fact I often sow more than one seed per cell (often three) for other vegetables, then remove the weaker ones to leave a single plant. Some seeds come in packs that would last a decade or more if I only sowed what I needed (I love sprouts, but I don't need 200 plants!). I could sow in a tray and prick out the best, but it's a lot less faff just to accept that I'll "waste" a few seeds.

Oh, module trays also provide far too many places for slugs and snails to hide. That's another disadvantage. I seem to have some ninja slugs in my greenhouse. I have no idea how they get to the module trays.

James

What do you do with all your home grown produce james?

 

[JamezF]

What do you do with all your home grown produce james?

Eat it, mostly

Much as I enjoy being carnivorous we took a decision as a family a few years back to try to reduce the amount of meat we eat in favour of more vegetables and we now usually eat vegetarian for four days each week, with as much of that as possible coming from the garden. My in-laws live with us in a "granny annexe" and now in their late 80s are struggling to do much in the garden, so I try to grow enough for them too, even if my mother-in-law does appear to have a bit of an aversion to "dirty vegetables" coming into the house

And we do seem to get through a lot of some things. As I posted earlier, we quite probably will get through 400 onions in a year if they'll keep long enough. And whilst we've given some to friends and family we kept at least forty garlic bulbs for ourselves and I'm not sure they'll last until the next harvest. Tomatoes we use by the bucket-load because who doesn't eat fresh tomatoes if they have them? And any excess gets turned into sauces for pasta or pizza and preserved. Lots of different vegetables get made into soups. The butternut squashes didn't do that well last year, but in 2020 this was the harvest:

Those lasted us until some time in April as far as I recall.

We're probably about two thirds of the way through last year's carrots. I thought they would last much longer. Chiles we often have more of than we need, so the excess we often give to friends and family, as with a few other vegetables that can be preserved easily. We still do get through an enormous number of jalapenos though. Visitors also rarely leave without a few vegetables during the summer.

I can't deny that it's possible to get a bit hooked on it all. A tomato, basil and mozzarella salad made from shop-bought ingredients just doesn't come remotely close to taste of one made with tomatoes and basil that have only just been picked from the garden. I had quite a successful year with sweet corn last year and it is the best I have ever tasted by miles. After that, only home-grown will do

It is fair to say that I do tend to grow a bit more than we need of some things, certainly. Come the spring there will still be a few leeks, parsnips, sprouts, cabbages, swedes and kale standing in the plot. I can live with that if it's the cost of knowing that if we want a cabbage or whatever then it's there, though before things start to run to seed I will try to get some of it into the freezer in pasties and suchlike.

The way the world is at the moment it seems a very positive thing to be doing for financial reasons too. Food is becoming noticeably more expensive and what I spend on seeds quite possibly wouldn't even keep us in lettuce for the year if we had to buy it.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Eat it, mostly

Much as I enjoy being carnivorous we took a decision as a family a few years back to try to reduce the amount of meat we eat in favour of more vegetables and we now usually eat vegetarian for four days each week, with as much of that as possible coming from the garden. My in-laws live with us in a "granny annexe" and now in their late 80s are struggling to do much in the garden, so I try to grow enough for them too, even if my mother-in-law does appear to have a bit of an aversion to "dirty vegetables" coming into the house

And we do seem to get through a lot of some things. As I posted earlier, we quite probably will get through 400 onions in a year if they'll keep long enough. And whilst we've given some to friends and family we kept at least forty garlic bulbs for ourselves and I'm not sure they'll last until the next harvest. Tomatoes we use by the bucket-load because who doesn't eat fresh tomatoes if they have them? And any excess gets turned into sauces for pasta or pizza and preserved. Lots of different vegetables get made into soups. The butternut squashes didn't do that well last year, but in 2020 this was the harvest:

Those lasted us until some time in April as far as I recall.

We're probably about two thirds of the way through last year's carrots. I thought they would last much longer. Chiles we often have more of than we need, so the excess we often give to friends and family, as with a few other vegetables that can be preserved easily. We still do get through an enormous number of jalapenos though. Visitors also rarely leave without a few vegetables during the summer.

I can't deny that it's possible to get a bit hooked on it all. A tomato, basil and mozzarella salad made from shop-bought ingredients just doesn't come remotely close to taste of one made with tomatoes and basil that have only just been picked from the garden. I had quite a successful year with sweet corn last year and it is the best I have ever tasted by miles. After that, only home-grown will do

It is fair to say that I do tend to grow a bit more than we need of some things, certainly. Come the spring there will still be a few leeks, parsnips, sprouts, cabbages, swedes and kale standing in the plot. I can live with that if it's the cost of knowing that if we want a cabbage or whatever then it's there, though before things start to run to seed I will try to get some of it into the freezer in pasties and suchlike.

The way the world is at the moment it seems a very positive thing to be doing for financial reasons too. Food is becoming noticeably more expensive and what I spend on seeds quite possibly wouldn't even keep us in lettuce for the year if we had to buy it.

James

That's amazing I would love to be able to produce that amount of food,those squash look incredible. I totally agree from a health point of view, knowing where your food has come from and how it's grown, nothing better

 

[Swarm]

I totally agree with your approach to meat, it's become too easy to indulge ourselves and we end up eating tasteless, fast reared meat every day.
As a little one, I remember we had a roast on Sunday and left overs on Monday, with possibly a liver dinner mid week. We have sacrificed quality for quantity, we should treat meat as a luxury IMO.

 

[JamezF]

That's amazing I would love to be able to produce that amount of food,those squash look incredible. I totally agree from a health point of view, knowing where your food has come from and how it's grown, nothing better

Switching to no dig has certainly helped production in terms of getting rid of one of the really time-consuming tasks that holds everything else up and significantly reducing weeding (and what weeding needs to be done is usually easier). I reckon sowing in modules and transplanting is probably faster overall, too. Sowing is quick when it's in a module tray and transplanting is just a question of making a hole in the ground with a dibber, pushing the plant out of the tray, dropping it in and firming it down. And because only larger, healthy plants go out there are fewer losses to slugs and snails. I'm only sowing carrots and parsnips direct now. The use of modules means it's also quite possible to get two crops out of the same space each year, which again saves time preparing the ground. So for example early crops of beetroot and spring onions (and peas when they were finished) were almost immediately replaced by a late crop of lettuce and winter cabbages that had been sown a month or so earlier, whilst the broad beans were just cut off at ground level, dumped in the compost heap and immediately replaced by transplanted curly kale.

James

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I totally agree with your approach to meat, it's become too easy to indulge ourselves and we end up eating tasteless, fast reared meat every day.
As a little one, I remember we had a roast on Sunday and left overs on Monday, with possibly a liver dinner mid week. We have sacrificed quality for quantity, we should treat meat as a luxury IMO.

I buy a whole salmon cut of beef from a butcher I know, costs about fifteen pounds. He cuts it into 3 equal pieces and it forms a family meal for 3 Sundays plus Monday evening meal as well. Tasty and so tender it melts in the mouth. Honey glazed parsnips part of the vegetable selection of course.

 

[Martimart]

Switching to no dig has certainly helped production in terms of getting rid of one of the really time-consuming tasks that holds everything else up and significantly reducing weeding (and what weeding needs to be done is usually easier). I reckon sowing in modules and transplanting is probably faster overall, too. Sowing is quick when it's in a module tray and transplanting is just a question of making a hole in the ground with a dibber, pushing the plant out of the tray, dropping it in and firming it down. And because only larger, healthy plants go out there are fewer losses to slugs and snails. I'm only sowing carrots and parsnips direct now. The use of modules means it's also quite possible to get two crops out of the same space each year, which again saves time preparing the ground. So for example early crops of beetroot and spring onions (and peas when they were finished) were almost immediately replaced by a late crop of lettuce and winter cabbages that had been sown a month or so earlier, whilst the broad beans were just cut off at ground level, dumped in the compost heap and immediately replaced by transplanted curly kale.

James

Thats the exact system I follow. Covered a large area of ground with cardboard then a couple of inches of compost, and just keep adding a few centimetres each winter. The no dig beds are light and airy to walk on compared to how the ground used to be. Holds water far better in hot weather to. I don't think there's any alternative to sowing carrots direct. Charles Dowding on YouTube is the man to watch.

 

[Moobee]

Easy to grow?

Here’s mine under netting.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Here’s mine under netting.

You afraid it will escape?