I made a cloche

[Meanqueen]

This is my home made cloche.

I made it out of free wood from work, and some plastic from the big roll I have. My friend gave me some free nails.

I made it to fit over the four plastic storage boxes, which have carrot and beetroot seeds sown. They are raised off the ground on offcuts from wooden pallets. There is 10 inches clearance for seedlings to grow if they need protection from wind. There is no holes for ventilation but I could put a brick under each corner to allow air to circulate.

Ilona

[mellonia]

Hi Ilona

I like the look of all your veggies, they look good enough too eat, i want to start growing a few things, it must be very satisfying eating your own produce, i got a few packs of lettuce and salad leaves from Lid* only 29p a pack so if they don't grow won't shed any tears, i watched Jamie at home and he literally just threw them in a pot. My dad grows stuff down his allotment, which is very nice as some of it comes my way. Anyway impressed with your cloche, your pictures look good on the members pictures. Richard right all looks very neat. I wish i was on the ball more. looks very good

Mellonia

[Meanqueen]

Hi Mellonia
Last year was my first try at growing veg. I didn't want to dig my lawn up, it's mainly clay underneath so it would have been back breaking. I put together some raised beds made from pallets, got a load of free compost from the churchyard, (years of rotted grass cuttings and leaves) and bought a few bags as well. I also used an assortment of containers.

I needed some shelter from the wind so I used some plastic sheets to cover the beds. I had such a lot of veg because I didn't realise that you don't sow the whole packet of seeds! I ended up with 69 tomato plants, masses of courgettes, loads of runner beans, also leeks, beetroots, broccoli, spring beans, dwarf beans, onions and sprouts.

You can grow veg in anything, it doesn't have to be time consuming. Sew your seeds in pots, find a sheltered spot in the sun and wait for them to grow, oh, and I nearly forgot, you have to go out every night with a torch and pick up the slugs and snails, especially in the rain.

Have a go, it is great to go down the garden and pick something for dinner, courgettes every night for 3 months! I am going to try more different varieties this year with not quite so many of the same ones.

Ilona

[Richard]

I can't get over how tidy you are!

I brought home a 50 feet x 3 feet piece of Bubble Wrap today (over fragile wrapping from a Cricket Equipment supplier), so I'm thinking of making something for the potted vegetables.

Looks good.

[rachell24]

I nearly bought one from our well known DIY store yesterday, it was reduced from 25 to 15, but while I was there I kept thinking of yours and thought yours was miles better so decided not to.

Just got to get my OH to make one now. LOL

Rachel

[WendyM]

That's great! I need one of those to keep the Kids, chickens, mice, butterflies, snails, slugs, BIRDS, CATS Off MY VEGGIES!

[saint-spoon]

Tubs that the supermarkets display their mushrooms in (the blue ones) are actually really good (and generally free if you ask nicely) for growing stuff like raddishes and beets. the plastic trays that have become fashionable for takeaway food such as chinese are dead good for cress or spring onions (if you harvest them young). plastic bags held over pots using elastic bands is also good for strting off crops such as chillis and bell peppers as it keep the moisture in.

[Meanqueen]

Bubble wrap is just the job, Richard, you can make a frame to fit it.

Another idea, they sell £1 plastic covers for garden furniture in Pound**** or similar, make a frame out of bits of wood to fit the cover. Get one for a square table though, not a round one. Might have to weight it down if it gets very windy.

I have just got a horticultural catalogue, I can't believe how expensive some of the equipment is, it must be for people who have got more money than sense. I thought the idea of growing your own was to get good wholesome food on the cheap!

A compost tumbler costs £250, turning your pile over with a fork costs nothing. A Superior Raised Bed Starter Kit 8' x 6' is £110, and if you want the optional capping for the corner posts giving it an elegant finish, add on £49. Try scrounging some pallets and old scaffold boards for nothing.

I think these items are for people who join a gym then never bother to go, the thought is there but the body is unwilling.


Ilona

[morph]

Excellent cloche Ilona - extremely well done!!!!!!!!

You always make me laugh when you mention your tomato seeds -when you told us about it the first time, I was in stiches!!

[rachell24]

we should set up a postal seed swap and send our surplus seeds to a nominated sensible, tidy organised person (who could that be Ilona) with an SAE and a list of what we would like back. No more 69 tomato plants. I hate wasting seed, some are so expensive as well. None of my friends grow plants so mine just go to waste. I bet there is a seed swap round here, Ill put that on my to do list to find one. Does anyone else have a seed swap near them?

[Mo]

A lot of seeds will germinate for several years (though I not lettuce, and I' not sure about carrot).
And seed packets seem to have less in them now than 40 years ago when I started growing veg.

[Meanqueen]

Tidy me has my seeds filed in a box in order of sowing. Mo is right, you can save your seeds and use them the following years.

Seed swap is a good idea, but would probably work best with a local group of gardeners or allotment holders, who meet regularly. I don't know how much a stamp would be to send them in the post, but I doubt it would be worth the bother. I also suspect that a lot people would have the most popular varieties to swap.

I suppose it could be tried on a web site such as this, but personally I am happy with the seeds I have. I bought some of mine at the back end of last year when the shops were selling them off cheap.

Ilona