Bills 2012 garden diary

Forgot what happened last year - maybe it's here!!
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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Saturday 5th May 2012

First flowers starting to apear on me Tomatoes ,growing 2 types this year good old money maker and a yellow one morning glory both have flowers ,will start to feed proper once toms start to apear.
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The sweetcorn seeds i chitted have started to apear ,certainly to cold to put out yet.
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Things still growing slowly but steadaly in pollytunnel.
Carrot spring onion and red beet our favourite,yummy.
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On tuther side more carrots ,parsnips they will still be in the ground when the cover comes off at end of year so should get a little frost to sweeten them,also growing fennel this year for the first time .
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This is the tub i put me chicken poo liquid feed in ,one in hear and one in greenhouse.
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With a frost forcast for tonight will be out later covering me early and second early spuds as both well through. }hairout{
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Well am realy hopeing we get a change in the weather very soon showing 10 degrees at mo ,even when its not raining it is so cold. :?
A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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The yellow Tomatoes are not called Morning Glory ,the seeds were given me by a freind who told me that was there name ,now turns out not such a thing +confused+ after a little reaserch and think they are called Sun gold )t' .Allways better when they come in the packet with the name and how to do it )t'
A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Wednesday 9th May 2012

No sun today bit on the muggy side at 15 degrees drizely rain so decided to sort green house out ,potted up courgets will put outside over next 2 weeks hopefully ,mixed a small amount of ,blood fish and bone into compost as a lasting feed ,just a couple of teaspoons in 3 layers 6 spoons in all and well mixed in.

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The Parsnips i chitted are all through in pots ,all these will go into garden before they get to big about 90% germination thats good for me.
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Moved 4 Tomatoe plants into the pollytunnell,usually end up a few weeks behind the greenhouse ones so get a longer season.
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Made a little greenhouse for them in the polly tunnel help to settle them in
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Can open the top or side to ventalate.
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Will have to do something like that with my runner beans if weather doesnt improve as starting to get big.
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Two rows of peas outside will soon need suport
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Had a good find at the weekend ,in our local village paper was an advert for 2 large compost bins free,managed to be the first to phone ,this is half of one of them perfect for raised beds ,just got to cut the pins down .
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A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

Bill's Diaries.....2012 2013 2014
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Annie
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

Post by Annie »

That looks a good deep raised bed Bill, gives you more scope for growing, mine is only about 10" so no root veg or things like runner beans that need a good depth for the root systems .
It will be alright in the end , if its not alright, it isn't the end .
Quote from the proprietor of the The best exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful
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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Annie wrote:That looks a good deep raised bed Bill, gives you more scope for growing, mine is only about 10" so no root veg or things like runner beans that need a good depth for the root systems .



Was thinking about halfing them or digging them down about a foot ,thinking Annie how much soil or compost it will take to fill them .My ordinary raised beds are only 4" boards but the soil underneath is cultivated so got plenty of soil depth.Looking at the best way to cut them if i decide its the way to go )t'
A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

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Benny&Co
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Wonderful pictures Bill )t'

Can I ask about the sweetcorn?

I've put mine out just the other day - is it a bit early for them yet?
Bev x
Our family: my-Lovely-Hubbly and I, Benny and our two little Ladies - Betty and Gloria.

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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Benny&Co wrote:Wonderful pictures Bill )t'

Can I ask about the sweetcorn?

I've put mine out just the other day - is it a bit early for them yet?



Thank you for that glad you like them. )t'
If the weather stays like it was yesterday and today it would be ok ,looking like a cold night tonight in Norfolk and colder further North.Daytime temps are realy improving but its the nights where the damage will be done .Sweetcorn love the heat hate the cold,if you have polethene to make a clotch to cover them at night empty plastic drinks bottles cut in half placed over each plant would help .Hopeing to get mine out week after next but with this funny weather its hard to judge.Hopefully being further south you may be ok >gl<
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Benny&Co
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Thanks Bill, I brought some of my plants in last night, just in case.

For the others I'll put some milk cartons over the top )t' :-D

It's lovely here today, but there's a bit of a wind up.
Bev x
Our family: my-Lovely-Hubbly and I, Benny and our two little Ladies - Betty and Gloria.

RIP dear little Ladies - Lottie, Cottie, Elsie, Dottie, Hilda and Margie. You may have gone, but are never ever forgotten.
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Saturday 12th May 2012

Cut one of me freebie compost bins down today ,wasnt to bad with the jigsaw,certainly wont need so much compost in now.

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If your looking for a cheep way to support your peas ,look no further than your local pound shop ,picked up these trellis £1 each would you beleive :-D a cane each side to support them and away you go.These are pulled out to about 6ft and just over 2ft from the ground ,they stretch to 9ft but then are much nearer the ground. )t'

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Last edited by billnorfolk on 12 May 2012, 14:56, edited 1 time in total.
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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Benny&Co wrote:Thanks Bill, I brought some of my plants in last night, just in case.

For the others I'll put some milk cartons over the top )t' :-D

It's lovely here today, but there's a bit of a wind up.



Nice day hear today when the sun is out b ut cold wind and colder when it goes in.If nightime temp over 8 degrees not a problem any colder and cover them with something milk cartons ok as long as dont blow over in the night and remove in the morning .Most things can stand a cold night as long as not frosty ie under 3 degrees ,but sweetcorn unfortunately is not one of them.
A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

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Benny&Co
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Fab pictures there Bill and well done with your compost bin set up )t'

I got 20 bamboo canes in HomesBargains the other day :-D so been making wigwams for my sweet peas and beans :-D
Bev x
Our family: my-Lovely-Hubbly and I, Benny and our two little Ladies - Betty and Gloria.

RIP dear little Ladies - Lottie, Cottie, Elsie, Dottie, Hilda and Margie. You may have gone, but are never ever forgotten.
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Benny&Co wrote:Fab pictures there Bill and well done with your compost bin set up )t'

I got 20 bamboo canes in HomesBargains the other day :-D so been making wigwams for my sweet peas and beans :-D


Yes thats a good way to do them,got to get the wifes sweet peas out thinking of putting them up the fence.Dug out the middle of the compost bin and turned it over so all the grass sods upside down ,going to put a couple of bags of horse manure in then fill with compost maybe put me leeks in there. )t'
A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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"one problem i was having when watering the compost went mouldy was told to put some compost in the tray to stand pots on and only water that ,seems to be working."


Hi Bill,

i suffer from mouldy compost quite a bit, wether its in pots or grow bags. Is it anything to do with the water ??
We are growing everything from seed (beetroot, broccoli, sprouts, raddish, runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers, tomatos, chillis, peppers and peas) and they are either on the window in the kitchen or in the greenhouse, or actually been planted out already, they have all come through, we normally ( i say 'normally' but this is our 1st year !!) stand the pots on trays and put water in there but still get green mould, however we havent put compost in the trays before so i think i'll try that. How would that work with a grow bag ??

Milzy
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Annie
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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billnorfolk wrote:
Annie wrote:That looks a good deep raised bed Bill, gives you more scope for growing, mine is only about 10" so no root veg or things like runner beans that need a good depth for the root systems .



Was thinking about halfing them or digging them down about a foot ,thinking Annie how much soil or compost it will take to fill them .My ordinary raised beds are only 4" boards but the soil underneath is cultivated so got plenty of soil depth.Looking at the best way to cut them if i decide its the way to go )t'


I thought you must be a millionaire to fill to that depth with compost Bill {rofwl} . The ground up at the smallholding veg garden is awful where we place the raised bed, full of stone and sucked dry of any nutrient by a huge conifer windbreak hedge. We layered about 4 inches of horse muck from the stables, and equal quantities of compost and top soil last year but it still took loads for just a 10" depth. It was used for brussels and cabbage and we were surprised at just how much it had sunk in the 8 months or so since it had been filled. We mixed some gp compost and a couple of bags of sand through and are growing onions/shallots/garlic this year in the raised bed. My ffriend wants another 4 or 5 beds to go in this summer - hope she comes up on the lotto
It will be alright in the end , if its not alright, it isn't the end .
Quote from the proprietor of the The best exotic Marigold Hotel for the elderly and beautiful
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billnorfolk
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Re: Bills 2012 garden diary

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Milzy241 wrote:"one problem i was having when watering the compost went mouldy was told to put some compost in the tray to stand pots on and only water that ,seems to be working."


Hi Bill,

i suffer from mouldy compost quite a bit, wether its in pots or grow bags. Is it anything to do with the water ??
We are growing everything from seed (beetroot, broccoli, sprouts, raddish, runner beans, courgettes, cucumbers, tomatos, chillis, peppers and peas) and they are either on the window in the kitchen or in the greenhouse, or actually been planted out already, they have all come through, we normally ( i say 'normally' but this is our 1st year !!) stand the pots on trays and put water in there but still get green mould, however we havent put compost in the trays before so i think i'll try that. How would that work with a grow bag ??

Milzy


Hiya Milzy

Putting compost in a tray or ice cream container to stand your pots on ,then only watering the compost at the bottom will help .It is something we all suffer with at some time usually roughing up the compost on the top makes it look better ,but dont think it will do any harm .Long term with pot plants a top dressing with small pea shingle will cure it and help to keep compost cool and damp.If you find your grow bag going mouldy rough it up an d dont over water just damp not wet is the answer
A leek in the hand,is worth 2 in the roof.

Bill's Diaries.....2012 2013 2014
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