I have to be honest and say that my enthusiasm to try and make the most of the greenhouse through the winter didn't last...when the arctic weather arrived at the end of November I was heartbroken to find the potatoes I planted in bags for Christmas had frozen solid and my polytunnel collapsed under the snow and buried everything in it.. so I just left it all to the elements...I couldn't even be bothered to salvage the polytunnel Today..as I came up the garden after locking the chooks up ....I went into the greenhouse to see if the potato bags had thawed out...I pushed my hand into the compost and I could hardly believe it...I pulled out a handfull of beautiful charlotte potatoes.. ...don't know how many potatoes there are altogether as it was getting quite dark...but tomorrow I will empty out the bags and take a pic of my 1st veggies of 2011...
Oh well done Jannie on your lovely Charlotte potatoes, so glad they made it through the snow
Looking forward to following your progress throughout 2011. I'm hoping to do more veggies in the garden this year too.
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.
I do know that 'Oh s*d it' feeling when you see everything going badly. I felt just that way when I saw my mini greenhouse in pieces all over the path again this winter, having spent so long tying it together at the broken bits and lovingly repairing the plastic cover last spring.
You were unlucky though - it has been extreme weather. Perhaps next winter may be better.
I've emptied the potato bags in the greenhouse today and ....
My 1st crop of 2011..
Not many... but I have to say I'm pleased as I didn't expect any after the early freeze, so to have a few meals for hubby and me is a bonus. ..just wish they'd been on the menu for Christmas lunch as planned ..never mind..I will try again next christmas as I usually get a good crop, hopefully the weather will be kinder..and I will prepare the greenhouse better with lots of insulation..lesson learnt !
I have also cleared the debris of what was my polytunnel....good news ...the frame is ok...and I have a roll of the damp membrane for laying laminate flooring (freebie) and a roll of poly repair tape, so will make a new cover this week....the onion sets I planted don't look too bad..what do you think?..
I might leave them for a while and see if they recover.....
well done on the potato crop Re: onions - if these are overwintering, they should be fine. They usually just stop growing when temperatures drop, and perk up in mild spells (just like spring flowering bulbs such as daffodil) They'll start to bulk up proper sometime in May when warmth & daylight hours increase, for harvesting green anytime thereafter or when they die back in mid-June/early July
HaHa perchy...as I recall your greenhouse is full of straw isn't it..which gave me the idea that next winter I will put a thick layer of straw on the greenhouse floor and put the potato bags on top ...see you do inspire me...
Thanks LL ..yes the onions are overwintering..planted early september...I just wonder if the polytunnel collapsing with the weight of snow as well will have bruised them..I guess time will tell
jannie wrote:HaHa perchy...as I recall your greenhouse is full of straw isn't it..which gave me the idea that next winter I will put a thick layer of straw on the greenhouse floor and put the potato bags on top ...see you do inspire me...
Thanks LL ..yes the onions are overwintering..planted early september...I just wonder if the polytunnel collapsing with the weight of snow as well will have bruised them..I guess time will tell
Managed to get motivated over the weekend..I am now ready for the planting season.. Started off by scrubbing the greenhouse out..how I hate the smell of jeyes but there's no substitute really..then I sowed my broad beans in cells...decided against sowing outside as they were eaten by mice last year..I know you can soak them in paraffin but didn't like the idea ..and it also means I can be sure they germinate...I've wrapped the trays in bubble wrap to help them along a bit and left them in the greenhouse...I also sowed a tray of mixed salad seeds which I've put upstairs under a velux window ..tried this last year and it was perfect for seedlings as they didn't bolt and grew straight up towards the light... I also repaired the poly tunnel and dug it over with some fresh compost..and I dug over the veg patch...all the herbs survived the winter and are showing new shoots so I'm going to cover with a cloches today to make sure they aren't damaged by frost..
All my seeds are sorted and in order of planting in my posh seed tin which I had as a xmas pressie..
So.... finish decorating my bedroom today then seed sowing starts in earnest tomorrow..
Sounds a great plan Jannie, well done for being so motivated
The girls are out of the greenhouse got them a rabbit hutch, and had one egg in it so far, so now I have to start in the greenhouse, needs a good clean and tidy, at least I don't have 6 helpers anymore
I feel as if I'm behind this year, but when I look back at last years diary I am actually a little ahead with a few things...I sowed 3 varieties of tomatoes, chillies and sweet peppers on 17th feb and they are looking good..I have transplanted the tomatoes into bigger pots and they are now showing second leaves..
Good germination rate on the peppers and chillies this year..
I will carry on growing them on upstairs under the velux windows till it's a bit warmer in the greenhouse at night..
This morning I have sown some cucumber seeds which I'll also keep upstairs for a little while once they have germinated..
Outside in my little polytunnel I've sown some beetroot and carrots..I've also had a lovely suprise with the garlic ..I missed a few when I dug them up last year and they had started sprouting..so I carefully dug them up seperated the cloves and replanted them and they are doing well
The veg plot is still a bit cold to start sowing so I've got a mini polytunnel which I've covered part of it with so may get some sowing done there next week.. In the greenhouse the broad beans and cauli's have germinated and the potato compost is ready to plant the first potatoes soon..they are chitting nicely in my little conservatory..
I must sound a lot more organised than I feel Helen..
I've always had my friend Sue to encourage me as she was the organised one and a lot more knowledgeable than me....but she is in Spain with my sister now, so I'm finding the garden a bit surreal without her this year, if that makes sense.....even doing my diary on here she'd be blipping at me " oh you haven't put so and so on " ...just in case she reads this 'I miss my gardening buddy' ...
Spent yesterday sorting out the compost heap.. I'd already spread some over the veg beds but needed to empty it as I had quite a few bags of chicken run waste and grass clippings to add ..
I had 6 barrow loads of really good compost.. I spread 1 over the half barrels which have all my berries in- blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries, rasberries and blackberries..3 barrow loads went over the cottage garden where I have some fruit trees - 4 apples, a cherry and a victoria plum.. and the rest I have kept back for the veg pots...
I've also got a large sack of poo pickings from the coop which I don't put on the compost heap as I find the wood shavings take too long to compost but I'm going to put them in the bottom of my new raised runner bean beds ( pics when Hubby has finished them)..
I also use the poo pickings for liquid feed..a couple of inches in the bottom of a bucket and fill with water..cover and put out of the way to ferment..then I use an egg cup full in a watering can full of water to feed my fruit and veg once a week..that's my secret to last years success..
I had a small polytunnel which was too long to use, so I've split it and now have 2 areas of the veg patch covered ready to sow tomorrow
so I just left it all to the elements...I couldn't even be bothered to salvage the polytunnel 
...don't know how many potatoes there are altogether as it was getting quite dark...but tomorrow I will empty out the bags and take a pic of my 1st veggies of 2011... 
..just wish they'd been on the menu for Christmas lunch as planned 
..never mind..I will try again next christmas as I usually get a good crop, hopefully the weather will be kinder..and I will prepare the greenhouse better with lots of insulation..lesson learnt !
remember I did tell you about the insulation, but I guess you forgot 
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