Putting up the Polytunnel

I've had the polytunnel I bought off Amazon, stood in the hall for several weeks, but finally put it up today.

Instructions didn't look complicated, and a review on Amazon of the VonHaus 2x3m polytunnel, said it could be put up on one's own, and in a couple of hours.

Today the temperature dropped a little, and the sun was clouded out, with the wind picking up a little that made the final stages a little more difficult.

I found a flat piece of allotment, partly over where the old shed used to be, and laid out some 5m x 2m weed control fabric. I secured that with pegs. The ladybirds were all out in the warmth, and hopefully I haven't covered too many of them up.

It took some time to figure out the numbering on the poles, and which side of each other they needed to be fitted, but after half an hour, it became obvious, and I only made a few mistakes, easily rectified. They reminded you not to tighten the bolts until the end, and you do need to undo some bolts as you work around to slot in higher pieces occasionally. The last few were the hardest to do... The upper support frame had two bolts that refused to join, but by taking them apart and switching, they worked... The door was also easy to do, although one tube was slightly flattened, and I needed to open out the hole from within with some secateurs.

The cover was a bit tight, until you get the ends lined up, and the sides stretched out. The wind had picked up, and it was easier to secure the windy side first, and smooth down the others... I'm pretty impressed by how it all came together. I thought it would be a much tougher job.

I've still to bury in the sides, but they have been weighted under bricks and planks or wood and some earth overnight. I'm not expecting high winds tonight ...

Carrots and Potatoes

I've decided to do many of my root veg in containers this year.

I bought some good 30 litre pots from a local hydroponics store, at a very good price. They were less than £4 each, but I don't remember the exact price.

Ten were bought, originally for the potatoes, but then I saw a good idea for container grown carrots and used two up for that.

Taking advice mostly from the YouTube channel Home Grown Veg, I sifted some used compost for the lower levels, putting all the sifted waste at the very bottom which wouldn't bother roots or the forming carrot. I filled up all the rest with well-sifted new compost up to near the top, weathered well, levelled off, sowed carrots in approximately three cm spacings... I planted several together, thinking I could thin out the weaker ones. On the video, he only planted singly... I don't know how well these will germinate though yet. He used a grid method using old wiring cut to the shape of the top of the container. A good idea! I just guessed, but I would say, there WERE about 45 clusters of seeds.

I grew two types. DRAGON PURPLE CARROTS from Real Seeds, which I had bought last year. Also a pack of PARIS MARKET-style short carrots - I forget name. They are several years old, so I scatterd randomly across the top, and if they don't germinate in 3 or 4 weeks, no problem, I have a well sifted soil for another batch from fresh seeds later on.

Seeds were covered with 1.5cm of sifted soil, lightly pressed, watered down, and again today, as it's been so hot...

Very interested in this experiment... The YouTube harvest looked very impressive and easy to harvest.

I also used the new 30 litre containers for potato growing. I don't fancy digging over the allotment much if container growing is so productive and easy to harvest too. I'd only chitted up 5 types of POTATOES this year of 6 seed potatoes each.

PINK FIR APPLE
RED DUKE OF YORK
PICASSO
a BLUE type
MARIS PIPER

I'm going to grow THREE of each in a container to see how they do... This will be fine for the salad/earlies, but might be too many for the larger Main crops... But at least this way I can compare. Then I will try just TWO if each type in another container, but as I used up two for the carrots, that will have to wait. The final single carrot I will try growing in much smaller, maybe 10 litre pots...

I used a mixture of Potato Fertiliser and Chicken Manure, watered it in well. The box said I should really have done that THREE weeks beforehand!

For the moment, I will water these half-filled pots to allow the fertiliser to dissolve some. Then I will plant three tubers on Tues or Weds... Can't wait!

As usual, the potatoes were chitted slowly on a NORTH facing window. I find this produces the shortest but healthiest chits, rather than have them stretch too far. Unfortunately one type produced roots too as it sweated in a carrier bag before positioning in the window. The roots didn't die back and I doubt will cause too much of a problem.

Easter Sunday Garden Centre Visits

A few hours out to local garden centres with the parents this afternoon.

England is experiencing record high temperatures this Easter, locally it was certainly 25'c. I think the South was expected to have 27'c. The garden centers we visited were busy, but many others were closed due to Easter Sunday trading laws.

Firstly we visited a small local independent centre at Bury Bank, Stone, an off shoot to our more local one at Johnson Hall, Eccleshall. Until recently Johnson Hall was lived in by the widow of a very distant cousin of mine - but that doesn't get me a discount.

They've opened a bigger centre off the A51, Nantwich to Stone which has a smaller selling area, but many of the polytunnels they need to support two centres. It's named after the ancient hill fort which I've not yet walked around. There is little to see as it's wooded over.

The bedding plants looked excellent there. I was interested in the FERN range which I need for a sheltered part of my garden. However, they didn't have a very tempting range of CHILLIES… the usual jalapeno, cayenne, etc, but did have some excellent herbs. I will go back to buy some LEMON THYME.

As it was just up the road, we also visited the comparatively ubiquitous Trentham Gardens, near Stoke-on-Trent. The carparks were full, and again, people seemed to be panic buying bedding and hanging basket plants. They had a great herb range this year, the best I've seen, and some very interesting chillies, looking large and healthy. I didn't buy any though. Dad picked up some Rose Shrub Spray... rather expensive, but will last him a few seasons, Mum bought dried Mango slices...

Sadly, as again the Easter Sunday Trading Laws meant that half the shop front was closed -- the interesting half with bulbs and kitchenware...

Hard Pruning of the Garden

I've neglected the garden this and last year, and my 20-year old shrubs are rather too mature for a small garden...

The garden slopes down to the house, and is mostly sun and wind exposed, so quite dry... Perfect for Lavenders, rosemary, hebe.... I'd be happy just for a garden of those. On the shady side I have some conifers, heathers, ivy, ferns... I used to have the back-up National Hosta Collection, but it wasn't really practical in my dry garden... A few still survive.

I used to get a lot of slug damage, but now they've moved out, and it's mostly snails...

I've taken out two carloads to the tip today... Lots more to do...

I think I have to be cruel, and decide that one shrub goes each year... but which one do I start with?!

Tomatoes for 2019

39 tomatoes all potted up, and enjoying their first few days out in the sun.

Today's weather was 21'c and little breeze, so it was ideal for them.

Here they are in their nighttime holding-station, the laundry...

They're not going to get much light in here, unless it's sunny enough to go outside, so hopefully, they'll have a polytunnel to go into soon.

Varieties sown:

Sweet Million
Red Profusion
Tumbling Tom Red
Atomic Grape
Black Vernissage
Hundreds & Thousands
San Marzano
Gigantomo
Reisetomate

also
4 Tomatillos from James Wong

I had bought a packet of Moneymaker from B&Q, my best tomato from last year, but the packet was empty...

Day Out at Anderton Boat Lift

A few photos from our day trip into Cheshire...

Anderton Boat Lift:

It's a Squash Planning Day

Today was all about planning for my squash sowing tomorrow.

I think my allotment has always been about unusuals… I won't normally grow anything I can buy easily.

I am planting many types of squash, about 2 or 3 pots of each, perhaps 1 or 2 seeds in each.

This could be a very healthy summer coming up!