Topic: flustrated

[cambourne7]

well a few days ago tomatoes looked great even had some woppers, decided i was going to harvest today and make into pastata for spag bol. However i have had to throw over half of them away including all the larger tomatoes as they have split and rotted. There being watered every evening, and weekly feeds. Apart from one night last week i fell asleep and forgot to do it so watered lunch time next day. so either thats dont it or the weather being ever so hot then supper cold now warm again has done it.

Annoyed :(

Cam

[Pescador]

I know the feeling well. I've 2 beefsteak and 3 cherry growing "free-range" outdoors and every single fruit has split. I could understand it during the dry weather, but it's been wet here for 3 weeks now and they're still splitting.

Fortunately I've got 8 "Sungold" in the greenhouse and 6 in growbags at home and they're fruiting very well, however with 4 consecutive days of blight warning they may not last much longer!

[lottie lou]

What a shame. Were you too kind to them.  This year I sorted lost my enthusiasm and only watered if I could be bothered which wasn't all that often.  Expected split toms but surprisingly few have done so. Also had toms earlier, I think, than I usually have. Perhaps treating em mean makes them ripen as they think they are going to die off before they can spread thei seeds.  Just a thought.

[cambourne7]

Well i am learning and only have one more year then i need to remove the soil and then i am contemplating finalising how i want the greenhouse to look inside and having someone whip it up for me in wood also contemplating fitting a third water but into a dead corner i cant reach or more likly adding two more at the other side of my greenhouse and then will sentup an automatic watering system. Thats for next year to prototype :)

[Tee Gee]

I have had a few problems with the greenhouse I have at home see here;    https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,81914.0.html

As you see I have a stone floor and I am using 10" rings and I have had some water issues not least rapid drying out due to the exceptional weather we have had this year so to try and overcome this problem should we ever get a summer like the one we have just had, I am planning on making a few changes.

My green house is sitting on a 4" base  so what I plan on doing is fitting a 3" timber kerb around 18" from the metal base to form a sort of trough. I then plan on filling this trough with shredded timber ( only because I get it free) had I been paying for it I may have used another type of material, then I will sit my compost filled rings on top of the shredding.

Basically what I am adding is a moisture retentitive material  to act as a moisture reservoir that the plants moisture seeking roots can penetrate, something they can't do at the moment with my stone floor.

I think if I had such an arrangement this year I would have had less problems but what are the odds that once I complete this process that Sod's law will dictate that next summer will be dull, wet and cool!

[lottie lou]

May I ask why you have solid bases to greenhouses

[Tee Gee]

May I ask why you have solid bases to greenhouses 

Simple question but not easy to answer!

I think it boils back to personal preferences and as it happens my allotment greenhouses have soil borders and the are largish meaning I can practice crop rotation meaning I have never needed to change the border soil.

In some greenhouses, particularly if it is a small one crop rotation is difficult, so containerised growing in my opinion is the best way to effectively do this.

In small greenhouse that have soil borders the soil needs changing regularly, for example around every two to three years as the soil can become sick and can suffer from a build up of disease,fertiliser residues and other deficiencies.

I think with containerised growing  I am effectively changing the soil every year so I avoid these problems.

So as I said it's really up to the individual as to whether they want soil borders or solid floors.

The reason for my changes mentioned previously is I think I will get the best of both worlds and changing the shredded timber from my stone  floor will be relatively easy something that appeals to me now that I am knocking on a bit!

I hope that answers your question!

[lottie lou]

Thank you Tee Gee.  Whilst I have soil borders in my little greenhouse I grow my stuff in bottomless buckets.  Although I change the soil every few years was hoping that I wouldn't have to do it as, like you, I don't think I am getting any younger.  It seems I was hoping in vain. How often do you suggest changing the soil giving that nothing actually grows in it?

[Tee Gee]

I grow my stuff in bottomless buckets.

So that means any disease,excess fertilisers can potentially filter through into the soil below and trace elements can be washed away.

OK in theory the risk is less than growing directly into the soil but as I say there still is the potential to contaminate the soil in the border.

I don't know what you are growing in the greenhouse but you could use either side of the greenhouse as a form of crop rotation in so far as you could grow one family of plants in one side and another family of plants in the other then reverse the procedure the following year.

Using this method should reduce the need for soil change to perhaps every three or four years but I think I would still go for not using the same soil after two years, the choice is yours!

I am guessing one of your plant types will be tomatoes so there is the potential to harbour blight spores.

It's a difficult one and I don't think there is a definitive answer so I would say" Let common sense prevail"

[lottie lou]

Thank you for your advice. Back to changing soil then after all.