2017 Progress Reports

[Tee Gee]

The other thread seems to begetting rather large so I thought I would open a thread for 2017.

Inside Heated Greenhouse



Dahlias beginning to sprout:



Some of my tomato plants



Some of my Sweet Peppers



Fuchsia Cuttings



Geranium Seedlings



Some of my Chrysant' cuttings



Some of my Gladioli



A few overwintered plants



Potatoes chitting



Now you can compare your progress to my progress if you want!

[Tee Gee]

[Plot 18]

My seedlings are at roughly the same stage, but I'm doing an awful lot more walking backwards and forwards between the house and the greenhouse, if nights are cold (my g/house isn't heated)

[Tee Gee]

I'm doing an awful lot more walking backwards and forwards between the house and the greenhouse, if nights are cold

I bought one of these so that I know what is going on in my greenhouse 24/7 rain,hail or shine!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jago-Weather-Transmitter-Temperature-Humidity/dp/B009UQI4TO

[johhnyco15]

i cant post more than one pic a time due to file size  this is the front  of my compost area screen

[johhnyco15]

and a little plum blossom

[Plot 18]

I'm doing an awful lot more walking backwards and forwards between the house and the greenhouse, if nights are cold

I bought one of these so that I know what is going on in my greenhouse 24/7 rain,hail or shine!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jago-Weather-Transmitter-Temperature-Humidity/dp/B009UQI4TO

Nice bit of kit - but doesn't help me carry the seed trays in and out of the house Ha ha !

[johhnyco15]

took some pics today blueberries in bloom

[johhnyco15]

and my chillis in my cold greenhouse

[johhnyco15]

and my dahlia cuttings again unheated  greenhouse

[johhnyco15]

put up today the first of my three bean frames it was a glorious morning was there at first light pear blossom is all out along with plum and cherry apples buds now have colour and will be open by the end of the week gooseberries , black/white and red currant  and josta all in bloom i really love this time of year

[AnnieD]

Trying to find out distances for my runner bean poles - everything I read says something different! What do you recommend?

[johhnyco15]

Trying to find out distances for my runner bean poles - everything I read says something different! What do you recommend?

between 10"and a foot i use the same for french and runner beans hope this helps

[AnnieD]

Thanks - I assume that's poles/beans in the row. How much between the two rows?

[johhnyco15]

if your using a normal A frame around 3ft should be fine i put plastic troughs in the middle all drilled out and just water the troughs  and it goes straight to the roots   and one other thing once you plant your beans out protect them with fleece or debris netting until the get established as the wind will cut them to bits hope this helps

[AnnieD]

Thank you the trough idea sounds great 

[Digeroo]

I only put about 18 inches between my bean poles.  I have taken to putting flowerpots with compost in them between the rows.  The pots are free from the garden centre recycling bins and the compost stays moist, and the plants get a feed every time they are watered.

[Beersmith]

Trying to find out distances for my runner bean poles - everything I read says something different! What do you recommend?

There was a discussion about a year ago on the best type of support for runners. Some prefer A frames, some X frames (my favourite) but some have other personal preferences. Those in windy locations often favour wigwams for obvious reasons. Some use traditional 8 foot canes, others posts, poles and quite exotic constructions with beans growing up twine, wires, or even nets. It's well worth planning this carefully too. Nothing worse than having a major collapse coz you can rarely ever get it upright again.

Cheers

[galina]

It's well worth planning this carefully too. Nothing worse than having a major collapse coz you can rarely ever get it upright again.

Cheers

And yet it does happen on windy sites.  Many a time has one of these corkscrew ground stakes helped me 'rescue' a leaning bean feature after gales.
https://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp?dept_id=120&pf_id=66259&ptm_source=google&ptm_medium=shopping&ptm_campaign=negative_risk_66259&gclid=Cj0KEQjw5YfHBRDzjNnioYq3_swBEiQArj4pdJ-GiGheA5vOgXzxyHLXvPnKdC7UzoCR8zwyyxX0Z5caAqNO8P8HAQ
But as you say, best of all build so strong that it is less likely to happen.  The main problem with a row structure is that for best light we are supposed to arrange it North/South to minimise shading, whereas the prevailing winds mostly come from the West.  Shading surrounding plants is another reason why teepee arrangements are often preferred to rows of beans.   

[johhnyco15]

all my bean frames run north to south and as the wind on our site normally comes from the south west I'm  fairly sheltered  however the odd storm runs down the east coast in the summer which can cause devastation to an ill prepared frame

[squeezyjohn]

I have 4ft wide raised beds on my plot with a foot and a half wide path between them.   After a few years of struggling to fit the beans in to the system such that I didn't walk all over the beds and minimised shading other plants out I came up with the idea of making a row of arches over the paths using a section of old blue water pipe to join 2 long bamboo poles together rather than the usual pointy topped affair.  It works really well and I plant brussells sprouts in the middle of the beds between the bean arches which don't mind the shade in the summer.

When I plant beans I put the poles closer together about a 6" spacing now and I haven't noticed any drop in productivity per plant.