Allotments 4 All

Compost bin.

DIY on eye protection.
Drill hole in film cartridge.

(Pic's removed. Too obvious.)

DIY on bug control.

Crush 4 garlic cloves into a jug. Add boiling water. Stir. Allow to cool. Bottle. Use in a spray bottle as not only a bug remover but also as a deterrent.

Nice one Ken, I can see now where I went wrong with my compost bin,
I used pallets but forgot to fill the gaps. ::)
I drink daily those probiotic drinks and find they settle nicely on
top of the canes for protecting the eyes too.

Roy I thought that you needed gaps to allow air in  ???

Well Mimi I have two Darlecks that let no light or air in and they are performing
better than my pallet jobby, so I thought maybe Ken's would do a better job,
plus I have noticed one or two on my lottie cover theirs with a sheet. :)

Average sized lotties produce quite small compost bins, unlike the likes of KEW Gardens! Therefore it's important to get the heat up and keep it in there. Holes aren't required and a top of anything to keep the heat in is good. I use old carpet topped with a fitting lid of lino which I lift to allow rain in if it gets too dry.

kenkew...you are so clever ::)
you hav'nt got an idea for how to make a potting up bench
have you ::)

I've just re-assigned an old desk as a potting bench only it's about 18" too short to use comfortably whilst standing. Any suggestions for raising the height please? Otherwise will have to do all potting sitting on stool which doesn't appeal.

One method kentishhloe is to use the cheapest available building blocks (zero cost if you keep your eye open around building sites). Just stack then up on their sides until you have the required height.

Quote from: agapanthus on January 23, 2006, 20:50:20
kenkew...you are so clever ::)
you hav'nt got an idea for how to make a potting up bench
have you ::)

Are you thinking of using it in the greenhouse? If so, what plans have you for when you want to use that area for growing or can you have a permanent bench in place all year?
Making a 'bench' type is quite a simple affair and only requires DIY knowhow.
The 'bench' I have is a framework of timber over three levels. I use it for potting on and for keeping the pots on too. The working surfaces are mesh. When I need the growing area beneath the bench, I take off the bottom mesh and plant. Then the middle level as stuff grows and finally the top comes off and I slide the front supporting legs and frame away from the path towards the side. What I'm left with is four permanent legs and some path-to-side cross battons which serve as supports for canes and growing stems. I can get in to bury tommy pots no problem.

DIY On....Sweetpea pots.

Two toilet rolls. Cut one along the length.


Insert one in the other.


Not really needed, but to stop any slip put 3 holes through 'em.

Why so long? Sorry, my first January, never grown sweetpeas before  ???

Sweetpea roots are long rather than wide. Can be potted on but just about every seedling benefits from not being disturbed.
Sweetpeas will grow better and faster if they don't have a restricted root growth from the seed stage.
Actually, the best sweetpeas are grown with a yard of root! No room in most gardens but where there is, as the stem grows in the garden, bury all but the top two leaves and keep bending and burying for a yard before growing up a wigman.
Your first time? OK, after planting out, nip off the top leaves. (This can also be done in the greenhouse if the seedlings are getting straggly).
With this flower, the more you pick, the more you get!

Thanks, Kenkew; will try this out. Have read on other threads that people are planting broad beans and peas in old bog roll tubes. Is this for the same reason and is it also worth trying? Everything else I'm doing in newspaper pots as they can be transplanted without disturbing the roots.

Thanks kenkew.....that sounds a really good idea.....hav'nt got a picutre please ;)
ps....why is this thread so wide????

Bupster: Peas are really sown direct although as an early start you could rig up a piece of plactic guttering in the greenhouse, bring 'em on a bit and slide them out into a small furrow on the plot.
Beans and most other veg started in the green house can be in trays where space is at a premium and then potted on, or in paper pots as I've described at baked bean size which holds enough compost to take them to outdoor planting size.
Toilet rolls aren't wide enough for most of them as the root growth tends to be a mass rather than a 'string'.

Aga...a pic might not show what I mean. I'll have a look and see if it would make sense. (How's your DIY?)

PS. I narrowed the thread.

thanks for all the tips one and all!

One can never say you don't learn things here!!   ;) ;D

Not too bad...made this out of ' chucked out ' double glazing '
and a conservatory roof ;)