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12:06 pm
Enthusiast
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Mon 11-Oct-10
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Hello there, a few weeks ago i recieved my xmas present early, my dear Richard made me a wonderful cold frame, so what do i put in it as im eager to be
appreciative!!!
Well sweet peas are popping up, borage too, the mustard seed is almost ready to pick( I ran out of cress) the cut and come again lettuce is doing well, the rocket looks good too, that should be ready to harvest by xmas!. I have a pot of mint and another herb not sure what happily snoozing in there too.
On one side of the cold frame is a sand/perlit bed, there I have snow on the mountain cuttings, pinks/ lavender and those giant verbena cuttings too, as a dear friend said, experiment! thats what im doing.
3:30 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Sounds good Maria. Hope the weather doesn't get too cold for you though, our mild weather is about to end and our cabbages and broccoli are looking so good too in our poly tunnel.
3:07 pm
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Mon 11-Oct-10
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Joanna, the cabbage and brocoli are they seedlings? and what temperature is it please?
What do you put in your pollytunnel/cold frame? I so want to get it to work! I will be serving fresh lettuce leaves with home made sardine and smoked tuna pate on Sunday, ( not mixed seperate!)
6:42 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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They are not seedlings, I planted some up to put in once we took the tomaotes out and it was an experiment to see how well they would grow in a polytunnel. The broccoli is looking pretty healthy but the temperatures have been mild as we haven't had many frosts so far this winter and the temperatures have only just plummeted to -6C during the day today. Most of the time we have had temperatures around 5C. We did find that we needed to ventilate the polytunnel though as it has been so wet that it was raining inside with the amount of moisture and of course mould was beginning to get a hold. I think the lettuces worked really well as they are ready now and have been for a month after a planting at the end of July (a winter hardy variety for polytunnels). My main problem has actually been trying to keep the dratted cabbage whites off the plants - they got into the polytunnel during August and September 
. I think if we had had another month we would have got cabbages but the mustard greens and swiss chard are pickable now. Parsley is very healthy in their and the spinach was the best I have seen all year - I think it gets to hot and dry over the summer for us for spinach as it always bolts but the autumn planting did really well. The beetroot didn't really get going but probably should have sown the seed directly into the soil. Sorry for the ramble but I think that is about it 
. Can up date you on how they do in the real cold after the weekend when we see if it kills everything off.
7:35 am
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Mon 11-Oct-10
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Thanks Joanna, strange weather all round at the moment, yesterday recorded temperatures in the shade 24.8! at the moment and its not yet 10 am, its 10c, looking like another day in the mid 20s! so I have to keep the cold frame open.
I think I will try late summer planting veg, as we too have a problem with the heat making everything bolt! Definately spinach we love spinach with nutmeg!
The sweet peas are really enjoying their life in the cold frame, but I expect i will lose them in the winter! when it arrives. Lettuce and rocket looking really good, cuttings of snow on the mountain all growing, I wonder if i can take cuttings of aubretia ? might as well try it.
Ive just split a patch of sweet williams lots of baby ones, so i planted them in a nursery patch ( SPARE BIT OF GROUND!) so maybe in the spring we will have a glorious show, my parnter really likes sweet williams they are quite underated really.
Have fun x
4:12 pm
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Mon 11-Oct-10
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a beautiful day today, -11 last night -2 today but glorious sunshine and blue sies, richard and i pulled the snow laden rug off our cold frame and peered inside!.
YES the sweet peas are still alive and looking good! so are the lettuce, next week february I am going to seed up . petunia, lobelia and maybe salvia and carnation, not in the cold frame in the special room, such onderful weather all crunchy underfoot!
7:16 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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I love the cold bright days, it's the windy or grey days I don't like. Glad your stuff is still growing - ours suffered from a polytunnel collapse. Have to re-build before we get anywhere.
11:52 am
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Mon 11-Oct-10
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Joanna, we managed to get some old windows, Richard made a solid frame 1.5 mtrs by 1.4 mtrs out of them, Im sure you guys already know that, you probably have polly tunnels because of the shear volume of stuff you grow?
Were going to start off the potatoes in a bag in 10 days or so!, then we will do another bag begining of March the 3rd middle of March and the 4th April, hopefully we should get a good crop we will keep you posted, some say a good crop would yield 100weight! that should do us for a while!
As regards tomatoes were only going to do 6 plants early start, cucumbers and peppers are so cheap its not worth the hard work and water!
Happy days dear!
7:54 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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Yes we want to grow a large amount and it is definitely worth growing cucumbers, tomatoes etc here as the stuff you get in the shops is rather hit and miss, some of it has seen better days.
4:43 pm
Knowledegable
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Sat 13-Nov-10
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maria said:On one side of the cold frame is a sand/perlit bed, there I have snow on the mountain cuttings, pinks/ lavender and those giant verbena cuttings too, as a dear friend said, experiment! thats what im doing.
Wow, that's good, you're all organised¦¦..brilliant and well done! 
Odelle.
4:50 pm
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New members
Sat 13-Nov-10
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maria said:
Joanna, we managed to get some old windows, Richard made a solid frame 1.5 mtrs by 1.4 mtrs out of them, Im sure you guys already know that, you probably have polly tunnels because of the shear volume of stuff you grow?
Were going to start off the potatoes in a bag in 10 days or so!, then we will do another bag begining of March the 3rd middle of March and the 4th April, hopefully we should get a good crop we will keep you posted, some say a good crop would yield 100weight! that should do us for a while!
As regards tomatoes were only going to do 6 plants early start, cucumbers and peppers are so cheap its not worth the hard work and water!
Happy days dear!
Maria, can I borrow Richard? Just what I need, a 'handy-man' to make a cold frame! He, he!
I'm going to opt for growing potatoes in bags this year, leaves more space to grow other things, can't do with-out my many tomato plants though, I can eat them like feeding a donkey strawberries!
Wishing you the best of luck with your produce.
Odelle.
5:05 pm
Supreme Being
Thu 24-Sep-09
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I have to agree with you Odelle. I have gone a bit overboard with the tomato seeds - 13 different types. Will have to give plants away. 
Tomatoes are my favourite food. Lots of them never make it out of the polytunnel!!!!
Old teachers never die, they just lose their class
5:11 pm
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Sat 13-Nov-10
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JoannaS said:
I love the cold bright days, it's the windy or grey days I don't like. Glad your stuff is still growing - ours suffered from a polytunnel collapse. Have to re-build before we get anywhere.
Oh, such a shame about the poly-tunnel. I too don't mind the weather when it's crisp, dry with some sunshine. It's the damp and the wind that cuts right through you, that's when I can't get warmed through.
I have yet to start to sew any seeds, the weather is so unpredictable, mild one day, hard frost and even snow again yesterday!
I'm in the same boat as you with regard to starting, garden's horrible clay soil, takes a lot of work to even get it dug over! 
Odelle.
5:15 pm
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Sat 13-Nov-10
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danast said:
At least you'll have a good selection to sample Danast! We share the same tastes, I pick them and eat them as I do so.....Well must sample the produce!
Odelle.
7:53 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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OdelleS said:
I'm in the same boat as you with regard to starting, garden's horrible clay soil, takes a lot of work to even get it dug over!
Odelle.
Now that is a real pain. we have mainly sandy soil but there are bits of clay in it too but that's fine. Sandy soil doesn't necessarily mean free draining here in Latvia as often it is on top of clay so even the sandy soil can get waterlogged.
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