With the rubbish weather forecast I was not expecting to be able to get outside quite as much as I did this weekend. I ended up making quite alot of progress.
I have nearly finished the greenhouse. All the glass is in and all the broken panels have been replaced with 4mm corrugated polycarbonate. I didn’t have very high expectations for polycarbonate but first impressions are good. It was easy to work with and seems to be stiff enough to hold up to the elements. One thing i will be doing is adding a few extra clips in here and there as this seemed to keep everything a bit more solid.
I built the workbench out of some wood i had in the shed, One end is slatted and on the other I made a solid edged platform for sowing seeds on. The edges should stop the soil from falling down the back. I am planning on putting boards along the lower supports to make a second shelf. This was a really simple DIY project and providing you use a tape measure you can’t really go wrong! The timber for the bench cost about £20 but i did have to make use of a few off cuts i had in the shed.
If you don’t fancy making one you can buy them pretty cheaply. Garden centre online do a couple of aluminium potting bench’s that are a reasonable price.
potting bench – Garden Centre Online
If like me you working on a wooden bench, this one looks nice.
Deluxe Wooden Potting Table | Outdoor Accessories
For now I have wired in the existing electricity supply, this was conveniently in place from the shed that used to be on the site. It is simply a fused spur to with the house sockets and lighting switches on the end. I will be replacing these ASAP.
I finally planted out the few broad bean plants that were sown in February. Up til now they have been getting hot and bothered in the conservatory. I hope they survive the shock of being put outside! Broad beans are hardy little buggers so they should be OK. I also planted out some runner beans that were planted in trays on March the 20th.
I also planted out my Kelsae and Alisa Craig onions that were sown in Feb. They were not looking as big as i had hoped so rather then plant them far apart and give them space to grow big, I have packed them in with about 1″ between plants. I will gradually thin them throughout the season. This way i will get a nice supply of spring onions, followed by some shallot sized onions followed by a few big ones! – That’s the plan anyway. I am pinning my hopes for growing some monster sized onions on the onion plants purchased from Fothergils. They should arrive soon and I am planning on preparing a bed for them in the new greenhouse.
Also put a fence around the main veg patch, hopefully this will help keep the cats and the chickens off.
On Saturday Hayley sowed Parsnips, Carrots, Golden Burpee Beetroot, and Crimson Globe beetroot in the raised bed. The glass was put on top to keep the cats off until I build a fence.
Nice to see some better weather!
