On Sat, 14 May 2005 13:14:29 +0100, Janet Galpin
wrote:

~The message
~from Janet Tweedy contains these words:
~
~ In article , writes
~ Alan Holmes wrote:
~
~ Apart from one pea that is, I've planted carrots, beetroot,
~ swiss chard, peas and radish, but as I've said, nothing
~ except one pea has sprouuted.
~
~ Well if you're in the East like us, it's cold!
~
~
~Surprising that your radish hasn't shown, but it has been cold. Carrots
~can be very slow and need careful watering - kept damp but without
~capping. Peas are very susceptible to mice but beetroot should show.
~Mine are up but under fleece.

This year my motto has been to fleece or cloche everything possible.

My early carrots went in 2 months ago under a home-made plastic cloche
(Wickes corrugated plastic held in place by a D of wire, and closed
off by spare bits). They're doing very well - have now converted their
protection to an enviromesh Geoff Hamilton cloche (ie blue water pipe
and the pegged mesh!) and sowed a row of maincrops.

Radishes came up, got fleabeetled and vanished again. Parsnips are
suffering severe attrition due to something which likes them (slugs
probably) as they were all growing well when I put them out in their
loo rolls...
Cabbages are under fleece to stop the *!#£$ flea beetles from getting
them too!

~My potatoes are badly frosted. Guess I should consider fleece next year.
Don't remind me... I did fleece my earlies with two stitched 1.5m
pieces, pegged down. Came back at weekend from a work trip to find
them brown and crispy and the fleece blown off. Grumble. If you do go
for fleece, just pegging doesn't always work. I've since wired the
edges to broom handles which seems to have sorted it, though it's a
bit of a case of the stable door... luckily the maincrops are still
covered with a double fleece layer.

~Garlic very healthy and robust. Over-wintered onions beginning to bulk
~up. Peas transplanted from roottrainers are about a foot high; I've
~never succeeded straight into the ground because of mice I assume.
~Over-wintered broad beans are a bit slow - in flower and about 18" but
~some way to go yet. I've had some exellent cauliflowers (Mayflower) and
~the next lot, Juno, are almost ready (selection from Marshalls). Purple
~sprouting broccoli is just coming to an end. Asparagus is just about
~filling the gap until cauliflowers and polytunnel peas are ready.

I've got a few beets but now awaiting the great plant out in a couple
of weeks. I have some water cooler bottles with the bases sawn off
which are excellent individual cloches, and there are direct-sown
French beans growing happily underneath them. If you can get hold of
these, they're a lot cheaper than bell cloches and pretty rigid! (And
the bases make great saucers for containers). Am thinking of putting
them over the early courgettes too.

Anyone else trying the Parthenon self-fertile variety?


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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