Top Tips

[Printemps]

Another Tip in Vertical Growing!

As a follow-on from KG's vertical planting, this is my 'vertical tip':

If you want to cover a wall or fence with a climbing plant you usually end up with a rather ugly lattice work of nails and screws with a twine and wire attached to tie into the plant as it grows. Unfortunately the plant invariably has a mind of its own and doesn't seem to grow in the direction you expect. There's also the problem of having to remove it all if you want to repoint the wall or paint the fence

Consider this: Clematis, honeysuckle and jasmine can all be held firmly to the wall or fence with clear silicone sealant that you get from the DIY shop. Simply decide where you want to attach the plant and apply a blob of sealant. Wait 10 mins or so and then gently push the stem of the plant into the sealant. The climber will be held firmly against the wall, and will stretch as the stem expands. Just keep adding more blobs of sealant as the plant grows. If you need to remove the plant, it's easy to prise the sealant off the wall, and gently cut it away from the plant stem.

[BumbleB]

My tip is to make up pots from newspapers. This tip was mentioned a few years back by my son wiZer. Link as follows: http://www.raft.net/ideas/Newspaper%...ing%20Pots.pdf

At this time of year, any free container is very usefull for seedlings and potting on.

BB

[Jenny22Cumbria]

I think I heard this tip on Gardeners Question Time (so it's not strictly mine to give!) but I'd still like to pass it on as I've found it useful.

If you're like me (too disorganised and busy to write down what you need to sow) put your seeds in one of those folders divided into sections. Mine's a plastic folder with elastic to hold down the flap that closes it and I've labeled the sections with the names of the months.

You organise your seeds in it according to the month you need to start sowing them and then (when you've planted them and that month's finished) you move them to the next month. When I get out into the garden I open my folder, take out this month's seeds and see what I need to plant more of/start sowing

Hope my explanation made sense!

[Lottieval]

I protect runner and climbing french beans with tubes made from 5 or 6 inch lengths of plastic bottles. Plant the bean into it close to the cane and push the piece of bottle into the soil, with luck the slimy nasties won't get at the plant. You can also have a second line of defence by scattering a few organic slug pellets inside the bottle tube.When you take up the beans at the end of the season thread the tubes onto a length of string and hang them in the shed till next year.

[Digger Don]

Mini propagator

Some fruits are sold in a plastic tub with a lid, not so great for the environment excessive packaging view point, but they make fantastic mini propagators, with plenty ventilation/drainage holes.

Like most of us shopper/gardeners I have a selection of used fruit and veg containers some of which actually match for size.
Unfortunately if you want a clear one on top of an opaque one for propagation they tend to fall apart.
Plant clips as sometimes sold by Aldi's are ideal for keeping them safely together.(see pic. )

[miffy]

Make your garden plants work for your plot, i have a very large bamboo plant in the back garden, constantly needs pruning as it is a fast grower, i cut down the canes and use them up the lottie for my beans and climbing plants.
No air miles involved and they look lovely too. Old tights also make fab ties for canes cut into strips

[ChrisG]

To check how cold your windowledge gets at night, rather than getting up several times or buying a min/max thermometer. Leave a plastic bottle of water on the ledge at night, check it in the morning and that should give you an idea of how cold it got during the night.

[maytreefrannie]

Keeping a mini-greenhouse warm

I read on another thread about leaving a tray of hot water in a mini-greenhouse at night to raise the temperature. Even though I'd been fleecing my peppers and chilli, they were making no progress.

I lined the bottom of the mini-gh with several layers of old newspapers, then filled an old cast iron pot with boiling water and put it on the newspapers each night.

I don't have a thermometer to check, but since doing this I've felt the mini-gh is warmer in the morning, also the plants have definitely started (slowly) to progress.

[shoreham_steve]

I protect runner and climbing french beans with tubes made from 5 or 6 inch lengths of plastic bottles. Plant the bean into it close to the cane and push the piece of bottle into the soil, with luck the slimy nasties won't get at the plant.

I do this too but add copper tape around the top of the tube. Seems to work most of the time. It's those abseiling snails I can't stand !

[NOG]

Keeping a mini-greenhouse warm

I read on another thread about leaving a tray of hot water in a mini-greenhouse at night to raise the temperature.

A candle will do the same thing. It will keep the temp above 0c.

[nemo]

make as much liquid feed as you can now - pick nettles now when they are plentiful. nettle liquid feed is high in nitrogen.
seaweed liquid feed has a lot of minor nutrients
manure feed is another good feed
comfrey liquid feed is brilliant its high in potash .if gardeners could only make one liquid feed the comfrey feed would be the best choice
the containers used to make liquid feeds should have tight fitting lids ,because the only down side for homemade liquid feed is that everyone of them smell bad.
for the organic gardener using the above liquid will cater for every plants needs

[taff]

use canes or thin sticks to stack up plastic bottle cloches, stick them in the ground, then thread on the bottles. Keeps them out of the way and to hand.