What I Did Today (Undercover)

[VirginVegGrower]

Well, I used one last night. It had split so fingers crossed the others will have done the same. Size wasn't too bad (see pic- hope you don't get a bad neck!) Not as big as my outdoor grown ones last year. The the bed I have growing outside now doesn't look as good as last year either but they still look very healthy and will stay there for a while yet.

Jeez Scarlet - I wish mine on the lotty don't look as good as last year either, although I got rust quite badly last year - well not me, the garlic! At least I can leave them in to die back naturally. I needed the poly space for toms. It was more a bad timing issue for me.

[SarzWix]

Pretty sure it was a lack of water issue causing my onions to bolt; it's much harder to give them a good watering than it is the tomato plants which have plastic bottle funnels directing water at the roots. Anyway, they're out now and 4 tomato plants, 2 cucumber plants and a grafted melon plant are in their place instead.

Peas are cropping heavily now, I have my first bunch of sweet peas from the tunnel on the kitchen table, the broad beans have pods and the calabrese is finally starting to form heads Just desperately, desperately need some rain now...

[VirginVegGrower]

Watered in the poly, having hoed off. Picked broadies. Thinned some carrots out. Fed and watered in the greenhouse. Picked basil tips and made pesto. Yum!

[SarzWix]

Finished planting tomatoes and the F1/All-female cucumber plants in the greenhouse. Planted up some more pepper/chilli plants into 5l pots; that's as big as I go for chilli plants, any bigger and I find they forget to crop because they're too busy turning into triffids I only have half a dozen tomato plants, 3 butternut squashes and another Sigmadew cucumber waiting to go in the tunnel now, as soon as the calabrese vacates the space.

Peas are still cropping heavily, I think I've had about 3 kilos so far and more to come. Broad beans are just starting to swell, sweet peas are flowering like mad and the calabrese is FINALLY starting to form heads (just as we're eating salads...). The cabbages still look like a collection of leaves and nothing like a cabbage though, so they'll be turfed out over the weekend.

[VirginVegGrower]

All onions up and hanging now. I need the space. Two melons in and climbing peas. I may try a butternut when spuds up and out.

[VirginVegGrower]

Tomatoes are swelling considerably in the greenhouse. Watered, fed and misted those and cukes.
Next to the polytunnel, where I pulled my early sowings of carrots. Pulled the early spuds too. Pulled the remaining Broadies. All of those for dinner tonight and some for my mum. Lablabs and sweetcorn have gone in their places. Watered, fed and misted in there too. Planted two melon plants. Put in some trellis for the vine that's putting on huge growth. Read 38°c in the poly and 35°c in the greenhouse. With all doors, vents and roll ups either up or open.

[judy2shoes]

Yesterday actually, i gave everything a good soaking with my two Grandsons which meant us too! Then it rained...................

Weeded the beds, never thought I'd say I like weeding - I have also become slightly attracted to Monty Don. Must be my age. Picked three mangetout peas, waiting for the rest, potted out some marigolds that I nearly chucked (i had sown a whole packet so had a few into pots for my friend who watered the PT while I was away last weekend. Sowed more lettuce and pak choi.

Realized that ALL of my strawberries are first year and so wont get a massive crop, beginners ignorance paid for

I am still waiting to eat stuff! So far had a lot of pak choi and salad but still no peas ( well 3) beans, courgetts, tomatoes or anything else!

Also, received three bags of lovely home made compost from a friend - i was so excited, my compost is going ok but its my first time and to see the end result was amazing. But am nervous about using it in the pT its got loads of little white creepies in - am I being paranoid about introducing into the pt? I am really enjoying the recycling of compost stuff and saving seeds etc, wondering why I waited so long to get into gardening. Also, my sweet peas and petunias are making my front and back garden look so pretty. We were going to move house but have so gotten into gardening we've decided to stay. HVe about half an acre surrounding the house. I dont do much housework now..........,,

[Brom]

Yesterday had the first of the broad beans and early potatoes...lovely meal with crispy bacon.
Today, picked the first of the cucumbers and toms...looking forward to those in a sandwich with some home roasted ham. Watered everything, made a mental note to sort the beetroot out for pickling and do some weeding (not my favourite pastime, but has to be done). Gave my little helper a sugar snap pea, she loves them for some reason and am now sat in the sunroom relaxing with a laptop on my knee and a cold bottle of Crabbies on the windowsill, what better end to the day.

[SarzWix]

Still struggling to keep up with the watering in the tunnel, having to transport it from home. Wish it would rain
On the plus side, I spotted my first ever melon swelling on the plant yesterday

[Scarlet]

Lucky you, I've given up on melons!
Watered both my greenhouses this morning, tied in my toms and started taking some of the lower leaves off- its a jungle in there!

[SarzWix]

This was to be my last ever attempt, and I slightly cheated by getting a grafted plant from Suttons

[pigletwillie]

Having gone from 2 x 20 ft polytunnels, a 20x16 and a 10x6 greenhouse to shelf and workshop space in the new garden room at home I had thoughts of why bother. To be honest the room is mainly for my cacti collection plus overwintering and bringing stuff on early rather than growing. To my surprise though it is great for cucumbers which I can train up wires along the roof so the fruits hang down.

My main undercover growing area is the party end of the garden which is going to be covered in clear corex roof sheets. Being enclosed on two sides and south facing it is a quasi huge greenhouse. as well as toms and chillies I am going to grow winter squash up the posts and along the roof trusses. Being sheltered and warm they should do very well especially as they will be planted directly into the soil so they do not dry out.

All in all I don't feel the loss of the tunnels, more the opportunities that are presenting themselves now.

[marcofez]

Picked 6 large "Black Krim" tomatoes, yum yum! From polytunnel.

[Bill HH]

Yesterday I built my bargain basement poly tunnel (£50) 3mx2m. Today I got rid of the horrible zip up door and made a pair of wooden ones covering them with the material left over from the zip up door.

I thought it turned out very nicely.

[Bren In Pots]

It didn't take you long to start filling it Bill

All I've done in the GH today is to take out the cucs and replace them with winter lettuce plants.