WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2022

Lemongrass here grows to about 3 feet, has an aggressive root system and needs full sun. I did it in a pot to contain it but found the leaves tough. The root is better for cooking. Not sure how it will do in a kitchen. Good luck.

 

You can root lemon grass bought from supermarkets.
I just put it in water for a couple of weeks and potted it up later.

 

Lemongrass grows like a weed in my polytunnel . To increase, one stem yanked out of the clump has fine roots so can be replanted and off it goes! Definitely a gardening gloves job, as the grassy leaves are as sharp-edged as pampas grass! To use: secateur off the base and the hard green top until you've got something resembling a miniature leek. Then peel the outer leaves until you get to the tender white core. That's the only bit that is worth using.

 

I have been trying to find a source for reusable plug trays - as the ones I've got are all rubbish plastic. I do my best to manage them gently, but they really dont have more than a couple of uses in reality. So having failed to find any that are more robust and might be expected to last a good long while I've resorted to making newspaper plugs. After a bit of trial and error, a bit of Google and YouTube, I think we've got there and I've started making them. A couple of trays yesterday - and I'll do lots more over the next few days.

Interested to hear if anyone has used them before and any pitfalls/tips etc?

 

Not sure if you've got any outdoor space, but I have successfully cleared aphids off my chilli plants by putting them outside for a couple of weeks. Don't know why but it seems to work. Obviously has to be post frost - but then aphids only hit my when it's warmer anyway. They don't grow loads in that outside time but otherwise it doesn't seem to hurt them. I then move them back under glass and crack on. Have planted a stack of chilli seeds last night... I bought a couple of big old site-appropriate rechargeable LED lamps which extends my gardening time in the new greenhouse to as long as the cold allows.

 

Anything with Spinosad works well for aphids. It causes the insect to forget to eat. And it dies. It is harmless to humans and the environment.. other than bugs.

I was going to pot up some of my chillies today but I don't think I can get to the greenhouse where the pots are ready and waiting. The snow has drifted between it and the side of the house and is about a meter high in that space. That kinda curtails any gardening!

 

I did that one year and found that they got mildew and moldy in a big hurry. So I switched to soil blocks. No paper. Just soil. This is apic from a website, not mine and I use the one -top right which makes a 2x2x2" block with a slight dibble for the seeds. No waste.

 

@CanadianLori I've never seen that before! Looks interesting? How does the soil/compost compaction impact the growing seed? It would seem as though there is a direct conflcit between the need to keep the block together - so more compact - and the needs of the seedling: not too compact? Is the kit home made or bought?

Mildew/mould will be an issue if i'm not careful - for sure. My greenhouse is massively humid. I've started venting it to try to reduce that but it's not not going to be easy to get it under control in the winter I think.

 

Bitter cold here with very bright Sunshine, I've been mixing up some compost in the shed.
Well to be honest it's lovely and warm in there with the Sun shining through the window

 

@JimmyB you compact the soil and then drop the seeds on them. Empty block, then seedling. Then when ready to pot up, just do it. No teasing out of a plastic plug starter. Empty block, no germination, throw back in the soil bag and start again with no waste. I find chillies seeds stubborn to germinate so this way, i'm not so frustrated. I can easily fit 28 blocks in a 10 20 tray/ flat.

 

Forgot to say, Johnny's seeds and Lee Valley sell the makers. It takes me about 5 minutes to fill a flat.

I don't have any humidity issues in the greenhouse at the moment..

 

What a contrast from here. I opened the cold frame for a few hours today.
All I productively did was prepare some Sweet Pea seeds and compost in toilet roll tubes for starting off later this week.

 

@CanadianLori I’ve ordered one! Love the simplicity…let’s see how I get on

 

It is all about the consistency. I mix my soil with water using an old plastic dishpan. You get it good and wet and then shove the maker into it. There is a video on johnny's site. I just like the fact that I can easily reuse non germinated blocks again without losing any soil. Too much water, add more soil!



When the seedlings get big enough for the roots to show at the bottom, you just push a dent in your prepared pot of soil and stuff the block in. Done

 

That’s an interesting take on the compacting approach, Lori. Probably has a clear advantage of seeing clearly how moist the soil is, which is always a bit of a best guess for the plastic grids after a while.

A reasonable day here and the late winter job of weeding/tidying the borders of the front garden which was wildflower meadowed a couple of years ago. Singularly the best strategic move in terms of freeing up gardening time for the summer months. No more weekly mowing, trailing extensions, the fastidious need for straightness, death to dandelions, all the stuff you have to do when you’d rather be out back on a sunny day, or any day it’s not raining more to the point.