All year round Cabbages and Marrowfat peas

Tundra was the very first cabbage I ever grew - oooh, about , well, at least, ........ four years ago!!! I was amazed at how little I looked after it (because I didn't know how) and, yet, how well it grew and did over the winter.

This year, I've learned a lot more about soil preparation for next year, so I hope I'll have better crops.

You're absolutely right, about learning - I love to ask questions and I've always said that if I don't learn something new each day, that day is wasted. Strangely enouigh, the more I learn, the more I realise I don't know!

 

With the tunnel cloches from Plastics by Post you put the hoops along a line. Then tie the polythene to a piece of wood and hammer into ground at one end of line - they provide a plastic peg thing which isn't really long enough. Stretch the polythene along the line of hoops and tie other end round a post which you hammer in trying to get polythene as tight as possible.
Each hoop has two rings on. You tie a piece of twine through one and then take it over the polythene to the other ring and tie tightly so it pushes the polythene down. The polythene should end up as tight as a drum and is very wind proof.
The plastic cloches you usually see for sale are like the ones i had when I was a kid. They lasted one week and then disappeared one windy night.
My cloches are 25 feet long but it is easy to split them up into two.

 

i can recoment hispi as a summer cabbage kilaton in the autumn stick with tundru in the winter and then flower of spring for spring

 

Hi again Geoff,

I totally misunderstood what you meant. A quick search of "Plastics by Post" took me to this page on their website: -

http://www.plasticsbypost.co.uk/polytunnel-cloche-click-for-quantity-prices-9-p.asp

This one seems ti fit your description. Am I right? At 7 metres (almost 23 feet) that's not bad, not bad at all.

 

Yep thats the one. They are not bad for fleece either.

 

Thanks geoff,

The only problwem with fleece is that it's so fragile - I never manage to make mine last a year - even the heavy rain can punch a hole in it! I think that the ones sold on our allotment may be light weight at 17 gms but "Harrod Horticulture" (on-line) offer a 30 gms fleece. I hestitate to buy this in case it's no better. Would you mind telling me your experience and thoughts? Is your fleece lightweight?

 

Plastics by Post do a 30gm one. I don't know what i have but it is on its 3rd year. Some is a bit dirty and the only hole was when I put it down and forgot there was a stick sticking up.

 

Thanks for that and all your help, Geoff.

Sticks do tend to stick up, though some do stick down and others stick out - perhaps that why they're called sticks! I noticed, on my allotment, on the other hand, all holes tend to stick down - if ever I see a hole sticking up, I'll let you know!

Well, that's my funny moment over - back to reality!!!!!

Seriously, thanks again, Geoff