[Bottesford]

A thread to discuss your garden and share any tips - especially in deal with whatever the British weather throws at us!

Continuing from a post in the model thread...

Get some cloches or a cheap, plastic cold frame (wrap with bubble wrap if we get a really cold snap)- they'll be better off cooler but not growing much, than too warm and getting leggy. We might all end up with a later harvest this year but slower grown plants usually end up as healthier, more vigorous ones - when the weather warms up they'll romp away.

OK this caught my eye since my house isn't that big and I have several pepper plants that are now too big for their pots (roots showing at the bottom).
I really want to replant them in 5 gallon/25 litre containers but I can't do that until they go outside to the greenhouse.
Peppers are certainly not hardy plants in this climate so am unsure about putting them out in this current cold & wet weather. It's highly unlikely to see a frost (we struggle in winter in my urban location) but I know peppers don't really like it below 10c and we are definitely getting temps lower than that at night (and in the day this week!).
Same goes for my tomatoes otherwise everything is outside already.
What's the consensus on peppers, tomatoes and other summer fruits/vegs?

[Radiating Dendrite]

A thread to discuss your garden and share any tips - especially in deal with whatever the British weather throws at us!

Continuing from a post in the model thread...



OK this caught my eye since my house isn't that big and I have several pepper plants that are now too big for their pots (roots showing at the bottom).
I really want to replant them in 5 gallon/25 litre containers but I can't do that until they go outside to the greenhouse.
Peppers are certainly not hardy plants in this climate so am unsure about putting them out in this current cold & wet weather. It's highly unlikely to see a frost (we struggle in winter in my urban location) but I know peppers don't really like it below 10c and we are definitely getting temps lower than that at night (and in the day this week!).
Same goes for my tomatoes otherwise everything is outside already.
What's the consensus on peppers, tomatoes and other summer fruits/vegs?

Have you not got a small oil heater for the greenhouse?

[Bottesford]

My greenhouse is a tiny plastic thing from Wilco (well two of them) so no I haven't got anything like that...

[Radiating Dendrite]

My greenhouse is a tiny plastic thing from Wilco (well two of them) so no I haven't got anything like that...

Oh, I thought you meant a proper greenhouse.

Maybe you could still use something similar though? Maybe a small bowl of hot water or something, just to lift the temperature in there, I imagine it would not cool down too much so long as it is well insulated?

Would could always test it out first. Stick a thermometer in there and see how temp responds?

Edited by Radiating Dendrite, 27 April 2012 - 08:27 .

[SP1986]

Ah we need one of these threads!

Interesting to know that much of the stuff in the greenhouse is actually growing fine, but outside, the plants aren't much pleased. That could change into next week if it dries out and warms up - stuff will actually romp!

[Bottesford]

My tulips are out (well the flower is but seems to stay closed all the time), lavender is starting to flower too.
Broccoli growing slowly, carrots even slower and beetroot have been seedlings for a month now.
Onions, shallots, garlic are fine - and strawberries are flowering a going well strangely enough!
Coriander is great, parsley has gone yellow so had to bring it into greenhouse as getting too wet. Spinach started well but has completely stopped growing for past 2-3 weeks.

[Polar Maritime]

Im the same as you Bott, pretty much new to vedge growing. I started last year, soaked some runner beens for a few days and planted them outside they grew a treat in the hot spring we had, with a fantastic crop. This year it's been so cold here that i have started them off in 3" pots on the window sill, they have sprouted already and the roots are showing at the bottom of the pot, I will have to repot them to as it's still just to cold and with frosts expected next week under clear sky's it could be a while yet.

[Polar Maritime]

I have found using polystyrene pots with thermalite mixed into the compost, and also sitting the pots on thick polystyrene off the floor realy help to keep the roots warm, as it's this that can course the plant to stress.

[summer blizzard]

Question, i want some nice looking plants (bulbs, not seeds) but want to grow in doors in my uni accommodation (was thinking that i could stick a few next to the window).

Any reccomendations? They can be plants that grow in quite warm weather as on the 13th floor my room only dips below 20C at night.

[MKsnowangel]

Question, i want some nice looking plants (bulbs, not seeds) but want to grow in doors in my uni accommodation (was thinking that i could stick a few next to the window).

Any reccomendations? They can beplants that grow in quite warm weather as on the 13th floor my room only dips below 20C at night.

[Bottesford]

Wonder how many students tried that before (I can think of 5 myself!).
But 'apparently' you can grow the stuff absolutely fine outdoors during summer anyway...

[Snowy Easterly]

i was going to put my crops out next week as it looked to be getting warmer, but now we are going to get an annoying northerly next weekend so i will probably have to wait until about mid may to put my crops outside at my allotment, i haven't done my potatoes yet as they get harmed by frost, one frost is ok for them but not 3 or 4. my tomatoes are still small anyway so they won't go out for ages, but my beans are quite big now

i don't think i had any frosts in january this year, i bet i see more frosts in may than i did in january, typical

[snowydayz]

Too cold for tender plants to go out here yet, if the cold doesn't get them the wind will where I live, it's all very slow going this year.

Bottesford, can you re-pot your peppers and keep them inside a while longer? They really won't like being cold or windswept.

Snowy

[Bottesford]

The pots they are in take up the whole window ledge - any bigger I wouldn't be able to close the curtains!
Gladly wind isn't a concern as my courtyard is very sheltered on all sides but for the same reasons we get limited sunlight with 6 hours max in any one place. Half the yard is almost always in shadow. We get no sunlight whatsoever in there from about October to February.
Now its better but all planting is at one end of the yard and I've attached a trough to the wall to grab what light I can - planted garlic & strawberries in it. It can get 7 hours plus up there - a real privilege compared to the rest of the yard!

[Snowy Easterly]

i planted some potatoes at the end of june last year, they grew very quickly in the summer, if i put them out now, they might rot from all the cold rain we are having so i will just have to be patient

tomatoes are the ones that take a long time to harvest, most years they aren't ready till end of september whatever the weather

[jethro]

Question, i want some nice looking plants (bulbs, not seeds) but want to grow in doors in my uni accommodation (was thinking that i could stick a few next to the window).

Any reccomendations? They can be plants that grow in quite warm weather as on the 13th floor my room only dips below 20C at night.

Lillies? Dead simple to grow, big bulb, plant it and wait for them to come up - they smell heavenly too.

[jethro]

Wonder how many students tried that before (I can think of 5 myself!).
But 'apparently' you can grow the stuff absolutely fine outdoors during summer anyway...

But not if you've got a local rabbit population (or pet ones running lose); once knew of almost an entire street growing a crop in their back gardens, they got up one morning to find rabbits had demolished the lot. Presumably very happy bunnies.....

As for your Peppers etc, so long as they don't dip below 3c - ish they'll be fine. At low temperatures they won't grow but they won't die either - growers for shows like Chelsea routinely either force plants with heat&light or put them in suspended animation by chilling them down to 3-4c. Keep them off the floor of the greenhouse and on the sunny side of your courtyard, wrap with fleece if it's looking particularly chilly or get some plastic bell cloches (dirt cheap, leave the vent open on top). The most important thing is to not water them too often, if they're not growing they really only need to be prevented from drying out completely - cold, wet things rot in no time, keep an eye out for mildew (white patches on leaves) and keep in mind that slugs love them.

[Bottesford]

OK sounds like a plan to me!
Been proactive on relocating the snail & slug population - any I find I remove somewhere else. Advantage of the sealed courtyard is that things like that don't stumble on the place quite so easily so removing the existing population is working quite well so far. The pool of beer trick is another I shall set up when the peppers go out.

[Bottesford]

Further to that... I re-potted a small tomato plant last weekend into a largish pot (largest before too big for window ledge) and it's literally doubled in size!
Very surprised considering that they must have had hardly any sunlight at all this week. Pot size makes such a difference!

[jethro]

Further to that... I re-potted a small tomato plant last weekend into a largish pot (largest before too big for window ledge) and it's literally doubled in size!
Very surprised considering that they must have had hardly any sunlight at all this week. Pot size makes such a difference!

I've spent the day at work doing just that, oodles of stuff in the greenhouse there but as it's un-heated, it's all a bit behind from last year. I rescued the outdoor sown Sunflowers and Poppies today too, brought them inside to dry out and warm up a bit. Also had to re-sow all the broad beans, squash, cucumbers and courgettes; a Rat has managed to get in, dig them up and eat the lot. Pesky things! As if contending with slugs, snails and woodlice wasn't enough already.