As I promised I bring you the up to date news on how I'm doing in the polytunnel.
I waited a while because pics of tiny baby plants and vast open spaces is not so interesting and so far it's been fairly quiet in there.
My spinach and rocket (wild and domestic) took off with lightning speed and much yummy leafage was consumed but they also bolted (went to seed) just as quickly. I will in future be planting those things outdoors.
I went in the other day and the courgettes were becoming monstrous and blocking the paths, the tomatoes were looking over bushy and the squash were also sprawling about so I did a mass pruning and even decided (after seeing it on a YT video) that they will also be trained upwards rather than outwards. I am going to be much more controlling in here because this is MY micro-climate and space and these plants will have to be put in order. I can unleash the control freak in me.
I didn't manage to get a pic of the jungle emerging before pruning so you'll just have to imagine a tunnel jungle. Camera problems. After pruning -
2 courgettes now tied up and one suspect who was a squash but is looking suspiciously like another courgette which was already being trained anyway. I'm not gonna decide what it is until I see the fruit.
After pruning I noticed the water level inside the branches was very good so my very lax watering was a good thing. They don't need it.
I did notice one of the squashes leaves are a bit pale, not as green so I gave them all a little feed with my nettle ferment which smelled definitely ready. Pooooh
I'm going for the 3 sisters method of planting squash with sweetcorn and beans. I put them in staggered, squash first, then corn along the perimeters and then finally beans just the other day and first one popped up just now next to the smallest sweetcorn of course.
Sorry about the misty photo's but even on the coolest days it is warm and humid in this poly. LOVE IT. Can't even wear my glasses in there or I'm blinded.
Here you can see the sweetcorn in a row next to the dubious courgette/squash and the cucumbers which are coming on fantastic. I haven't pruned them yet will wait till they're a bit bigger.
Here's 2 (or it might be 3, 2 stuck together) tomatoes which have been pruned and are flowering like mad along with their companion, marigold and in there somewhere 3 basil.
This squash stuck in the corner is the biggest so far and I didn't prune it back as hard coz it had quite a lot of buds on the side arm. It has a companion bean next to it.
These are 3 pepper plants, I got the seeds from an organic long red pepper I bought and ate coz I liked it. The odd plants in front are random seeds @ajerkoff sent me with no labels lol so I just stuck em in the ground and let them surprise me. Looks like some lettuce and carrots so far.
This little baby which may not look very exciting to you is uber exciting for me because it is a baby melon. No way could I grow one of these out there in that crazy monsoon/hurricane weather but here I now have an actual watermelon of my very own. That's another bean next to it. I don't know if I will grow this one upwards or not because watermelons are pretty big and hefty so am gonna let it sprawl and we'll see. I'll have to collect some more straw to lay the melons on when they come.
lastly there's the cauli's which are monstrous (the ones at the back) by now but no sign of any actual cauliflowers in there yet. (The front ones don't look as happy. Same area the rocket bolted.) I'm told to keep an eye on them coz when they appear it's a short window to here and gone. I'm not too worried tho as I'd love to see what the flowers actually look like AND I can collect the seeds too.
That's the wild rocket sprawling around now. I'm not gonna pull that up just yet as it's still edible (unlike bolted lettuce) so will keep picking at it until new babies sprout.
Lastly the weather has been stinking again plus I've been trying to rest my back so instead I bought some more propagator trays, cheap from Lidl so I can resow lots of filler plants, more lettuce, basil, rocket, peas or mange tous, more cucumbers a bunch of flowers/herbs and then also start sowing my winter plants like cabbages, sprouts, winter greens and anything I can find which can still be sown mid-summer. I've run out of labels so made new ones from old yoghurt pots. That works really well.
I'm on a roll. I have a couple of empty spaces to fill. This polytunnel may be the best thing I've ever bought myself.
Oh blimey I almost forgot. I just saw this short video which I found VERY affirmative with my own gardening philosophy.
If you're a bit lazy and want your plants to look after themselves, like strong independent children then you'll love these handy hints. I can't say I would ever be accused of killing my plants with kindness hahaha
Looking good. I have always avoided pruning squash because I am scared to diminish harvest. Maybe I should look into this more. One of my squash 3 sisters is growing way outside its bed.
Is it humid and uncomfortable at all working in the tunnel?
pruning prolongs the harvesting period. If you don't prune you get a glut of squash all at once and then nothing. Training them upwards frees space for more plants underneath too. I need to maximize space in the tunnel. Yes it is sometimes like a sauna in there if I don't open the vents. I don't go in there if it's a really sunny day hahaha
Ok good to know about the prolonging of harvest. I am leaving mine on the ground for ground cover in the 3 sisters. Helps to manage weeds and grasses.
Yes I believe that's the way it should be done authentically for the 3 sisters method anyway. I just don't have the room in my tunnel.
My mum makes nettle and comfry fertiliser I bought some back to free my plants my god does it stink haha
Yes it pongs alright but you only need a few drops. Been trying to grow some comfrey but it just never germinates. Weird. maybe the seeds are too old.
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Looks like the tunnel is doing a great job.
It's a marvel of modern engineering isn't it.
Wow, its already coming along nicely. Seems almost like yesterday when you were first setting things up.
I laughed when you said
For those with some land at their disposal I would recommend strawberries. My dad had a small farm when I was young. He planted some and each year they just kept spreading over more land like a weed. It was awesome to have so many to help oneself to while out playing as I did. They are pretty much low maintenance and just keep multiplying.
OMG tell me about it. I have mad rampaging strawberries already. They're crazy and the more you abuse them the happier they are.
That would be great for growing weed...primo sticky buds!
I have one in there ajerkoff sent me the seed. I will probably cold press it for the oil, I'm not a fan of the effects but know the health benefits of the oil. I'm not sure if I'll get any seeds tho I think you need two and a male and female??
HaHa! Frots comment made me laugh! I am not a fan of the effects either. When I tried in my mid twenties it always tired me so much that I missed all the good partying and went straight to sleep where I were. At most it made me hungry and getting the munchies was quite nice. But I was not so much interested in getting food. LOL.
I fell for other consciousness altering substances though. Those which make you feel energetic and alive, not tired and dull. But as all drugs work differently on different people, one has to find out by oneself.
I also can relate to car sickness. If often happened to me as a child and still today when I sit in the back seat. Worst thing is alcohol and pot together! Yak!
Hmmm not for me, years ago when I had a bad tooth and they put me on antibiotics (yuk) I wanted to go meet my pals don the pub but couldn't drink so decided I'd try a spliff before going out. I had the most godawful time. I lost the power of speech and got the total para's. Went home, it was a dead loss. Yeh I too preferred uppers.
Not a fan of the effects???
You crack me up.
Ive been nearly 48 hours without any effects, about to fix that though...
LOL :D
I suffered terrible car-sickness as a child and it just feels exactly like that to me.
that sounds like some nasty weed - all strains are different, sometimes remarkably so - i have a collection, all labeled by their effects - eg. sleep and psychedelic being two key ones
don't need a sleep one but the psychedelic sounds good. I did have some 'laughing gear once, that was good. I like mushrooms.
those I have always been nervous about - don't want to poison myself!
the dose is critical - a tiny bit in a vape can be perfect - a joint is like sculling an entire bottle of vodka - not good
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