Fork Handles - Page 994

Afties   having a quick nose before bath.

Lottie, great news about Grandad.

Donations gratefully received. 

Becks- had another cheapy idea, also GH-

Try & get hold of, a wooden veg crate, your Co-op may have some? OK slatted sides, but use some poystyrene sheet from packaging, around sides to provide some insulation & either bit of glass over the whole or some clear plastic sheet tied on!! Bingo a coldframe of sorts for transition from the little greenhouse.

Shed refilled, boxes now in order for needing. Propagator in porch, compost bags down in shed. The 2 huge lidded plastic boxes, dirt cheap from Asda that OH says will not go back into our loft now donated to daughter to use!

Need to sort thru fabric scraps now, to see what's tippable, coz they're going up pronto. Byee, J.

I like it jo!

I have a couple of Bread baskets. Would work the same wouldn't it? (Told you I was a hoarder!

Hadnt thought of those, but yes, why not? Bit of side insulation would help, drainage holes, carry handles! I spotted a couple of the wooden crates in the shed, which jogged my memory.

So are you going to get a small greenhouse as the main set up? J.

BYW I have one of those crates/baskets too. Daughter brought it back with her from uni. It's in the greenhouse at the mo, filled with dirty pot saucers awaiting sorting, brushing down & yes, putting away.......

I'd better go & get changed before they get back or they'll know I've been on here... J.

Whatever you decide Becks you can always add to them as and when you have more to put in them/ more to buy them with r emember a cold frame is only on one level whereas somethong taller you can stack the trays - like a walk in one. Also if you get a greenhouse you will ahve to insatall some sort of shelving.

I'm hoping to get a cold frame later this year - reading everything said very helpful.

i have to dig out an area for it to go onto first.(sigh)

Rosa carriola wrote (see)

i have to dig out an area for it to go onto first.

Do you mean 'dig out' literally.

Because, by digging a large 'coffin' in the ground, it would make a nice snug and warm hole, and you wouldn't have to build sides. Just place a sheet of glass on top.

There could however be problems with drainage.

No Gary I need to clear the grass and make a sort of hard standing and dig it deep enough so that it is level with the greenhouse slab with the gravel on. I will make an area the length of the GH to have a nursery area as well

Idea is to fill proposed new raised bed with some of the dug out soil/ I have soil in other places also kept for this purpose.  Raised bed will be 8ft x 4 ft x 30cm

Some really good ideas here.  Had bath , back aching but had a very productive day. Done a lot of re-potting and finished bottle garden. Done a bit outside and found one glass ball intact from the solar lights in the border so I've only lost 2

Do you remember the 3 free clems I got last year from the newspaper ? Well they've all shot up and have big fat buds on them so I've re-potted them as well but am keeping them in the conservatory for now. Even the Duchess of E one has made really good growth.

Bjay - I usually start the begonias middle of Feb but am keeping them in the heeated propagator that I was given , hence the early start and in the Garden Answers book for this month it's says you can start then off any time now. These are the ones I saved from last year so I hope they sprout.

Where's Dr Geoff ? Can he recommend anything for Spring fever ?

Mine are saved from last year - it's just that I think I've been starting them off too late.

I usually lay the trays across my little heated propagator - one of those window ledge ones but have so many things all will be asking for a bit of space it'll be window ledges for begonias Also I was going to start extras for my daughter who is house hunting for a cottage - they have a flat at the moment and she has always liked them so a new house pressie.

Jean good news about the clems

I started my begonias so early last year that I was able to take cuttings

I'm impressed Kate 

Just hope mine will take. I'm ashamed to say I used to chuck them out and buy new but I've followed everyone's advice and wrapped them in newspaper and they look fine  Here's hoping. Re-potted some regals today and one of them is flowering already. Need to summon up some energy and prepare tea. Feel like having a sleep.

I'm lucky enough to have a polycarbonate greenhouse in my veg garden but I wanted coldframes for hardening off, overflow etc. I bought some cheap buildings blocks and made 3 frames along the greenhouse wall which I lined with polystyrene and I made lids with pieces of wood I found in the shed and sheets of polycarbonate. Wasn't expensive for  an area about 3m long. 

I'm here Jean-but the surgery is closed-can do an out of hours home visit but it costs-how are the finances? 

Haha - did you not see my begging bowl for back surgery ?

After another visit to GC this morning Not good at all.

Got 60ltrs compost J Arthurs with added J Innes for £5 99 though - thought that was a bit of a bargain.