Tuesday 5 March 2013

Tomato seedlings

Every year I grow Tomatoes and every year I end up with a bunch of green fruit that just never ripens, I assume the growing season here in the Highlands just isn't long enough because usually it's around the end of March beginning of April before  I can even sow them.
I always sow in a propagator (unheated) and even though I have a polytunnel and greenhouse it takes a long time for seedlings to appear. I guess I could buy Tomato plants from the garden centre but tbh I'd rather not grow them at all than go to the expense of buying plug plants cos it kind of defeats the purpose for me.
So anyway you can imagine how pleased I was to check up on the seeds I planted in my new heated propagator 7 days ago and saw these peeping through

Black Russian Tomato seedlings @ 7 days.

Just 7 days and the Black Russian Tomato seedlings are already eager to get going. Hopefully this means I'll have a longer growing season this year and maybe, fingers crossed, some ripe fruit.

My excitement about the seedlings was kind of short lived though, basically I had to face up to the mess that is my greenhouse.
This greenhouse is basically made of recycled materials, it comprises of a wooden bottom half that is slats to the outside, polythene middle and boarding inside. The top half is made up of recycled double glazed windows and the roof is clear corrugated roofing, it may not be the prettiest (or largest) of structures but it does the business.
Originally it was full to the brim with plants and veg but then Mr TG bought me a polytunnel so the greenhouse became redundant, until I decided to turn it into my workshop. You see I love building things for the house and garden, I'm lucky enough that Mr TG is a builder so we have every tool known to man and plenty of scrap wood for working with.
This workshop has enabled me to create quite a lot of stuff but inevitably it's gathered some of those 'useless' items that Mr TG wanted to landfill but which I hoarded and now I need to re-use the greenhouse for some crops but it's looking like this


ready for this........






it's a tad embarrassing..............






Recycled greenhouse mess.
This is looking in from the door. It's horrendous isn't it! I'm ashamed to say that this place has not been cleaned or cleared since my last project last year.
It's not a huge space so it's important it's kept tidy to be even remotely functional and as I now want to use it as a workshop and to grow on Tomato plants I really need to sort it.

Here's looking from the back to the door
More recycled greenhouse mess.

Just look at the door! It apparently suffered that damage during some winds while I was on holiday but it shouldn't have because it was shut before I left - me thinks the kids went in and forgot to close it behind them!
And what I think I'm going to do with that red trunk is beyond me but I'm loathe to throw it or let MR TG fill it with building tools.
Bad isn't it!

So guess what my next job is (again it's not even one on my list of 42 jobs that I haven't even dented yet), yep, I've got to somehow bring myself to be ruthless and realistic with what I need to keep. Either that or I start hanging stuff from the ceilings.........hmmmmmm, now there's a thought!



4 comments:

  1. Could you glaze the red trunk and make a cold frame?

    Good luck with your greenhouse! I reckon you've still got space on some of those shelves.

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  2. Oooooo, I never thought of that. I could have done exactly that but I'm in the process of building a very large coldframe so I won't need it.
    It will make something pretty and intrigueing for the garden though won't it, I will definitely have to glaze it like you say beforehand though.
    Had to giggle at your reference to space shelf lol. However the greenhouse/workshop has had a clean today - piccies to follow soon.

    Thank you for stopping by

    Linda

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  3. Your greenhouse looks like my basement. I start tomatoes in the basement under grow lights on on heat mats. Just started them the first weekend in March to put out in mid to late May under cover at first. By June they are uncovered and grow until the first frost in October. I do have to get those that have shorter grow times so we have some tomatoes starting in later July and others in mid August...here's hoping your tomatoes give you lots of ripe fruit....they do take heat to ripen so that be one reason they are not ripening for you.

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  4. I think you could be right Donna. I've been growing them in the polytunnel and although they get some heat the plastic filters alot of the daylight I think.
    This year I've started them in heated props and already have seedlings and I am going to grow them in the greenhouse where it gets warm in the summer but also has unfiltered daylight. Of course I'll probably end up with scorched plants instead! lol

    Thank you for popping by and taking the time to comment Donna

    Linda

    ReplyDelete

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