Wulf's Web-Den

We're underway with polytunnel construction. After slaving away on Sunday afternoon and again after work yesterday, we have got as far as ... having the six feet in place!

Slow going then, but at least we are confident of a solid and accurate foundation. If starting again from scratch, I think we could proceed a little faster. Digging out the foundation holes would still take time but, part-way through we realised that a knotted piece of string was a much better measuring tool for fixed distances than fumbing around with a small tape measure.

Weather permitting, we hope to get the hoops and ridge pole up tonight before we move to the challenge of constructing the doors!

The polytunnel has arrived. I've got eleven delivery items, including lengths of wood, steel hoops, a polythene cover and more. As well as instructions, First Tunnels helpfully throw in a book on polytunnels (The Polytunnel Handbook, which I first read from the library last year) and even a teabag. The helpful instruction is to make a cup of tea and thoroughly read the instructions.

Mind you, I think reading and planning is going to be at least a "3 mugs of coffee" endeavour! Still, preparation should make the actual construction easier; a slow start is better than a botched finish. Photos to follow, hopefully by early September.

I was out in the front garden early this morning sowing seeds of Phacelia tanacetifolia (Lacy Phacelia or Bee's Friend).

This will act as a green manure (one grown mainly to later be dug in to enrich the soil). There may also be time for it to flower and bless a few late bees although I will not be surprised if it turns out to be too far through the season for that. I am unclear about whether the seed should be covered — it does not mention it on the packet but most of the stuff I have read online suggests it requires dark (1/4" soil) to germinate. I will experiment and cover some of what I broadcast this morning.

Sometime in the next couple of weeks, our new polytunnel from First Tunnels should arrive. We have gone for an 8'x10' structure which will fit comfortably in our garden without dominating it too much. We hope to use it as a space for getting plants started, as a home for more sensitive specimens (like aubergines) and to extend our growing season.

It is going to be much less expensive than a greenhouse and (hopefully) easier to construct, as well as easier to move if we decide to reconfigure things in future.

You may remember the picture above from last week, when I was posting a series on plants I wanted. Yesterday I found a healthy specimen of Hamamelis x intermedia 'Diane', which is one of the red-flowered witch hazels. Here is my specimen:

We had the first pak choi from our garden today. I'm not sure when the seeds were started (they were surplus seedlings that wouldn't fit in at House244) but they went in the ground at the start of July. Previously we have let them get too large so, this year, we are trying to use them as the tallest leaves reach about 7-8" in length.

Technorati Tags:

gardening

food

house244

pak choi

I am inclined towards the unusual in my list of what I want to grow; apples and pears can be bought readily (although we tend to forgo them when the only varieties available have been shipped halfway round the world) but I have yet to find a shop that will sell me medlars. Therefore, Mespilus germanica is on the list.

Technorati Tags:

garden