what to do on a rainy day
The drought we had endured for a year is now a memory.
Many of the Jubilee celebrations were spoiled by rain and today our site workers left at three thirty due to the wet conditions.
But, there are no problems, only challenges and opportunities ... and the soggy soil and dripping foliage outdoors gave us the chance to sort the polytunnel (hoophouse) in the dry.
The whole thing needed 'a good fettling' as they say in these parts: a good sort out. So, as well as moving and tidying all the boxes and trays and tables and weeding throughout, we've cleared the seed trays from the south side and moved most of the seedlings that have been potted on to new places in the raised beds or to wait in their pots for their chance to get their roots into our sandy soil.
And we've removed the capillary matting and set up a bed which will be for tomatoes, salad crops and cucurbits (cucumbers and courgettes).
The soil needs enriching, but we hope to have our plants in the soil tomorrow or Saturday.
The polytunnel is work in progress. The plastic covering was put on in January and wasn't stretched enough so we need to find a way to re-stretch it on a hot day. The doors have not been finished because I realised fairly early on that our single doors weren't allowing enough ventilation - double doors are preferable.
And the central path might be split into two separate, narrower paths with a suspended platform in the centre, allowing us to make even better use of space.
Many of the Jubilee celebrations were spoiled by rain and today our site workers left at three thirty due to the wet conditions.
But, there are no problems, only challenges and opportunities ... and the soggy soil and dripping foliage outdoors gave us the chance to sort the polytunnel (hoophouse) in the dry.
The whole thing needed 'a good fettling' as they say in these parts: a good sort out. So, as well as moving and tidying all the boxes and trays and tables and weeding throughout, we've cleared the seed trays from the south side and moved most of the seedlings that have been potted on to new places in the raised beds or to wait in their pots for their chance to get their roots into our sandy soil.
And we've removed the capillary matting and set up a bed which will be for tomatoes, salad crops and cucurbits (cucumbers and courgettes).
The polytunnel is work in progress. The plastic covering was put on in January and wasn't stretched enough so we need to find a way to re-stretch it on a hot day. The doors have not been finished because I realised fairly early on that our single doors weren't allowing enough ventilation - double doors are preferable.
And the central path might be split into two separate, narrower paths with a suspended platform in the centre, allowing us to make even better use of space.
3 comments:
Your polytunnel looks great -- and I'm glad to hear that you've had plenty of rain, too.
We're looking pretty lush in the SE US at the moment, so I'm hoping for a mild wet summer. Ha!
South Carolina sunshine sounds pretty good to me from under our slate grey skies Lisa!!!
If you haven't figured it out by now, I found the best way to stretch the plastic on my polytunnel was to pile earth up the sides on the outside- it doesn't take much but it pulls them into shape sharpish
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