Saturday 23 January 2016

Sleepers and sluggards

The timber for my new raised beds has arrived!


That's 12 sleepers, each 10 x 20 x 240cm, enough for two beds. That'll keep me busy for a while!


The "sluggards" (dictionary definition "a slothful person; an idler.") in the title of my post are these --- Radicchio plants:


These photos make them look a lot bigger than they are. In all honesty they are tiny. I don't know why, but they have just done nothing. I have grown Radicchio many times before and it has usually been much better than this.


At the rate they are going it will be about May before they are big enough to be worth bothering with. And Sod's Law says they will probably bolt anyway! On the plus side, some of my lettuce must be congratulated for having survived temperatures of at least minus 7 Celsius this past week:


A definite case of "Win some, lose some".

6 comments:

  1. That's so handy, having the wood delivered right to where you are going to build the beds. Sure beats the uphill lugging we had to do last year. I sometimes have the "no growth" phenomenon on plants too - I had a late sowing of Swiss chard this past year that also sat there and barely grew at all, for no apparent reason. Your lettuce photo reminds me that I have never grown oakleaf lettuce - I must add it to my list this year.

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  2. Mark,

    Would you please tell me the name of those long tunnels you have in the background of your first photo? I have been admiring them for quite a while in your posts. Are you thoroughly pleased with them?

    Amy

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    1. Hi Amy; Those things are called the "Longrow Super Cloche". They are made by Parasene, but widely available, e.g. from Harrod Horticultural: http://www.harrodhorticultural.com/longrow-super-cloche-pid7556.html? They are much less robust than described. The "rugged steel frame" is actually very flimsy. The end pieces are totally pathetic - mine only lasted one season. I don't think they are a high-quality product, though the principle is great. A piece of flexible PVC from B&Q with some stiff wire would do just as well!

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  3. I misread the title as slug guards and thought that you were going to tell me of the ultimate slug deterrent.

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  4. Sluggards! I love that name I have winter lettuce behaving in the same fashion.

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