The Big Spring Greenhouse Sort Out - part 2

 

Today , back in the greenhouse and this side makes me feel happy .

I notice a couple of the Epiphyllums  have buds . This makes me feel happy .

No time for happiness , back to the task at hand  ! 

Groan  and to add to the misery my windchime fell down with such a dreadful clatter and is now all tangled .

I couldn't take anymore ! I decided to take the net down and let in more light . This could be a bit risky for the shade loving plants on the left hand side of the greenhouse . I will monitor the situation closely over the next few days .

Cucumber seedlings are up ! I,ve not grown this one before . I usually buy Femspot or Marketmore . I couldn't find them so we are trying this one instead . It's a variety called " Burpless Tasty Cucumber " Not comfortable with the name , but they are supposed to be reliable and have good flavour .

I pricked them out and potted them up and after doing my back in again lifting that table down , I placed them in a couple of polystyrene boxes ....just in case we should get any more cold nights , this should keep them cosy and warm .

I re-potted some of the Tomato plants and gave them a drink in the water-but pool .

I put the tomato plants onto the tray on that table , I had just lifted down .I still have some others to re-pot in the shed . I will just bring these on for a bit and in the meantime have a think about how to fix up the rigging for them .  They will need re-potting again .  They won't be as good as those grown in a polytunnel but I usually get enough to keep my family happy .

The Sweet Peppers are still not up . Me and them , we're not getting along !  

I won't give up on them just yet though .

With all this done , I'm feeling happier again .

I shall leave you with one more pic of the Zen side of my greenhouse .

The Big Spring Greenhouse Sort Out - part 1

 

We are watching the skies , waiting for the Swallows to arrive . Have you seen them yet ?

Yesterday morning it was fine , warm and sunny .

 I decided that I must make space in the greenhouse for my fast growing Cucumber , Tomato and Sweet Pepper seedlings . (the Sweet Peppers are not so fast growing) .

                                                            Albuca bracteata

As usual there are so many other things that have to happen first before I repot and bring in the young vegetable plants .

My greenhouse is no ordinary greenhouse . Nope , mine is packed to the gunwales with cacti and succulents . Over wintering plants such as Pelargoniums and the larger Agaves , Aloe ferox and a huge Yucca elephantipes variegata . 

 Gunwales - pronounced "gunnels" - yep - spellchecker moment ! I had to look it up too - turns out it is a shipping term .

My greenhouse doesn't actually have canon guns . Could come in useful though . 

I dragged the largest Yucca down to the woodshed , it wasn't too heavy because it was so dry and it was downhill all the way . (o.k.yes it was heavy 🙄)

I took out all the straggly pelargoniums and put them in a sunny spot to catch some rain we had been promised later on .

I took out all of the Pregnant Onions Albuca bracteata ...they are quite tough plants and might as well enjoy the rain showers too . 

That is one of them up there on top of the water-butt . Difficult to get that out in one piece , I wanted to show you the flower .

The base of it is about the size of a grapefruit now .

There you are ! The plant including the pot is about 4 feet tall 1 metre twenty two cms . So it is not really a plant you could have on the kitchen windowsill , while it is in flower anyway .

It would be great in a conservatory .

This one has several bulbils appearing on it's base . 

So , already worn out , the next job is to take down the winter insulation from the rafters and fix up the shade net .

A right dusty and spidery job that was too ! 

All rolled up and neatly stowed away ready for next Winter .

Rubbing away the dust from my eyes I next have to flip this windbreak net from the door and fasten it up across the rafters to the other end of the  greenhouse roof to now act as a shade net . 

Only I,d forgotten to bring the step ladder with me . So that put an end to that  .

I moved out more of the Epies ....they were also very dry and cobwebby .

Sigh .....it was getting more and more chaotic and I felt I couldn't do any more . 

Everywhere I looked there was more to be done . This poor old Opuntia , needs waking up gently , with a little drink of rain water .

It is a big heavy dangerous beasty ....but I do love it . It is in need of some serious pampering . Repotting maybe .....

My back and my arms aching and I am worrying, worrying , worrying if I can get it all done .

Then I am called away for a spot of lunch and away to the cliffs ....

......to watch the waves ......

.... talk to the Choughs ....

.. and enjoy Spring unfolding .....the cliffs embroidered with Bluebells ,Violets and the pretty pink Thrift .

We didn't get the rain that we were promised .