Cucumber update and Epiphyllum news 🌿

 

All but one of my "Beth Alpha" cucumbers withered away . I sowed another lot and now I have three .

I bought a packet of another variety called "Party Time" which also produce a smaller size cucumber .

These came up pretty much over-night  and I always prick these type of seedlings out at this stage ....

 ......carefully gently holding one of the cotyledon leaves  .

The reason I do them so quickly at this stage is because as you can see here the roots have already become huge !  If I leave it until the first true leaf emerges then the roots are in danger of tangling up and getting damaged as I prick them out .  

 I guess you could sow them one seed to a 3" pot , but I wouldn't have space on my propagator !

This works for me .  

You can just  use a fork , teaspoon , a pencil or your fingers .....but ....

These little tools are so useful if you are doing lots of seed growing and they are quite cheap too .

The little fork is to gently prize up and pull apart your little seedlings roots . 

 I use this little dibber to make a perfect size and depth hole to drop that long root down into and gently fill in around the seedling with the compost .

  This compost is not the best , with sticks and nasty bits in it .  I will use a better quality compost when I come to put these young cucumber plants into their final pot/bags  under the bench on the other side of the greenhouse . 

I gave them good drink of water to settle them in and I'll be feeding both the tomatoes and cucumbers , from time to time , as they begin to flower .

Today I also potted up my Sweet Peppers into their final pots .

I am shuffling all the plants around in the greenhouse to make room for the Sweet Peppers, Cucumbers and Tomatoes . 

My greenhouse is primarily for my Cacti , Epiphyllums and other strange and fascinating plants .

 The Epies , some of which belonged to my Grandmother .

 They didn't bloom at all last year because I had moved them to a different location , while we were trying to solve the problems with the new greenhouse leaking roof . ( Let's not go there ! )

Anyway...

 Epies prefer not to me moved about , especially while they are forming their new buds .

I can see lots of new growth .

I need to fix up more shade netting , they really don't like bright hot sun . I have them on the North side of the greenhouse . Soon the cucumber vines will be scrabbling about in amongst them which will provide more shade .

                                Oh ! My ! I can see buds !

I will give all the Epies a good tidy up after they finish blooming . Prune , repot and take cuttings.

                                 Oh ! Wow !  There's another gorgeous bud !  🤍🌿

                                                        Watch this space ! 

                                                             🌿 ☀️🌿

🌿Salad Days are here again ! ☀️🌿

 So I'm in the greenhouse potting up the tomato seedlings into their final pot/bags .

Sitting on the floor , nice and warm , hands in the earth . It very therapeutic !

I am filling these rolled down plastic pot/bags to about a third full . 

Multipurpose compost with a handful of perlite  mixed in .

The pot/bags are standing on trays .

I have re-used these bags , I think now this is the fourth time and they are still good and strong . 

These bags enable me to squash more in than if I used hard plastic pots . 

 💦I gave them each a drink to settle them in  .💦💦💦

As the Tomato plants grow , so I unroll the bags and add more compost . Which gives me time to save up for , find and buy more compost . 

The tiny hairs on the stems turn into roots , which in turn , makes for stronger and healthier plants .

They grow up through the greenhouse bench .

I then fix up string from the bench up to the greenhouse roof .  I re-use the same reel of paracord every year . It's good stuff !

                                    So that's that job done ! 

note - there are many ways to grow tomatoes . Outdoors or Indoors .In the ground or in tubs . This is how I do mine .

Update -  I rushed up to the greenhouse this morning to check they have not all passed out ....but they are fine .

Next job - pot up the Sweet Peppers .

Cucumber update  -  All but one of my favourite Beth Alpha cucumbers died. I have sown another lot ! 

I've also got another variety to try . Cucumber " Party Time " These are also small ones , perfect for just the two of us . 

Cucumbers are becoming very expensive to buy in the supermarket now . 

Time to sow a second wave of lettuce seeds .

                      ☀️🌱🌿   Salad days are here again !   🌿🌱☀️

A Healthy Brekkers

 

 Well , I had jobs to do early in the greenhouse this morning . So I left a simple brekkers for Ricardo to help himself to  . Well ...he likes muesli ! 

                                                 🦔

Update -  It's O.K. everybody ..it was just a naughty little April Fool's day prank ! 

He didn't eat any of it . ( but he will admit to having the occasional Bonio 🦴 🤣)

Rodda's Cornish Milk is gorgeous ! 

  🦔🦔   And my hedgehogs enjoy their Bramble's Crunchy munchies .🦔🦔🦔

           Sun has been shining all day with the occasional gale-force gusts .

                                                         ☀️