What Preps are you doing this week? Part 9

[jansman]

Got as far as him scraping the putty out.

As anyone who has ever cleaned out old putty knows, it's not generally soft & pliable like that is it ?

But surely everyone of a certain age remembers that tinkling sound

Sure do!

[grenfell]

Yes I still cut glass at times although even in my own new porch I'm putting up i've gome for double glazed units. The door has laminated glass which this time i've had to buy. On my last house i did the same but had a load of laminated that i cut and fitted all except for one piece which i struggled with and had to resort to buying a piece. For those that don't know , it's cut both sides , snap , pour on meths and light.

[pseudonym]

Boiler serviced and repaired for this year.

[jennyjj01]

[Arzosah]

My brand spanking new windows have been installed without trouble, and insulation packed around them properly this time. They're lurvely. Now I can finally get the house in order, know where my food stocks are, get my gardening stuff together, and that's the last of the workmen inside my house, which is good with rates doubling here in the last week.

[jansman]

We are de- Winterising our Summer house tomorrow. Mrs J has spent a small fortune on new soft furnishings for it,and I am putting in a bigger infra red panel. That place is our afternoon/ evening bug out location I just need to restock the brandy and whisky optics up there,and we are good to go!

I have just got back from work.Builders are in for the night/day tomorrow replacing flooring in the whole ground floor. In the retail area ,the original flooring is oak. I have got the builders to cut to my spec. and I will remove it.Does us both a favour.

The hens are laying 100%,and I have six litters of rabbit kittens growing fast. I’ve done a deal with a local garden centre with a pet corner come shop.Nice little earner. Mind you,it needs to be,as feed is going up as fast as diesel.

The greenhouse is doing great, seedling are powering on,with very minimal heat- assistance.

[jennyjj01]

[GillyBee]

Jenny, Dont panic. You are not too late yet and often later sowings do better than earlier ones and overtake them.

It is all a learning curve. A hungry slug will eat an entire pot of seedlings in one go leaving you wondering why they did not come up. My peas seedlings last year all keeled over after a mouse managed to bite the seed off underground leaving the green shoots in place. I sowed again - with added slug pellets & mouse traps.
Keep trying - you will get there.

[jennyjj01]

[jansman]

The greenhouse is doing great, seedling are powering on,with very minimal heat- assistance.

GGgggaaaaarrrrrghhhhh. I'm SO jealous of you Jansman!. ONE darned carrot seedling has managed to break through ONE!!! and ZERO tomatoes. My few spring onions wilted and pegged out. No sign of aubergines or onions from seed. Hundreds sown over several batches and nothing to show for it! Back in January those premature tomatoes grew like crazy. all dead now

The only difference between the first batch and the later batches is that the first batch were in 3 inch plastic pots. I can only think I'm not keeping the moisture levels right in these card pots. Oh and I think dating the pots was a mistake: It makes me more impatient.

I will not be beaten, but time is flying by.

This next week is the ideal for seed sowing. A bit of constant warmth. Your aubergines need heat to germinate- they are a warm- climate crop after all. If you sowed them a while ago,the seed may well have rotted.

If your onion haven’t germinated ,may I ask,have you sown them too deep? Most seed literally needs sowing onto previously watered compost ( an hour or two in advance to ‘settle’) and the merest hint of compost rubbed between your hands to *just* cover the seeds. In nature,plants will throw seed straight onto soil.There are no humans to come along and cover with compost. To a degree,I try to replicate that situation.Work with nature. Then I give them the gentlest of water with a spray so not to disturb them. They have water beneath them from the initial preparation,so you only have to stop them drying out. Don’t drown them.When the seeds sprout,again,keep them just damp. I find with tomatoes that making them fight a little for survival ,by not overwatering,makes them push roots down quicker. That was a tip given to be my father in law many seasons ago,and that man could grow tomatoes in concrete!