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Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Frame is up:
My lad is still drawing & printing lots of PETG plastic bits to screw the base down:
I knew those clearance M5x90 stainless screws I bought from Screweys way back would come in handy!
Tbh the green ones, thought pretty, are surplus to requirements. Not a mistake per se, but decided to re-print with a self locating feature to go in the pre-drilled holes in the box section.
My lad is still drawing & printing lots of PETG plastic bits to screw the base down:
I knew those clearance M5x90 stainless screws I bought from Screweys way back would come in handy!
Tbh the green ones, thought pretty, are surplus to requirements. Not a mistake per se, but decided to re-print with a self locating feature to go in the pre-drilled holes in the box section.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Right then, tonight, bloody great snail munching on the runners in the pot! No snail trail up the side or over the rim. Where does it live, under the dirt in the pot during the day?
Is it worth sprinkling wood ash over the soil?
Is it worth sprinkling wood ash over the soil?
Our first French Beans are reaching the top, that's around 7'. I may need to run some horizontal supports.
slim_boy_fat
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^^ Is your name really Jack? 
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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- 12,024
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Wood ash, scattered atop the soil in the runners pot seems to have worked. Looking at 4am this morning, it's been raining and there's slugs on the ground, no critters on the plants in the pots.
(They seem to prefer the runners over the dwarf beans for some reason).
Speaking with my brother and he reckoned nettle fertiliser takes about 6 weeks to brew? Then you dilute by 10x as aforementioned.
(They seem to prefer the runners over the dwarf beans for some reason).
Speaking with my brother and he reckoned nettle fertiliser takes about 6 weeks to brew? Then you dilute by 10x as aforementioned.
brewdexta
The biggest tool in the box
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You can speed it up by weeing in it. I'll ask the missus about time as she makes them all the time and asks me to pee in them. Evidently it's not just our ease in application, male wee is the preferred activator.
You can also speed it up by pumping air through it with a small aquarium pump and stone, adding a bit of demerra sugar helps too.
You may also want to consider Mycorrhizal powder. This promotes good fungus on the roots that work symbiotically to transport nutrients to the plants. Takes about 4 weeks to establish, and about 8 week to get full benefit so choose crops that will be around a bit. I used it in a village pumpkin competition, and won
You can also speed it up by pumping air through it with a small aquarium pump and stone, adding a bit of demerra sugar helps too.
You may also want to consider Mycorrhizal powder. This promotes good fungus on the roots that work symbiotically to transport nutrients to the plants. Takes about 4 weeks to establish, and about 8 week to get full benefit so choose crops that will be around a bit. I used it in a village pumpkin competition, and won
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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I'm going to cheat. I feel the beans need a "boost":
Says 1/2 cap to 1L of water but how much then does each plant "get"? Maybe just 100ml each then the next?
On the good news front, since I added the ash layer to the runners in the pot, the slugs and snails seem to have reduced dramatically. Hopefully a feed will help the plants repair some of the damage.
The runners in the enclosure, with the ring fence of ash and beer traps, haven't been touched.
Says 1/2 cap to 1L of water but how much then does each plant "get"? Maybe just 100ml each then the next?
On the good news front, since I added the ash layer to the runners in the pot, the slugs and snails seem to have reduced dramatically. Hopefully a feed will help the plants repair some of the damage.
The runners in the enclosure, with the ring fence of ash and beer traps, haven't been touched.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Made up 4L of stuff and gave each plant 100ml ish around the base, not direct on the leaves. This after giving them a good watering.
Made up another litre and gave the runners and dwarf beans in pots, 500ml each.
Made up another litre and gave the runners and dwarf beans in pots, 500ml each.
Used some of the spare bean plants at work:
There are 4 of these planters outside reception lying forlorn and unloved and full of weeds (and temporarily hemmed in by roofing sections for the new garage...) so last week I asked the MD's daughter if it was ok to plant some beans and tomatoes in them. Given that it's probably one of the oddest requests she's ever had from a wagon driver she happily agreed so as I'm out early tomorrow I came down to sleep in the yard tonight and brought some beans with me to find that over the weekend some kindly soul has weeded the planters and topped them up with fresh compost
.
Might get home on Wednesday so the next installment will hopeffully see the other planters sorted with tomatoes and possibly some companion plants such as lettuce, basil, and garlic.
There are 4 of these planters outside reception lying forlorn and unloved and full of weeds (and temporarily hemmed in by roofing sections for the new garage...) so last week I asked the MD's daughter if it was ok to plant some beans and tomatoes in them. Given that it's probably one of the oddest requests she's ever had from a wagon driver she happily agreed so as I'm out early tomorrow I came down to sleep in the yard tonight and brought some beans with me to find that over the weekend some kindly soul has weeded the planters and topped them up with fresh compost
.Might get home on Wednesday so the next installment will hopeffully see the other planters sorted with tomatoes and possibly some companion plants such as lettuce, basil, and garlic
.We had our first crop from the French beans at the weekend. As before they sort of creep up on you, one day you think there's nothing yet worth picking, next minute you find zillions hidden among the stems and leaves. Worse with the dwarf plants as you'd looking down on them. By the way it is said that if you leave the beans to grow too big, even just one, the plant stops producing more.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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= More time!
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
- Messages
- 12,024
- Location
- Sevenoaks, UK
Noticed the beans on the frame getting a bit holey. I refilled the beer traps last night.
Went out just now with the head torch. Must have picked up 50 slugs on and around them.
The ring of ash seemed to be being bypassed, maybe where I watered everything earlier it made it more passable.
Ah well, it was an interesting experiment whilst it lasted. At this rate I'll have nothing left.
Went out just now with the head torch. Must have picked up 50 slugs on and around them.
The ring of ash seemed to be being bypassed, maybe where I watered everything earlier it made it more passable.
Ah well, it was an interesting experiment whilst it lasted. At this rate I'll have nothing left.
slim_boy_fat
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Slightly OT, but snapped this [out of focus
] pic of 'my blackie' feeding her chick on the grass yesterday - the young 'un's nearly as big as Mum.....
] pic of 'my blackie' feeding her chick on the grass yesterday - the young 'un's nearly as big as Mum.....
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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- Location
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The 3D printed connectors appear to have been an abject failure 
Same corner that broke before has done so again:
No point in netting until I've sorted the issue.
The frame is going out of square on it's own. Heat, wind?
So it's brace/gusset time today. Starting now. Options to reinforce on the corners with folded sheet, pop rivetted on or flat bar across the corners, bolted on...or both.
Fire up the Fakita!
Have started to get the 300mm dpc in against the sleepers so I can pile up dirt against them.
Same corner that broke before has done so again:No point in netting until I've sorted the issue.
The frame is going out of square on it's own. Heat, wind?
So it's brace/gusset time today. Starting now. Options to reinforce on the corners with folded sheet, pop rivetted on or flat bar across the corners, bolted on...or both.
Fire up the Fakita!
Have started to get the 300mm dpc in against the sleepers so I can pile up dirt against them.
Onoff
In the land of the unfinished project I am King!
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Deffo stiffens things up! Just so many to do. Need to scrounge more zintec!
Last night and tonight I'm trying "garlic water" as a slug and snail deterrent. A couple of large cloves, chopped and crushed in a litre of boiling water and left to marinate overnight. Strained through a sieve and applied via this weird, pseudo watering can-bottle. Then just top up the jug with water again. SWMBO doesn't want her plant sprayers smelling of garlic!
Last night and tonight I'm trying "garlic water" as a slug and snail deterrent. A couple of large cloves, chopped and crushed in a litre of boiling water and left to marinate overnight. Strained through a sieve and applied via this weird, pseudo watering can-bottle. Then just top up the jug with water again. SWMBO doesn't want her plant sprayers smelling of garlic!
Don't you think someone might be putting flowers in the fresh compost..lolUsed some of the spare bean plants at work:
View attachment 350962
There are 4 of these planters outside reception lying forlorn and unloved and full of weeds (and temporarily hemmed in by roofing sections for the new garage...) so last week I asked the MD's daughter if it was ok to plant some beans and tomatoes in them. Given that it's probably one of the oddest requests she's ever had from a wagon driver she happily agreed so as I'm out early tomorrow I came down to sleep in the yard tonight and brought some beans with me to find that over the weekend some kindly soul has weeded the planters and topped them up with fresh compost
Might get home on Wednesday so the next installment will hopeffully see the other planters sorted with tomatoes and possibly some companion plants such as lettuce, basil, and garlic
