Thursday 30 August 2007

Hydroponics Week 4 (I think) and Potting Experiment

Just to get you started. What lovely sight - broadbeans YUM. Every now and then I would lose my oldest son and I could always find him eating the beans in the broad bean patch when he was a toddler.


Tagetes species potted up in June with various potting mixes



These are the potting mix experiments that we did in JUNE

The numbering of the pots go

1 2 3
4 5 6



1. Control - standard mix
2. Standard mix + 5g Brunnings slow release fertilizer NPK
3. Standard mix + Waterways safe slow release fertiliser
4. 1:1:2 / Sand:pinebark:jarrah sawdust + slow release
5. 1:3 / Sand:jarrah sawdust + slow release
6. Standard mix + sheep manure

Pots now, and with the same configuration as above.


Hydro lettuces grown in a NFT(Nutrient Film Technique) system.

The roots are remarkable and the height you can see is >20cm







and the width is....wide.








This is my experimental plot that I planted out in June. Problems with water logging, rabbits, red legged earth mite and absent mindedness have retarded growth somewhat. The inorganic and control plot are struggling mainly due to the waterlogging that they experienced. The inorganic plots escaped this 'feature' due to the maure and old hay that I dug in.












I pruned the grape vines this afternoon so it no longer looks as messy out the back. They started to sprout and I so wanted to get to them before that, however they are done now and look good. Just need to fertilize them and spread some pea hay around the bottom and we'll be laughing.

Yes I have been quilting. Photos in a couple of days and I've had a play with the Clover YoYos so those pictures will come as well.

Meggie was talking about feeling overwhelmed with things to do and I agree with her wholeheartedly. It is times life these that I remember roughly what Gaffer Gamgee said in the Lord of the Rings ' 'tis the job that never gets started that takes the longest to do' .....or something like that.

4 comments:

mereth said...

I love your photos of the veggie patch, it brings back so many memories. I always used to have huge kitchen gardens and enjoyed them far more than any flower beds. Grew the years supply of onions, made tomato sauce and canned hundreds of jars every year... those were the good old days.
And my youngest son once gradually ate an entire crop of peas- he went out every morning and feasted on "the green lollies" and I was so soft I let him do it. Figured it saved me cooking them!

Helen said...

Hi Nicola

Thanks for visiting my blog. I'm glad you like our raffle quilt and after browsing through your blog I can honestly say I wish you could quilt it too. Your quilting is stunning. I couldn't email you direct as you have your settings as no-reply.

Your garden looks fantastic too. You couldn't by any chance come over here and do mine could you?

keryn said...

Love the garden, makes my fingers itch to be digging in some good earth.

DH once said LOTR is my new Bible; blasphemous, but the book is full of gentle wisdom.

meggie said...

I love seeing all your garden progress. We really need to be doing something about our back garden. But we are paving the road to hell again, with our good intentions!