Sunday 16 June 2013

Grown up greenhouse



I cleared the greenhouse out a couple of weeks ago and have at last got round to doing something with it. I bought some veggies for it from Riggs when we were there. 


 For my tomato variety I decided on Three Tumbling Toms. I have grown them a couple of times and have done well with them other than they put on fruit too late to ripen because I grew them outside.  it took me three summers to grasp we are just too far North to do this.  I like them because they were prolific and don't need fiddling around with like cordon tomatoes do.  All that pinching out and tying up is lovely if they are your hobby, but I am not that interested in playing with them.  My tiddly greenhouse is too small to grow three bush tomatoes which might have done the job but.  Luckily I also like small sweet tomatoes rather than the sandwich slicing varieties.  I will be interested to see how they get on now they are in a greenhouse.

Their pots are a bit on the small side so it will be a case of feeding them almost daily to get them to do any good.  If you under-pot something like this it is a bit like growing hydroponically, they are very dependent on water and food being doled out at regular intervals because they haven't much compost to go at.  That's OK as I want to keep an eye on their progress.


The left side (and sunnier?) of the greenhouse now has a red pepper - the basic one - Bell Boy.  I am promised 75 cms of height so I gave it one of the supports I don't use in the garden any more.  

On the floor beside it, on a lower level because it should grow taller, is a cucumber.  No idea what that will do - cucumbers in greenhouses are new to me. This was just named as Cucumber - Mini .... a bit vague to say the least.  Promises 120 cm height so there's just enough room.  It also says it needs support .  I have given it the frame for starters and then it will get a bamboo cane methinks.

So that's my summer greenhouse set up with proper greenhouse things growing in it.  

4 comments:

  1. That's a very tidy-looking greenhouse indeed. Puts mine to shame. I clean it out in Spring and then it gradually degenerates into a hopeless clutter as the growing season goes on :)

    Hope the toms and cucumbers do well for you. I decided to give up on toms this year after a couple of blighty poor harvests, but seeing the price of them in the shops I wish I'd persevered. Maybe I'll have another go next year.

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  2. I know - I am bordering on OCD with tidiness. There are times when I spend more time sorting and tidying than actually 'doing' so its not always a good thing.
    Like you I wasn't going to do tomatoes - too far north really to do any good outside - done three years and probably ate three tomatoes - got tons of green ones in October!!! So the greenhouse is a first - you never know.......again like you I am paying a pound a time for piccolo from Tesco!

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  3. I had enough green toms last year for two and a half jars of green tomato chutney, but nothing ripe enough for salad.

    I remember Monty Don saying on Gardeners World last year that the tomatoes he grew nearest the door in his HUGE greenhouse didn't do so well. And when you've only got a 6'x6' greenhouse like I have, it's pretty much all near the door... :(

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  4. aaaarrggh! The dreaded Monty Don and his 'little' garden!! - my whole garden would probably fit in his greenhouse - now there's a thought!

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