Look out Toni... I've been out looking for junque myself. I needed a second screen to place in-between the window in the bedroom and the rest of the room. The reason for this was that I have plants on the windowsill and I want to leave the curtains open all of the time. The screen will give us privacy. The thing was that I did not want to spend a fortune, so I had a look on the website here where folks can offer second-hand items for sale. We found this O-T-T screen for a few dollars. Now, I can see that this heavy thing once was very expensive and attractive. It had loose hinges and paint chips all over it, but that did not matter because it was not meant for the living room and was not a display item. For its purpose, it was perfect. Here a foto of how it works and some of the plantlets behind it. Here are the plantlets in the other room. As you can see, I am on the way to having things ready for when the weather warms-up. They have said that it will get into the 20's C on sunday. I shall have to see it to believe it. So whaddya think, Toni--do I have a future in junque collection? hahaha. When we had a short break in the weather, we made this bed ready for planting-out. In this case--broad beans. Here are some small broad bean plantlets, which have been seeded in root trainers. See how the roots grow downwards, instead of in a circle as they do in round pots? The broad beans have been planted and are ready to take-off as soon as we get some heat. I have germinated some peas at home on the windowsill, but I planted some peas in these lengths of plastic guttering. Once they have come up and have two sets of leaves, I shall simply dig a trench, lay the guttering in the trench and scoot the plantlets out. Tis much easier than digging holes and planting one plant at the time. The garden jobs did not stop there because even though it was cold, windy and intermittently spitting snow, we could still do various outside work. Here you can see some wood chip paths that we had dug up and re-laid. There are various places where we can pick up bags of woodchips and compost for free from the city and county governmental workers. Out front, it looks like this: I have also acquired and planted three trees in the flower garden. A Tetradium danielii hupehensis and two Rhamnus frangula bushes especially for the bees. Well, this brings me up to date with the gardening jobs. I am waiting now for a spell of decent weather so that I can begin with the bees and garden work.
Everything is looking great Sjoerd! I do love your privacy wall - I think you are a great 'junker'! The plants behind look very healthy as well. Your garden looks wonderful and the fresh pathway looks so inviting. I had hoped to have all my gardens cleaned up and prepped, but the weather just hasn't been co-operating.
Love the screen, and you hit a home run there. Your garden is off to a good start. I am going to have to copy your pea starting idea with the plastic gutters. :idea: I love that idea. Your bark paths look ready for a stroll. I have gotten quite fond of using bark for paths myself. I like the way paths easily become part of the expanded bed. At the rate my plants keep expanding I am going to have narrow paths like yours. :-D. But I doubt they will ever look as tidy as your beautiful trails do meandering through the garden.
Looking gooooooooddd! Here are hopes and wishes for warm and moist weather coming up for you and all tillers of the soil... Hank
That screen is a great find... and ever better than that... it seems to be working perfectly for what you wanted/needed. And your gutter-pea-planting set-up is a clever idea. Ohhh but those paths! They look awesome and inviting. I can only imagine what you could have accomplished if you had great weather.
I'd like to find a screen like that but where would I put it. I like your paths,too. We have lots of spare wood around here. But, we need a wood chipper. Maybe we could find a beaver somewhere to help us. It will be getting warm there soon enough that you won't have enough hours in the day to get things done. I'm waiting to see what you do. Your gardens always look so neat and tidy. I can't imagine the work you put into them. dooley
Thanks so much for your response, NETTY--I know what you mean about cleaning plots and uncooperative weather. Ugh! Well, now it looks like things will be improving (he whispers). Thank you JEWELL-- for your nice comments. Those paths do stroll well. I have not yet had the time to "stroll", I've been bounding along them of late as I am trying for the 25 hours in a day Guinness Book of Records record. I still have lots of work and plot cleaning to do...not to mention planting. I hope that you will have success with the gutter planting scheme. I think that they will slide out into the trench better if they are dryish, BTW. Thanks HANK--It is great to hear from you. I appreciate your good wishes. I am beginning to think that the weather may just improve soon. I dare to think it possible. Hey there CHERYL--Yeah, if I had had decent weather, I would have been caught-up. hahaha. Caught-up is boring though, right. Jeeeez, I'd like to be boring for a change. I am well chuffed that you liked the screen and paths. They always look so nice in the beginning. Hello there, Miz DOOLEY--I just know that you'ds love wood chip paths if you ever got some chips. They are so springy as you bounce along them walking to and fro. Sort of like a new carpet. Thank you for very nice compliments about the gardens. That was nice to hear. How are your veggies coming along, BTW?
Sjoerd--It looks like you have a really great set up there for sprouting your seeds. I am impressed that you have as many going as you do, and the screen is the perfect solution to separate the seed starting area from your living area. Now, I have a question for you. In the 3rd photo down, in the forefront, you have something growing in what look like egg crates. In the photo, what is growing look a little like fat grey worms. I am sure you are not growing worms, so I am curious what those are. Can you enlighten me?
Hiya Cayuga-- Those are spuds chitting in the egg cartons. I always chit my potatos before planting them in the ground. I was in fact planning on planting the spuds today, but sadly it is raining here. Tch! Maybe tomorrow. The potato sorts are: Bamberger Hö rnchen, Harlequin and Reinische Rote. They are so-called, "gourmet potatos". Most of the elongated (rat or mouse-shaped ones) have such a good flavour...for my palate at any rate. I try new sorts each year, and these are the newest with the exception of the Harlequin. I have grown those a few times and was delighted to find them again by our seed-potato supplier. Was this way more info than you needed? hahaha. Well,at least the answer to your question sat in there between the unsolicited info.
Sjoerd, your garden and plant-lets look ready to go in a garden. Love the Screen. We have been growing Leaf Lettuce and Baby Spinach in gutters for a few years, works great. GL. Growing Lettuce in a Gutter ( photo / image / picture from happyzinnia's Garden )
We dont grow anything in the hot month, just clean it up and run a fan, but just to keep it from melting lol. Kills most bugs in there too.
Nice piccy of your greenhouse set-up, HZ. I see that you have some gutters suspended. That's nice. I shall be planting lettuces in gutters next saturday, but I do not know if I will suspend them as my greenhouse is so small that they might get in the way when the toms and cues begin to grow. I do like that idea, though.
Congratulations on your screen. It looks very nice even though you claim it's chipped and paint splattered. Your garden's coming along well it seems. I heard a bird whisper that you're getting warmer weather now.
Heh heh heh...yeah I know that bird--it is a hopeless gossip that exaggerates everything all the time. Having said that--the bees WERE flying today.
