Tweaking & Researching Grow Station 2

Placing a larger piece of wood across the top of the freezer I will be able to get three trays, the heat mat can cover two trays completely of one in the middle and half of the trays either side .

I need to find a new home for the tree pruners and the garden rake, but that's a job for better weather as I need to clear the other two sheds that a full to the doors with junk.

As I said in a previous post there was confusion re the units of measurement of the temperature of the heat mat and I'm only looking at getting an increase of about 5.5 - 11 degrees C to the ambient temperature, half of that I was expecting.

Using a couple of the Lidl digital thermometers (I added a second after taking the photo) I have taken readings from the left side Tray 1 / Tray 2 / Tray 3 / on top of the mat between the mat and the corner of the mushroom tray over a three hour period and here were the results

Tray     1      2      3     Mat

3pm - 2.6 / 2.8 / 2.6 /   2.6 outside temperature 1.5 Celsius I then turned mat on

4pm - 5.0 / 5.1 / 4.8 / 12.0 outside temperature 1.5 Celsius

5pm - 5.8 / 5.2 / 5.6 / 13.1 outside temperature 1.5 Celsius

6pm - 6.4 / 5.5 / 6.1 / 13.6 outside temperature 1.3 Celsius

So although I could not feel the benefit of the mat with my hand there is an average increase of 3.39 degrees C in the trays over a three hour period. The temperature slowly continued to increase with time even when the outside temperature was falling between 5pm - 6pm.

I will re run this monitoring during a day over a longer time and see what happens beyond three hours, and without the associated heat loss from opening the door every hour take readings.

The timber will get battens screwed to the bottom either side of the freezer so that hooks on top and can't move sideways. I shall be lining the back wall and left wall and the underside of the shelf the light hangs from with white correx ( the stuff Estate Agent for sale signs are made of) to reflect the light.

At the moment the temperature obtained in the shed isn't enough for germination but may be OK for continued growth after germination, I think I need to look into that. If you have any views or opinions let me know in the comments below.

I may still look at a greenhouse tube heater with thermostat something like this to boost the ambient temperature to see if I can get nearer the 15 - 20 degree mark, again if you have used one of these tube heaters and think it would get me there please let me know before I sink another £20 - 30 into this grow station.
  

Brick Shed Grow Station 2

I finally made space elsewhere for the lawn mower that used to sit folded up on top of  the small freezer in the outside brick shed. The space release is not as large as I was visualising, actually putting it another way until they turned up I didn't realise that the two bulbs would be quite as large and take up quite as much room as they do.

The Lamp Socket Converter Bayonet / Screw & the Mercury Switched Clip on Lamp Holder (see post here) didn't really hold the lights as I wanted as the whole thing was a little bulky and wobbly at the converter. and the direction of the bulbs in relation to the Clip on Lamp Holder was all wrong, so I bought a E27 Pendant fitting with lead switch and 3 pin plug which arrived yesterday and a hook was screwed into the  underside of the shelf, an knot tied in the wire and hay presto we are in business.

I cut a timber to go on top of the fridge to protect it from the heat from the heat mat.

The heat mat was unrolled and a mushroom tray with soft bricks placed on it to flatten the mat as it has been rolled up in a box and would not initially lay flat. I left the heat mat on for a while, it had not warmed up that much, but it had flattened when I removed the mushroom tray & weights.  

There was that confusion about Centigrade and Fahrenheit, when I bought the heat mat the box states that "it warms the root area 10-20 degrees above ambient temperature" and I thought it was Centigrade as the dimensions were in mm on the box but on closer inspection printed on the mat, it states Fahrenheit, which real terms we are only looking at an increase of about 5.5 - 11 degrees C from the ambient temperature, half of that I was expecting..

I have purchased a E27 Light Bulb Lamp Holder that I will wire and screw directly under the shelf lifting the light up further away from the top of the little freezer.

Two full seed trays fit on top of the fridge under the lights comfortably so that's 30 vending machine cups in two 15 tray modules where I can start stuff off early.

I just need to get the greenhouse erected on Spencer Road so I have somewhere to farm it out to when they start getting a little larger.

Sowing Brussel Sprouts

Brussel Sprout Update, Ok I have just heard that Marshalls are sending me a complimentary pack of their Super Saver Duo Pack which contains a pack of Cromwell & Montgomery Brussel Sprouts with 40 seeds in each pack for the bargain price of £3.70 that's £1.20 cheaper that buying them separately Click Here to see on the Marshalls website.

A big thank you to Emma for arranging the complementary items.

Unlike the Thompson & Morgan All Season Sprouts and Cabbages fiasco where you get 30 seeds total of three varieties but they are all mixed in one pack! You actually get two distinct packs of 40 seeds so you know what you are sowing, planting, growing and finally eating.

Marshall's state that their Brussels Sprout varieties have each been selected for their superb flavour, and I'm looking forward to tasting them between September to December this year.

General guidance for all sprouts is to grow tightly packed sprouts, firm fertile soil is essential. Dig in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost as early as possible to give the soil the maximum time to settle.

Sprouts are an excellent source of vitamin C and are packed full of vitamin D, folic acid and are high in antioxidants. Like a puppy, Sprouts are not just for Christmas but unlike a puppy they can be consumed all year round!

Cromwell - Marshalls - 40 Seeds - Best before 9/2018 - A heavy cropping variety.
Sow Indoors Feb - Mid March

Sow Outdoors - Late March - April

Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest September  - December 

Montgomery - Marshalls - 40 Seeds - Best before 9/2019 - British-bred and heavy-cropping variety.
Sow Indoors Feb - Mid March
Sow Outdoors - Late March - April
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest November - December

So the Duo Pack gives a Harvest from September to December adding the varieties I have already got seeds for, the harvest period is extended from September to February, perhaps Marshalls may add an additional pack in the future to extend their harvest range a little further?
  
Eveham Special - Premier Seeds Direct - 400 seeds Sow By 2018
Sow Indoors Feb - Mid March
Sow Outdoors - Late March
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest September  - December 

Bedford Darkmar 21 - Just Seeds - 400 seeds Sow By 2018
Sow Indoors Feb - Mid March
Sow Outdoors - Late March
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest - Mid-November to January 

Rubine - 100 Seeds Sow By 2017
Sow Indoors Feb - April
Sow Outdoors March - April
Harden off once 150mm high
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest - November - January 

Brest F1 - 40 Seeds Sow By 2018
Sow Indoors March - April
Sow Outdoors April
Harden off once 150mm high
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest - November - February

I now have six varieties of sprouts to try and I have a 15 Module tray in the Portable Grow Station, so I will sow three seeds of all the above with the exception of Breast F1 which has a sow indoors date of March.  So that's five varieties and I will need two of each to fill the 10 holes in the sprout weed membrane. 

A second sowing will take place in 14 days - 21 days, by which time hopefully I will see how well the germination is or isn't. If I get a bed ready for the end of April I may even have a bed of 10 sprout plants on both plots.

LED Portable Grow Station

The urge to sow something is very strong, and I have not been able to clear the outside brick shed in order to set up a grow station, however in the process of clearing the office I have emptied a plastic storage box and have decided to use it to create a portable grow station.

I've fixed the LED panel that I bought on ebay a little while ago to the lid of the box using paperclips straightened with a hook at the end then using the hanging hole provided for the hanging wires. Then through holes I melted in the lid with my trusty soldering iron to line up, bent over on the outside and gaffer tapped down to prevent them slipping or moving.

As it happens the panel sits on the profiles that allows these kind of boxes to stack, but having the panel fixed to the lid will prevent the LED panel from slipping in and killing any seedlings 

A full tray fits comfortably in the storage box and I have an upturned tray and module liner as packing bringing the double tray with module liner and vending machine cups up close to the LED lights. So the plan will be to remove the middle module tray packer as the plants grow. 

At the moment I have the grow station sitting on another storage box at the end of my narrow office next to the radiator and the window, but I can relocate it in the outside store or in the spare bedroom if needs be.

So now all I need to do is fill the vending machine cups with a mixture MPC and seed and cutting compost and sow the Brussel Sprouts.

Paved Area Extended

It was dry and sunny this morning so an hour and a half digging and weeding, and extracting three square flower buckets of hardcore material out of a section of boundary strip between my plot and my neighbours about 450mm wide and 2.4m long.

This resulted in me being able to rough level the remainder of the paved area.

When I start using the Rotary Soil Sieve I will extract plenty of smaller stones to fill in the void areas under the slabs.

Here is the state of play when I left to go home for lunch.

And this is where the greenhouse will stand with door on the leeward side

Finally A Sunday Visit

With man colds and bad weather I have not really been able to make any definitive headway on either of the allotments for the last couple of weeks, now Bessie (Vauxhall Zafira) is insured and on the road, I had four large black sacks of shredded paper and a kitchen compost caddy full to the brim to drop off the Spencer Road allotment.

The overhanging material from peoples plots and the stuff stored behind the sheds is going to make it impossible to back down to my plot without damaging Bessie's paintwork, so until the offending plot holders have done something about it, looks like the car will remain on the road and I will have to carry things to and from the plot. It's a shame as its so easy to take the car in for dropping off and picking up and it was one of the things that attracted me to the site in the first place.

That said I trudged carrying said four sacks a kitchen caddy and a Jute bag with flask and other stuff that needed to go to the plot and set about filling the wheelie bin with the sacks of paper. Some food buckets with lids full of rock salt were used with the aid of gravity to compress the paper in the bin.  

The plan was to go to Mill Green to continue with the weeding and clearing of the greenhouse.

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The reality was that I made some more soft bricks with the dried sand and milk bottles and I was about to put some of the ballast in the trays to dry and thought, I will work on finishing the small strip of 300m wide paving slabs whilst I wait for gravity to do her stuff

After completing the 300 x 300mm slab strip, I lifted the 600 x 600mm slabs and stacked them against the shed and then proceeded to round up all the lumps of concrete, broken paving slabs and stones scattered around the plot in various containers that have been used for weighing down tarps and plastic sheets and started placing them on the membrane where the joints in the slabs will be.

So the result is that the first two rows off the 300 x 300mm pavers are now laid to a rough level. Three are completely supported and one from the first row and the whole of the second row are only supported around the edges, but I now have a level to work too when filling the void under the slabs with more stones and debris as it comes out off the ground.

So the possibility of getting the greenhouse base in and the greenhouse erected by the end of March - Mid April is looking good, if we get some dry weather. I will try and dig the margin between my and Adams plot as soon as the weather turns for the better as I know there are lots of bits of paving slabs and debris in that area.

And the bed head up against the shed, well that's another project,  a small bench is going to be made from the old bed frame when I get time, not that I actually sit a lot when I visit the plot you understand.  

Collecting Compost Ingredients

As a result of the need to clear my office so that the contractor can get to the water system drain point for the bathroom conversion to wet room, I'm finally spending time clearing it out of stuff that is out of date or not needed anymore. As a result I am producing a shed load of shredded paper, and have another 3 sacks to take to the allotment.

Unfortunately I have run out of the buckets with lid that I usually compress the paper into, but the good news is the wheelie bin I acquired will hold black rubbish sacks which I intend to squash and compress by putting some heavy buckets with lids on so that I can store as much browns composting making material as possible ready for when we finally start cutting the grass again and I have an abundance of greens.

I would like to build a bigger stock pile of hops, but space is a premium at the moment and I don't want to clutter the plot any more than it is at the moment, I need to remove the existing pile of hops from the paved area so that I can continue with the levelling process.

What I do need to do is find an alternative source for coffee grounds

Bessie her last visit to the allotment

All my cars have been called Bessie after an old school teacher, well it was Fiat Punto Bessies' last run to the allotment with 5 sacks of crushed glass for under the slabs and two sack loads of shredded paper that is now living in the old recycled Wheelie Bin that I acquired and dropped off on Monday when I dropped off more paper and the car mats that are now keeping the top of the compost in the daleks warm.

I also managed to make a few more soft bricks out of milk bottles filled with sand. 

Weather and Health Slows Down Play

Well the obligatory icy freezing and wet conditions and the coughs and man cold have prevented any real progress on either plot over the last two weeks. In addition the loft needed clearing as the builder is coming to make the alterations to the bathroom and wc and the ceilings are being removed and replaced so all the Christmas items that are normally over that area, are currently stored in the spare bedroom.

I have however managed to save a vast amount of shredded cardboard and paper for the compost bins, and these were delivered to the plot Sunday midday between rain showers. In addition to the paper and with the demise of the old car the mats were taken and used to top off the daleks. 

Maggie was on site and showed me the rhubarb I can relieve her off next time I'm down there and have time to dig it out.   

Whilst on the plot I did manage to get some soft bricks (milk bottles) filled up with the sand that had been standing in trays in the blow-away and had dried sufficiently to flow though the pop bottle funnel into the milk bottles, before having to return home for lunch.

I feel like my programme of works for the allotments is slipping.

Freecycle Comes Up Trumps Again

40 slabs come up for grabs, I came second but the first respondent only wanted 28 so I managed to pick up 12 number 400 x 400 slabs from Worcester Park and take them down the allotment. So that's 12 x 0.4m - 4.8m which is 6 slabs on 2.4m path or 3 per 2.4m path to weight down the membrane at the ends and the middle.  

Lidl Digital Thermometer

I have purchased these historically for the greenhouse on Mill Green allotment and for the Space Saver greenhouse in the back garden.

I have one placed at the apex of the greenhouse with the outside sensor hung on the fence beside the greenhouse as a direct indoor out door comparison.

Then I have cable tied one at the top and second tray levels in the middle and taken the external sensor to the side walls internally so I can see the temperature variation within the greenhouse, as the sun travels across the front and the greenhouse goes back into shade. 

They also provide me with information about where the hot spots are and how the reflectors at the back of the greenhouse affect the temperature

Another six of these have been purchased today, two more for the Space Saver and three for the new greenhouse for Spencer Road Allotment and one for the grow station in the shed.

Tomatoes Compost & Coir

I have a new car all lined up, so I'm using the old one that I'm going to scrap to do as many mucky jobs and short runs as possible and to use up the tank of petrol before she goes to the crusher.

The tomato plants have long since gone but the spent compost & coir has been taken to Spencer Road Allotment to be used as a soil conditioner.

  Bed 2 is looking good after 14 flower buckets had been emptied on it

Bed 3 had the stable manure scrapped off and put in flower buckets and then six flower buckets of Tomato compost & coir has been added as a dressing.

A sack of sand decanted into milk bottles and put in the blow-a-way to dry out, as I need soft bricks to hold down the membrane when it finally goes on top of the beds.  

Next visit to find a home for all the sacks of hops that are currently on the paved area so I can continue to level the slabs.

Cabbage Collers & Spuds

A visit to Lidl didn't result in the purchase of the thermometers as I had hoped as they may be in this week brochure but they don't put them out on the shop floor until Sunday. So home via Wyevale to look at the sale.

A number of packs of 30 number J Arthur Bower's Cabbage Collars reduced from £3.49 to 50p a pack. I believe I have enough for many a year to come. And a 2 kg pack of Estima Second Early potatoes for a £5

Clip on light arrived today and the two bulbs yesterday so only the converter from bayonet to screw and the screw T fittings to arrive and I'm ready to rock 'n' roll with Grow Station 2 

Rotary Soil Sieve

The Clarke CRS400 Rotary Soil Sieve has a price range of between £64.66 - £38.32 when undertaking a google search, which is mind boggling that companies get away with selling it for so much.

Tool-net have it for £24.94 + Vat = £29.93 then when you add £6.99 for UK Mainland delivery and they apply VAT not only to the item but also on the Post & Packaging it comes to £38.32.

I could not find one to pick up in a local garden centers for the £29.93 price tag.

After some searching & research I found the Apex Rotary Soil Sieve Compost Sieve Mesh Riddle from Germany which can be bought via ebay for £34.98 including delivery.

So £3.34 cheaper than the lowest UK price and shipped in from over seas, absolutely crazy but I do like a bargain, and that's equivalent to six packs of seed with change in the Wyevale 50p seed sale later in the year.

I did inform Clarke & Tool-net via email of the price difference and that I was thinking of getting the alternative product from Germany and suggested that they may wish to provide me with the Clarke CRS400 for comparison.

Funny I never got a reply from either company! 

The Apex & The Clarke are the same size looking at the specifications the images just make them look different.

If I am lucky enough to obtain a review product from Clarke so that I can compare the quality of both that will be marvellous, however I get the general feeling that isn't going to happen.

Especially if they are fundamentally the same product with different branding and paint colour.    

Happy to be proved wrong Clarkes or Tool-net if you read this.

Rain Stops Play

Rain Stops Play again so the result was seed sorting. I created the labels for my new batch of tomatoes from the Grapevine and have now sorted out those that will go to the seed swap and the growing list for 2018 & 2019

Stage 3 - 2018 Grow List
Subject to acquiring even more varieties from the Grapevine 2017 Tomato seed circle  

01 Alicante - Sow by 2017
02 Amish Mayberry - Saved 2013 - Saved 2016
03 Blush - Grapevine 2016
04 Chiapis Wild - Grapevine 201605 Latah Bush - Saved 2015
06 Marvel Stripes - Saved 2015
07 Peace Vine - Saved 2015
08 Plum Roma - Saved 2015
09 Pomodore Ciliegla - Sow By 2015
10 Rainbow Blend F1 Hybrid - Sow By 2015
11 Red Cherry - Sow By 2015
12 Red Fox Cherry - Saved 2015
13 Sandpipe - Saved 2016 - Saved 2015
14 Speckled Roman - Grapevine 2016
15 Sweet Aperitif - Sow By 2017
16 Terenzo F1 Hybrid - Sow By 2015 - Sow By 2017
17 Tomatoberry Garden F1
18 Tumbler - Sow By 2014
19 Tumbling Tom Red - Sow By 2014 - Saved 2016
20 Vesennij Mieurinsky - Grapevine 2016

Stage 4 - 2019 Grow List

Subject to acquiring even more varieties from the Grapevine 2017 Tomato seed circle  

01 Black Cherry Tomato - Grapevine 2016
02 Black Icicle - Grapevine 2016
03 Brown Sugar - Grapevine 2016
04 Cream Sausage - Grapevine 2016
05 German Queen - Grapevine 2016
06 Green Zebra - Grapevine 2016
07 Gold Rush Currant - Grapevine 2016
08 Harbinger - Sow By 2015 - Grapevine 2016
09 Jack Hawkins - Grapevine 2016
10 Legend - Grapevine 2016
11 Mrs Rucks - Grapevine 2016
12 Mountain Princess - Grapevine 2016
13 Otto's Papa - Grapevine 2016

14 Red Buffalo Horn - Grapevine 2016

15 Red Zebra - Grapevine 2016  - Saved 2014

16 Rio Grande - Grapevine 2016

17 Rosella - Grapevine 2016

18 Summer Cider - Grapevine 2016
19 Yellow Perfection - Grapevine 2016

Relegated to the Seed Swap Box mainly because they are Black or Yellow Tomatoes

Arnyalma - Grapevine 2016

Berkeley Tie-Dye - Grapevine 2016

Black Russian - Grapevine 2016

Black Sea Man - Grapevine 2016

Dark Galaxy - Grapevine 2016

Brussels Sprouts

These were a disaster growing from seed last year and I had to buy plants which really goes against the grain. This year I bought what I initially thought was a really good idea which was the Thompson & Morgan All Season Brussels Sprouts seed pack  How wrong can you be who in there right mind offers three varieties in a pack and then packs them all in a single packet see post here for more details.

Moving on from the Thompson & Morgan Fiasco, I have purchased Evesham Special from Premier Seeds Direct  & Bedford Darkmar 21 from Just seeds both for 99p a pack. My third variety is Brest F1 which I got from the Wyevale seed sale for 50p so that is three varieties for less than Thompson & Morgan were selling their All Season Brussels Sprout pack for.

Up yours T&M and then just when I thought I was done I found a pack of Rubine hiding away in another seed box. So for 2017 we are growing:- 

Eveham Special
Sow Indoors Feb - Mid March
Sow Outdoors - Late March
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest September  - December 

Bedford Darkmar 21
Sow Indoors Feb - Mid March
Sow Outdoors - Late March
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest - Mid-November to January 

Brest F1
Sow Indoors March - April
Sow Outdoors April
Harden off once 150mm high
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest - November - February 

Rubine
Sow Indoors Feb - April
Sow Outdoors March - April
Harden off once 150mm high
Plant Out April - May after last Frost
Germination 14  - 21 Days 
Harvest - November - January 

Grow Light Station 2

Brought my surfing and visiting shops looking for grow lights and ancillary items to a conclusion just before bed last night and have ordered the items I need for my second stage grow station 2.

From ebay

£  9.99  Philips Tornado 42W or 60W E27 Edison Cool White Spiral Energy Saving Light Bulb

£  9.95  Daylight 6500k Spiral SAD 42w Day Light E27 Low Energy Bulb Hydroponics Lamp

From Amazon

£  0.84   Lamp Socket Converter (E27 to 2x E27)

£  1.07   Skytronic 401.090 Lamp Socket Converter Bayonet Screw

£  3.80   Mercury Switched Clip on Lamp Holder
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£ 25.65