15th April 2022, Busy, busy, chop, chop…
Middle of April already. The weather has been remarkably dry, the ground very hard and the grass growing quickly already.
Back into the construction, we have started to implement the cross members that will join the front posts to the rear posts behind the polytunnel. Effectively, this is sandwiching the whole polytunnel framework to the wooden structure and tying it all to the ground. We may have to replace the polythene at some point but the frame isn’t going anywhere any time soon!
A second view of the cross slat, there will be plenty of this giving rigidity to the whole structure. This is certainly morphing into something much bigger than we first through, but never mind. The final pieces in the jigsaw so to speak.
It is at times like these, when the design work has been completed and all we are doing is running the time down on the project, that things get left, so we are determined to keep up the momentum. The design and creating the solution is by far and away the most interesting part, although a tinge of sadness as this project gallops on… still got the inside of the polytunnel to do I guess and that is going to unleash its own set of challenges, I wouldn’t be surprised.
A scan down the path and Desi is watering the ground. In order to level this last plot out the ground needs softening, things have got very dry, very quickly this year.
As always when a plot is given up, bits and pieces, and wood become available and this has been no exception when we acquired the adjacent plot. Do you see that box in the middle of the picture? The one with the glass top/lid? This was thrown together in an afternoon. We had the double glazed glass piece and so made the box to fit it. This will provide another small but valuable addition to our hardening up plants facilities.
Another couple of pictures of the new cold frame. We have located it here for now as we have nowhere else to put it. We are already making good use of it with some tomato plants doing quite well there. The temperature gets up quite high (25-30c) in bright daytime sun, and then drops to freezing, so we have to keep an eye on things.
Although not as hot in the daytime, we are keeping a few things like courgettes and butternuts that have already germinated in the polytunnel. We definitely need to sort this out once the rear construction has finished. The problem is we still need to dig a fair amount so we’re in limbo inside the polytunnel at the moment.
