parmaviolet Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 From some of my various posts in the past, you may have gathered that my garden is far from perfect. We moved to our present house mid last year to take over a patch of north facing moss(described by the sellers as a lawn!!) and a decked area. It's been and still is, an ongoing battle with the drainage, but I'll win eventually . Anyway, I thought I'd post of a minor success!. The girls had pretty much pecked the main area of grass away. so I re-seeded an area in mid November and covered it with horticultural fleece(pegged down). I know, totally wrong time of year, and it's taken a lot longer than usual to germinate (and I'd almost given it up as a waste of time) but on Monday the girls had their fill of fresh young grass. I'm now going to repeat the process on another patch, reusing the fleece. The girls seem quite happy to keep off it and it stops them and wild birds eating the grass seed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted January 5, 2005 Share Posted January 5, 2005 Hi Clare and Os, Thank you so much for that posting! Our lawn has gone - totally - we have mud, mud and more mud. Long-suffering Hubby is in a panic! I had suggested to him that we cordon off half the lawn (it's separated by a path anyway) and re-seed in Spring but you've proved that re-seeding now is possible so we'll buy some seed at the weekend. We already have loads of fleece so we may have a new lawn by Spring after all! Thanks for raising our spirits ! I thought we were going to have to live with the farmyard look forever ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 'scuse my higgnerance - but what is fleece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 'scuse my higgnerance - but what is horticultural fleece? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 ...and 'scuse the double post, too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Martin it is that fleecy stuff that horticulturists use. Sorry I don't really know either, I think it is used to protect plants and seedlings in the winter and it keeps them warm until spring it also will stop the birds getting at the grass seed. Come on Kate you can explain it better than me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 6, 2005 Share Posted January 6, 2005 Nicola - I don't think Kate will explain it any better, that is a good explanation It is just horticultural fabric used to cover crops either as protection or to increase temperature. I have to cover my chard with it or a whole flock of sparrows just treat it as a restaurant. I grow Rainbow Lights which is very pretty with coloured stalks ranging from yellow/white/pink/red/orange/green and then have to cover it Then I uncover it, pick it, tie it in a bunch............and feed it to chickens.....hmmmmm Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 So it's that thin white stuff you get in a roll to put over your hanging baskets every autumn in the vain hope that they won't be frozen come the spring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Yep, that's the stuff all right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 So it's that thin white stuff you get in a roll to put over your hanging baskets every autumn in the vain hope that they won't be frozen come the spring? Yes - if you insist on growing plants which aren't edible (perhaps you grow tomatoes in yours?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Since we've had chickens, we've found that all our plants are edible. Hence hanging baskets and window boxes are our best hope. We don't have the inclination, skill or enthusiasm to grow things like tomatoes, carrots, or lettuce. I'm actually not that fond of vegetables anyway, and I reckon that if God had intended me to eat rabbit food, he'd have given me long ears. One of my favourite Thelwell cartoons shows lots of allotments, with people working hard on them under a hot sun; right in the middle, someone has planted a lawn on his allotment and is basking in a deckchair. Now he's got the right idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 You are probably right! Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 OK Martin - this is your project for 2005. Go to a nice independant nursery (gardening not kids) and buy an nice, already grown for you, Tumbler tomato plant. Line a hanging basket with polythene with few tiny holes near bottom but so a very shallow reservoir of water could pool there. Mix water retaining granules and compost together and stick Tumbler into middle. Hang on a nice sunny wall, water daily, slosh a bit of fertiliser over when you remember and enjoy eating your tomatoes in the summer. We'll do carrots in 2006! This is because my hanging basket Tumblers were fantastic this year so I'm even going to try growing from seed this year. If seeds fail I'll still have time to get plants from very nice nursery in Northumberland. The carrots were not bad but I feel I'm still on a learning curve with them so give me another year before I try and tell you how to do it!! ps even I managed lettuce from seed and if you don't eat it your girls certainly will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I grow herbs with my tomatoes in hanging baskets - I'm hopeless if it comes to non-edible plants - can't see the point - especially flowering cherries (don't start me off!) Lesley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted January 8, 2005 Share Posted January 8, 2005 Tumbler toms are very easy to grow from seed I did it last year, but start early so you have time to harden them off before putting in hanging baskets. My chooks don't seem to like tomatoes, I also grew some in a plastic green house on the ground and they did not touch them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
