Saturday 11 April 2015

Going Out In Style

Friday finished the week off with yet another high temperature as the thermometer touched 21.3°C (70.3°F).
Back on the 20 March our Marshalls brassica collection arrived. These plug plants were planted up into modules and left to grow on a little in the greenhouse before they were moved into the cold frame.
Cauliflower - Mayflower 20 March 2015
From past experience I've learnt that treated in this way the plants soon recover from their trip in the postal system. The plants had grown sufficiently to be ready for transplanting into the plot so Friday was their big day.
Cauliflower - Mayflower 10 April 2015
The cauliflower - Mayflower, shown above, were planted out along with cabbage “Duncan” and calabrese “Marathon”. All the plants have been covered with lightweight environmesh to keep butterflies and as many other pests off as possible. One cabbage white butterfly was trying to settle on the leaves as I was putting the plants in. What a nerve! At the moment the mesh is laid over the top of the plants and will need adjusting as the plants grow.

I’m not sure whether or not laying the fabric over the plants is better than constructing some sort of support system to hold the fabric off the plants. I've left the fabric reasonably loose to allow the plants some room to grow but I’ll have to keep a close watch over the developing plants to ensure they have enough growing space.

Copyright: Original post from A Gardener's Weather Diary http://ossettweather.blogspot.co.uk/ author M Garrett

3 comments:

  1. Watch out for cats sitting or worse rolling on unsupported mesh - they seem to love the feel of it when it warms up in the sun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip. I might convert to a support frame covered with mesh.

      Delete
  2. I agree with Spade & Dagger. I think even a lightweight mesh could cause damage if simply draped over the plants - at least before them get big. I will be using a support system made with aluminium rods and a "Build-a-Ball" set.

    ReplyDelete

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