I Have A Great Idea - Possibly
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- I Have A Great Idea - Possibly.
Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoff...
My Seed Page on GrownLocal: grownlocal.co....
Hori Hori: Hori Hori: amzn.to/3J5r39C
Why not subscribe to my gardening channel: bit.ly/2A3nJrX
Join me on Patreon: / tonycsmith
Come over to our Discord: / discord
DISCLAIMER: My recommendations description contain affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!
#allotment #gardening #gardeninguk
Do whatever makes gardening easier for you mate. Plants in pots means less bending down and less struggling to get back up. There are mobility aids for gardeners and it's nothing to be ashamed of, like stools you can turn upside down and use as an aid for standing. Lovely to see your dogs playing on the beach.
Tony, my mate who grows and shows Dahlias has a set up as you describe inside every poly tunnel he has, he has about 6 or 7 of them. Weed barrier down, and he just heats a large wide tin up with a 2" piece cut out of the open end, and burns holes through the barrier, but because there is a chunk out of the tin, the material folds over to leave holes to plant his dahlias in. at the end of the season he pulls out his tubas and turn the flaps over, making the entire floor covered in weed membrane. The flaps only gets turned back over when he is planting again. So yes i think thats a great idea
The whole base of both my greenhouses are covered edge to edge with weed fabric & topped with wood chippings. It's worked for me for last 2 years. I only grow in pots & it's all Chillies, Sweet Peppers & Aubergines.
I've used that woven fabric this past year on most of my beds, and it's made a huge difference in weeding, but cutting the fabric it shreds, I've burned holes and scorched the edges to stop it fraying
Get yourself a garden kneeling stool it is brilliant and has sides to get you back up I use one 😊
I love using that type of weed membrane because it lasts forever (25 years) and is so much easier to maintain. I garden in containers so this covers my entire garden area and my containers are on top of it. It has made gardening much more enjoyable as I am weeding so much less. I also use it for my perennial herb area. I cut a 4 inch hole for the initial planting and cut it wider as the plant grows which cut down the weeding to almost nothing. I work full-time and am in a grad program full-time, so without this I wouldn't be able to maintain a garden. One of the things that I have learned is that if you just cut it, it will unravel. I use a hot soldering iron to cut it and it seals it all up beautifully. It is also easier to cut holes into the membrane. I have a glass jar I use as a guide to make my holes for planting. I just put it where I want the hole and circle the soldering iron around it and bingo. I have also seen people use their garden weed torch to cut the circles. Make sure to keep the top of the membrane clean of soil and debris that can break down because weed seeds will grow on top of the membrane and root through the webbing. Most of them are pretty easy to pull out but some can be a total pain and make big holes in the membrane. Make sure to get good garden stakes to keep it down as it can be a tripping hazard if the edges are left to loose. I think that this is a great idea tony and will allow for you to have just as many tomatoes with a lot less effort. Also I was wondering if your tomatoes that were close to the walls of your tunnel got sun scorched. Maybe put your peppers along their as they like more heat than tomatoes do. I live in a US hardy zone 8a and have a Mediterranean climate and I don't pick leaves or suckers off my plants as the tomatoes can get sun scorched, and if it gets to hot (over 90 degrees) they quit growing. Peppers can get sun burnt too, but they defiantly like more heat so might be worth a try. Glad to see you doing so much better. Can't wait for potty mouth to get back in action.
That stuff is ok of used right. Only problem is, it will fray. I'm still pulling it out of my compost, 4 years after pulling it up. I just use cardboard now.
Hi Tony, I have a raised fish pond that I have converted to raised bed. I had trouble with cats though all the time using it as a toilet. After various trying different things 3 years ago i had an idea. What i did was covered the area which is about 15 feet by 15 feet with wood chip then covered that with cardboard making sure it was overlapped by at least 6 inches all round and then put on the weed membrane. I have never had a weed show in the 3 years. I use the area for large pots for bulbs. Try it.👍
🐞Mmmm...I dunno...those types of membrane things tend to break down in spots anyway, letting the weeds in. I had great success with grass and bark mulch to keep weeds down.
Anyway, you look wonderful! Nice to see your recovery going so well. There is no shame in getting assistive devices for your gardening and walking, Tony! Maybe some U shaped grab bars to help with getting up, and maybe think about some good walking poles for those cliff walks, Big Man! You'd be surprised at how much sturdier (and safer) your walks will be!! Take care of yourself! xx❤
I have membrane and gravel then can adjust pots by wiggling them on the gravel. No weeds!!
My greenhouse is the same, quite easy to level up the trays and pots if the soil is firm underneath. Never cut the membrane if you can avoid it…
I find the fabric a mixed blessing. Anywhere weeds can take hold, like the edges, they do. The fabric makes it a phaff to deal with them promptly and it's then a bit of a chore to clear them up. Depends what kind of chore gets on your nerves. I like Steve's motto, Never let a weed see a Sunday! Little bit often and it's no time or hard work 😊
Good idea, cuts down on work. I use it to cover my raised beds for winter. Cut it with a soldering iron, blow torch or the like so it stops it fraying 😊
Hi Tony, I have weed membrane and Woodchip throughout my polytunnel. I use grow bag trays which I get as level as possible and stand my pots in them and add water to the trays when required. Worked a treat for my first year / new tunnel. Will wait and see in future years. Cheers
I used that membrane on all my paths and on the floor of the polytunnel, and whilst it does a great job of suppressing the weeds it does fray like mad and breaks up into millions of tiny shreds of plastic - so I'm now regretting it big time. You would be much better off buying some damp-proof membrane from Screwfix - thick black plastic, and using that for seasonal weed suppression, then lifting it and folding it away during the growing season for re-use next year.
Thanks for that comment. I have got hold of some and was intending to use it under.a new gravel drive. Do you know if it Is UV resistant?
@@TheWoodlandOrchard I think some are UV resistant and others (cheaper versions) aren't - you would need to check the brand.
@@MikesAllotment Thanks for the reply.
I’d cover all the beds until u need to plant them so weed free. I do that in my garden and I grow a lot in raised beds made from giant black storage boxes so no bending down. I’m 72 with arthritis and my veg grow really well. Good luck 😘
I've just started with a kind of polytunnel. I first put sand down to level it roughly out as its on a slight outward slope and then topsoil on top. I suppose if you lightly rake yours before laying the membrain , then it would be still soft enough to just tap the quads down to level them. Just a thought but it would definitely save you work on trying to level it all perfectly
I hate the membrane that you are thinking of using, breaks down into little pieces. Almost impossible to get rid of it afterwards. If you must use a membrane, you need to use a UV stable.
I have weedy fields around me and thistle down and other weed seeds blow in. I used card board with cow muck over it then used bagged compost on that, when I started my polytunnel. My muck attracts flies or has fly eggs hence the compost covering. I use my shredded prunings as path way. Tomatoes, thistles, grass and nettles are easy to pull as not growing in soil. I think my polytunnel slopes more than Tony's and anything on membrane would travel. I can hoe my beds or path if needed and find little weed pressure. Outside I've used membrane under gravel. It worked for a year or so but blown debris and weed seeds have ment weed pulling there is a nuisance with gravel and membrane coming with the weeds. Hoeing is not possible in the 2inch gravel and I can't cheaply renew the gravel. I need to lift the membrane and will replace it with shredded prunings. I would avoid useing membrane again. There is biodegradable sheet (paper based) that Liz at Byther Farm used in her new beds. I would try that for planting hedges or for what Tony wants to do. His lovely polytunnel soil will be so productive next winter and no plastic bits. Good luck.
I have bad arthritis, I swear by my stool kneeling pad. I put lots in big pots. You have to learn to pace yourself
Hi Tony,
Good to see you up and about. You're looking better.
I had a long bed either side of my polytunnel which was a pain with the weeding.
Everything was grown in pots, set in the soil. I now have a membrane all over with woodchip.
I've purchased 20 x 35ltr tubs after watching John Sousby on CZcams.
Going to be so much easier.
Dean.
you are looking and sounding so much fitter now! even your breathing seems better! That would be quite the climb up from the sea to the path! The dogs are looking fit too.
add a drip watering system - rainbarrel and solar pump - you might be able to find a timer as well so it would water without you even being there.
Hi Tony. I've gone off weed membrane, sorry! Used it for years, no weeding, mulches / keeps the moisture in. My crop rotation beds are all the same size, so I burnt some holes for correct plant spacing for each bed, and for years I just moved the membrane from each bed to next years' ... but ... I now worry about micro plastics as the plastic breaks down and those getting into the food that I grow, and the organisms that looks after my soil. So I've stopped using it. I was also having to pull the little strands of plastic out of my compost, after I spread it on the bed; as the cut ends fray the bits get everywhere - not a significant problem, but they are the start of the micro plastic breakdown.
Hi Tony, it's lovely to see you out with the dogs, and you are looking so well, too. I have beds in my polytunnel the same as yours, I prefer it, I have membrane around the areas and covered in bark, soft ground for me just in case of any mishaps. I don't have flag stones anywhere now as it's all bark, everywhere, and raised beds outside, too. I think i would like to just have a membrane covered in my polytunnel. Maybe don't grow on your path as it takes so much space up & you need to get around all your plants look. Hope this helps, and thanks for sharing and taking care 😊
Lovely walk my dog would love that to❤
Hi, Tony! I mulch my beds and pathways in my tunnel-clean wheat straw on the beds and pine bark in the walkways. The weeds come up weak and are easily pulled. I have used membrane in my flowerbeds and it is horrible. The weeds still grow on and through it, but lots of people use it with success in growing crops-homesteaders and farmers on large farms. You just have to remember to keep it relatively clean, so weeds won’t grow on top of it.
I agree with you Dawndawn. It can be nasty stuff, clean straw is better and it breaks down and turns to soil.
I use in the tunnel and on beds outside. First, dont cut it with scissors or knife- it will easily fray to bits. use a blow torch/gas flame weeder to born cuts or holes.. I use a 1.5 metre length of gravel board with 110x 2.5 cm slot. put the fabric on another piece of board. Put the slotted board on top firmly and run the flame along the slot. Edges all heat sealed, no fraying
I use apiece of plywood with holes for transplants outside.
use cardboard. plastic, all plastic is toxic.
having said that, if you must use plastic only use it for a few months through the winter to keep the soil free of it`s toxicity.
I use this all the. Time. Made my gardening so much more pleasant.
Why don’t you pick up seaweed it’s an excellent fertiliser ❤
Always been confused about seaweed. What about the salt from the ocean? Doesn't it build up in the soil?
@@hoosierpioneer you wash the salt etc off and need to chop it into short lengths it’s highly recommended
Bit heavy work for the old boy just yet surely, but it is great stuff.
Tony did a video a couple of years ago where he went to beach and bagged seaweed up for the plot.
build some raised beds in the polytunnel. And then you can also make covers that lift up with hinges. That gives you 2 layers of plastic - and each layer of plastic raises you by one gardening zone. You'd be growing coconuts before you know it.
Tony, your puppers are so cute 😂❤❤❤
I’ve done that Tony for my Quadgrows that I brought for myself and my son has brought me more for my Christmas present to go on as my polytunnel gets lots of weeds from dropped seeds, it will make it so much easier for me and for you if you do it 😊
Put that fabric on all my beds after they've been topped up with compost in winter and don't remove until I need to use the bed in spring/early summer , reuse every year and soil is lovely and fluffy with very few weeds , glad to see ya looking so well Tony
I've got weed membrane down each side of my tunnel .next year it's going down the centre too but I've made holes through mine and my toms .chillies and cucumbers are planted in the beds .I'm hoping to bury a lawn sprinkling hose pipe about a foot down throughout the tunnel so that I can water the roots and only feed them from the stems ..I think I only had to pull four or five weeds out this year ...I'm one of those pensioners ..lol ..I use the stool that has already been mentioned and I'd never bee without it .
Get yourself one of the kneeling stools thats what i use to get up , seen a guy use the weed control for brassicas he just melted a small hole with his weed burner and planted his brassicas
I do this in my polytunnel and it cuts down on the weeding. 😊
When cutting those, they fray so you want to use a fire or heat thing to melt the ends, so you don't get plastic all in your tunnel.
Hi Tony looking good 👍
Tony, you should use some walking sticks when you’re out on rough ground. You can attach your camera to the top of most of them by unscrewing the handle. That will help you be stable when the ground is somewhat unsafe.
I would go with the double row of weed membrane under the quadgrows, looks like a fine plan to me.
Tony, If you have to cut the membrane, do not use scissors or a knife but use a lighter or something. I use a chefs blow torch. It will not fray and is done very quickly.
weed membrane only works if there's also cardboard on top or underneath excluding all light and water is key . good luck..you have plenty of cardboard boxes from the bikes I'm sure otherwise use black polythene
Yep that looks a good idea, and easy enough to rip it out if you don't like it after a season😊
When I saw the thumbnail I thought your great idea was watching your allotment thru a telescope.
Save your money and use cardboard and newspaper xxx
I tried it on a outside bed , like others have said cutting it makes it fray and as mine came from the middle isle of a supermarket i don't think it was top notch and still let weeds through eventually and was riddled with slugs so i don't use it anymore.
Have used wood chips and cardboard as well but they have their own issues but are at least organic.
Is that three dogs? Theyre wonderful ❤
One of my two also has an attitude, and can confirm it's also the little one 🤣 Though when the big one gets excited you know about it, he has perfected the "scream" 😮
Hello mate, I did exactly that last winter, covered my tunnel beds with weed membrane and I haven't had a weed all season. I cut through the membrane and pushed 12" pots through for my tomatoes and cucumbers. I stapled it to the wood at the front and back and all it's ever needed has been a light brush down. I'll get a photo tomorrow and e mail it to you. By the way, I've picked willicks from the back of the range for about 50 years now, can't beat them man.
Good morning tony
Couldn't the Quadgrows go on the benches at the back now it's tidy?🤔
Awweee, they look so happy going to the beach. He's saying, hurry Dad, hurry LOL Oh my, it's either sht show now its sht seeds ....Haha!
Your looking well yes i would like a Dog........
My dogs love the beach too, but only one of the four go in, which I'm glad of as we have some dangerous tides and sinking mud when the tide is out- only one to keep an eye on to stop them running too far out! if the membrane isn't wide enough then lie it the back of your bed, where it's most difficult to reach to weed. The front uncovered area would be easy to rea h to keep it tidy. That should save you money :-) Creat video Tony. Thank you 😃
Line dancing Tony? 😆
I've hd mixed success with weed proof membrane, we tried it once for a strawberry bed and the badger just ripped it to shreds digging for worms. My concern in the poly tunnel would be if it breaks down quicker because of the heat and UV ? I guess like all things there are different qualities and standards !
The dogs were in their element, some dogs you just can't keep out of the water !
Seaside Steve doesn't, if it the same guy I watch