Polytunnel

[foxy]

Can you put me onto a video/book/article that would get me started on the setup you have with those tomatoes please.
My pollytunnel is not by my house, but I think I could run a pump with a battery and solar.

I just got interested in hydroponics, read a lot looked on Youtube and got into to it that way. If my garden was a blank canvas I would be right into aquaponics. A friend of mine is into it and his crops are amazing, plus he gets to eat the fish! He also grows mushrooms on his spent grain from brewing.

 

[foxy]

Can you put me onto a video/book/article that would get me started on the setup you have with those tomatoes please.
My pollytunnel is not by my house, but I think I could run a pump with a battery and solar.

Here's a video on hydroponics and a thread from Aussie Craft Brewer on mushrooms. I have 98 pots set up on mine and the pump could easily do another 98 but you don't need to get an expensive set up I started with a basic gravity feed and just built up from that.


https://aussiecraftbrewing.com.au/thread/2981/mushrooms-growing-cooking-recipes-substitute

 

[Polcho]

Cheers, I’ll have a look at that tonight.

 

[Polcho]

Watched that last night. Very interesting. Interesting about the chives. I planted Basil between the tomatoes this year, not a sniff of unwanted bugs.
I ended up watching a few, until bedtime. Pretty sure I’m going to set some space aside next year to see how it goes.
We had a hosepipe ban, still have. Made it quite difficult to keep things watered. Perhaps this might help with that too.
Also interesting about the pollination being better with F1 seeds.

 

[Polcho]

The Bato buckets appear to be a good idea, but I think I’ll look into the nft method first.
Need a book now.

 

[foxy]

Watched that last night. Very interesting. Interesting about the chives. I planted Basil between the tomatoes this year, not a sniff of unwanted bugs.
I ended up watching a few, until bedtime. Pretty sure I’m going to set some space aside next year to see how it goes.
We had a hosepipe ban, still have. Made it quite difficult to keep things watered. Perhaps this might help with that too.
Also interesting about the pollination being better with F1 seeds.

I wouldn't worry too much about either F1 or heirloom. The heirloom is all i grow and they pollinate, I have insect exclusion mesh around my polytunnel so as long as there is a bit of movement they are dine. Just ordered today some Banana Leg tomato seeds for next year.

 

[foxy]

Polytunnel and whatever is cropping up. Inside polytunnel 1 Tomatoes and beans, usually grow dwarf beans between the rows of tomatoes but someone made a mistake and planted a row of runner beans.

Later addition to the tunnel hopefully a longer season, carrots at the back.

Hydro tunnel tomatoes, medium and cherry with lettuce and watercress in the back ground.

A few more tomatoes with beans and cucumber, plus more lettuce.

Zucchini plot, ants seem to be pollinating them.

Spuds, something is eating the leaves, I have been ferreting under the haulms and lifting some new potatoes.

Now this was a cracking buy from a junk yard. Security shutters for the front of shops, I got three for the use of. When asked by the vendor what I was going to use them for, runner beans says I. I saw the 'doh' moment on his face.

 

[foxy]

Finally getting some cucumber, these are Market More along with some squash.

 

[Clint]

My tunnel is now asleep for the winter bar a few lettuce and a bit of broccoli.
Plans are being made for next year.

 

[Polcho]

I’m digging the outside this morning to put 200 garlic in to over winter.

 

[foxy]

I’m digging the outside this morning to put 200 garlic in to over winter.

Have you got an infestation of vampires?

 

[foxy]

One tunnel is like a jungle, literally, I bunged 1/2 a pint of maggots in there and it is full of flies been feeding them with sugared water and have reaped about 5 pints of maggots so far for fishing. Beans went hay wire going to make this a regular occurrence to plant runner beans in the tunnel. The weather has been tish house but is improving now good plump tomatoes just got to colour up.
First and second plantings.

Hydro tomatoes doing well with my new valves the cherries are turning red.

Lettuce, beans and watercress going fine as is the indoor cucumbers.

Now marrow, I love marrow, stuffed and baked in the oven, filling usually minced pork mushrooms capsicum onions and sometimes rice. Delicious.

 

[DuncR]

Greenhouse currently a temporary store for for a deconstructed conifer .

 

[Polcho]

One tunnel is like a jungle, literally, I bunged 1/2 a pint of maggots in there and it is full of flies been feeding them with sugared water and have reaped about 5 pints of maggots so far for fishing. Beans went hay wire going to make this a regular occurrence to plant runner beans in the tunnel. The weather has been tish house but is improving now good plump tomatoes just got to colour up.
First and second plantings.
View attachment 79602View attachment 79603
Hydro tomatoes doing well with my new valves the cherries are turning red.
View attachment 79604
Lettuce, beans and watercress going fine as is the indoor cucumbers.
View attachment 79606
Now marrow, I love marrow, stuffed and baked in the oven, filling usually minced pork mushrooms capsicum onions and sometimes rice. Delicious.
View attachment 79607
View attachment 79608

These hydro tomatoes are just what I’m looking for. I’m looking at auto pots at present. The allotments were subject to a hosepipe ban this year, still are if you can believe it!

 

[Polcho]

Have you got an infestation of vampires?

Lol, 200 just about lasts us and my daughter for a year, some are lost of course, but it’s a great crop usually

 

[foxy]

Greenhouse currently a temporary store for for a deconstructed conifer .

Biggest trouble with conifer it burns to fast, do you have any hardwood? We burn Red Gum over here, burns slower than a wet weekend

 

[foxy]

Lol, 200 just about lasts us and my daughter for a year, some are lost of course, but it’s a great crop usually

I would imagine you get black fly over there, I have been put off garlic and leeks because of them. So hard to get rid of I am going to have to bite the bullet and give them another go.

 

[foxy]

Nectarines biggest crop in a number of years. Been suffering leaf curl for a few years used two different fungicide sprays and got rid of it. Now the boughs are close to breaking with the crop we have this year.

 

[DuncR]

Biggest trouble with conifer it burns to fast, do you have any hardwood? We burn Red Gum over here, burns slower than a wet weekend

Small amounts of dry conifer used with the kindling to get things started then dry ash

 

[Polcho]

I would imagine you get black fly over there, I have been put off garlic and leeks because of them. So hard to get rid of I am going to have to bite the bullet and give them another go.

Fortunately, I haven’t had any black fly as yet. I use Albigensian wight garlic, I chose that a few years ago because it was supposed to be resistant to bugs. I have to say, it’s a great variety to grow, eat and store.