Bit chilly out there!

Not much chance to make any further progress with the greenhouse this weekend. We've retained a covering of snow since last Sunday and there was a further fall on Friday evening. It was that really powdery, squeaky snow that you don't often get in this country - makes everything look beautiful, doesn't wet you but rubbish for snowballs.

Walking in a winter wonderland

View from the bottom path up the site.



My plot from the main path. Note the collapsed netting over the brassicas.

Me by the shed - I estimated about 10cms level snow on Saturday.

The ground was still frozen and covered by about 7cms snow on Sunday so no chance of any winter digging. It's too cold to prune and too early to plant any seeds, particularly given the prevailing conditions. One job I did invent was to fill my recently acquired IBC (International Bulk Container) with snow. It was more for something to do rather than for any real purpose, although there was a bit of logic behind this tomfoolery.

Essentially snow is frozen water. My site lacks a mains water supply so I rely on what falls out of the sky. When the snow melts it will turn into liquid and soak into the ground but out of my grasp. Whilst it is in frozen form it is easy to collect and store in a watertight vessel to await its melting. There's a saying 'pure as the driven snow' so I can assume it's clean - apart from the yellow snow! - and will help me fill the 1500 litre container that will see my plants through the dry spells of summer. I've no idea how much liquid will result from the quantity of snow collected but I spent half an hour shovelling. Even if it's only a couple of watering cans full it was worth the effort.

IBC about one fifth full so far (four fifths full of snow now!). Holds 1500 litres.

Until I manage to hook the container up to a shed roof I'll be gathering water in my butts by the shed and then lugging it across to fill the IBC. I'll put in some charcoal or straw to try and keep the water sweet and clear of algae in the summer.

One of the other reasons for making a couple of trips to the plot was to keep my feathered friends warm and well fed. There is a good mix of bird life at the allotment and on the adjacent park. In harsh winter weather the small birds need all the help they can get to find food and keep warm. It's no longer 'tuppence a bag' but a mixed offering of seeds, fat balls and mealworms doesn't cost the earth and is greedily accepted by flocks of tits, chaffinches, robins, dunnocks and blackbirds. I spread the food around on various upturned plant pots, purpose made feeding stations and hanging from the bramley apple tree as birds feed in many different ways. The tits are acrobatic and hang from the feeder, the robin feeds off a platform and the dunnock and blackbird like to feed off the ground, hoovering up what the others have spilled.

Mealworms, suet pellets and mixed seeds - tasty if you're a bird.

Not the clearest picture - Mr Robin helping himself to a mealworm.

A winter wonderland it may be, but hopefully I'll be able to crack on with my greenhouse frame next week provided the snow melts and the ground thaws.

You've been framed!

A cold one today, with a light dusting of snow to greet me this morning as I looked out of the window. Today had always been highlighted as my best opportunity to make progress with the greenhouse, so I wasn't going to let a bit of snow and frost dampen my enthusiasm. In fact, it turned out to be a lovely day with some bright winter sunshine. Admittedly my hands and feet were frozen when I eventually called it a day at about 2.45pm, but I made a lot of progress and it felt good to be out there.

This was the scene at the allotment round about 11am.

Frozen brassicas and a motly collection of structures

Looking back from the shed through the Denniston's Superb gage. You can see the bags of mushroom compost (bottom right) that I started spreading last week.

View from my shed

 

My main task today was to attempt to raise a greenhouse from the heap of aluminium that littered the ground following a gale before Christmas. I had bought a bag of universal nuts and bolts from Wilko's and brought along a selection of spanners and pliers but I wasn't that sure of what I was doing and how things would end up.

 

Although the frame had essentially fallen apart there was enough information left within the crumpled heap of aluminium pieces and connectors to at least fathom some idea of what needed to be done. A bit like a giant jigsaw but with just a couple of pieces already fitted together. The biggest problem was the cold and the impact it had on my fingers when trying to tighten nuts and bolts. Lots of blowing and delving of hands into deep, warm pockets did the trick and once the sun got above the tree line my fingers thawed out enough to make progress.

 

I wish I'd taken a close-up photo of the connectors as it would be a good reference for anyone else trying to piece together a greenhouse frame from scratch. Essentially there were a series of holes on one piece of aluminium with seemingly no corresponding hole through which to slide the bolt and tighten a nut...

 

I eventually worked out that the bolt head slotted into a channel within the frame, the piece of frame with the hole was then slipped over the thread of the bolt, and the pieces fixed together by tightening the nut until it would turn no more. Now seasoned greenhouse erectors may find this obvious but it was a revelation to me. Once I'd figured it out I flew round the frame and got the whole thing fixed together. By the end of my session I was left with a sturdy frame that was bolted together more strongly than it had been for at least the past twenty years!

 

You've been framed!

 

As an aside, I did some research on the manufacturer of my greenhouse, just in case I needed some spares. I knew it was old as the phone number beneath the manufacturer's name had the telltale signs of being well before the change in dialling codes. It's a good job I didn't need spares as it appears they went bump in 1980 and it is no longer possible to get any. Universal bits and pieces may fit but it is very much in the lap of the gods. Thankfully I was able to twist any damaged bits of frame back into shape and it appeared that nothing had actually broken but had simply fallen apart/ loosened.

 

So, after a cold but enjoyable winter's day at the plot I now have a greenhouse frame up and standing firm. Next time round I'm going to fix some wooden battons to act as a base and I'll then be ready to buy and fit the glass. The target is to have the greenhouse operational by mid February, at which point I hope to benefit from the increasing day length and warmth of the late winter sun to sow the first hardy crops of the year under glass. Exciting times ahead!