The plot thickens
Apr. 25th, 2021 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
halojedhaPlant update: the first beans went in the ground! It was time. They were the first plants to go in the new vegetable plot, and I'm so excited to see what it looks like as we plant more things out. So now we have six beans outside, and I made them two little three-pole frames for support. As I was handling them I noticed that a couple of them had picked up kinks and broken leaves from being put outside in the wind yesterday, before I realised how much they were being blown around and moved them into a more sheltered spot. I hope they survive.
It's forecast to be one degree centigrade the next few nights, so Leo and I made them a little tent with bubblewrap to help protect them while they get used to being outdoors. We made a four-sided frame with longer poles over the top of the two smaller ones, and wrapped bubble wrap around them. To fasten it, we tied little stones into pockets of the bubblewrap with string, and used that as an anchor point to attach to the pole. We put a layer of bubble wrap over the hole in the top too. It'll hopefully offer a bit of insulation and protection from the wind. I'll have to lift up the bottom of the cloche to water them, it'll be a faff to remove. I was looking at the plot and imagining hoops and polythene - maybe next year we'll have a proper polytunnel.
I forgot to move the other seedlings outdoors today, but I did water the ones that were looking dry (the degradable pots which you can plant out all in one go seem to lose moisture very quickly) and set up a couple of desk fans blowing air over the seed modules. I read that a slight breeze can help strengthen their little plant muscles and help the leggy ones recover. I also read that stroking them helps strengthen them - they have pressure sensitivity apparently? Maybe it's something like, if they can feel an animal brushing against them they know they need to divert resources to getting sturdier so they don't get squished? Plants are amazing. I very much enjoyed going round the conservatory stroking the seedlings. They are tiny feetless pets and they like pettins :D
It's forecast to be one degree centigrade the next few nights, so Leo and I made them a little tent with bubblewrap to help protect them while they get used to being outdoors. We made a four-sided frame with longer poles over the top of the two smaller ones, and wrapped bubble wrap around them. To fasten it, we tied little stones into pockets of the bubblewrap with string, and used that as an anchor point to attach to the pole. We put a layer of bubble wrap over the hole in the top too. It'll hopefully offer a bit of insulation and protection from the wind. I'll have to lift up the bottom of the cloche to water them, it'll be a faff to remove. I was looking at the plot and imagining hoops and polythene - maybe next year we'll have a proper polytunnel.
I forgot to move the other seedlings outdoors today, but I did water the ones that were looking dry (the degradable pots which you can plant out all in one go seem to lose moisture very quickly) and set up a couple of desk fans blowing air over the seed modules. I read that a slight breeze can help strengthen their little plant muscles and help the leggy ones recover. I also read that stroking them helps strengthen them - they have pressure sensitivity apparently? Maybe it's something like, if they can feel an animal brushing against them they know they need to divert resources to getting sturdier so they don't get squished? Plants are amazing. I very much enjoyed going round the conservatory stroking the seedlings. They are tiny feetless pets and they like pettins :D