Cropping Runner
Cropping Runner
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 Lettuce Iceberg Webbs Wonderful 2000 Seeds  US $1.56
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 Lettuce Cos Little Gem 2500 Seeds US $1.56
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 RUNNER BEAN MOONLIGHT WHITE FLOWERING AP 80 SEED POTENTIAL SELF POLLINATING US $4.43
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 Lettuce Cos Parris Island Cos 2000 Seeds US $1.56
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 Lettuce Curly Catalogna Verde 1000 Seeds US $1.56
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 Lettuce Curly Green Salad Bowl 2500 Seeds US $1.56
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 Lettuce Iceberg Webbs Wonderful 3500 Seeds US $2.29
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 Lettuce Iceberg Great Lakes 2000 Seeds US $1.56
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 Lettuce Butterhead Valdor 2000 Seeds US $2.29
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 Lettuce Curly Mascara 250 Seeds US $1.56
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 Lettuce Curly Catalogna Verde 2000 Seeds US $2.29
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 Lettuce Butterhead Diana 3000 Seeds US $2.29
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 Lettuce Curly Catalogna Rossa 2000 Seeds US $2.29
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 RUNNER BEANS SCARLET EMPIRE AP 40 SEED TALL LONG 30cm BEANS FREEPOST US $1.98
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 RUNNER BEANS POLESTAR STRINGLESS AP 40 SEED FREEPOST US $2.21
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 Lettuce Butterhead Valdor 1250 Seeds US $1.56
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| cooking advice |
A handful of ripe strawberries
Strawberries
Strawberries are one of the easiest crops to grow, great for children and very rewarding. Plant them now for great results for many years to come.
How to do it
Buy top quality plants and specially named varieties from a good garden centre or nursery or order mail order from a specialist supplier. Strawberries are tolerant of most soil types but grow best in a sheltered spot away from the prevailing wind. Keep them clean by mulching under the plants with straw, or grow them in a dedicated strawberry pot. Alternatively opt for a Strawberry Planter, like a deep grow bag, that encourages a healthy root system and supports a bumper crop of fruit, plus it looks great too.
Buy cold stored runners from a specialist supplier or pot grown plants from the garden centre for planting now. Order from a reputable supplier and plant them as soon as possible for a small crop this summer.
Providing that you look after your plants, feed them while flowering with a high potash feed and a general feed after fruiting, they should yield a small crop in their first year. If the plants are weak or there is a delay in planting them out then it is better to remove the flowers and allow them to direct their energy into establishing a healthy root system. Next year the crop will be bigger and better.
Tips
[] Remove the runners that appear after fruiting, as these will weaken your plants. If you want to propagate your plants then pick one strong plant each season and allow this to form runners that you can pot up and grow on to extend your strawberry patch.
[] When fruiting has finished in late summer, weed around the plants thoroughly. Using sharp, clean secateurs remove all the old leaves, taking care not to damage the crown. Feed with a general, balanced fertiliser and keep the plants well watered.
[] For organic fruit choose to grow your plants in an organic planter, feed with an organic feed and deal with pests and diseases without the use of chemicals. Think how much they would cost to buy in the shops.
Eating
If you can resist eating the fruit while you are out in the garden, then experiment with them in the kitchen. A bowlful is easy to serve with cream, ice cream or a splash of caster sugar. Be sure to serve them at room temperature for their full aroma and flavour. For something a bit different, serve them with chopped basil. Or be daring and splash with some quality balsamic vinegar. Divine.
If there are only a few fruits to start with don't waste them: A handful of ripe strawberries are a fabulous addition, sliced and added to fresh garden salad.
About the Author
To know more about greenhouse and growing different types of plants in your greenhouse visit http://www.growhouse-greenhouses.co.uk/greenhouses.php
Does anyone else think Photoshop is a cheats charter?
Asw I shoot in RAW files I use Photoshop to lighten my photos,add some colour, crop the image, sharpen if needed and to delete stray detritues, a branch, an isolated leg or arm etc, but that is it. Yet since joining my local camera club they seem more interested in who presents the best picture, so we have new skys being introduced, people, trees, moons, sunsets, the list is endless of things being added to make a photo look better. When I mentioned this is cheating, one member responded,` is that because your not as good at Photoshop as other people`? Another said, `yes but you have to take a good image in the first place, Photoshop can`t improve a bad image`. My reply was I take what I see and add nothing to the image. Does anyone else feel cheating in Photoshop is like a 100 metre runner using steriods to win a race?
HP I think you need to get more often dear, don`t get me started on the ` my photo tells a story rubbish`.
So off course in the "old days" of film there was no "cheating" as you put it was there?
People earned a very good living as retouchers in the past.
They would add in, take out, alter etc etc pictures which photographers took.
There is absolutely no difference today except that it is easier to do.
If you don't like it then don't do it.
There have always been and will always be "purists" who think that anything except straight out of the camera is wrong.
If you are in that camp (which actually you are not because you yourself change the picture and remove items) then seek out like minded people and leave those who arn't to get on with what they want.
