So next Spring when Mr Frosty tries another -7ºC on my babies he can go jump!

So do you reckon it's worth trying a couple of tomatoes in pots for winter???

Amanda

Mantis *hopping back down his hole, and pulling the cover over to fool the welding twins that there welds were strong enough to hold him, he he he*

When would be the latest to start seeds?

Off to Google "Cold Tolerant Tomatoes" :)

Amanda

Cheers
Richard

PP

Well done Amanda! If it's a smallish space, you'll want smallish tomato plants. Dwarf varieties or just small plants would be good. Silvery Fir Tree should do well, as would Scoresby Dwarf and a number of others I can think of.

Just remember, in a glass house, you'll need to give the tommies a helping hand to pollinate.

Raymondo, who is looking forward to winter piccies!

I'm putting together a small glass house this weekend which will be made of, nearly all, recycled products (I bought some hinges). It will only be large enough to start seedlings in winter but it's better than nothing.

You'll have to post some pics when it is up and running!

I'm not sure I'll get my act together and get the greenhouse up and running soon. There's too much to do. :(

Stupice and Gold Dust are determinate tomatoes and supposed to be cold tolerant, too. I'm sure I could spare some seed, Amanda. Let me know.

And Ray - you found juice in a supermarket tomato? When? Where?

Putting it up will take a bit of time. Need to put down a concrete floor first to help hold the heat, paint all the bits, run electricity and water over to it. Make a bench. I was thinking of rigging up a fan to help with ventilation and polination like the Up Overs do for growing under lights. Bottom heat for at least part of the bench...

Also I was reading about Aluminet - a sort of metallic shade cloth - used on the *inside* it's supposed to be good for keeping the warmth in at night. Do you all remember someone last winter putting pics up here of a really cute greenhouse full of great looking tomato seedlings? It had an Aluminet curtain. I'm pretty sure I've seen it at Bunnings.

Would I get more tomatoes if I used some mini cages - say 4 or 5ft - and grew the tomatoes up? Maybe cherries? Actually, I do have a Red Robin in a pot. Funny looking dwarf plant but it is producing a steady supply of tasty little toms.

Amanda

Amanda

Besides which, with all these greenhouses being built we'll all be getting ripe toms from June through to September too. :)

Amanda

And Finbar, 2 or 3 store bought tommies provides at least a of teaspoonful of juice!

I am thinking of starting some tomatoes plants with a greenhouse.

I intend to use it though winter and spring - to raise my seedlings ready to transplant and try growing a few things through the winter too. We get pretty cold up in the hills and even if I hadn't lost my seedlings last year I was still off to a late start.

The weather here is weird - it's like we skip spring - and go straight from frosty nights to 35ºC days. Last year was such a disappointment - frost on October 14!!! How can I get a tomato ripe for Christmas with that?

I've built a shadehouse over the past few weeks too, which I'll use through the summer, and hopefully combined with the glasshouse for winter I can get around the problems...

Amanda

Mantis

For anyone curious look on the Glasshouses page - the one I have is right at the top. :)

Made progress toward getting up today. The earth moving is almost done, retaining and concrete tomorrow...

Amanda

Amanda

It's had me down a bit so I haven't been talking 'cos I've been too much of a misery. Mum always said if yer can't say something nice and cheery yer should hide in yer room.

I'm fighting back now - studying art at TAFE. I can still hardly believe they let me in. Doing sculpture. I got a credit for the welding so I get to play with the clay instead. I made an egg carton in terracotta. I understand egg cartons...

Still can't throw a decent coffee cup on the wheel - I can centre OK but then keep ripping the tops off them when I start raising the sides... sheesh and Adam makes it look so easy!

So no veges in sight. The chooks are still laying tho...

Just one day at a time.
Amanda

It's great to hear your voice. You've been a great source on inspiration and the chook fence is still holding up despite much leaning on the rails with beer in hand to watch the girls dancing.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your patch and greenhouse.

Warm wishes, Grub

Amanda! Is that the same person who
- gave us a fool-proof recipe for pasta
- inspired us to get pasta machines
- inspired us to get out and preserve tomatoes, etc
- made this super-dooper lettuce bath
- welded herself into finbar's heart
- has this fantastic duck setup
- had grub make this amazing chook enclosure
- makes fantastic egg cartons out of clay
- is a wonderful person to know
..and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

We all missed you, you know. :)

No art stuff to show - too fragile - but here's a pic of the greenhouse being finished off earlier in the year. Looks good for the coat of paint and clean up. A lot different to the pile of bits we bought - a neighbour looked at them being unloaded and thought we'd been had. Not now...

Nothing growing in there it's being used to store manure - cos I'm using the manure shed for pottery - probably says something about my skill level...

Not a quitter Grub. Grief is a tough one. Combine it with a big dose of injustice and no answers... There are no answers. Climbing out of the dark place I'm stuck in takes more than I have had to work with. The things that used to matter to me don't seem to work now. I can't figure it out.

Like I said before: I'm doing my best. Taking one day at a time and all that.
Amanda