tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49167902758728247062024-02-20T16:51:40.788-08:00ORCHID GREENHOUSEDo you love orchids so much that you want your own orchid greenhouse? Well, this is the place to go the get information on planting, cultivating, and displaying the fruits of your labor from your very own orchid greenhouse.TheBigGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936273361166813892noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916790275872824706.post-75756442049725018122009-08-14T21:01:00.000-07:002009-08-14T21:02:38.835-07:00Grow your own ...From: http://www.rhs.org.uk<br /><br />Nigel Slater suggests ways to enhance the intense flavours within these tangy fruits.<br /><br />Going through some old papers the other day, I came across the first plant order I ever put in for my garden. It included fruit bushes; four each of whitecurrant ‘Versailles Blanche’, blackcurrant ‘Ben Connan’ and redcurrant ‘Laxton’s Number One’. Together with a note for several bundles of raspberry canes, I obviously had the making of a summer pudding on my mind.<br /><br />It is probably no great surprise that my favourite fruits are cook’s fruits rather than ones for the fruit bowl. Blackcurrants, gooseberries, damsons and quinces – fruits that have little to offer without the intervention of the cook – mean far more to me than the strawberries and peaches we can eat straight from the garden. That currants should play a starring part on that first list is due also to my passion for the smell of blackcurrant foliage, an instant reminder, especially during pruning, of happy weeks spent ‘curranting’ for pocket money as a teenager.<br />Intense flavours<br /><br />Just as I find it difficult to envisage a garden without roses I feel the same about a kitchen garden – that it doesn’t look quite right without a wigwam of runner beans and a currant bush. Currants – red, white (Ribes rubrum) and black (R. nigrum) – are jewels of the kitchen garden, glistening in the bright sunshine of midsummer, when they are ready for picking. The translucence of the red and white fruit is fascinating, as is the ability to see the seeds through the flesh: a lesson in botany as you pull the berries from their stalks. Despite being a kitchen fruit, you can eat them raw; I often pull off a sprig or two as I wander the garden.<br /><br />I find my currants like a feeding with comfrey once a year but, as a rule, I look after my bushes according to the book. The advice of more experienced growers has served me well and although I have fewer bushes than I started with (so little room in city gardens) those that are left are faring well, a decade on. Red and white currants I prune lightly in spring; the blackcurrants in early winter, when I cut crowded, old or weak stems to the ground.<br />A little sugar<br /><br />Of course you can’t do much with just one bush, though you might be able to make a jar of jelly with a good crop. I make jelly each summer, partly because I enjoy letting the juice slowly drip through the cotton jelly bag into its jars, but more importantly because it allows me to make a jelly with more of the fruit’s natural bite than the commercial jellies, which I usually find too sweet. This is important because the point of a fruit jelly is often to balance the fatty qualities of meat or the richness of game birds, and too much sugar stops them doing that.<br /><br />Having said that, blackcurrants in particular are nothing without heat and sugar. I tip the fruits into a stainless steel or enamelled saucepan (their intense acidity makes aluminium unsuitable), pour in a shallow layer of water and then a mean sprinkling of sugar before bringing them to the boil. More than a tablespoon or so per 100g (3½oz) of fruit will dull their flavour. Once heat is turned down, they can simmer for 10–15 minutes until their skins have burst and the sugar has dissolved. The intense purple juices are exceptionally richly flavoured and can be served as a compote with muesli or yogurt, or spooned over a piece of sponge cake. Red and white currants take less readily to cooking, and are probably best in a fruit tart where they can glisten under a thin layer of fruit jelly.<br />Historical selections<br /><br />It is my hope that new gardeners who are so keenly embracing their cabbages and pumpkins will go on to appreciate the charms of a currant bush or two and start a renaissance of these lovely old cultivars. Many selections of currants have been with us since Victorian times, including my ‘Laxton’s Number One’ (1914). ‘Versailles Blanche’ is older (1843) and both produce long strings of tart-tasting fruit. The blackcurrant bushes available tend to be more recent cultivars, as this fruit is constantly being improved for the bottled-juice industry, which takes most of the British commercial crop.<br /><br />I have yet to grow the charming pink currants (such as ‘Hollande Rose’) that look so elegant, like Victorian jewellery – unfortunately stock is not always easy to find. The white have much the same flavour as the red, though are occasionally less sharp. I sometimes warm my whitecurrants through with a little sugar to make a compote. It is an elegant way to start the day or a finish to a meal. Generally, the less you do to a red or white currant, the more clearly their flavour can be appreciated.TheBigGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936273361166813892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916790275872824706.post-75277907141282475152009-02-18T17:18:00.000-08:002009-02-18T17:19:04.834-08:00Caring for Your OrchidsWATERING<br /><br />In the house, orchids are grown in pots filled with chips of bark, stones, treefern or some other loosely packed material, which keeps roots well-aerated and permits water to drain quickly. Nothing — repeat, nothing — kills an orchid faster than letting it sit in a water-logged pot, since a lack of oxygen will cause the roots to suffocate and rot.<br /><br />Water orchids thoroughly, usually about once a week, then allow them to dry slightly before watering again. Orchids are better equipped to withstand periods of forgetfulness than they are to being over watered.TheBigGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936273361166813892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916790275872824706.post-40921087318467356362008-08-29T16:21:00.000-07:002008-08-29T16:22:54.765-07:00Nothing Beats an Orchid Greenhouse<p class="MsoNormal">Nothing beats an orchid greenhouse.<span style=""> </span>But, there are other avenues to growing.<span style=""> </span>The cool night weather has really revived my<span style=""> </span>nasturtium plants. I’d almost forgotten they were there. Now they’re the first orange and golds of fall. It’s been awhile since I’ve had to purchase seeds of nasturtium. They’re so large, it always seems a shame not to scoop some up and save them to plant next year. They don't even need to be started indoors.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When we plant our gardens, we like vegetables.<span style=""> </span>Roses are nice to look at, and smell.<span style=""> </span>But I like to eat what I grow.<span style=""> </span>And roses don’t taste very good.<span style=""> </span>Ah, what else can I say about planting.<span style=""> </span>Hydroponics is a good way to grow.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As the fall weather approaches, we begin to think about what we need to do to protect our garden from the colder weather. The biggest danger to outdoor plants and flowers as the nights begin to grow longer and colder is frost. Frost is a huge risk to your garden as it will quickly kill your beautiful blooms and possibly, any fall vegetables that you have planted. Here are a few quick tips on how to protect your garden from frost this fall.<span style=""> </span>Start your orchid greenhouse this month.</p>TheBigGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936273361166813892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916790275872824706.post-6549490254072249102008-08-05T10:25:00.000-07:002008-08-05T10:26:32.037-07:00What you need to know about building your own Orchid Greenhouse5 things you absolutely must know about building your own orchid greenhouse!<br />- and a little bit more on the side, for the truly passionate <br /><br />You've loved orchids for your whole life, always giving them as gifts instead of regular flowers, maybe you even had your own potted orchids. Since you're so passionate, and you've clearly got the know-how, why not start your own home business as an orchid cultivator?<br /><br />But first things first. Before you can sell all those beautiful orchids, you must first build a greenhouse for them. Not only that, but you'll have to make sure you can afford growing them. It's not just a matter of putting them in the ground and then harvesting them, you have to take care of them like they were your children. Special types of soil are required, special growth ingredients, and so on. So, before you jump in head first, ask yourself this: “Am I ready to grow my own orchids? Do I have the money needed, the will power required and the crucial knowledge?” If you answered “yes,” then read on. If not, you might want to wait for a while before building your own orchid greenhouse.<br /><br />So, if you've got all it takes, then it's time to build! Check out these 5 easy steps that will get you closer to your dream:<br /><br />1. Buy the much needed building materials. I'd go for fiberglass panels, the corrugated kind, with some plastic sheeting and home insulation. These should be the basics, and they're pretty cheap.<br /><br />2. Make the plan for the orientation of the greenhouse, the foundation and what type of flooring you're gonna have. This is crucial, as the success or failure of the project will depend on your choices now.<br /><br />3. Make a blueprint of the orchid greenhouse, and also keep a separate journal for extra info, such as how you want the greenhouse partitioned, what are the growing zones and what height will the construction have.<br /><br />4. It's now time for specifics! How will you make the lower wall? Will you glaze it, or will you keep it covered? What about benching? Also, don't forget to include a storage area for all the pots you're gonna be using.<br /><br />5. Last, but not least, you should take care of the exterior environment. After all, you want your orchid greenhouse to get as much sun as possible, so clean up the area around it, make sure there's nothing keeping shade over it.<br /> <br />There you have it, the 5 steps that will get you closer than ever to building your dream orchid greenhouse. But remember, building the thing is only half the battle. The other half is taking real care of the orchids, since they're delicate, sensible flowers, and any miscalculation or fault in the greenhouse will affect their quality.<br /><br />Any plant growing business is no easy job, and if you're uncertain if you can handle it or not, our advice would be to hire professionals, as paying them will guarantee you a good job. Good luck with your orchid greenhouse!TheBigGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936273361166813892noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916790275872824706.post-64736088150024598832008-08-01T21:21:00.000-07:002008-08-01T21:34:34.360-07:00Orchid Greenhouse Information PageWelcome to my orchid greenhouse blog. The goal is to build out information on plants, growing plants, and specifically using things like an orchid greenhouse to start your plants and grow them into beautiful plants. Starting and maintaining an orchid greenhouse is a fun activity for the whole family. I would love to get feedback from any horticulturalist interested in writing about an orchid greenhouse, too.TheBigGuyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16936273361166813892noreply@blogger.com0