Tomato plant suffering from the cold

Unfortunately one of my tomato plants wasn't looking too healthy on the afternoon of the 19th March.

The hot water in the tandoori pot has generally kept the mini-greenhouse from freezing, but one of the cherry tomato plants was close to the side and in the path of some cold air coming in.

Around 5pm I moved this plant from the greenhouse to the windowsill.

An few hours later it had perked up a bit.

Snowfall in Cornwall

There was some snow in Cornwall today, here it is in Truro.

Despite placing the tandorri pot containing hot water in the greenhouse, by morning it had dropped to 1°C.

Around 10am. The temperature exceeded 5°C after a while (with new hot water in the pot)

Snow covering my parents greenhouse. Some echiums are sheltering in the greenhouse and chilli plants, which time will tell whether they come back from winter dormancy or remain in permament dormancy.

Sweet pea seedlings and a Chilean guava cutting.

Snow covering the glass

Dormant chilli plants.

Snow covering the hanging baskets

Strawberry plant covered in snow

The greenhouse covered with a fleece for the benefit of the tomatoes and chillis within

Snow covered plants again

Tomatoes and chillis in mini-greenhouse outside

The weather was getting warmer this time last week so I put my mini greenhouse outdoors and the tomato plants into it, along with some of my chilli seedlings. Thus far they have done OK, although it looks like frost again tonight with possibility of snow.

The primrose plant flowering in a hanging basket containing some strawberry plants as well

Daffodils on the left, with a blueberry plant along with some strawberry plants that I grew from runners last year. The spruce in the pot isn't looking too healthy, with most of the needles turned brown.

Some new growth is evident on the transplanted strawberry plants.

Dwarf daffodils, and some crocuses that have been beaten down by recent rain. Some sweet pea plants that I grew from an autumn sowing have recently been planted, although I have kept the better seedlings in my parents greenhouse to wait until the daffodils finish before transplanting them.

The mini greenhouse, showing tomato plants and chilli seedlings.

A temperature sensor is located in between the two trays, one of which contains chilli seedlings from my own plants from last year, and the other seeds ordered from Greece.

the two plants on the right are Chilean guava (Ugni molinae).

The temperature sensor display, showing the external sensor with a temperature of 4.5°C at this time. I have put a tandorri pot, filled with hot water from the kettle, in an effort to keep the greenhouse temperature above freezing. I first did this around 9pm but didn't add any insulation to the greenhouse, and then did so again from 12:30am the original water being cool by then, and added a flanel shirt and fleece jacket to the greenhouse.

a fleece covering the top of the greenhouse

The tandoori pot filled with hot water

The temperature was at just over 2°C before the hot water was put in, and rose to 4°C a few minutes after the picture was taken.

Skinners Brewery Tour in Kernewek

The Prag Na project (blog, facebook) has been organising social events using the Cornish language, and one of these was a tour of Skinners Brewery Truro on 16th March.

We had an excellent tour thanks to Emma from Skinners Brewery and Pol Hodge translating into Kernewek. Of course we also sampled the very good ales, and had a pasty. Once a few pints of ale were down we sang a few songs in Kernewek and much merriment was had by all.

We even had a story by Loveday and Pol about saints Piran and Patrick (recording by Rob Lawrance)


Here are some pictures of the event:

Emma from Skinners along with Pol Hodge translating into Cornish

Boxes of hops. These are not grown in Cornwall as the climate isn't very suitable but can be from a number of sources including Kent, Worcestershire, USA, Czech Republic and Slovenia.

In the vessel pictured, steam is added to the barley to produce a liquid known as 'wort'.

The copper on the right was formerly used in a Scotch whisky distillery