Does anyone know anything about gardening?

It's Ronseal Fence Life Plus tudor black oak if you're looking for the same. Be aware it needs 2-3 coats and takes forever. Also, what you can't see in the photo is that wood changes size over time so I need to go and touch up all the T&G joints because untreated wood has started to peek out. It. Never. Ends.

Ah so the 'One Coat'is nonsense then! I was looking at that exact one alright. Our timber is pressure treated though so I need to look into what's the best preservative/ stain for that.

The shed was done in Ronseal Garden Paint (Balckbird) about 4 years ago and needs a update. Want to get the two of them as close as possible.

Am I right in thinking I should be staining the fence rather than painting it though?

No idea really - I'm not a wood treatment expert, just bought a tub and spent days slapping it on the panels. I doubt your wood being pressure treated will matter.

The fence life plus is waterbased and quite gloopy. It dries to a sort of rubbery plastic, but you don't notice that once it's on the wood as it soaks in.

Haha sorry for the onslaught of questions. Thanks for the info, all good to know. Need to do a bit of research now.

I found cupranol(sp?) slightly better.

But yeah they all take forever. Lots of people recommend those spray guns. Buy one from Screwfix, so when it breaks you can get a no quibles refund to use the credit on something else.

I actually bought some Cupranol garden 'shades' paint to do an old bench. I'll see how I get on with that. Good ol screwfix! Will have no problem spending credit there

When 'painting' sheds and fences, avoid anything called paint! Paint is a surface treatment that tends to flake off at the least provocation, decking paint being the worst culprit, it tends to wear off from high traffic areas in nanoseconds.

Instead, use any of the preparations that soak into the timber (Cuprinol tends to be good). Pressure treated timber is fine for these finishes as the treatment will have dried out within weeks of leaving the pressure vats. I always use a sprayer, but beware, you MUST clean it thoroughly after use or it becomes a single use item!

or it becomes a single use item!

I diligently cleaned mine after decking oiling the kids Wendy House. Went to use it a year later and nothing. Hence my Screwfix reco. Put the credit towards an SDS so happy days.

My lillies have been extensively munched by those lily beetles this year, I've not been diligent about picking them off. However this one has still managed to flower well.

1 Attachment

Ah this is the info I needed. Was pretty sure 'paint' was a bad idea. I'll use a preservative instead. Question for you - are shed is painted using garden paint, we bought it pre painted. If I want to use the same preparation I use on the fence will I have to strip the paint of the shed? I presume I will

Yes

But I'd think carefully before you take this on - it'd be a fucker of a job. I'd repaint a complementary colour.

@hugo7 is unfortunately correct, it will flake off if you don't want it to, yet stick like shit to a blanket if you try to remove it.

Have a nice day!

Yeah I think that's the move at this stage sadly...
It might be a good opportunity to get a bit of new topsoil on to level it up and prep for future growth while I'm at it but expectations of lush carpety green growth are firmly in the past for now :(

Is it not a bit fragile as a surface covering? I only say that as we have a patch maybe 2m² that I don’t mind but children’s feet and even just the lawnmower wheels running over it seem to tear it to pieces…

It's a pretty low traffic spot and no kids yet but I do hope my dog doesn't decide it looks like fun to dig 😅

I've consulted my Dad (this is the thing I ought to have done in the first place as he has a masters in farming and is very green fingered...)
I'm going to basically plough the current soil in and mix in a bag of granite sand while I'm at it to provide long lasting soil acidification.
Then I'm leveling it and packing it to help with moisture retention and adding a layer of 50:50 topsoil/ peat mix on top.
I'm going to try transplanting some moss on to this then but worst case scenario it should be a good hang for some moss to take again of its own accord

Fingers crossed.

Looking fwd to hearing how it goes.

Before, during and after pics please.

While all the wood treatment chat is going on, what should I slap on the treated oak pergola I built at our allotment? It's been five years or so and there's a bit of green growing on it now. Do I need to scrub anything? Please say no

Oak pergola in your allotment?!! Lucky bugger. I’d leave it be personally.

In other news I think I’ve timed it perfectly again this year, that my tomatoes will mostly become ripe just when we go away to Norfolk for our summer holiday. Every. Time.

wood was still reasonably priced back then :'(

I think you can pick em green and ripen them at home/in Norfolk?

I guess so (I tend to do this in September with the stragglers) but they never taste as good. Last couple of years I asked a green fingered neighbour to water but tomatoes are fickle to an owners regime and I always return to half of fruit split and the flies having a feast. Saying that, I probably kill hers too so fair’s fair.

2 Attachments

What about taking them out the greenhouse to slow them down?

How long are you away for? My (admittedly non-greenhouse) toms normally crop for a good 5-6 weeks or so, maybe longer.

A couple of weeks so I'm back to looking at drip feed irrigation gadgets. You are right though, I'm just being a precious gardening twat. As my son recently said "Dad, all you care about is Buxus, there are more important things in life, you know?"

@hugo7 Hadn't thought of that, bet the squirrels would have a field day. I've grown some toms outside before when I've had spares but they always seem to develop tough skins, probably not a problem if it's just at the end. Will consider...

First time tomato grower, they’ve gone a bit floppy though and seem a little ill. Too much water? Not enough? Feed them? Three varieties here btw.

2 Attachments