Help.... Need Activity for 75 year old cocooning!

Cypresstree

Hi everyone

Please bear with me!

My mum is 75 years old, very active, and very independent! She missing her grand-kids desperately, and struggling with her confinement!!

I'm looking for something to distract her!

She is a keen gardener, and has a lovely enclosed back garden with plenty of sunshine!

I'm thinking about getting her a small (relatively cheap) greenhouse/poly tunnel. Could I ask for suggestions? There are loads on Amazon etc, but I don't know what I'm buying!

Also what kind of seeds etc should I get her?

Really, what I want to do is drop a big box at her front door with everything she needs in it!

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you

Harry Palmr

For me a greenhouse would be a waste of money for this season now it's already April - by there time you get it and put it up it'll be May basically at which point it's primary role is over unless you fancy growing chilies and other exotica.

Go with the obvious cos that's what usually works - right now Lild have tomato plants in stock so rush out and buy two or three and they can be cultivated on a south facing window sill for the next month or so and then transplanted into a big pots outdoors if you have a sheltered and sunny spot or they can be grown fully indoors in a sunny room (they are probably bush rather than vine varieties).

Herbs usually go down well if only cos they smell nice, so a selection box of them, some cut and come salad leaves sow in trays, grow for the first month or so and then prick out the strongest and transfer to a bigger container - you can make a bed or just buy "grow bags" that you plonk the rootball seedlings into. Salad leaves don't need any great depth of material to thrive.

https://twitter.com/giyireland/status/1247443058691620865

big image here of chart here.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EU_OD7nXQAEnNaj?format=jpg&name=small

Cypresstree

Wow, thank you so much! I'll head for Lidl this evening!
Thanks again!

looksee

Agree about the greenhouse. We just put up a polytunnel of the type you are thinking about, and it was a major undertaking and not nearly as easy as the pics would suggest. Its fine now but I could not have done it on my own (similar demographic to your mother).

The biggest problem at the moment is getting compost, our local lidl was sold out yesterday and everywhere else is closed - around here anyway.

_Brian

Cypresstree wrote: »

Hi everyone

Please bear with me!

My mum is 75 years old, very active, and very independent! She missing her grand-kids desperately, and struggling with her confinement!!

I'm looking for something to distract her!

She is a keen gardener, and has a lovely enclosed back garden with plenty of sunshine!

I'm thinking about getting her a small (relatively cheap) greenhouse/poly tunnel. Could I ask for suggestions? There are loads on Amazon etc, but I don't know what I'm buying!

Also what kind of seeds etc should I get her?

Really, what I want to do is drop a big box at her front door with everything she needs in it!

Any help is appreciated!

Thank you

We got mum a cheap tunnel and had it up for Mother’s Day because of the impending lockdown. She’s never out of it now. Just loves it. Has seeds going and brings in pots to work on them out of the breeze as it’s exposed round these parts.

Best thing ever.

I’d say do it. There will be plenty of bad weather from now on that the tunnel allows a body out to work on.

We have one here ourselves and use it all summer long.

Sundew

Have you checked out vegepods...I came across them in a garden centre a few months back and saw a display model with veg in it. It was a pretty neat They are expensive though!

Cypresstree

_Brian wrote: »

We got mum a cheap tunnel and had it up for Mother’s Day because of the impending lockdown. She’s never out of it now. Just loves it. Has seeds going and brings in pots to work on them out of the breeze as it’s exposed round these parts.

Best thing ever.

I’d say do it. There will be plenty of bad weather from now on that the tunnel allows a body out to work on.

We have one here ourselves and use it all summer long.

Where did you get the polytunnel? Is it on the ground? mum might have a bit of trouble bending up and down to tend to it.

Thanks a million for all the replies!

Cypresstree

Again, please remember... I am not a gardener at all, I have no clue!

Also I've been to both Lidls this week, and there's nothing left of any use! Everyone must have the same idea!

looksee

Yes those are good, but they do require very serious anchoring to the ground or you will only have it till the first breezy day. The plastic is tied to the frame, but then the frame needs to be anchored to the ground - I resorted to throwing a rope over the whole thing and tying it on each side to a stack of a couple of concrete blocks. It will only last a season or two, but they are good while they last. Take the plastic off and store it over the winter.