What I did today 2020

[rary]

Planted up some onions half in ground treated with chicken manure, the other half in ground treated with some limestone and wood Ash, have also planted them closer than normal, just adapting a bit from the SFG.

[SarrissUK]

I have potted on 19 of my 22 varieties of tomato and I am officially out of room in the house. I've taken one of each variety and put them in the cold frame along with the sweetcorn that germinated. Sowed more sweetcorn, minipop and glass gem. I sowed the alpine strawberry seeds from VC in the latest seed swap (thank you!), two kinds of sunflowers, and potted on my tomatillos. Lots done, now coffee

[jayjaybee]

When did you put them to chit, and how warm are you keeping them? If you can keep them 25c+ then they should sprout withing 3 days.
The mould is not necessarily a problem. Half of mine go mouldy within 48 hours, but they still sprout. I think it's just because they have so much sugar in them, and the mould is growing on that.

Thanks Ameno, they were last year's seed, which I thought would be ok. Chitting in warm airing cupboard on damp kitchen towel for 3 days as I have done for more years than I like to admit. Have put a second lot to chit, we'll see what happens. Those that did pop are now in root trainers.

[ameno]

Potted up some more sprouted runner beans, and one sprouted squash seed. I'm running out of both space and pots...

Started digging the other half of the big bed. The soil was rock hard; hope we get some rain soon. Also lined the bottom edge with roof tiles.

Thinned my new Williams pear tree, which has set masses of fruit, despite only being planted in February. I know you shouldn't really let them fruit at all in the first year, but I always like to let them have one or two if they flower, partly to sample them and partly to check it's the right variety.

[ameno]

Potted moremore beans. Also potted up four more rooted sweet potato cuttings, and took four more cuttings and put them in water (probably the last, since the parent plants look on their last legs). Assuming these latest four take, I'll have 16 sweet potato plants. Possibly too many...

Weeded around the onions.
Dug some more of the big bed.

I also noticed a lot of interesting seedlings coming up in my new asparagus bed. I brought a load of garden compost from home to improve the soil, so the seeds must be from that.
There are dozens of tomato seedlings, a sunflower, and at least half a dozen melons. If they survive on their own until mid-May then I may transplant them elsewhere to grow.

[ameno]

More digging of the big bed.

I also sowed some more broccoli seeds, as half of the ones I planted out have died due to something eating the stem.
They are not severed all the way through, but just completely ringed all the way around the stem, so I have ruled out cutworms. I think it's either flea beetle (do they eat the stem?), tiny slugs, or black ants, which are nesting right under several of the plants.

[woodlouse]

- Sowed a line of carrot seeds next to my over wintered beans. Only reason because I could see a slot that was not already taken, acording to my master plan.... which involves a sheet of A4 paper and lots of scribbles. Not really bothered as they were free seeds, but if they seem to be doing well I'll thin them out and give 'em some love.

- spent a good few hours assaulting the sprawing ivey that has grown over my fence and is attacking my greenhouse. Gotta respect the way it seems to have started growing up the back of the greenhouse and targeting the metal clips used to keep the glass panes in place. I hate it, but have to give it props for finding the best possible way to annoy me today. Shout out to my ivey nemesis.

- Started snipping out my chili plants with much guilt. Everything I have read tells me to do so and is good, but I feel like a monster and a traitor to my babies.

- Planted my initial batch of sunflowers out and hope they do well. It's on you guys now. I held off as long as I could, but it's getting beyond a joke. Got a second batch if the first get a frosty bit.

- Enjoyed a cup of tea in the sun with my cat chilling. eventually she went for a poo, and I soon followed suit but inside.

- Still flicking through my seed box to hopefully find something I missed and can sow tomorrow. No luck so far.

[bikermike]

(well, yesterday but anyway...)
built a bean frame out of angle-iron (I've made it a bit tall which will make putting it in interesting... sprayed it with Lidl "hammer-effect" green paint which has gone remarkably well on rusty iron).
potted on various tomatoes
finally started a bean assay on my new compost.
planted out beetroot.
Turned my compost heap (well, 2-3 and took a bit of the middle of 1 into 2).

It's all starting to happen out there.

Built a trebuchet as well, but that's not strictly garden...

[ameno]

Potted up the last of my beans.
Repotted three chilli plants.

Did some more digging at the allotment, and a little weeding. Noticed the potatoes I planted two weeks ago are starting to come up already.
I also caught the ants red-handed, a dozen or more of them chewing through one of the remaining broccoli stems. I'm going to Wilko anyway tomorrow, so I shall get some ant nest killer.

[1Bee]

Built a trebuchet as well, but that's not strictly garden...

I need to know more about the trebuchet....

[muckdiva]

I ‘gave Peas a Chance’. Sowed a handful of suma dried peas for pea shoots, then on to the real ones - an egg tray full of Oskar, and 10 each of heritage varieties Winfreda and Harrison Glory.

[Plot70]

I planted out two beds with Kohlrabi and broccoli.
The forecast is cooler and wetter weather so they will not dry out while they are settling in.

[ameno]

Too wet to go to the allotment today, so I did some jobs at home in between the rain.
I potted up my sprouted broccoli seeds, potted on my melon plants into bigger pots, repotted the two blueberry plants I bought with that offer on here not long ago, repotted some of my citrus plants, and planted out four oca plants in the mini raised bed on my patio. The others shall go out at the allotment in the next few days.

[bramble]

Planted up two hanging baskets.
Potted on my cucumbers and squash.
Put in more supports for the sweetpeas.
Watered everything as we havnt rain for the past six weeks.

[elsie-scot]

Needing rain here too Bramble. I know I’ll regret saying that!
Been fitting in spells of weeding, reorganising garden layout, sowing seeds and watering.
Ground elder still winning battle in front but I am currently ahead in back garden.