The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[pigletwillie]

Finally caught to mouse eating my sweetcorn this evening

Earlier I ordered my new polytunnels cover which is being delivered tommorow and hopefully will be fitted on Sunday if the new tunnel is finished in time.

[Norm]

27 miles south of Snadger, enjoying the same weather, I potted on 60 strawbs, 36 cabbage, 36 brocoli and set the leeks away. I also looked at the pea and bean packets and put them down again. Measured some plastic piping to cut for the polytunnel I'm going to build for SWMBO. Trimmed the wicks in the heaters in my polytunnel and greenhouse, refilled and relit. Fed and watered the grape vine. Drove home and remembered I'd left my backie tin on the bench outside the polytunnel.

[willowstar]

I sowed some free lobelia seeds I got at the weekend, fretted over my australian yellow leaf lettuce which has yet to appear, even though the over lettuce seeds I sowed on the same day are doing really well. I constructed a sort of chicken wire support thing for my pea plants which I am going to plant out tomorrow and protect with the tops of the water bottles I have been saving. this evening i sat out in my garden with a glass of wine and listened to the birds and felt pretty happy.

[Percy T]

wow

you all put me to shame all I have done today (garden wise)

This morning looked in on my seedlinglings

sweeped the patio ready for cleaning in the next few days and watered my seedlings this eveing.

watering is a real problem at the moment altho I have a rose on my watering can its lets out far to much water and almost drowns my seedlings most days tho I have been spraying them with a water spray.

I have ordered a new watering can that is supposed to not drown the seedlings

[BayViewPlot]

Yippeee!

Collected an 8' x 6' shed from a great and very generous) 'Freecycle' Member!

Has taken me 5 hours to dismantle, drive across town in 2 loads and single handedly drag them to a pile on my allotment

I ache!

And Freecycle rules!

[johnty greentoes]

Planted leek seeds after receiving gift in the post from Haze. I think the seeds may originate in Manchester as the variety was labelled Dobby.

Had great fun rubbing the seed husks off and letting the semi-stiff NE breeze blow away the chaff.

Sowed Nigella (i.e. love-in-a-mist, not the Lovely Mrs Saatchi).

Worried over all my seed trays that were sown 3 days ago - can't wait to see the first shoots. Maybe tomorrow.

Took son and friend to the beach at Hornsea. Very cold. Found the leisure centre more inviting. Read The Alchemist Pauolo Cohello. His style is beginning to bug me (a bit self-assured/smug - like a lot of "wisdom" writers) still a classic read.

Recalculated value for money plot data see http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ead.php?t=6026

[Mrs Dobby]

Yesterday was gorgeous, and we were both off, so lots got done, both at home and at the plot!

We planted up a long 'windowsill' type planter (8" wide, 8" deep by about 30" long) with some cut and come again mixed salad leaves, planted up 4 buckets (55l) with our heritage spuds (courtesy of Crazy Chickie), 4 varieties, and then rotated the indoor seedlings, bringing the larger toms into the kitchen windowsil (which is bare because the toms that were there are now in the plastic walk in greenhouse in the back yard), and checking / watering everything else in the windowsills (Biggest Big Jim is now 8" tall!) then had lunch sat in the sunshine in the back yard, then went down to the plot!

Got to the plot at about 1pm, hoed and perennials that were showing their heads, checked on the radishes in the greenhouse (some are going to be ready to eat very soon now methinks!), checked the tadpoles in the pond, then did some planting out and some sowing of seeds!

32 of PW's Banana Shallots were then planted out, and another 3 rows were sown direct, then we planted out another 12 of Earthbabes Parsnips that have germinated in loo roll centers and been hardening off for the past week.

Planted out the remaining 12 Ailsa Craig onions that we sowed (from seed) in January, and sowed another 18 (3 rows of 6), planted the 5 Iceberg lettuce that have been hardening off for the past week, and planted out another 12 carrots (loo rolls again).

After that we gave everything a good watering and came home to do some more propogating!

Sowed a tray of Musselburgh Leeks, 18 Parsnips (Tender & True) in loo rolls (have now run out of loo rolls! ), another tray of PW's Banana Shallot, a module tray of Ailsa Craig Onions and a module tray of spring onions (5 to a module), then went to bed!

Working now until Monday, so wont be getting too much done for the next few days, tho have got Yo (YoanBob) coming for some tea on Saturday, hopefully we'll get chance to pop to the plot with her then!

[Flummery]

A friend dropped off 2 lengths of elderly guttering for pea raising. Can I ask all you lovely people who have done this before, do you make drainage holes in it? I would assume you do but have never heard anyone mention the fact. I eagerly await your instructions before pressing on!

I put a few Carnival Squash and Zuchini courgettes into 3" pots. Spent the rest of the time admiring my babies and counting and re-counting the 2 broadbeans which have emerged!

[Hans Mum]

spent an hour after work at the lottie, put 2 rows of spuds in, cleared round the strawbs and then sat and watched a fox for 10mins.
Last day at work today and all next week off so every day at the lottie

[heebiejeebie]

Yesterday - snatched 90 mins and planted a few more desiree spuds, forked over another part of the near half of the plot (only a couple of rows' worth - previously uncultivated heavy clay soil! - but gradually getting there) & weeded part of the far half. Noticed that the PSB has been eaten away. Grrr.

Today's plans - a couple of hours split between forking and weeding. Might reward myself with some planting - jerusalem artichokes and strawberry bed.

[HappyMouffe]

Just come back from spending about 4 hours down the lottie - started grey but ended in glorious sunshine.

I: re-dug 2 beds (got more horsetail roots out); weeded asparagus bed and poked about to see if I could find any signs of growth (not that it'll do me any good, as it's their 1st year so I can't pick any); planted out the crimson-flowered broad beans & yellow podded mangetout; planted some potatoes ('Bonnie'); and watched loads of fellow allotment holders appear out of the woodwork to fill a skip which had appeared. The skip was empty when I arrived and overflowing when I left - I've never seen so many people on the site! Water is now back on at the ste - spring has arrived!

Back down tomorrow, as I forgot to take my onion sets down & forgot the marker pen for labels, so couldnt sow any seeds (don't trust my memory!).

Some more seeds were delivered today 've now got enough to feed us for around 10 years

[Norm]

Today I sorted out 2 disasters (I hope!). Arrived at the lottie to find a beautiful water fountain - one of the water trough couplings had come adrift - so I shut off the water to the entire allotment and contacted the co-ordinator and as it was her husband who fashioned a repair 2 weeks ago, it's their problem, so the council can have the water bill.
Then I got down to my plot to find one of the parafin heaters had thrown a wobbler and the greenhouse was a black house and everything was covered in soot. I had to take 12 trays of seedlings and the grape vine out, spray the soot off the leaves, then set to and clean out the greenhouse.
Now it's fingers crossed that everything survives.

[Snadger]

Decided to have a seed sowing and potting on day today. First I needed labels and couldn't find scissors so finished up disecting a plastic milk container with a stanley knife!
Guess what? Opened the packets of herb seeds I had recieved from Nicky's nursery, and in each packet there was a plant label!!!

Sowed, Anise,Bergamot,Thyme,Lavender,Marjoram and Marsh Mallow.

Pricked out tomato's Gardeners Delight, Roma, Marmande and now have 40 of each in trays. Pricked out Dahlia seedlings (Bishops children) as well! Started off the pricking out indoors in the greenhouse but because it was a nice sunny day decided to make an impromptu potting bench from an upturned dustbin with a wooden tray on top, and did most of the pricking out, out of doors. Much pleasanter than being stuck indoors on a sunny day!

Cold greenhouse at other end of lottie is now filling up as I move plants there to harden off. Made a makeshift bench from the same upturned bin with a wide long board on top. Moved quite a few plants, mainly onions and brassicas, to start the hardening off process!
John, who has the lottie along from me was just arriving with his grey Fergie as I was leaving, because it was a nice day he had donned his Fergie Owners Club hat and been out for a drive in the sunshine!

[Waffler]

Another pretty productive day - and what fantastic weather for spending the day in the garden!
I spent a couple of hours digging out couch grass and pulling out last years bindweed from various shrubs. Nasty stuff!!!
Planted a honeysuckle.
Did some garden tidying.
Sowed:
sweet peppers: big banana & sweet salad;
thai basil;
coriander;
cabbages: red cap, primo & shelta (red, white & green, rather than red, white & blue!);
gypsophila.

Also filled the pond - but that's pretty simple: hose in pond, tap on, leave for 10 or so hours - DO NOT FORGET TO TURN TAP OFF BEFORE BEDTIME! (It's been done before without adverse repercussions.)

[Waffler]

I almost forgot - I also potted on 70 geraniums that arrived in plugs from Jersey this morning.