The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Sebbster]

Lovely Easter weekend with a couple of long visits to the allotment. Although early morning the weather is stifling when trying to rid the ground of couch grass and nettles and no matter how many stones I clear away, another million rise to the surface when digging and raking.

So, I have planted my early carrots and beetroot. Still unsure how well the root veggies will grown given how stony the ground is but cant really have an allotment without at least trying to grow some carrots.

Took my 10 year old son down on Saturday who quickly got given a job of moving the timber from the vacant allotment to mine, got half way through this and got bored and worn out so I set him the task of transplanting the sunflowers into bigger pots and a few into the ground. This it seems was more enjoyable for him. (Pics on blog)

Got some water butts together under the shed and now just need to get some guttering for the next downpour, although at this time am unsure when that might be.

At home the broccoli is pretty ready for planting out, I'm just waiting for some wondermesh to arrive before I plant out any brassicas as I fully intend to grow all these under cover. I did however dig in some lime to the brassica bed to ready it.

I have 50 pot marigold which are all now gladly showing. Tomato's are coming on a treat although growing so fast I am running out of places to put them. The chili's have yet to germinate but I'm not worried about them at the moment.

Not planted any lettuce outside yet but in the g'house got lots of plants growing so wont be long. Sowed some cucumbers but it's my first time trying to grow them so not sure how I'll get on.

Next task is a difficult one, have to clear enough room for 5 rows of main crop potatoes, which may sound easy but in fact it's ground that has not been dug for 7 months and is now sprouting nettles and docks. Will be hard work and not much time to do it in. One hour per week day after work should make a nice dent in this.

[Peter]

Been a good boy today.

Went up the allotment and cut up the half a tree I cut down yesterday, met a prospective tenant and let 2a to her.
Went home, came back with first the Merry Tiller and subsquently the Howard 350 and rotovated Kathy's plot, they were struggling to break the clods up. Got given £5 for petrol and a bottle of sloe gin and a promise of help with stringing the wire on the new fence.
Fitted the Howard with the ridger, went and got my four trays of chitted potatoes, noticed that the Jack Russell I had glimpsed wandering round the park for the previous couple of hours was still doing so.
Went dog catching with the help of a nice man with a small dog on a lead as Mr JR was not susceptible to dog biscuits. While JR was sniffing the other dog he was collared.
Then I picked him up, nice doggie tried half heartedly to chew my hand, then gave up. No tag, no sign of owner, no council dog warden outside office hours, no police interest at control room and only person at our cop-shop was out getting a sarnie! So rang and took Mr JR to our local animal rescue charity.
Resumed gardening, drew four nice furrows, wife rang, Gus had been re-united with his distraught owner after his escape , planted two 30# rows of Charlotte and two 30' rows of Nicola. Removed the ridger and rotovated between the drawn up ridges, then re-rotovated the other days area, still won't break down to tilth as set hard by the sun.
Mowed the lawns, re=packed everything back in the shed, had tea and finished with a nice after dark bonfire.

[Mrs Dobby]

Didnt manage to get down to the plot for any work yesterday, as we decided to go and get a couple of bits n bobs from the GC, then realised we really needed to get a new barbeque (as we were planning on having one last night and Bella - the dog - knocked over and broke the leg of our old one), so sorted that out and then spent a couple of hours giving the house a good clean and tidy (we've been working so hard at work and on the plot that its been a bit neglected of late, so thought it was about time!)

Then put up the gazebo in the back yard (it looked a little chancey for a bit of rain), and sorted out some food for the barbie! Had 2 (non GYO) friends turn up for the barbie, then Yo and Robin turned up at about 7pm, took them for a quick look at the plot, picked some more radishes and back to find that Mr D had the new barbie up and running! Then spent a lovely evening cooking and eating with some good friends!

Now got to do a bit on the plot and then plant up some hanging baskets and planters with strawbs, plus pot on some of the toms and then do some more sowing!

[shirlthegirl43]

Hope these pics work okay - before and as far as we got with the greenhouse work over the weekend. Also got my raised bed dug over and now planning what to put in there - think it might be peas and beans this year - or maybe onions, or ..... oh dear, I think I need to dig another bed!

[seasprout]

Today.

Planted out some Rondo pea plants, planted out some Ladybird poppy and Cornflower plants that I grew as plugs.

Sowed Courgette seeds in my new greenhouse.

[pigletwillie]

The new tunnels doors are now hung and working ok. Several trays of flower plugs were taken to the plots and put in the cold frame. A grape vine was planted in the corner of the tunnel and will in time be trained down wires along the length of it.

Carrots and raddish were sown as was a horse radish thong into a bottomless barrel to contain the new roots that will grow.

[Flummery]

I sowed a staggered row of Oregon Sugar Pod peas in some recycled guttering in the greenhouse. Got 2 pieces so I'll sow more when these peep through.
Went to North Cave Wetlands this afternoon for an hour's birdwatching. Avocets pairing up for the season.

[TonyF]

Just showered after a long day in the garden. Finished sorting the compost bins, dug out bin No 1 - never emptied in the two years I've been here, put all the newer stuff into bins 2, 3 and 4, put a pallet covered in black polythene on bin 2 to close that down now, grass cuttings etc etc etc.

Nice lunch on the terrace, cabecou chaude and salad with a glass of chardonnay - 25 degrees at 2 pm - and then started to put the new raised beds in, started to dig the compost into the older beds.

Knackered now - and had no running water all day, lucky I always have a huge stock of bottled water but back on now and just had a glorious shower.

As Van the Man says - 'why can't life always be like this' ..........

[Pottypotter]

Sowed 2 types of sweetcorn 3 types of cucumber, butternut squash and mixed flowers for hanging baskets.

[heebiejeebie]

Lots of bits and pieces today!

Went to Wilko for some glue and a rake, also came out with a tray of trailing petunia plug plants and another tray of geraniums. Oh, and some dahlia tubers and some asparagus crowns...

So I went home and planted the asparagus in the lottie, watered everywhere I have planted recently, filled the water butt ready for the next hosepipe ban, looked at the space remaining in the near plot and estimated about 20 caulis will fit. Need to prepare another brassica bed in the far plot for the cabbages and the swede! Spent a merry half hour thumping the big clods on the brassica bed into smaller clods.

For the past week, whenever I get working in the lottie a robin comes and joins me. He seems to have associated "human-with-fork" with "easy to reach worms". He gets really close - a couple of feet away - and picks up whatever I've unearthed. (Unless I'm being supervised in the lottie by my moggies).

After that, I decided the garden needed some attention. It's a work in progress! One half is bare and waiting for grass seed. I'm waiting until rain is forecast before sowing though! I thought I'd break up the lumps and tread it flat but I found the fruiting bodies of AAAAAAGH HORSETAIL peeping up through the soil. So I forked, grubbed about, pulled up as much as I could get, forked some more... I think I might just keep weeding until nothing else comes up and put seed down next year. The bark chip mulch on the other half of the front garden has done a pretty good job - not much unauthorised vegetation there! Accidentally unearthed the most amazing tuber I've ever seen - looked like a kilo of new potatoes all fused together. Replanted it, and can't wait to see what appears. Forgotten what I planted there last year already!

Next, I made up a couple of hanging baskets and some planters for the terrace. Investigated the contents of the plastic planthouse and discovered that the red lettuce and the swede are germinating

[johnty greentoes]

Finally took delivery of free compost bin from t'council. Only took 4 weeks. Council are in a deal with a 3rd party who funded by govt! begs a few questions...

Planted up a rowan tree in a very large pot after taking up a paver on my patio to discover a further 2 inches of concrete beneath that. Also planted up hollyhocks, foxgloves, climbing hydrangea, honeysuckle.

Mooched around shops looking at wooden planters thinking I could make better - so I will.

Sat in lovely sun and read more of Iris Murdoch The Sea The Sea.

Also spent 3 hours finalising a bid to the Big Lottery for a local charity. £600k! It might be us!

[yoanbob]

mmmm been on the omlet web site, dreaming about an eglu cube!!!!!
need some rain for my grass seed, and to help me dig. put ant bait down, we are infested with red ants, painted BBQ with heat proof paint, hope it works, it was going rusty. discovered anti cat pellets hav'nt worked, oh well back to the drawing board.

[yoanbob]

oh and planted out rhubarb tuber from mrs dobby!

[Waffler]

Read half of this months GYO, sowed some lettuces and mixed salad leaves, sowed over 100 sweet pea seeds (they had started to sprout on the paper from Saturday, and were just starting to show a little bit of 'fur' over the top, so it had to be done). I also did plenty of watering and discovered the basil are germinating very well (only sown 4 days ago) and I have 1 sprout seedling and 1 red cabbage seedling.

[Peter]

Aren't the longer evenings useful?
Re-planted the garlic I had left soaking in water a couple of days ago, used the leek technique.
Hoed with a claw hoe amongst the black and red currents.
Also planted another fencepost.