The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Peter]

Re-edged one side of the herb-patch with existing bricks and deposited 300L of bark mulch on it.
300L only covered one sixth.

Will have to find a tame tree surgeon to secure a supply of shreddings.

[chicky]

Planted some corn on the cob,pumpkins and more leeks and have put them into my green house have been hardening off a tray of leeks which are doing really well (fingers crossed that they continue to do so!). Checked my tomato plants which have all of a sudden just shot up!! I am really enjoying all of this gardening! It's so satisfying watching things grow!

[nick the grief]

Today I pricked out some tomatoes ....

42 Gardeners Delight
10 Cedrico
10 Cream Sausage
20 Moneymaker

.... think I may have overdone things No they are for our plant sale well some of them are.

Yesterday I potted up about 60 Chrysanths & some more spuds in pots

[Nicos]

Onions and shallots in today- 27 days earlier than last year!

[Snadger]

Today, after 2 years, I finally got round to linking my water butts together with hosepipe...now when I empty one, it gets topped up by the others.
also, sowed radish and beetroot under cloches. Hardening off peas and sweet peas

Have you got any piccies showing how you did it TS? I've got about half a dozen butts down each side of my two lotties and was thinking of linking them together. The lotties on a slope and has a greenhouse on the top right and a shed/chicken hut on the top left, which during the rainy season should have enough roof area to fill all the butts!
The trouble is, it isn't a severe slope so where they are positioned the higher butts bottom isn't above the top level of the next butt in line, if you see what I mean, but is well above the bottom butt??? I suppose this sounds as clear as mud???
Cripes, now even I'm confused!

[Snadger]

Today I transplanted Autumn sown broad beans from my old allotment to my new allotment! They are one foot high and in flower but are a scarlet seeded variety(who's name escapes me at the mo!) and I didn't want to leave them. I took a lot of soil with each and was very surprised how much of a nitrogen fixated taproot was on them. I have re-planted them deeply and flooded them with water to try and stop them going limp. A few wooden posts and some string should keep them upright and they are in a better position on my new plot than the frost pocket where they were situated on my old! This is not a recommended practice, I know, but I have taken all possible precautions and hope for a bumper crop!

[Flummery]

I've done lots of seed sowing yesterday and today. Baby Bear pumpkins, Sweet Dumpling squash, cucumber Marketmore - all the things I've been waiting for April for! More to sow tomorrow.

I also put parsnip seeds on wet paper towel to germinate. Saving my loo roll middles. Thanks for all the tips everyone!

[Two_Sheds]

It still feels too cold to be sowing (10 degrees yesterday, 8 today).

Snadger, sorry no pics of butts yet but I will get one thursday.
For now:
1) line up your butts all the same height. Some will have to go down into holes, others raised up a bit probably.
2) Cut a notch into each butt for the hosepipe to rest in. Cut a piece of hose the height of each butt plus a bit to reach across between them (the hose needs to reach the bottom of each butt).
3) Half fill your butts, or just fill one of them (then you can watch it go down as they level each other out)
4) Now for the hard bit...fill up your hose with water and hold the ends till you get them into the butts - if you let go and you get air in, it won't work. You can suck on one end to siphon if you want, or filling from a tap is more hygienic

You can link up loads and loads this way...just make sure your hose stays in the water and doesn't get air in it.

[heebiejeebie]

Planted arran earlies, desiree and anya spuds.

(spent the last 3 days' spare time digging over the ground and removing as much root as possible from the previously uncultivated bit of plot and added some chicken manure pellets)

[Snadger]

Busy in allotment again today as I have taken a week off work! It was bitterly cold so decided to do some inside jobs. Made two trestles out of pallet wood for the cold greenhouse. I intend using one side of it as a cold frame for hardening off plants that have come out of my other heated greenhouse. Used a 6'0" offcut of melamine worktop as a temporary bench top. Dug out thistles from greenhouse bedsoil, then retired to the heated greenhouse for some potting on.
Potted on 40 sprouts, 40 cauli's, 12 red cabbage, 40 Red Sprouts(got seeds with my MOM pack!)
Spent an hour chopping timber for my stove, made some lentil and onion soup for lunch on it!
Finally before I came away I dug out a four foot length of guttering and made wooden ends for it , fastened on with gaffer tape. Heated up a poker in stove and burned holes through the plastic guttering every 3" for drainage.
Filled with compost and sowed my Purple podded peas in it that I saved from last year. Never used the guttering method before but it seems like a good idea!
Banked up the stove and set off for home, well pleased with my days endeavours!

[johnty greentoes]

Because of rain and very cold NE wind I took kid & friend to a most wonderful place called The Deep. Totally inspiring, the diversity of life in the seas is just wonderful. Got up close and personal with rays and a sawfish. http://www.thedeep.co.uk/

Watched for any signs of germination on all my windowsills. Nothing yet.

[sewer rat]

Took delivery of my easy-seeder, 50m of 48" wide capillary matting and another two cases of plug trays. Planted broad beans and runner beans to fulfil an order, negotiated for three (free ) IBC tanks - being delivered tomorrow, and then planted approx 3500 onion sets - another 3000 tomorrow !
Came home and updated my accounts, logged onto Vine and now my back is seizing up so I'm off for a Radox soak

[shirlthegirl43]

A bit of a small achievement after Rat's post yesterday, but...
I moved the compost from one dalek to another and gave it a good stir - seems to be coming along nicely. Planted 3 buckets with Duke of York (I stagger the spud planting to keep a nice fresh supply later). Potted on 6 tomatoes - 3 Sophie's Choice and 3 Golden Sunshine (or something). Admired my beetroot and celery seedlings - does celery really grow sooooo slowly? Was surprised how many salad seedlings have shown through from a sowing on Sunday morning (they are supposed to be ready to eat in 3 weeks - starting to believe it). Also planted 3 crystal apple cucumer and 3 burpless tasty green then cursed my rubbish memory (not normally like this but a bad spell with CFS/ME has kyboshed it) as I couldn't find the marketmore seeds sent to me by (I think) Bramble. Prepared some buckets ready to sow dwarf beans tomorrow. Elder son kindly mowed the lawn and younger son painted the garden seat for a while (until it got too boring). Ooh yes, also celebrated the appearance of another of Piglet's banana shallots - now I have 2!!

[Waffler]

I feel like the gardening year has truly begun!
I sowed brocolli and PSB, caulis, sprouts, leeks and basil. I've never done brassicas before, so not sure how it'll go (tried sprouts last year, but like so many on here, they didn't amount to anything). I'm all fired up for more sowing tomorrow; fingers crossed for the weather (otherwise I'll be making simnel cake.)

[Snadger]

Got the majority of my spuds in today! The weather was glorious!

Planted 2 X 12 foot rows of Duke of York (earlies)
2 X 12 foot rows of International Kidney (Maincrop grown as early)
3 X 12 foot rows of Majestic (maincrop)
6 X 12 foot rows of Desiree (maincrop)
Still to go in are the Pink Fir Apple, Picasso and Indeterminates I have collected!
Sick of the sight of tatties today so had a late lunch sitting on my deckchair in the sun and promptly fell asleep! Woke up two hours later with sunburn on my face and no inclination to do any more graft for the day!
Done a bit of shifting round to make some room in the greenhouse, watered plants, lit the stove (forecast heavy frost tonight!) and toddled off home for bath/tea/supper!