The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[heebiejeebie]

Weeded (roots 'n' all) another part of the far plot, next to the onions. There are some overwintering leeks there. Checked for rust and removed affected leaves. Will put the parsnips there once I've eaten the leeks. Probably.

The cheeky neighbourhood robin is no more - one of my moggies ate it (the little b****r). However, he seems to have a few brothers as another appeared.

Chatted to my neighbour and came home with a load of spinach

[Pottypotter]

OH put up the fence posts whilst I pulled down the wood the cheeky neighbour had put up. Watered seedlings. Was told I am in with a chance of winning best plot of the year, can't see it myself but it has motivated me and Miss pottypotter to go down and work harder. Fence will be finished tomorrow only problem is what do I do about my neighbours onions and strawbs that are on my side? Aparantley a letter was put through his door about it a couple of days ago.

[Mrs Dobby]

Didnt manage to get to the plot yesterday, we underestimated the time it would take to sort out the few jobs in the back garden (yard)! Why does it always take twice as long as you think it will to do anything with seedlings?

So, we planted up the 3 x 25l oil drums (courtesy of PW a few weeks ago) with the strawbs we removed from plot 2 at the weekend, realised they werent all going to fit, so planted 2 hanging baskets up with them aswell, (so now have approx 100 strawberry plants growing in the back yard - along with the 200+ on plot No1 too), then decided that the largest toms needed to be sorted out as they were getting potbound, so we've taken the gamble of planting them in growbags in the plastic walk in greenhouse in the back yard (12 of them and another 3 tumbling toms in hanging baskets along with a few herb seeds to provide a bit of colour and variety).

Then we decided to pot on the other smaller toms that were becoming pot bound in 3" pots, so a total of another 25 toms of various varieties were potted on, and then those that were in seed modules were repotted into the 3" pots that were now freed by moving toms into bigger pots! Also potted on (into 3" pots) another batch of chillies from seed modules!

Today I was working, tho managed to make it to Wyevales for some more compost and then nipped down to the plot to water everything! Carrots are beginning to come up, onions are looking great, as are the radishes and beans! I also checked on the toms in the plastic walk in greenhouse in the back yard, lots of flowers and one tom now 10mm in size!

Anyone know how long it takes a tom to produce edible size and ripened fruit from the flower stage?

Tomorrow I am working and Mr D is off into hospital for a (hopefully) short stay (routine op, nothing to be worried about), I am hoping to pick him up on Saturday, so dont know if I'll be able to get much done for the next few nights!

[shirlthegirl43]

Get well soon Dobby!

Ripening of your toms is all down to the weather and the type of tomato I think Mrs D.

I managed to sow 16 blue sweetcorn, 16 swift F1 sweetcorn (do they need to be planted apart with one being F1?) and two buckets of dwarf french beans. Slowly but surely I am getting there!

[nick the grief]

Bloody hell Mrs D you put me to shame. Today I was working from home .... Honest. but manageda an extended lunch in the greenhouse where I pricked out about 15 trays of bedding/cut flowers ( Helichrysums, Statice, Stocks) plus some ther bits & bobs and I've still got loads to go at ..... Note to self, easy on the seed sowing next year.

[Waffler]

Went and bought another unheated propogator (would've bought 2 but they only had 1 left! ) and some multi-cell inserts ready for pricking out. Also bought some more seed compost and a nifty weeding tool for getting between slabs etc.
Spent a reasonably happy hour or so trying out my new 'toy' with great success. Sowed scabious, blanket 'jam tart' flower, chrysanths and 6!!! varieties of chillies (thanks to Chillie Girl and Tiby).
Also watered all my seedlings (and seed trays in the hope of seedlings!) amongst other carefully selected plants.
Yesterday all that was germinating was my basil; today I can add 3 varieties of cabbage, PSB, caulis, sprouts and gypsophila to the list. Happy? YES!

[TonyF]

Sort of a non-gardening day yesterday - went off to a local supermarche which had olive trees on offer and managed to get 4 - half standards, almost 2 meters high, for 27 euros each, best price around. Cooked lunch for friends going back to Uk for a few weeks and then it persistently rained until almost dark.

Good thing is tho that some of the seed trays that were a little tardy have started to sprout through, combination of warmers days and nights and rain I think.

And today, another no gardening day, have to pick up friend from hospital in Perigueux but hope to visit Jardiland for more fruit bushes and a small fig tree that I can train as an espelier.

[pigletwillie]

I finished work at 7am today so went staight to the plots and watered the greenhouses and tunnels, planted out 2 rows of Desiree and 1 of Sarpo Mira. The Sarpo are a trial for T&M so were free otherwise I would have planted Sarpo Axona which I have grown before and are more uniform in shape. Both however are very much blight resistant and good croppers.

Also I fitted door catches to the new tunnels door but most importantly I harvested my first asparagus spears from the 2nd year bed. Its getting hot now so time for bed zebeddee. (not you zebeddee)

[Flummery]

Yesterday I put my first pre-sprouted parsnips into loo rolls - new technique for me - thanks to this forum! 4 more are ready today. I'm going to sow some purple top milan turnips this aft.
Yesterday we rescued a budgie which fluttered to an exhausted standstill in our garden. Ours died last autumn and the stranger had landed in a garden with a big budgie cage, a box of Trill and a bunch of millet in the shed - he'll have to be called 'Lucky'! A notice has gone up in the village shop - someone must be missing him. He was so hungry he sat on the floor of the cage and ate seed for about half an hour. Then he slept - just where he was. We went out in the afternoon and when we got back he was up on a perch and chirping happily.
Checked on my lettuce seedlings - Lucky likes lettuce!

[SueA]

Finally got rid of the builders (new roof) & have got round to sowing some seeds today, 'Golden Sunrise', 'Moneymaker' & 'Tigerella' tomatoes,'Mrs Burns Lemon' basil, 'Bush Champion' cucumber & Leaf Salad mix.Have been going round brushing all the plants with a dustpan & brush as they were filthy from the mess off the roof (neighbours already think I'm mad!), & watering everything that I hadn't been able to get to. I'll have to move all the pots back onto the decking & next to the house when the scaffolding comes down & will be able to put my mini greenhouse back together. Trouble is we're thinking of having the windows done as well so I'll have to move everything again!

[heebiejeebie]

Spent another hour or two clearing weeds & roots from the far plot. I'm really sick of bindweed, couch grass and thistles! Offered to clear & leave empty a square yard or so for my neighbour's oldest kid (7 ish I think) to grow stuff. Neighbour (OH of allotment partner) suggested the site was "really far too big". Rofl!! I'm already wondering where to put everything and hoping I can get the earlies out in time to put another crop of brassicas in their place! I have raised-bed aspirations for some of the currently unused bits too - the soil is too heavy and stony for carrots and I want more space without having to do as much clearing and digging.

Once thoroughly bored of grubbing about in the soil following roots back as far as possible and unearthing ants for the robin (cat indoors) I went back to the garden and potted up the dahlia tubers I got yesterday and some gladioli bulbs for the front garden. (Still working on the horsetail infestation so not planting straight out there). I sowed some herbs in pots too: basil, curly parsley and chives. Ran out of potting compost again. Next time I shop I might take the car as I can only carry one bag at a time!

Checked the plastic planthouse - the swedes and cabbages and lettuce are going well, the scented stock has begun to germinate and so have the peas. I'll have to weed faster at this rate.

[Pottypotter]

Went to do some work on miss pottypotters section of the allotment, I swear someone has buried a greenhouse there’s that much glass. Took hours to clear just one small section of bricks rubbish and glass all buried. Will be all worth it when she plants all her flower seedlings next month.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Sowed sweetcorn (thank you, eskymo) and borlotti beans (thank you, feather) in pots for the 3 sisters bed then went to the Hill to water everything in site (inc. me!) then to Homebase for a bag of half price Maris Piper seed potatoes!

[veggieginger]

Today I haven't done anymore than water.
Mr VG and I have been very ambitious this year, especially as it is our first year with a proper garden, and sowed just about everything we like!!

At present we have potatos just coming up, ditto beetroot, brassicas, onions/leeks, squash, beans, courgette, aubergine, peppers, tomato and various herbs (I think thats all) oh no forget Mr VG's peas (I hate peas!!).

Last year we lived in a house that only had a courtyard garden and I just grew beans, courgettes and tomatos in pots/growbags. They worked well despite limited sunshine. We now have a glorious garden that we have reclaimed from the jungle that took it over!! and are checking our growth daily

I have had my way and also have some flowers (marigolds and nasturtums (sp?)) Mr VG only wanted stuff he could eat. I believe you can eat nasturtums though?

Sorry long post for my first and I hope this doesn't go into the realm of chat, sorry if it does.

Happy gardening everyone

[Percy T]

Today, thought my neighbour and I would go to the lotti this afternoon when I finished work to get a little bit done in the couple of hours window I had.

When we got there couldnt get in booo hooo, padlock was pinched at the weekend and replaced during this week with new combination. Oh well will have to wait till sunday to find out the new combo.

Came home dug over a small flower bed watered all my seedlings and young plants.