The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Kimbo]

Today I planted out my spinach and pak choi seedlings in my covered bed. Sowed another bucket of parsnips. Spoke lovingly to my courgettes which are now coming along nicely on the living room windowsill. Sowed another tray of spinach, wild rocket and rocket. Sowed some sweetcorn and some eight ball courgettes.

Tomorrow I hope to plant out my savoy cabbage and kale (into another covered bed to keep off the cabbage whites and slugs). Sow some radishes direct into the bed and perhaps some turnips as well. Sow some more carrots to replace the ones lost in my greenhouse disaster (ps all the beans seem to have survived and are now germinating nicely).

[daisychook]

Today I have sown some carrots, mini beet, mini cabbage and little gem lettuce, being watched by my chooks who are thinking, hmmm...cant wait! (critters!!!). Admired my handiwork at producing major results on potatoes in containers (self smug pat on back!!!) Lets hope there are potatoes under all teh greenery!!!! Oh, and just received my tumbler tomatoes, put them on a windowsill - first time tomato grower!!

Small garden - containers only :-(

[lyndap]

Spent half the day with OH driving around garden centres trying to find T&M courgette seed 'nice de fruit rond' as came to sow them and their lost!!!Don't know how,and horror of horrors,no-one has any!Don't want to pay out p&p for 1 pk seeds if can help it.Still,managed to sow climbing courgette,winter squash,summer squash,and transplant some basil(which was supposed to be sprouting seed but took so long I'm growing it on!So not to bad I suppose.

[BayViewPlot]

A good dig was had while pregnant wife sat and watched.

Also lopped the tops off bushes lining the sides so that the evening light will still get on the allotment.

Wife bought me a hose for me birthday (romance is not yet dead in Wales!)

Friendly neighbour gave us some lettuce for our tea...

folk are really friendly on the allotment.

[dexterdoglancashire]

At lottie at 8am. Tried to put up some bean netting but got very cross and gave it up after a few minutes!
Met a friend Chris and his girlfriend Natalie - they have taken on half a plot on my site, its very overgrown but they are very keen and I am sure will get it licked into shape in no time at all!
This afternoon went to visit OverWyreGrower at home with Max. Had a super time - we talked non stop for two and half hours, and I know we could have gone on for much longer! Max is an absolute DARLING, Dexter was a bit grumpy but had a lovely afternoon. OWGs garden is to die for! Its fabulous! It was lovely meeting another Grape face to face as well.
Thanks for a super afternoon Shelley!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[shirlthegirl43]

Planted some Marketmore and some F1 greenhouse cucumbers. Put my chili plant overwintered in the dining room into the greenhouse - it is in full flower and already has 15 green chili peppers on it. I would be ever so grateful if anyone remembers what sort of chili seeds GYO gave away last year!! Spent the rest of the day dismantling and moving jukeboxes - now have 3 in the house and no dining room any more! Off to get dinner from the chip shop

[TonyF]

Did a bit of potting on this morning, built two shelving racks for the big shed for pots so I can clear the heaps at the side of the house and screwed them into the shed wall.

Apart from that, courgette soup from the freezer with chum's frozen figs in a red wine syrup and ice cream for pud, lunch time. Pictures this pm, back this late afternoon having raided my favourite local wine merchant, booked myself into a wine tasting for Friday next (St Emilion reds) and then home. Market day tomorrow, catch up with people.

[Bex]

Moved the tomato, chilli, courgette and pepper plants that were happy on my kitchen windowsill to the tent cloche on the lottie. They should be ok as they have been outside most days and I will fleece them if a frost is due.

Transplanted my cabbage seedlings that I threw in the ground a few weeks ago not expecting anything to their final bed. Netted them against pests.

Potatoes are coming through, Yeay!!

Transplanted my baby cucumbers and tomatos into bigger pots to replace the ones on windowsill and then to replace them I'sowed some beans (blue lake) for my three sisters bed.

Oh yes, and I also went to a car boot sale (waste of time), the dog rolled in a cowpat and then went to the garden centre near car boot where my son promptly fell in the pond. Everyone came home and had to have a bath.

[wellie]

Opened all the cottage windows when I got up, to give the little Jenny Wren a fighting chance of getting out and back to her own life, rather than 'the alternative' that my cat had in mind....
Then planted out Swiss Chard 'Bright Lights', Celeriac, Summer Cabbage 'Greyhound' and the remainder of the Purple Sprouting plants.

The Cobaea (ornamental climber, Cup & Saucer Vine) is also now planted, which Sarah Raven tells me doesn't flower until it's at least six foot tall (!)... and it's nearly that already, so now ready for Borlotti Beans and Winter Squashes to join it on the arches, as a complete change from my usual tomatoes and climbing frenchies. And I'm really looking forward to seeing how well that works later in the season.
Oh, and I picked up another 50 or so slugs'n'snails throughout the day too!
Thank you for listening,

[Hazel at the Hill]

Came back from sunshine hols in the early hours and after a few hours kip:

• collect mogs from cattery/Tesco shop/washing x2
• noted that all seedlings at home look fine - but sweetcorn a bit shrively on the upper leaves - was it a bit cold some nights? Brassicas doubled in size.
• couldn't resist nipping to the Hill to see what has grown/changed heehee!
• godmother stopping at mums, so there for tea, then back to the Hill for Site Visit with the venerable Ancients
• try to explain why the plot is full of weeds/wonky bean poles/peas and beans full of bean weevil holes etc compared to everyone elses
• BUT delighted to see flowers on broad beans AND picked radish
• try to work out why the planted ROWS of rocket potato seem to be growing as a PATCH, and how I am supposed to earth up?
• come home to plan tomorrows sowing/planting/weeding schedule

[Seabreeze]

Went around to see a neighbour re. canary yesterday evening (last time he gets a mention here, I promise) and when I returned to the bottom garden to start some watering, the old boy from the allotment over the wall was there at my veg. patch. He stood, hose in hand, and had done most of it for me. What a great guy you are Ken. Bless him, he thought I had gone away already!

I've been out there like a goodun today. I am still trying to empty virtually all of the plants out of the greenhouse. Today I planted the basil plantlets out. In a series of little, not so raised beds, constructed of the compost bin sections, I sowed the following: Runner Beans - Hestie, Dwarf French Beans - Borlotto Firetongue and some Squash - Cobnut. I haven't used pots in case my waterers accidentally dry them out too much. I will transplant as necessary in late May / early June.

Speaking of birds earlier. We had two serins around the gardens today. It's quite a rarity in the UK but we are lucky enough to get these too passing through in very small numbers most years.

I checked out the broad beans, and one has grown to about four inches long... well ahead of the others. Tomato plants are coming out of my ears. I have Beefeater and Sweet Millions to plant out tomorrow. I may leave two or three in posts in the greenhouse, in case something goes wrong.

The two courgette or melon plants that I rescued from the potato bin some time ago, are quite well grown now... but I still don't know exactly what they are!

The leaf salad is going along OK. I must sow some more tomorrow. I use the Suttons Leaf Salad French mix. I don't know what the one that looks like parsley is that smells very strongly of aniseed. If anyone knows, please do drop me a line. I tend to sow this seed mix and then pick out the individual plants for potting on on their own in pots and outside.

Almost all of the Chilli Peppers - Hot Stuff, and the Sweet Peppers - Worldbeaters, are sufficiently grown in their 3in pots ready to be potted on. I will put them in 6in ones next, and instruct the most careful waterer to take charge.

Anyway, everything was going along fine until I realised Man Utd. was on 5 Live. Needless to say all the gardening then ground to a halt. They had yet another excellent win... and I promptly fell asleep.

Here is a pic of Seabreeze Acres patio, from the back door of the cottage. It looks quite summery already! I took this today for our 'files', but I might as well post it here for ref. The other bit of the garden is just a little more exposed. More later.

Goodnight,

Keith

[pigletwillie]

Like seabreeze I am trying to get stuff out of pots at the allotment so thay have a week to bed in before our hols.

This morning the last banana shallots went in along with 40 red baron onions grown from seed, well, I never have much success with red baron sets so its got to be worth a trial. Our jalapeno peppers are now in the glass house along with the peppadew and dorset naga chillies.

As a catch crop a raft of excess little gem lettuce were planted in the tunnel between tomato plants, they will be harvested young upon our return. Most of the tunnel work is done now, tomatoes are tied up, peppers staked and tied, tomatoes sideshoots are pinched out and all is well.

Some cane wigwams were erected between the new trees on plot 3, ready for climbing beans to be planted out after our hols. It uses dead ground up well whilst the trees are young and before the membrane goes down this winter.

Just some 300 flower plugs to plant out, some fuchia to repot and other odd and sods before I can relax and pack the suitcase.

[brogusblue]

Hello

I am new to growing veg had a little go last year with pots,carrots,peas & sweetcorn with some great results so i spurred me on to do it again

This year i am going veggie mad so far i have planted my pots International Kidney & Sarpo Mira, beetroot, onion sets & peas also my elephant garlic.

All my veg is grown in car tyres or large pots or dustbins. Also i am growing a selection of soft fruits.

Jobs done today i repotted by swedes, chinese cabbage (1 Kilo) in larger posts ready for planting later on just filled a black bin with sand and compost and planted my carrots early (nantes2) in the bin still waiting for the parmex carrots to get going, My sweetcorn (incredible F1) & greyhound cabbages also my red arrow brocolli need planting soon and just sown today my spring onions red furio and also planted in my hanging baskets for my tumbling toms.

Cheers
Brogusblue

[Flummery]

I planted out half of my Kenya fine beans under my cloches. Put bird scarers around the peas which the cloches had previously protected. Planted out the parsnips and the sugar pods and sowed a row of carrots. Covered these last 3 with netting so I could use a few slug pellets without harming the birds. Sowed beetroot Boltardy. Swapped the soil in one half of my greenhouse border with some of the garden soil - I do it every 2 or 3 years. Planted some of the greenhouse toms and potted on my cucumbers, peppers and zuchini. Had a much needed shower!

[Kimbo]

Today I planted my savoy cabbage into the raised bed and sowed some radish in between the rows. Then sowed some sirocco carrots, wild rocket and rocket (went for pots in the end as beds are much more useful for other things). Moved my now germinated courgette plants from the living room windowsill to the mini greehouse up against the house (nice and sunny and protected), also put some potted on tomatoes in there (as last year they came on a treat in there). Put in two more trays of peas into raised beds (not sure which kind as label had fallen off, hopefully will be able to tell when they grow a little and I can compared with those that have a label). Sowed a trough of snowball turnips. My beans which suffered the greenhouse disaster seem to be rallying round. Put some more wires up for my peas.

Then mowed the lawn, strimmed round the raised beds and miffed off a lot of ants in the process. Moved the strawberries into better position for sun.

Now all I have to do is sort out the hosepipe (leaking), fill water butt (just in case), water the garden/greenhouses then go to bed.