The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Salina]

4 packets of seeds arrived today, I only actually paid for 2 but because they were late being sent I got 2 free packets as well! thats the 2nd time it'd happened lol. so now I have tomatoes (alicante) turnip (best of all) black winter radish and lambs lettuce seeds to sow.
I'll probably only be able to sow the tomato seeds today though because I only have enough soil left for 1 pot. I might plant my squash seedlings directly in to the ground as well, they don't seem to be doing too well in a cardboard box even with glass over them lol.

[pigletwillie]

We did a monster harvest, red cabbage, our first Jalapeno peppers, sweet peppers, florence fennel, new potatoes, lots of tomatoes, oodles of soft fruit, chanteney carots and beetroot

Now, what to do with it all???

[DirtDobber]

I picked tomatoes, peas, beans, today and got them all ready for the freezer except tom's and I chopped them and tossed them in the pot with other goodies and made a Smokey Chipotle Ketchup...It's fabulous. We have had so much rain my garden is drowing...all of my vines, pumpkins, squash etc are giving up the fight........I'm picking beans and peas everyday now...going to make salsa probably Wed or Thurs.

[zazen999]

Harvested first red cherry tomato today.

Also harvested carrots, beans, beetroot, turnip, courgette; which all got cooked with pots harvested at weekend into my first home grown roast of the year. Marvelous it was. Roast Beetroot - thoroughly recommend it.

Finished putting apple bits that were on the decking into the array of bins that now engulf the garden after the apple tree incident on friday night.

Will go back out in a bit and trim down the rest of the tomato leaves, might even get to stake them with some apple branches if i remember to take some string/ties out.

[Mrs Dobby]

I had to work today, but Mr D had an unexpected day off, so he was at the plot for 8am, and I joined him at 6pm after work! We left at 715pmish!

Mr D has done a fab job of weeding about 1/2 of plot 2 and about 1/3 of plot 1, a massive job and hes done it really well too, I'm dead impressed with him!

Harvested more toms, about 1lb of strawberries, more french beans, more broad beans and more courgettes, and as we are both off tomorrow we are off down the plot for some more weeding and more harvesting plus a bit of planting!

Bad news is that the broad beans look like they've got chocolate spot, the wabbits are still munching the french beans and carrots, and some of the outdoor toms look as tho they may be succumbing to blight!

[skegblade]

Took advantage of the waterlogged soil on out lottie to dig up self sown oak trees, brambles and docks; surprising how easy they slide out of the sodden ground. I found it very theraputic. Harvested the last of the broad beans.

Phil

[kentvegplot]

Abandoned any pretence of work yesterday, and spent most of the day on the patch.

Finished moving the leeks into final positions. Planted out 2 butternuts (rather late, I know) but put 1 in a big pot in the tunnel as insurance.

Harvested another 9lb potatoes from the no-dig bed...if you've not tried this technique for potatoes I highly recommend it.

Went to inspect the other potato bed, planted a couple of weeks later, and found tell-tale signs of blight - so that meant removing all the hulms (which I will burn, but for now have put into sturdy bin bags) and decided to dig up the crop. I know there's a risk I've transferred the blight to the tubers, I shall just have to inspect them carefully (they are being kept right away form any other potatoes)

Harvested more french beans, runners, courgettes, tomatoes (a heritage variety called 'Belgian Giant') and the first aubergine.

[heebiejeebie]

going to be a busy summer

oooh now I've no excuses so here's my "to do" list for the next few weeks:

weed
trim hedges
make French drain at side of house
make long planter/trough to cover french drain (got all the bits, just need some sunshine) and plant some flowers in it, including a contrasting colour clematis to mingle with the one I have
weed more
plant out spring brassicas and leeks
weed...
pull out more ivy from behind the apple tree and plant something less invasive instead
get timber and put edging around the front garden to keep the woodchip off the path, and get more woodchip.
sow biennials for next year
replace the dilapidated shed with a new one (was going to do the roof but the sides are not strong enough to support me on a ladder!)
while I'm at it - clear the jungle from around the shed.
weed
advertise my services as an oddjob gardener - might as well try to make some money at doing something I enjoy! (How do I phrase "I won't rip off old ladies" politely on a leaflet?)
update blog regularly
"do something" with the bottom of the garden. Dunno what though!

[zazen999]

Just weeded and picked 3 onions for the fritatta [thanks Nigella].
Did notice that i now have 3 cukes, all tiny but at last some flippin cukes!

what a summer...

[sewer rat]

Rotovated area where I had my maincrop peas which weren't worth a ****.and area freed by first 4 drills of Lady Christl - which despite living in a traditional "Duke of York" area, is going down a storm.
Planted out lettuces and radicchio.
Started taking orders for regular veg box deliveries.
Pulled some radish.
Freed some more savoy cabbages from the OSR
Sowed another 7 trays of lettuce, tray of radicchio, 2 trays of calabrese and one of PSB.
Noticed two tomatoes are turning red - one Alicante and one Ailsa Craig.
Now have available ;
Spuds - Lady Christl, Charlotte
Bunching Carrots
Peas
Broad Beans (finally )
"Wet" Onions
Scallions
Radish
Cucumber.

[oneflewover]

Due to my new plot, weeded and measured out for the next bit of digging / weeding.

[Vegmonkey]

Dug out a little more of the patio and freecycled the slabs.Isn't freecycle great. Planted lettuce, rocket, radish, spring onion, winter cauli, spinach, chard, leaf beet and endive in plugs in the mini greenhouse and carrots straight into the ground in the courgette bed, which was decluttered yesterday.

I will plant it all out when it gets to a decent size.I bought a cloche too for £12 from Buyology in cheltenham, so that should come in handy too.

Jut would be nice if they turned the blummin water back on...!!!

[Sebbster]

Lifted the last of my early carrots, most of those left were not doing well at all.

Picked two massive bags of broads, chopped the stems down and composted them and dug the roots in.

Since the floods everything is getting munched by slugs and my Savoy's had several large caterpillars on them so discarded. The swede's are struggling with slugs and the Kale are also getting stripped of leaves. Put some organic pellets down as the only recourse.

Dug up the first main crop haulm to see what was under and found a nice crop of Cara. Still a little small so will leave the rest for a while yet.

Runners setting nicely now but not growing all that fast yet.

Sowed a row of perpetual spinach and a row of beetroot. Had some carrots to sow but it started
to chuck in down so will have to wait for the weekend now.

Harvested some calabrese and beetroot and along with the spuds, gave to George who was clearing up his 2 allotments after flooding. He has lost everything.

[Mrs Dobby]

Yesterday we were mostly harvesting, another 3lb of mange tout, another lb of rasps, another 2lb of broad beans and about a lb of peas, most of which was prepped and frozen! The harvested some crops for tea, another 4 courgettes, another 4lb of toms, more broccolli and a cauli, more french beans and some more tatties, all of which tasted divine along with a pork chop each!

Also managed to do a bit of weeding and bought seeds at 50% off from wyevales for next years crops! Seedaholics, us? Probably!

[wellie]

Squelched around The Potager early evening to check for damage with today's downpours, and noted that there are other Kohl Rabi's beginning to bulk up a bit, my Florence Fennels (earlier planted than those of the Piglet variety, which will follow on from mine) are also putting on a few pounds.

Amazingly, the Peaches decided to tell us that they were ripe, by beginning to drop off the branches. I've checked, and they are.... Not eaten one yet as saving that delight to share later.

Cut and used our first chillies for dinner, and harvested some very lovely tomatoes.

Fert'n'Liza had mail again today from Aunty Hazel in the form of a photo-postcard that captures their game of tennis in the rain.... Priceless!

Thank you for listening,