What I Did Today Archive 2008

[Snadger]

Checked my max/min thermometer and it got down to 40deg F last night. My toms seedlings seem to have survived though.
Planted another 100 garlic cloves in two trays, one with 40 and one with 60.
My 12' X 4' bed of autumn planted garlic is doing well and is about 9" high so hopefully I will have enough to last me this year. Second sowing of red ham onions is breaking through the compost as is the Kelsae second sowing.
Lit the stove to dry the greenhouse out a bit as i had been splashing water all over whilst watering various plants.
Not a good forecast for tomorrow, Good Friday, but I will be at lottie, even if I'm confined to the greenhouse!

[pigletwillie]

After work and some dinner ity was down to the greenhouse at home. I pricked out some more raine de glace and devils tongue lettuce, more cosmos and annual lavatera and then started potting on the sweet pointy peppers, lipstick peppers and half a dozen chilli plants.

[Alison C]

Potted on my Courgettes, Butternut Squash and Sunburst to larger pots.
Sowed some Rosemary seeds in pots to sit on my window sill.
Sowed some little marvel peas in pots.

[Snadger]

Because it was bitterly cold outside I had a session in the greenhouse doing a bit long awaited shuffling round and generally making more growing space for the busy times ahead.
Moved my Cabernet Sauvignon grape vine to a sunnier spot at the end of the greenhouse and took the opportunity to screw in some vine eye's and pruned off some of the spindly growth. It was it's first year last year so hopefully I'll get a few grapes this year and the shade from the vine leaves won't affect the other things growing in the greenhouse too badly?
Next I moved to large metal framed tables into the greenhouse. Both are 4 foot X 2 foot 6 inches so this should give me a bit more growing space down one side.
The other side has a raised bed full of good well rotted manure and old potting compost, which I added a growbag to and basically readied it for planting. Above this bed is a shelf running the length of the greenhouse which is crammed with seed linds at the mo. I moved my old wooden first aid cabinet to the Northerly end of the greenhouse to join the shelving unit I already have there. Whilst screwing this to the framework standing on a chair the sweat was rolling down my face from the heat generated from the woodburning stove. Of course heat rises and it was like an oven in the eves.
I planted up another 40 red shallots that were starting to sprout then surveyed my days work asI lit the small parrafin stove and banked up the woodburner.
Very pleased with the results of my labour I bought myself a bottle of red to celebrate!

[wellie]

I left Trousers (who has a very bad back) leisurely reading the paper, and tootled off to The Happy Couple clients of mine, who have the 3-week old gorgeous baby girl....Ah! and came home to find that Trousers had completely removed my 'Grown-Up-Girls Greenhouse' for to pack away in readiness of moving to France sometime this year (!)

So. Now he has an even worser bad back.....
And this afternoon, I tidied up my 'Little Girls Greenhouse' in readiness for some more seed-sowing tomorrow, I hope, and potted on some maturing SugarSnap Pea seedlings to plant out end of next week, to climb up the sides of my lovely rusty arbour.

[areia]

after going on my local freecycleing site and requesting flower pots of all sizes i recived around 100 pots yay still looking for really big pots though, but i know people are least likley to parts with them, i washed them then rinsed them only for the heavens to open grr. had to put them in my rabbit run to dry (well till it rained) as they decided to fly across my garden. the weather tested my plastic greenhouse that i only put up 4 days ago gawd tiz a bit scary when the winds blowing. had all weathers today hail, sun, wind, so just sat in my greenhouse gingerly and started writting a journal of sorts with pictures too and made a list of all the varieties of seed i have, i need to get some more damn it. got all excited my sweetcorn, and runners have finaly come up yay. next job is nameing the shubs and trees i have in my garden i haven't a clue what they are, got some devil of a spiky thing has hard stems you have to saw through and sort of grows in bunches or crowns and yellowy flowers on the tops, i see them around alot the council hedgetrim em but they dont arf give you a itchy rash when the spikes get you. oo sweet peas that what i have to get must go and note that b4 i forget again.

[SimplyPotty]

I sowed some carrot seeds and runner beans (i know its a bit early but want to see if i can get a head start!) My spring onions are coming on nicely, no sign of spuds yet. Beef toms not doing too good so re-potted those. Bought some more courgette seeds as most of the previous lot failed(too cold-unlike last year). Went to my brothers HUGE garden and turned his compost, also dug over a couple of beds for him.

[RJO]

On the subject of Lemongrass!

It can grow in England, NO PROBLEM!!!

After the initial stalk has developed its 8-12 roots in water they should all be
2-2.5" long roots. Move them at this stage into a pot with drainage holes and fill with compost and then a year later you should have new stalks to sample.

Goodluck!

[heebiejeebie]

Weeded and tidied the front garden - lots of speedwell coming up and ivy trying to take over again.

Planted some ornamental grasses and little irises around the apple tree in the back. Pleased to see the rhubarb behind the tree is healthy and the lilies that I thought had got killed off are coming up again. Didn't take any pics for my blog - minging weather.

On the veg front - seed tatties arrived at last and have been chitting for a couple of weeks. Arran Pilot, Anya and Sarpo Axona.

Chanting mantra:
I will do successional sowing this year
I will do successional sowing this year
I will do successional sowing this year
I will...

[TrishY]

Everywhere is white this morning and I've just picked up my plastic greenhouse that had blown over in the wind overnight - everything inside is lost apart from hopefully, some garlic I had in there

Thankfully the chooks are okay, I put a quilt cover and heavy rug over their Eglu and part of the run and the run is weighted down with bricks on the skirt so they were cosy and safe

[Eyren]

next job is nameing the shubs and trees i have in my garden i haven't a clue what they are, got some devil of a spiky thing has hard stems you have to saw through and sort of grows in bunches or crowns and yellowy flowers on the tops, i see them around alot the council hedgetrim em but they dont arf give you a itchy rash when the spikes get you

Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)? There's a lot of it around our estate - developers seem to like it as it's hardy and quite decorative.

Yesterday I took the wood from some damaged fence panels up to the lottie to make paths - it's literally an ill wind (or gale) that blows no good! I also planted out the broad beans that I'd been hardening off - possibly rash, but I did cover them with a sturdy netting tunnel, which should protect them from the worst of the weather (as well as the pigeons!).

Not likely to be gardening today, as it's pouring with rain, but we may pop by the garden centre for a few supplies - hopefully the hoi polloi won't be in a gardening mood and it will be less busy than on Mothering Sunday

[Flummery]

Yesterday the weather was pants - still is! I potted on my Golden Sunrise toms from their little 3" germination pot. All look well today. Itching to get to the new semi-plot - only got one bed dug.

[veg4681]

Flower Notes

Those highlighted, don't mind growing from seeds in future.
6/>10 Tagetes germinated pretty fast & repotted followed by 5/10 ofCalendula (good handling size seedlings). 8/>10 Pentunia Milliflora & Lobelia have been reliable but the latter is even microscopic, better off buying or they easily self-seed in the garden. 3/6 Sweet Pea germinated while 2 rotted away so best to pre-germinate in future, otherwise the seeds & seedlings are nicely big for handling. 4/8 Cushion Mums, so far germinated and repotted, looks like Sweet Basil so decent handling size. Viola Bambini has germinated but looks similar to Lobelia possibly because it's a 'Bambini' variety or they are Lobelia!

Diasca and Anagallis (similar to Petunia as strawberry seedling size) and also Viola are 2nd slowest to germinate after the Busy Lizzie, Salvia, Petunia Surfinia (most expensive and hardly any seeds in packet ) and Geranium that have yet to germinate, if they do at all .

Sowed 6 seeds of Nasturtium yesterday upon son's unusual request for seed sowing. Wish I hadn't bought so many flower seeds, as much as I want them, I can't afford the space in the garden either but I'll manage.

[areia]

arghhhhhh RAIN SLEET SNOW WIND RAIN SUN, mind you greenhouse still in ground, hasn't blown away ..... yet theres me thinking it would be sheltered against a garage and a fence and 2 waterbutts the other side but nooooooooo made a feeble attempt and put nylon rope over the top to prevent the roof stretching too much seems to have worked so far, been suggested i try scrim netting to hold it down till the weather clears up a bit and winds die down, found some £10.11 for 10ft by 4ft 7 didnt think its too bad on price, mind you being near an airport might raise a few eyebrows from the cop choppers that fly overhead alot hehehe going to wimp out and plant some seeds in the kitchen children are nagging me wanting to help, funny though they dont want to go outside to do it, muggins ere has to go and get the stuff from the greenhouse typical wish me luck may get blown over me fence

[areia]

[QUOTE=Eyren;197641]Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)? There's a lot of it around our estate - developers seem to like it as it's hardy and quite decorative.

looks very similar but the one i have is more woody !!!!!going to take photos of all my shrubs and post for help later, as ive looked through my books. im not a shrub person these things were here when i moved in so i look forward to finaly naming them