What I Did Today Archive 2008

[Garden_girlie21]

I harvested more raspberries, for my freezer, to keep them fresh for my raspberry meringue on tuesday. I also did a lot of pottering around the greenhouse when I should have been at my 'plot' planting leeks and winter squash. I am a bad girl. But pottering is so much fun!

I also cut off a cucumber plant in one of my hanging baskets, it was dying. Dunno why though!

I attacked my chives, they were outgrowing even the mint!!!!!

Certainly a first! I also collected seeds from chive flowers - want to see if I can actually grow something from them. I probably won't as I've probably done something wrong, but there's no harm in trying!!

Jennifer

[heebiejeebie]

Did some "work" gardening then cut the hedges in my front garden... but the poor hedgetrimmer caught fire so I had to stop. At least it gave up the ghost after I had almost finished! Noticed that one of the leylandii at the front appears to be dying - if it doesn't recover then I'll rip the lot out and plant a nice interesting mixed hedge instead. I suspect my neighbour would offer to help

Went round to the lottie and dug up 2 anya spud plants.
Chose a couple of petunias to fill gaps in my front garden.
Watered pots & baskets.

Today I will mostly be pottering.

[Snadger]

Today I loaded up my trusty Landrover pickup with well rotted grass cuttings( about a tonne i think as the landie was riding a bit low!)
Transported to the allotment and unloaded with wheelbarrow.

As if i hadn't done enough wheelbarrowing I decided to progress with loading and transporting chippings for my paths from a communal heap about 100metres away. I cut up the last of my teram into 2 foot wide strips and managed to get about 15 metres done before I ran out of steam and teram.

Anyway, with it starting to rain, I watered all my indoor plants with water from a water butt and comfey tea, tipped out some Baron De Fontenay tatties from a tub and skidaddled home for MY tea.

[Wren]

finally finished digging over 3 more beds and planted red cabbage to join the sprouts that should have been planted last month...erk! Im a bit behind *blushes*
The watering is never ending at the moment an as soon as i turn my back then that is another tomato or courgette sulking for water.

Planted my leeks into their new homes in the kitchen garden today. They were nearly pencil thickness so the end of my hoe doubled up as a dibber and now they are set into holes about 7 inches deep as that were the length of the sticker on my hoe handle.

Next year i will invest in a dibber as i have blisters now.

Wren

[Winged one]

Went to plot yesterday for 2 hours and got loads done. Pulled up the old cauli plants - as no curds are gonna form on them at this stage - they're in a heap to move to the communal composting ditch on next visit as they are quite woody. I pulled up one clump of garlics, where we had mised a bulb last summer when harvesting and I got 5 bulbs growing amongst my peas this year. (The intention was to dig this and plant some broad beans - but the weather later intevened).

Also pulled up all the onions which had flopped and laid them out on the sheet of corrugated tin to dry while I did my other jobs. Dug over their patch and started planting out lettuces (cos mixed) from modules raised at home - when it started raining. I managed to get the lettuces and beetroots in, and the first of a small pot of perpetual spinach before the clouds burst. Hid behind compost bin with its lid over my head. As it looked like this was down for the day after about 20 mins, I ventured out and pulled 2 plants of spuds and stuffed those into a plastic bag, with the onions in another.

Drowned rat-like, I was putting away all my tools back into the barrow when the sun came out again (very fast changes yesterday). So I finished doing the other 5 pots of spinach, planted out the last pumpkin and 1 butternut squash (brought the other 4 squashes and a pot of leeks back home for another day). The sweetcorn were looking a bit ravaged by pigeons, so I covered them with a net (very roughly) for a couple of weeks to let them get growing well.

As the ground was now too wet to dig (to plant leeks or to sow peas and broad beans and turnips), I took a wander up the back to check on progress before going home. Tomatoes need a very very good weed this week (rape is covering most toms- although I can see marigold flowers there!!). But I also realised that my calabrese is growing - so much so that I got 2 lovely heads for use this week and will have plenty more in the next few weeks. Gathered the raspberries that were ripe (oh - about 8!) and headed home. Stopped for a chat with neighbour on plot next but one over.

At home, I also did a clear out of some pots etc. We had folded up the minigreenhuse on Sat for putting in the shed in the hopes of getting some use from it next spring (lots of duct tape will be required!). And gave the shed a proper clear out after my start at tidying during the week.

I harvested (with the toddler's help) the baby turnips from the first mixed salad leaves pot and put the roots and compost into the compost bin (more roots than compost!). We pulled a couple of carrots from their pot, and I tidied up the rest of the pots area.

Jobs for this week are:
Plot - weed tomatoes, dig first peas bed, sow broad beans, peas and turnips.
garden - pot on peppers, plant out mange tout seedlings, sow more salad leaves in pots and maybe another pot of carrots.

[middlefield]

I spent about eight hours at the lottie over the weekend (bliss!) and really kept on top of everything.

Cleared an area in the top corner as we're seriously out of space and planted a small salad selection - short rows of radish (two varieties), lettuce, spring onion and then some spinach. I transplanted 8 brocolli plats that my father gave me and planted a full row of rainbow chard, plus a row of beetroot and a row of carrots.

Looking round the plot, the peas, mangetout and sugersnaps are all really in flower and are starting to get fruit on them, the potatoes are going well now despite a late start. In general everything is looking good, especially the onions which are swelling so that I think we'll have some beauties.

I stood back last night and took in the view, after taking on the plot from new in May 2006 its now looking like a 'real' allotment, row upon row of vegetables growing neatly, no really noticeable infestation of weeds and loads of wildlife going about their business. It was a great feeling.

Picked some first early spuds (maris bard), broad beans, a red onion and some lettuce leaf for dinner.

Does life get better than this?

Well apart from the bit when I got home and had to apply aftersun to my bald head!! (wear hats at all times!!!!)

[poozie]

We made our wheelbarrow but had no spanner so it wobbles but was good enough to move a pile of well dried out weedy turf from the middle of our allotment. Planted victorian climbing pea seedlings, twenty cabbages, savoy and red, 8 brussels and 20 sprouting broccoli seedlings. watered.

[moggssue]

Yesterday I weeded my plot, then weeded some more, and then ... yes, weeded a bit more! And there are STILL more of them ....

I sowed what may be the last row of carrots and beetroots, and a few salad leaves in the space from whence I harvested two monster icebergs a few days ago.

Gave everything a b....y good feed as, though it all seems to be healthy enough, nothing is romping away or gaining any height, so hopefully a good multipurpose feed will help.

Harvested my first four (yes, a whole four!) Pentland Javelins, a handful of broadies and a couple of salad leaves.

Then sat back and admired all things growing before tootling home to cook!

[shirlthegirl43]

Came back from holidays with the Dobby's (thanks folks - wonderful place, wonderful company) to find loads of raspberries had ripened, loads of strawberries likewise. Thankfully the peas and beans are still alive and looking quite happy.

PS - my nose is even redder than the ripe strawbs thanks to younger son wanting to go fishing yesterday and Dobby making him a very happy boy and taking said son, Madmax, Aranthos, and I to fish for hours in the sun and wind of North Wales.

[Saffer]

Fantastic hot day in La Vendee today so decided to buy a pump for the well & forget carting water to the plot from our little stream. Haven't had rain for a few weeks & even though everything is growing like mad we need more & more water. Pumped water is the business, not much pressure but who cares, free water at the end of a hose. Should have a wonderful crop of different squashes soon. Have corguettes, butternut, gem squash (South African squash), cucumber (not doing all that well) & patty pans in. Will be eating squash forever if they all mature. Purple sprouting brocc, tomatoes spuds & white maize are also doing very well. Fruit trees have been a dissapointment this year but managed to bottle 20lbs of redcurrant jam over the weekend, am pleased with that.

[gojiberry]

Just had breakfast and the weather looks glorious. Forecast is for hottest day of the year so plenty of time on the lottie. Will have to start by watering and damping down the greenhouse. Will report later on what I got done.

Ian

[sharonr]

Did a bit of weeding, looked at peas, (might get some for Sunday dinner). Squashed some more black fly that have taken up residency on 2 of my runner bean plants, (soapy water didn`t work).
Told husband and son off for picking the only 3 tomatos that were ready on my hundred and thousand plant.

[Snadger]

Went to allotment after work mainly to water greenhouse stuff. Glad I did as the toms were starting to wilt a bit. Did a bit of hand weeding, harvested some new potatoes from buckets, pulled a handfull of jap onions, cut four sweetheart cabbage for work colleagues. As an experiment I planted cabbages in between where I cut the others. These were from the same sowing as the ones I harvested but because they had been confined in a pot they are barely past seedling size. It will be interesting to see if I get a crop from them.

It has been very warm here today for a change!

Made a mental note that I must sow my spring cabbage and I must rig up something for my peas to climb up! I intend planting winter savoy cabbage in between my garlic which will be harvested soon!
The other cabbage I planted in among my Jap onions is doing well and I'm harvesting onions as I need them. Another mental note: plant more jap onions than I did this year!

[hamsterqueen]

thinned out the french beans and potted the extra to give to a friend. I got impatient with teh seeds and shoved more in, then both lots grew together!

Thinned spinach and planted the thinnings. Tied in tomatoes and did a bit of watering.

Looked admiringly at my one radish!

Made mental note to eat pak choi soon before it takes over the raised bed.

[Mrs Dobby]

Came back from holidays with the Dobby's (thanks folks - wonderful place, wonderful company) to find loads of raspberries had ripened, loads of strawberries likewise. Thankfully the peas and beans are still alive and looking quite happy.

PS - my nose is even redder than the ripe strawbs thanks to younger son wanting to go fishing yesterday and Dobby making him a very happy boy and taking said son, Madmax, Aranthos, and I to fish for hours in the sun and wind of North Wales.

Lol! Sorry bout the red nose Shirl, but glad all had a good time, and that Youngest son got a good bit of fishing done, Mr D says he'll take him fishing anytime! Was a great holiday, and great company (and lovely homebrew wine too!), just a shame that the weather was a bit wet n windy for most of the time, but even so it was a fun trip!

We got home yesterday, popped to the plot to water last night, to find everythng growing well, especially the weeds, so will be mostly weeding today on the plot! Now have ready to harvest lots more Mange Tout, lots of rasps and strawbs, more goosegogs, cabbages, caulis, courgettes, broad beans, broccolli and cucumbers, plus the onions are almost ready and we've lots of green toms and green peppers in the greenhouses!