What I Did Today Archive 2008

[colser]

sorted out an asparagus bed, planted on a few salad plants out over winter, mulched as much as i could

[zazen999]

No gardening as such; went on the Grow Healthy Plants at Ryton - superb course and learnt loads.

[sallym]

Today was the first day spent on our new Lottie. OH and I went to have a quick look this morning and came home at around 6pm. In that time we met 2 of our plot neighbours who let us use their strimmer to clear some nettles and gave us a compost bin (quick trip to local Supermarket to get some beers in to say thanks). We had a look around the rest of the site which is being given a face lift ( unused plots very overgrown, a good few abandoned/ruined sheds) and found a hoe, spade and fork plus a huge length of water hose that looks fine.We started to clear the plot of metal, rubble etc and thought we would try and level a hump in the corner of our plot, only to find that this must have been the local dumping site for everyone. Have decided to go back tomorrow and try to clear as much of this as we can as this is the worst spot and it will feel good to know we have conquered it.
Back protesting a little, but have enjoyed it so much. Hope I still feel this way in the morning.

[sewer rat]

Went to one of my part time jobs today and finished weeding and tidying up the first bed along one of the walls. Started clearing, weeding and tidying the bed along the bottom wall. Was just about 5 yards into this when the Chef (who I know), came to see if I wanted a coffee - he asked if I was going to remove some of the rasps as they had too many (three rows about 40m long each, plus half that length on the bed I was working on) I gallantly accepted - guess where they will be going.
We were walking back through the veg and I commented that their brussels sprouts were looking really good - he was surprised as he didn't know they had any !! Then we looked at the strawberry beds - in need of a good tidy up - and of course I volunteered to bring on any runners etc - at a rough guess there will be about 1000 - and he agreed that I could have half !!
Had a longing look at the huge fig tree - excellent cropper apparently - then went for coffee.
So I'm okay for rasps and strawbs and currant cuttings and gooseberry layering and it's only my second day there.
Anyway, finished there at 5pm, went to my own place, watered the tunnel, weeded the lettuce and raddichio, came home and made 18 12oz jars of Apple and Mint Jelly.
Now about to leave for my doorman job !!
Oh I nearly forgot - they also have a quince tree and I have been told to help myself as there are too many for them to use - Quince Jelly coming next methinks !!

[wellie]

Trousers and I went to the lottie to harvest stuff for dinner, and we came back with loads of 'fist-sized' butternut squashes, and a load of whitefly-infested Redbor Kurly Kale.

Trousers made an 'executive decision' and decided that Wellie's noo friend Rachael deserved 'better' - so we didn't do Kale for her dinner tonight, but we did Spinach instead, which we picked from our own garden. Neither of us are sure why 'whatever was nibbling at it' has suddenly stopped, but we're quite grateful all the same.....

Tomorrow, we're going to pick more Borlotti Beans from the Allotment.

Trousers has worked SO hard these last weeks, I'm sure he'd welcome A BEER at The Cross Pub on the way back home ?!
My treat Trousers.... X

[Two_Sheds]

I spent the morning digging out a strip of lawn and planted it up with wallflowers (seeds from RustyLady); birthday tulips, and poundshop clematis. total cost: £3

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In the pm, I went to lotty (despairing at the weeds) & hacked down the bramble & ivy at the back fence.
Then weeded the brassicas (again) and shook off (in vain) the clouds of whitefly (must sow French marigolds amongst them next year).
made Jamie Oliver's Coleslaw for our tea, with my all my own carrots, celeriac, onion & cabbage. Lovely!

[Snadger]

After sorting chooks I started on my campaign to fully utilise my greenhouse throughout the winter.
Spent the day returning flower buckets that were filled with compost originally growing tomatoes etc, back to the greenhouse one by one. Hand forked the compost and set a brassica in each. Redborr kale, toscana kale, PSB and spring cabbage were added and I've still got AYR caulis to go in yet..
Other planned pot entries for the greenhouses are dwarf scarlet flowered broad beans, shallots, barley,lettuce, carnation + trying to overwinter some jalapeno's.
The Chrysanths are flowering indoors and the Cape gooseberry is still growing wel. The grapevines are starting to lose there leaves but at least I've had a small crop of grapes from them.

Dug some desiree spuds before I left and will fill the area vacated with leeks tomorrow.

Oh, I nearly forgot, I stripped the last of the peas for next years seed and the chooks appreciated the dried pea haulms which were added to the run with a handful of corn for them to scratch about in!

[HotStuff]

Today I discovered one of the chilli plants I'm trying to overwinter on my windowsill, a Numex Twilight, has some kind of aphid infestation . Can't see any on the other plants, but I'm sure they must be there by now. As I'm new to all this I'm not sure whether it's black fly, white fly, green fly or what. All the plants still have chillies ripening on them. Any suggestions about what best to do gratefully received.

[pigletwillie]

To save weeding, 2 raised beds were topped up and then covered with membrane before being planted up with spring cabbage. A dozen of the cabbage also went into the old tunnel in an area cleared of melon foiliage now that the last one has been picked.

Radar onion sets were planted and a trade of sweet peppers saw me come away with a bag of russet and a bag of cooking apples.

The trailer is full of 12 year old manure ready to top dress empty beds and my mate has 2 IBC's for me to collect so I shall be a busy bunny this week.

On the harvest front, a carrier bag of tomatoes came home to be made into passata, as did a load of onions, a marrow, chillies to dry and the last two melons.

[piskieinboots]

blasted cobwebs riding motorbike, watched lots of Rugby, drank beer - then.....
....planted chinese winter veg, earthed up leeks, got base ready for incoming greenhouse

[Newbie]

Resigned the last cucumber plant to the compost bin after harvesting the last 2 cucumbers from it, did the same with another tomato plant (only 2 left now plus hanging basket) - must do something with the 3+ lbs of toms i have in the kitchen! This made room in the greenhouse for me to move 2 hanging baskets in as well as 5 fuschias to over winter, needs a good clear out & clean though.

Went to B&Q and bought 3 fruit bushes for £10, Raspberry "autumn bliss", Blackcurrent "Ben Nevis" and Gooseberry "Hinnonmaki Red. They also had Blueberries and Redcurrents and all in at least 2 varieties - Hmm, may have to go back for another three! Also accidently bought a few other plants to add to the large group i have sat waiting to re-plant three baskets and six large tubs for over winter interest. Managed to plant up the baskets, three large tubs and two small before running out of compost.

Not a bad day in all!

[Flummery]

Put a new pane of glass in the greenhouse - over-enthusiastic young village footballers but they did own up and apologise! Then went to allotment to bring home patty-pan squashes, yin-yang beans for drying, an handful of chard and several pounds of achocha. Achocha pronounced success. (Actually, I wish I knew how it IS pronounced!)

[BrideXIII]

Lugged 20 donated paving slabs, 3 at a time from down the road, and laid a path down to the greenhouse with some, to save me paddling through the mud that is supposedly a lawn.

Then emptied the entire contents of the kitchen into the lounge, ready to have the new one fitted tomorrow.

trussocked now and going to bed.

[pjh75]

Planted two lots of onions, one lot of garlic and sowed some strawberry seeds.

[Two_Sheds]

I planted my Silver Queen holly hedge, and FiL offered me some bog-standard hollies for a further stretch of hedge - bonus.
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Put some tulips in the front bed - a bit early, but I couldn't wait.
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Cleared another 5 buckets of weeds from the allotment, and planted green manure (limnanthes) on the bare soil.
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Dug up the last spuds (Saxon) ... a bit scabby, but only one had slug damage