What I Did Today Archive 2009

[maytreefrannie]

Got to the plot early, before it got too hot, rotovated 3 beds, planted out the last 60 of the onions from seed, sowed 24 runner beans direct, sowed a double run of peas (10') and set up pea sticks, sowed a run of chard bright lights (10') and a run of spinach (8'). sorted out the tomato supports in both the greenhouses and tied them up, built a cucumber support frame and tied the cuke up it, then went to the allotment society AGM.

Found myself nominated as the new chairperson, so not only a plot holder, beekeeper, working full time, but am also now a chairperson! Eeeek!

After that went back to the plot and planted out 17 sunflowers and 6 outdoor tomatoes, then watered in the greenhouses, then decided it was time to come home after 9 1/2 hours in the sun!

Only 2 prepped beds left to plant now, plus 2 1/2 beds to dig and plant!

Hey Mrs Dobby,

I've just read your post and now I'm TIRED!

You can be proud of your day.

[bobleponge]

Did many hours weeding around my neglected strawberries, (filled a square dalek with grass and weeds) and ate loads whilst doing it.
Planted out a Blue Banana B'nut squash.
Planted out a Waltham B'nut squash.
Made a frame for my exploding cuc's to climb up.
Almost finished my new raised bed in my extended patch.
Got nice and sweaty.
Pulled plenty of winter onions out to dry off a touch before being stored.
All in all a good day.

[COMPOST CORNER]

Watered GH plants first thing ( well first thing for a Sunday, 9:00 ish), Cup of tea listening to theArchers.
Pottered about.
Potted on leek seedlings following advice in another thread.
Put out Sweetcorn to start hardening off (They'd have fried on window sill anyway.)
Watered GH again this evening, oh its been warm today.
Watered recently planted out Leeks, Celery and Patty pan this evening as the bed is in full sun by the time I get up, so it gets a soaking every evening.
Too hot to do much except what was absolutely necessary, I'm uncomfortable as soon as the mercury hits 70.

[sewer rat]

Out to my own place - watered all the toms cukes and chillies in the polytunnel again - despite leaving both sets of double doors wide open it was cooking in there again today.
Tied in and side-shot my toms.
Then , just as Bobleponge did, I hoed and weeded my outdoor strawberries.
After that I weeded round the 140 or so courgette plants that are outside in their tyres.
Spent a good couple of hours (maybe three !) sowing winter brassicas - approx 1000 Primavoy Savoy cabbage, 1000 Tundra Winter Cabbage, 250 Winterbor Kale, 250 Black Tuscan Kale - still got more Tuscan Kale to go, my PSB.
Got a bit cooler this evening so went out and gave everything in the tunnel a good watering in anticipation of another scorchio day tomorrow.
Came home and spent the rest of the night stripping wallpaper

[wellie]

My cat is beginning to annoy me. Since Trousers and I moved home, she's completely changed, and I'm having to fit in with her now (!)
SO.... I got up today at 6.30am, fed her, let her out, and being wide awake then (with an extremely sore throat and a hacking cough - ME not HER) continued to rearrange the farmhouse AND the entire new back garden.
If my cat keeps this up, Trousers will come home one day - find it all way too clean and tidy, and think he's in the wrong house!!

Having got most of the Onion Bed sorted now, it's been the turn of planting the really well developed Winter Squash plants at the foot of the rusty old arbour, and I hope it doesn't prove too shady for them in the coming months.
I've also planted some annuals that I grew from seed alongside some outdoor tomatoes, maybe to bring a little colour, and help to disguise the bareness of the tomato stems lower down on the plant later in the season.
I've kind of 'winged it', and planted the outdoor 'F1 Ferline' tomato plants, buckets and all, in the ground where I want them within my new Kitchen Garden, because maybe their rootballs won't dry out as readily being planted into the soil.
Thank you for listening. X.

[Snadger]

Another pleasant day at the allotment (with shirt ON today to give my sunburn a rest)
I have finally managed to rig up a hosepipe so gave the plot a good watering and swilled out the chook runs paving slabs. As it was nice and sunny I decided to give the chooks a wash as well.............they weren't impressed and retired to the coop like drowned............er.....chooks!
Planted some Incredible F1 sweetcorn outdoors, did some weeding, planted some orange peppers in my raised bed in the greenhouse. Along one side I now have 6 X Jumbo red peppers, 6 X Purple Jalapeno's, 6 X Orange Bell sweet peppers. Plants are still small but hopefully they will shoot away now they are in their final position.

I also took the enviromesh cover off my carrot bed and hand weeded it. Took ages but once it was done I had an idea of my carrots germination rates and added a few more seeds to rows where there were misses. Gave it all a good watering to consolidate the seedlings then replaced the enviromesh and screwed it down.
Only got a few Alicante and Gartenpearle toms to pot up now (got both lots of seed for free or else I wouldn't have bothered)
Still got loads of Jalapeno and sweet peppers to pot up and find room for.
Looks like some will have to go in my half built third greenhouse!

[COMPOST CORNER]

Rearranged plants in GH
Watered everything including allium bed. May have been an error, but things were starting to yellow.
Snapped the only squash I've planted out by forgetting to watch where the hose was!!
Really need to get some weeding done this weekend.

[sewer rat]

Spent all day working at the estate garden then home for a meeting with two teachers from the local secondary school who had contacted me about the Rural Skills Development Programme.Anyway, without going into loads of detail, I have agreed to take on two youngsters (aged somewhere between 13 and 15) for one morning a week as of August. I acyually thought they would spend a full day but apparently not. Never mind, should be good fun - must go and buy another two hoes
OUt to my own place tonight - watered tunnel and sowed some more seeds - 200 Cells of Ishikura Spring Onion a la PW method - these are to stick in anywhere in the tunnel that there is a space, and 500 x PSB.

[Topcat36]

Not much done, planted up some hanging baskets, not with the plants i wanted but not been out since my accident and can't ask OH to take me he has to much to do now, so all i had was the geraniums i had purchased a few weeks ago one fuschia and the marigolds and sweetpeas i had sown, it will be fun to see what they turn out like.
Sweetpeas that were meant for borders have now gone into pots, i will just place these amongst the borders now. Pottted up cucumbers i managed to save and sorted out parsnip seedlings, i have so much more to do.

[spectrawax8]

Hey congrats to Sewer Rat on gardening so far north! used to do a bit in Peebles and Edinburgh area and it needs a really good summer just for ripe toms by September! Are you in the Black Isle - I heard that it was one of the best growing areas up there? used to live over in Wester Ross - Scoraig? V. mild over there on the coast. Down in Norwich now, had over 5 kilos of chillis a couple of years ago outside and uncovered! Course we dont have the majestic scenery but v. pleasant.

To-day have checked Asparagus for any remaining beetle - been hand pinching them (abour 40) but last night after bees went to bed gave them a pyrethrum spray and yippee! 4 dead ones this am so I reckon all 40 plants are clear now - touch wood - just have to wait for the grubs to appear - sigh. Also watered green house toms and put half lowered lids on frames for capsicums. planted out celery and peas and lifted half the kale to transplant as planted too close.

[NewbieGardenerRow]

Ok my first post on this thread so feel free to tell me if I've done anything wrong.

I re potted my chilli peppers/sweet pointed peppers (not sure which is which as the greenhouse blew over and they all got mixed up) to larger pots, I planted some peas called onward in a long deep plastic trough as I have no room in my garden at the mo (hope it works but the packet said they only grow to about 24 inches so I have only planted 8 to see how it goes) I planted some more runner beans (streamline) and they are under cling film in the plastic greenhouse along with some french beans (I don't know what variety as I inherited a packet that has the top ripped of. The packet says they are fast growing stringless compact bushy plants that only need twigs to support in windy sites. They are small cream colour beans so a mystery variety.
I transferred some sunflowers into the garden as well as some large pots, dug up a load of hyacinth bulbs as they were in the way and I have moved them elsewhere.
I have also planted my one remaining dwarf sunflower into a hanging basket. (another experiment as I'm so short on space and have run out of large tubs)
The rest of my dwarf ones were fried when I forgot to open my plastic greenhouse last Sunday!
Ooops
Then I weeded and tidied up generally.

I'm filthy but still chuffed with my efforts.

I have also taken lots of pictures of my handiwork.

Its getting quite windy here at the mo so I'm hoping my greenhouse stays upright now that I have cucumber in a growbag at the bottom.
From Row

[sewer rat]

Yay - finished sowing my winter brassicas today - celebrated by sowing another 300 Kohl Rabi and 100 Chinese Cabbage, clearing out the shed - huge bonfire , - sprayng the fenceline, watering the tunnel, finishing tidying up the outdoor strawbs after hoeing them several days ago and sorting out my tax paperwork for the accountant.

[Snadger]

Started as always by tending to my chooks at the allotment. To cut a long story short managed to get another 6 eggs under my broody.....she's now sitting on 12.


Bit cooler today but that was ideal weather for greenhouse work! Fired up the woodburner in the corner of the greenhouse and had a right old clean out burning any rubbish which had accumululated. Washed the inside and swept floor and hosed it down. Turned my sagging shelf that I grow peppers on the other way up so that the weight of the pots levels it out. Potted on sweet peppers........only my jallys to go now. Sowed loads of assorted climbing beans in modules. I have that many now I may have to build another wigwam.

Planted out 6 celery plants with a 1 foot raised bed surrounding them to help blanch them. Intend filling it with straw as they grow to blanch them.

Watered my plot and my neighbours who are on holiday before heading for home.....knackered and in need of a soak!

[Two_Sheds]

- planted out 10 White Emergo runners (to use as butter beans)

[Sonata]

Bought some compost from Wickes, two plum toms from Homebase. Planted out 3 of my GDs and the two plum toms. My DD also got quite mucky climbing the mountain of compost bags (she loves doing that) and "digging". It's been a really busy day so I haven't had much of a chance to even check over the garden. It needs watering so I might have to go and lug my carcass out there to water things.