What I Did Today Archive 2009

[lavender lou]

thought about going in the garden, but everytime i went in the garden the chickens tried to escape, and tried to attack me so i gave up in the end.

Went to see my neighbour who has decided to grow her own too and talked about what we were growing over a cup of coffee.

Had 14, 13 foot scaffold boards given to us for our raised beds so helped OH move them onto the back garden before someone pinched them.

Looked at all my germinated seeds which i had sown last sunday and wondered if they needed pricking out but decided to do that tomorrow after i have been to the Potato Day at Chesterfield (Just hope its gonna be a nice day tomorrow).

[selfraising]

Went to the garden centre today........again! Of course I had to buy something. Came back with some bluebells for under my tree, narcissi and some other mixed bulbs all of which I planted when I got home. Bought some horticultural grit for drainage. Put manure on two of my raised beds which I may or may not dig in tomorrow.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Raked the paths between the raised beds ready for weed supressant.
Dug all six raised beds (adding a load of horse manure to the spud beds first) which are now ready for planting.
Dug a parsnip, JA's and some red sprouts tops for tea.
Noticed that currant bushes are breaking into leaf.

[Welsh Wizard]

Planted out my shallots, garlic. Went to plant nursery which bizarrely was deserted, and pondered buying more strawberry plants. Eventually came away with a spearmint and some thyme which have gone into my herb trough, along with some Asda bought oregano. The spearmint has had its roots restricted with a flowerpot within the trough. Was almost persuaded to buy a Gisela 5/Stella Cherry but almost choked at the price; will be going to Blackmoor nurseries for trees I think....

Pegged out my large cloche to start warming the soil where my lettuce will go. Continued my war of attrition with the mice; the score so far: 3 mice killed in trap last week (tuna bait) vs 2 nets of seed potatoes and box of paperwork eaten. I think this is a score draw; next week I bring out the peanut butter bait and a second trap....

Oh and tapped the sycamore (Acer) tree in the back garden in order to make sycamore maple syrup. 34 Inch trunk diameter, so drilled 2 taps, made some spigots from lemonade bottles and have got 2 litres of sap already, another few days it will be boiling time in the "sugarhouse"...

[FoxHillGardener]

sowed lots of chilllis and aubergines, oh hang on what does that say...

Oh and tapped the sycamore (Acer) tree in the back garden in order to make sycamore maple syrup. 34 Inch trunk diameter, so drilled 2 taps, made some spigots from lemonade bottles and have got 2 litres of sap already, another few days it will be boiling time in the "sugarhouse"...

...you can tap sycamores for sap! well what a good idea. Any pictures Welsh wizard? I'd like to get something useful from the manky things, I mean I know they're trees and everything, but really, they're still sycamores

[Welsh Wizard]

Check out:
Tap Maple Trees at Home

Been looking at my giant sycamore in a whole new light today! Sycamores are Acer pseudoplatanus, so related to the sugar maple used in North America by the Native Americans for sugary treats.

The sap does taste sweet, and once I have enough I am going to boil it up and attempt to create syrup. I do need quite a lot of sap, but the tree is producing a steady drip, and it is large enough to put a couple of holes in without weakening the tree significantly. If it results in a few less leaves shading out my veg patch so much the better. In return I have severed a load of ivy that is overgrowing the tree, so it is a fair deal for both the tree and me.

Sycamores are not so bad really: I will get some sycamore honey later in the year when the honey flows too!

[Herbie]

Its been a beautiful day, lots of sunshine. Managed to fit in a few gardening jobs after cleaning the house from top to bottom after the leak and plumbing problems this week.
(Kids are taking the mick! All Ive heard this week is mum's growing leeks on the landing lol) Don't ya just luv em
Anyway sown heritage seeds from HSL ,peas and bean for me this year. Couldn't help but play with the bean seeds! These seeds are being kept indoors until they have germinated not sharing my treasure with the micers! Planted garlic out in new raised beds! Plus some chives Ive had hanging around. Moved germinated peas (meteor) into greenhouse covered with a propagator lid. Mice dug up and scoffed over £15 worth of seed last year in the greenhouse so not taking any chances this year. Put some stones into saucers for under lemon and orange trees. Hoping the lemon recouperates, think I over watered. Brought another one in Wilko, this one is more established and has 8 little lemons on it. Bargain for a tenner. Now to keep away from the watering can. Learning all the time.

[BarleySugar]

I pruned my roses, planted some sweet peas seedlings to scramble through my cobnut trees and planted a potted foxglove into the garden. I also planted some rooted rosemary cutting to make a hedge and did a general tidy up. Tomorrow I intend to plant my shallots and some more sweet pea seeds.

[greendean]

quick tidy up at the allotment before babysitting duties
sowed my first seeds of the season. salad leaves, basil, rocket in the heated propagator
sorted through my seed tin. again

[BarleySugar]

I built my Christmas pressie at last. They got me a Patio Gro kit, bascially like a mini greenhouse, but it takes 12 troughs. I've already got 10 of the 12 planted up in the greenhouse, but wanted the proper framework made so I could free up space.
Knowing OH he would huff and puff, moan and groan, and get the bits all confused (he's lovely but not the most practical minded man), so I decided to have a go. I've built it in the living room though, so we will have to carry it out, and goodness knows where he's put all the small spanners, because I couldn't find them in the toolbox. Anyway everything is together, even though all the bolts need tightening, so I'm feeling quite pleased with myself, and it isn't even 9am yet. Everyone else is still in bed!

[jacob marley]

Had a firkel around the Garlic with home made 4 tine firkeler machine .
Had a firkel around Spring Cabbage with home made 5 tine firkeler machine and gave the cabbage some Sulphate of Ammonia to give it a kick up the backside to get it into gear and growing..
So all in all not a bad mornings work....jacob

[esrikandan]

I tidied up one of my strawberry beds and potted on 31 runners/babies!

Planted 57 onion sets into modules (into cold frame) , a handfull of Busy Lizzies and some Sweet Peas.

Lobbed some compost over the raspberry area and cleaned up the remainder of last years flower containers.

Spring is in the Air!

[FionaH]

Planted hostas, sowed chives into greenhouse tidied up a bit, made soup....sure i did sommat else???!!

[jackie j]

I potted on some tomato plants Golden Pearl and Moneymaker and some sweetpeas, sowed more moneymaker and beefsteak toms, as well as lettuce salad bowl and tom thumb, cabbage greyhound and Elisa, herbs mint, sage, parsley envy, radish cherry belle, Marigold ( french ) bonita mixed.
Went to fetch son ( no 2 ) dropped him into town, then went to B&Q for some seed compost and a big bag of multi purpose compost and they had sol out hmph.
I ache all over now but as I wont be able to do any for a while I got stuck in.

[janeyo]

Yesterday we got the first new bigger and much prettier (ie painted) raised bed into position, only another 4 to go.
Had to move the autumn garlic twice while we did it so hope it will be ok. (once into temp buckets, then back into ground) It's now in it's final position.

Today I planted the spring garlic and thought about planting the onion sets but will wait a bit longer I think.

Dug out more garss for the rest of the beds (I will get it finished before anything else needs to go in the ground lol), shifted loads of dirt to the flower beds that have slipped down a slope a bit.

OH is out there now, he has put down a few more slabs fot the veg bed path and is now making raised bed no2.