What I Did Today Archive 2009

[onefivenine]

This is the first Spring in our house, and our first garden

Today I've been busy sowing seeds.

Lettuce (Little Gem) - seed tray in growhouse
Marigold - seed tray in growhouse
Nasturtium - seed tray in growhouse

Basil - indoor mini bell cloche on windowsill
Catnip - indoor mini bell cloche on windowsill
Coriander - indoor mini bell cloche on windowsill

Broad Bean (sutton) - indoor on windowsill

Perpetual Spinach - outdoor south facing window box
Mixed Leaf Salad (Italian) - outdoor south facing window box

Got my fingers crossed now.

[Pickle]

Planted 2 blueberry bushes into pots and one into the ground. Started to clear the site for my raised beds (which it seems are at least another couple of weeks until they arrive).
Cleared the pond of some reeds that had got WAY out of control. OH starting digging up pur garden path which the previous owners covered over with earth when they dug out the pond.
Had a bonfire

Feel really pleased with the progress we made in the garden today just frustrated that my raised beds have been delayed further Really want to get going on some more things.

[SlugLobber]

Well, I went nuts this weekend, due to the nice weather!

Sat: mowed the lawn and weeded, tore out a really horrible fence, the presence of which meant that I had to go out onto the road to get to my own drive! What numpty puts a fence up like that?!?

I also potted on my 6 earliest tomato seedlings (TTT I think!). Two are in their final pots, with 4 being in medium pots, to give away to friends.

Sun: A trip to the garden centre, to use up some Squires vouchers! Picked up some fresh lavender to put near the back door, ready for herbal usage and lavender shortbread! Also some new secateurs, compost, dahlias, tomato feed...

...got home and potted on some lettuce seedlings (AYR and Latiga/letuga/whatever it is!), potted the dahlias in the cold frame, then turned my home made compost, which was ready for use. It was quite soggy, as the drainage holes are part way up the bin, so I tipped it out into a large pot to drain. POOOOOOOOO!!!! Anyhoo, I used this to half fill some large pots, then topped up with a mix of rotten manure and compost, to sow...

Carrots (parmex)
Parsnip (Autumn Gold?)-already have gladiator in situ
Courgette
French Climbing beans (the latter two are indoors on the windowsill)
Leeks
Curly Kale
Squash (Cobnut)

I think that's it! The courgette, leeks, beans and squash were all done during the ad-break for View to a Kill. I couldn't miss my favourite Bond film!!

[Twinkle]

second earlies have just gone in...

[sallym]

Planted 1st and 2nd Earlies yesterday, just need to finish digging beds, and then I can plant Mains.
Planted some Greyhound cabbage under cloches. Don't know if I'm too early with these but I got itchy fingers and sowed them a while ago. They have 2 options.
Pleased to see lettuce and radish seedlings have germinated under fleece on plot. Fleece is tearing from the high winds we have had here so will swap for bubblewrap tomorrow.

[chocobed]

Have ten days off work so y/day spent three hours on plot planting new spuds Rocket and doing a lot of hoeing and strimming. Shifted three more tyres to the plot to force the rhubarb(It already has two tyres). Cleared the straw that hadn't been taking down by the worms from the former three sister bed and added it to the compost heap. Today spent three hours clearing some weeds ready to dig over another couple of beds, uncovered a bed and lightly hoed it over before sowing Kale,Cabbage and remainingleek seeds. Put a row of Saladin Iceberg lettuce in next to them for short term cropping.
Constructed a lattice pyramid from leftover garden trellis. Now thinking about what to grow up it!
Weeded soft fruit bed and onion beds, edged paths with strimmer, Checked carrots and peas to find some signs of early germination.
Happy bunny this week!

[selfraising]

Sowed more Feltham peas in loo rolls and some lolla rosso lettuce in trays. Swept Patio and garden path. Checked on plants round which I had put slug wool. Seems to be working! Cleared the pond a bit and then put in some algae remover. Re-arranged mini greenhouses to create more space. Finally, topped up containers that have perennials in them with fresh compost.

[Flummery]

I pricked out another half dozen of my self-crossed tomatoes - Sungold x Tiger Tom. They are strong looking plants. We'll see what they taste like in due time!

[sewer rat]

At the estate garden I work at I dug up and moved six barrowloads of snowdrops, cut back all the roses in front of the big house and in the walled garden, potted up some primula for indoor displays and had general tidy up of front beds in preparation for visitors tomorrow
At my own place, discovered that mice prefer spring onion seeds to cabbage seeds, with Swiss Chard coming a close second.
At the hotel walled garden, removed chillies fron propagator and sorted through last of JA's to select seed tubers,

[taff]

I've been itching to play for ages, and had a whole day to myself today, so I turned, sorted and sieved compost, threw some on the raised bed I made and dug last week. Put some in pots to grow seeds.
Mowed the remaining lawn, cut back next door's vine-thingy, it grows like mad in the summer, put the dead stick in the standalone compost bin for grass cuttings, added cardboard to it too..
Lined up and drilled holes in my makeshift water-butts and connected them with tubing, then connected them to the down-pipe. Cleared a little bit of guttering on next doors conservatory-type thing, because that water runs into the down-pipe too while balancing precariously on the rickety ladder.
Tripped over my box of whitebells, fell flat on my face. Said 'ouch' then laughed and picked up the poor things.
Sowed Cuor di Bue/Amish Paste/Santa/Purple Ukraine/San Marzano tomatoes.
Sowed Red Egg/Barbantane/Bellezza aubergines.
Sowed celeriac ( the seeds smell really strong, I was quite surprised) and lovage, and some climbing peas.
Then I sat down, had a fag and was very pleased with myself

[janeyo]

Planted out my broadies.
Sowed some mixed salad leaves and some lollo rosso.
Sowed some chamomile in the greenhouse.
Don't know where the time went really, must have been pottering!

[wellie]

Sewer Rat, I just LOVE listening to what you do, it's SO inspirational, thank you. X

In The Little Girls' Greenhouse today, the 2nd sowing of Aubergine seeds are just germinating. The Comfrey Bocking 14 offsets that I potted up yesterday seem perfectly happy at being hoiked out of the ground and potted, and my hundreds of Buxus sempervirens cuttings wot I rooted last year, are beginning to show signs of growth (see Wellie jump up and down?!) God only knows what I'm going to do with them now!!!

I had a slow start to the day packing boxes for our intended move, as andi&di did phone for a natter. And we did natter, and natter, and natter?! It was the best natter I've had for a long time! Bless you Angel, you really made my day. Can't WAIT to meet you and your family one day soon? X

[Herbie]

Yesterday, I got let off the diy due to good behaviour so spent the whole day out in the garden.
Planted chitted potatoes into 10L flower pots, pricked out kale seedings, transplanted parsnip seedlings from paper towel into loo rolls. Set up pop up coldframe on the patio and moved carrots in trough into there along with cabbage seedlings.
Potted up chilis that have finally shown themselves. Strimmed and cut the grass, reseeded patches. Planted out some early peas, set up fleece over the hoops aquired from pound shop, these are really good for a set of three for a quid, very strong. Planted out some perrenials that had been lingering in the greenhouse. Planted rose from Lidl - Queen of England. Sorted propagator out. Courgettes have all germinated along with baby pumpkins which will be kept on the last available windowsill. Swept all the paths, brought tomatoes plants out to sunbathe on the patio. Planted some primroses that I had grown myself.
Couldn't post yesterday, too tired!! Today I have found I do have muscles at the back of my arms oh they ache!
After work tonight checked the greenhouse, pop up cold frame and watered the grass seed.

[Welsh Wizard]

Planted out 2 dozen seed spuds that have been chitted in 6 old compost bags: Pink Fir Apple, Saxon and Rooster this year's chosen varieties I am really aiming to build up a stock of seed spuds for next year when I will have more space to play with.. Had some help from my little un, who decided that raw spud was tasty.... Gorgeous sunny day all round. Opened the greenhouse when I popped home for lunch to find it was like a sauna. First flower buds starting to open on my peach tree.

I am debating adding to my 30 strawberry plants.

[Marthaclematis]

Today being Monday I had to go to work, was very bored as boss is away at a conference. I spent all day wishing I was at home with my garden. Anyway I left 15mins early and got back as quick as I could. I rushed out back, checked on all my new growth - I actually had to tie in one shoot of clematis today (yay) and then did a quick mow of the front lawn before the light faded; I didn't even change out of my work clothes. I'm looking forward to the clocks going forward - I'll be able to have over an hour outside by then and soon everything will be taking off and I'll be tying in and twirling my honeysuckle just like last year!!!