What I Did Today Archive - 2010

[Suky]

Watered all the babies in the greenhouse etc and the tomatoes who spent the night outside.
Dug over the bed where the old apple tree was to put in a row of Telephone peas (tall ones) Considering it hasn't been dug over for at least 11 years and has had various shrubs and bulbs under the tree the soil is wonderful. Moist and crumbly and full of worms. I was going to dig in some manure but now I am not sure I need to. Later I will put up some of the lovely 'piggy twee' sticks I got from the local coppicer yesterday and start planting the peas seedlings along them.
I began to develop this veggie garden one year ago when we dug up an 8'x8' patio and now I have half the garden

[Bren In Pots]

After watching Alys Fowler the other day I've bought and sown some Black Tuscan Kale, never tried it before so I hope its tastes good.

[Flummery]

After watching Alys Fowler the other day I've bought and sown some Black Tuscan Kale, never tried it before so I hope its tastes good.

Pic on my latest blog post - we ate some yesterday - I put a late sowing the the cold greenhouse to overwinter and we've been eating it for some weeks.

Potted on some toms and chillies, Himself planted up some wide flat pans with alpines and I scrubbed out Beak House, the chicken villa.

[selfraising]

Emptied out wormery, cleaned then put in fresh bedding and re-filled stuff that was not ready yet. Potted on lupins and watered everything in gh.

[Bren In Pots]

Since my last post I've planted out half a dozen lettuce plants and my sweet-peas that were sown in February and early March.
Just been to your blog thanks Flumnery.

[coreopsis]

Finished the digging-everything is ready for planting(except raised beds that are still empty)-weather permitting
Planted some cukes and the other related ones-hope it's going to get warmer soon

[NewbieGardenerRow]

Today I fixed my leaky hose pipe and attached a new multi head thingy.Its like a trigger with what looks like a shower head on that does everything from soak, spray, mist, jet...... it works brilliantly and was only a cheapo thing from asda.
Just as I was fitting it to give my garden a good soak it started to rain!
So I grabbed the washing off the line, then it stopped again..........grrrr.
So I dug over my entire unplanted veggie patch after chucking down lots of chicken poo pellets much to the disgust of the kids who said it stank but my cat seemed to love it and rolled all over them!!!!
Then I caught the little *%$#* sitting in my newly planted troughs so they got covered in netting to keep him off.
Then I mowed the lawns and was just on the last bit when the heavens opened and I got soaked chucking everything back in the shed. So...lawns mowed but clippings still on the ground and mower is uncleaned and sitting in the shed.

[elsie-scot]

Bravely put my excess tomato and chilli/sweet pepper seedlings into GH for an overnight stay - covered with fleece, forecast is OK for nights, and min temp has been fine for last wk (finally worked out how to reset digi thermometer! Will still take in/out with my main seedlings just in case.

Sowed some squash and pumpkin seeds

[wellie]

This morning, when I opened up The Draughty Dutch Greenhouse, I came over all confused....
Since yesterday, there was a definite disturbance in the P24 tray of Cucurbit seeds me thinks! And I'm absolutely convinced that it's Mickey Mouse.
I had all manner of Pigletwillie seeds, as well as my own, and all of the eaten seed-cases were scattered on top of the compost modules.
Just exactly WHERE is your cat when you need one, eh?!

I've saved what I can, transferred just about every precious seedling crop into our conservatory for 'safe-keeping' right now, because if I lose those advanced crops now, it would put just everything back ten-fold.....
And I've left the greenhouse doors open, just in case my cat fancies a Midnight Feast.

[frogga]

Went out for a quick inspection this morning, to find the potatoes had just started to show leaves, the beetroot was growin, but there were alot of slugs around, so let the chickens on the patch for an hour to de-slug, whih they thoroughly enjoyed, off to weed for a few hours now to prepare for planting some of the plants over the weekend.

[Flummery]

Planted 3 Oca tubers in biggish pots. (I did this last year and put them down the lottie in June when they were quite big jobbies).
Transplanted cabbages and sprouts at the allotment - under anti-pigeon cages.
I talked to the peas (but they don't listen to me.)

[sarraceniac]

Went round the greenhouse first thing and said hello to the snails that have eaten all my young cucs and a few young toms. Said goodbye to said snails with a large boot. Planted new cucs but I've loads of reserve toms.

Having (actually had 'cos I'm knackered now) a small area where the dandelions have taken over I dug deep and removed them. At my age an area of 6 square metres is quite enough for doing this sort of weeding in one day, so I went on the potter.

Looked under a pampas and found a flower I didn't remember planting so, noticing that its leaves were exactly like an Aquilegia, I did some googling and found it. I am now the proud father of a double Aquilegia which I didn't plant and is superb. So thank you to the friendly sparrow, whoever (s)he may be. I then examined my tree fern, more in hope than expectation after the winter we had. Jumped with joy when I saw a couple of new fronds. So it has survived, as has the Gunnera manicata.

Had a look at the fruit trees. The cherries, the apples (even the new this year Egremont russet), the pears and the plums are all groaning with blossom. The bees were buzzing round them and round the soft fruits, even though there is no sign of blossom there yet. No blossom on the quince tree (but the bush is in full bloom) or the medlar yet. Planted some sprouts out then cos I felt guilty for just looking. All in all, a most satisfactory day.

[Brengirl]

Sort of the same as me Sarra except that I bottled some Youngs Chardonnay brew. Everything looks rosy.

[Two_Sheds]

Sunny until 3pm
- weeded for 4 hours
- planted out a tray of radish
- potted on HHA flowers, chillies etc
- sowed pumpkins & courgettes (how did I end up with 7 packs?!) in cell trays
- volunteered to help run the school's gardening club (muppet)
- painted another side of my shed (sage)
- planted up one hanging basket
- sowed another row of beetroot
- admired French beans (direct sown, now 3" tall) and spuds are showing too
- watered then mulched fruit bushes with wet newspapers
- dug out a 6x4 weedy bit (ivy, nettles: been under tarp for a year) really nice soil now and ...
- sowed 5 rows of chitted dwarf Frenchies (Rocquencourt & Asda black beans)
- did the greenhouse shuffle: 6 trays to harden off out in morning, back in at night. So tedious
- started another batch of dandelion wine

[elsie-scot]

Flower day today - pricked out some annuals, broadcast sowed a homemade mix, planted out some sunflowers, sowed some more seeds.