What I did today - 2019

[SarrissUK]

I went and got more horse manure today. I'm getting to the end of the well rotted stuff now, so I need to source a new supplier in order for me to carry on adding new beds. I reckon I'm only half way through what I've got left to do. I also ripped out all the thistles at the side of the greenhouse and laid them down to dry out. I'm planning to put all that in the compost heap next week, then put cardboard on the ground and adding more horse manure and have a new bed there. That spot gets partial shade, and that would be useful - all my beds so far are in full sun.
The site rep is lovely and he lent me a petrol strimmmer, as the association doesn't have one, and bless him, he said he doesn't really want it back either, so I reckon I'm going to need to find a way to repay him. I desperately need the strimmer, as the grass on the plot next door is hanging over my beds and I need to cut it all back.
I also had to fleece/net my black currants who were coming along so nicely, and about half of them have been eated by birds!! I was not happy so netting them off was definitely a priority. I didn't have much netting that was suitable, so covered the rest with fleece.
I hurt my back getting the horse manure out of the van, so that slowed me down a little, and it's quietly throbbing now so I reckon I'll have big trouble tomorrow. I was very proud to have only a couple of meters left to add to the new bed in the middle of the plot. The path is needing woodchip too, but I ran out of steam.
I have to go to the optician tomorrow to check my lenses as they don't feel right at all, so will nip into Wilko, but may well go up to the allotment after to use that strimmer, depending on how my back feels.
Then tomorrow night I'm off to a festival that I got free tickets to (yay for working for the NHS)! No drinking through, because I have lots planned for Sunday's full day on the plot

[ameno]

Sowed some more radishes, swede and carrots to replace the seedlings the slugs got.
Weeded my allotment.
Dug a bit more of the bed I plan to put my brassicas in. Didn't get much done in the end. About 1m square. The soil is pretty loose thanks to the rain, but it's very weedy and overgrown, so it's pretty slow work. My back started aching from all the bending over and I got fed up, so I went home.

[bikermike]

It was sunny for parts of today!
Watered my tomatoes
Filled two troughs and a container with mostly garden compost with a bit of mpc on top.
Planted (therein) my remaining indoor tomatoes and garden outdoor toms and sweet potato.

Can't beleive it's the solstice and i still haven't finished my "spring" planting (parsnips, some brassicas and butternut squash aren't in yet and beans take 2 are not big enough yet)

Mike

[Gillykat]

Can't believe it's the solstice and i still haven't finished my "spring" planting (parsnips, some brassicas and butternut squash aren't in yet and beans take 2 are not big enough yet)

I know the feeling Mike! Where have the past few weeks gone to?

Doesn't help that hubby wants to fire up the generator tomorrow and see if he can pull down the raised beds which he originally agreed to leave until September/October He's DOING MY HEAD IN!!!!!!!

[sarah9786]

Potted on some lovage. Put the kids sunflowers into the border with my little helper. I accidentally broke a tomato plant trying to straighten it out up a cane support but luckily have a few waiting in the wings to plant in it's place. Whilst in the greenhouse l told the cucumber off for sulking. I planted out about half the late sweetcorn in the veg plot. Did a bit of weeding and I also started some more comfrey and nettle tea, with a homemade surgical stocking teabag into a big waterbutt

[Snoop Puss]

Watered all round. Earthed up more potatoes and hoed around the squash seedlings. The Confection (a Crown Prince type) look amazing. Even the seed leaves are whoppers.

Killed a few snails in revenge for the courgette. Quite a few trails about though. Did a bit more weeding. Also put down a big bowl of water for birds in the fenced-off area. A pair of blackcaps and two youngsters were bobbing about in there yesterday. Nice to see.

Wanted to do more weeding but the flies and heat got to me. Taking refuge for the rest of the day. Due to get extremely hot this week. Not looking forward to it.

[Jay-ell]

Yesterday I harvested my elephant garlic. All six were large but they were also single rounds so I can't split off cloves for seed stock. It's either eat them or replant them. Luckily I have a cunning plan.

https://youtu.be/pWYjiEbWYLo

Weeded, mulches, topped up the water butt in the greenhouse,.

Caught one of the the neighbourhood juvenile delinquents thieving my fruit

https://youtu.be/3qeMcWxiHnk

[Florence Fennel]

Thinned out the apple tree, we had hundreds of little ones last year, most of which were unusable so hoping for a better harvest this time. Sowed more CACA salad and about to pot on a couple of Tigerella late toms

[Chestnut]

Woke at the crack of dawn, which meant I’d had time to weed the garden (removed almost a full council bin of weeds), take a pair of shears to the front hedge, plant out 2 trays of lupins, and put the second load of washing on the line before 7.30am. Few errands and a couple of hours o the plot this morning.
Now ready for a nap!

[ameno]

Did more digging. Progress is very slow, as there's just so much couch grass.

[Small pumpkin]

Fed chillies
Brought scaffolding ( a lot )
Helped put a laser engraver together

[bikermike]

Killed most of my parsnip seedlings (second seeding) they just haven't worked this year.

Put lots of things out in the sun. Most of them enjoyed it.

Actually had to water my gh today (first time it's needed it between planned waterings).
Busy day tomorrow. Planting, setting up the irrigation system, harvesting garlic and bottling weed tea. And mowing...

[SarrissUK]

I pulled a muscle yesterday moving horse manure and it hurt so bad yesterday, but this morning I felt a little better, just very stiff and sore. I walked around the kitchen making my breakfast looking like I'd messed myself haha
I had to cancel my evening out - I was simply too stiff to be able to go dancing, but I kept moving all day, although slowly, sorting out the back garden. I managed to get some more tomatoes planted into the greenhouse, and tied up with string.
I've sorted all my empty pots and put a bookshelf outside the kitchen to contain them all (pardon the pun).
I bought more seed the other day and I sowed them all today. Most of them were from inspiration I got at Gardener's world live, but wouldn't pay their prices for plants :P One is a grass - Red Baron, a climber with beautiful droplet flowers - rhodochiton, Campanula for my front garden to break up the ivy and sempervivums for indoors
The Antiguan palm seed is now in water!
I decided to come in at 9pm and have something to eat lol Lovely day, although slow-moving lol

[Florence Fennel]

Potted on 2 Black Cherry toms and 1 Ildi and planted a marigold in each one

[ameno]

Another couple hours of digging. Very slow progress, as usual. The top two inches of soil seems to be more couch grass than soil. I'm tempted just to toss the whole lot, soil and all, rather than trying to remove the roots and save the soil.