What I did today - 2019

[lolie]

Transplanted bok choi seedlings into a raised bed and sowed pak choi seed in the pot to replace them.

My zucchini has started flowering. For some reason, this year it has produced a female flower first.

Mowed the back. At some point between now and tomorrow night I need to fid the motivation to mow the side and outside the fence, and to cut back the creeper which is growing over my fence from next door.

[ESBkevin]

Saturday we had child slave labour (one of the 4 year old grandsons), so he got to dig up a couple of carrots and a parsnip. Then I set up a new temp wire cage to move all last years leaf mould into so I can start filling the big permanant cage with this years harvest. Also dismantled the frame that supports the enviromesh over the greens so it doesn't sit and rot through the winter.
Staked the brussells so they don't blow and called that a day Saturday.
I've had no end of difficulty with the petrol rotary mower and been unable to properly start it for about 6-7 weeks. I could see a spark, I completely removed and cleaned the fuel tank and carburetor, I even put an electric drill driver on the nut instread of pulling the cord and it would doi little more than cough. Two weeks ago I bought a replacement spark plug (even though I was sure it was sparking fine). I fitted the new spark plug Sunday morning and the damn thing fired right up! To good an opportunity to miss, so I cut my small lawn front and back, then three neighbours small front lawns and another old ladies front and back. Then I took to the footpath behind our property that I like to keep tidy. I mainly collected about 8 bin bags of leaves chopped up. I ran out of puff by that stage and needed to go visit my mum, but felt good about finally getting the grass tidy and level. I think more leaves will be gathered this way and whole as they fall. Feels good to be productive.

[Bren In Pots]

Pulled up the last of my GH tom plants hopefully the remaining toms will ripen indoors, next I cut out this years fruited blackberry canes and tied in the new growth. Picked scarlet emperor beans some for saved seeds the rest were cooked and frozen to use in chillis.
Lastly I took down a bean tripod and pulled up the remaining nasturtiums.
It’s gone cool out doors now so I’ve had enough for the day.

[burnie]

I hadn't intended to do much gardening, but after lifting a few carrots and a leek, then the last of the celery I ended up covering two of the raised beds with chicken wire to keep the animals from using them for toilets followed up with of bit of a tidy up as well.

[lolie]

Did some edging out the back. Was planning to complete the mowing today, but we're blanketed in smoke from the bushfires so I don't see that happening. It smells like burning landfill outside.

[muck lover]

Well I did almost nothing today because I’ve got two guys extending and recovering the polytunnel. I’ve peeped out at it and it looks enormous now- an eight foot extension which now encompasses two beds which were previously designated to grow cutting flowers. No more. They’ll be used for edibles now and I estimate I’ll have about 5m2 extra undercover space. I’m so pleased.

[muck lover]

In fact there’s space for more pots and containers as well as the beds.

[Chestnut]

Shifted the now nicely rotted muck heap down onto the plot, then popped down to the wood recycling centre for a couple of gypsum pallets for my next project. It cost me all of £4, and came with free loan of a flatbed trolley for a couple of hours so I could push them to the plot. Earned me quite a few strange looks, but did the job

[lolie]

I did end up getting about 80% of the mowing done on Tuesday and I finally got around to cutting back the creeper which grows over my fence from next door, so the back yard is rubbish-free now.

Yesterday I gave everything a feed of liquid fertiliser. It's that time of the season where there's not a lot to do other than water stuff and watch it grow.

The zucchini is flowering but so far I haven't got male and female flowers at the same time. A few varieties of tomato are flowering but only a couple have set fruit so far. I'm still waiting for several varieties of tomato to take off.

[lolie]

Gave the blueberries a feed of potash because despite planting them in azalea mix the soil is very alkaline.

Soaked everything after another hot day.

We're going to level 2 water restrictions in a few weeks, which means I might have to rethink the garden. I can keep up with what's already there using a watering can, but I really don't fancy trying to keep pumpkin vines alive 9 litres at a time. The pumpkin seeds I sowed haven't germinated and I was going to sow more, but I don't think I will now.

[Chestnut]

Started to assemble my new pumpkin bed, then did a bit of tidying of paths round the site.

[ameno]

Tried to do a bit of digging, as I have a lot of ground to clear. Ground was too wet, really. Very sticky and I didn't get much done.
Can't really wait for it to dry out, though unfortunately, as realistically that's not going to happen until March, and I've got stuff to plant.

[Small pumpkin]

Moved a couple of mole hills so I can open the polytunnel door again.

[Bren In Pots]

Nothing much just a bit of weeding in my GH border when I picked lettuce, it’s to wet to do anything out doors.

[ameno]

Did some digging. Manage to clear almost all of the patch where I plan to plant some new soft fruit. It's full of couch grass and a great big comfrey plant. Dug out about two-thirds of the comfrey today. Just the rest of the plant and a 6 inch by 5 foot strip of weedy soil left to dig.