What I did today - 2019

[cliffo]

Went to Wisley and caught the sun. It was lovely.

[Gillykat]

Cut back my 2 buddleja shrubs, potted up a conker I found, weeded, moved a pile of weed cuttings from last autumn onto the compost heap, cut back & removed a patch of brambles and just basically tidied up a 30ft stretch of allotment in 3hrs. Heat from the sun was amazing!!! Saw my first Bumblebees - Buff-tailed and Tree

Back tomorrow and I WILL pot up my shallots and onion sets!

[Small pumpkin]

I've been playing in the garden
My seed potatoes arrived. They are now sitting in egg boxes on the window cill in the spare room.
Watered my chillies ( that takes a while ).
Had a tidy up in 2 tunnels and a shed.
Sorted out the over wintering potatoes. I think they will come good.
Put some stuff through the shredder.
Repotted my banana mint & pineapple mint.

[Baldy]

Mrs Balders has been supervisingme at home - had a few days of annual leave so was pleased to learn that I had to clean the windows, pressure clean the drive, replace the waste water pipes and 'boss' that come out of the upstairs bathroom. Also, after 7 years or srcupulously saving the square blocks that you get with pallets - Mrs Balders has pointed out that we haven't needed to light the woodburner for 4-5 years and hence the woodstore was a waste of space and needed removing - along with the wood therein. Meh.
Some has gone to a friend but most is now destined to be turned to ash at the plot.
I've rehung my man-cave door so it now almost closes properly and I've removed what felt like a half tonne of ivy (think I may have mentioned how much I despise the stuff) - I realise I've only won a battle against the evil green stuff - I imagine that it will win the war and be a malignant blight on this garden long after I am pushing up the daisies.
So - I'm now having a beer and will then head to the plot to unleash the pyromaniac within...

[muck lover]

Such a beautiful day. I sowed lots of seeds. Flowers and veg.
I potted up some early potatoes to grow in polytunnel. Sieved more leafmould for potting mix. Planted some liatris corms in the area around one of my veg plots along with chives I divided a month or two ago. The margins around veg beds looking nice with early bulbs in flower for the bees. Still limnanthes marigolds borage and more to come.

[bario1]

Stopped at the plot on my way to work and mulched my asparagus bed with four bags of mushroom compost.
Noticed that my cavolo nero has bolted already! Was hoping for a Spring crop, stupid weather!
Nipped back in my lunch break and did some fruit bush pruning - gooseberry, redcurrants, blackcurrants and blueberries.

[Small pumpkin]

A little more tunnel tidying.
Lots more shredding.
2 beds weeded.
Harvested stuff for tea.

[Guest]

I had a mass sowing session today. Will post on the sowing threads when I remember just what I actually sowed

The last few days have been a tidy up of the nursery area, slinging dead stuff, top dressing remaining plants and moving the biennials out of the gh into the nursery area (despite the fact they should have been planted out last Sept.) better late than never.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get my tree grafting done. I am a bit behind from yet more lurgy.

[Nannysally99]

I went to the seaside and had an ice cream

[bikermike]

today, nothing.
Over the long weekend (I had fri and mon off),
planted the fruit trees, built a new raised bed, and put paths round it, used some old turf to start building up a potato bed, covered another area with cardboard and woodchip to make another potato bed.

(potato beds here is an idea I have - I make a narrow bed in year one and grow spuds in it, and then widen it and edge it next year).

planted peppers in the heated propagator, and onions, carrrots and misc flowers in propagators in the greenhouse

repotted a few pot plants

finally moved my old steel sitebox on to a new starter without a shed

I also rebuilt some shelves, repaired a few broken toys, did two 5 km runs.


I'm now at work for a rest...

[bramble]

Got so much done this afternoon.
Spent some time weeding the veg patch.
Raked it all over to level it out.
Covered the whole patch with black plastic to warm it up.
Pruned back my cotoneaster Bush.
Pruned my huge rose Bush Golden Showers.
Tidied up the borders in preparation for planting out my sweet peas next month.
Potted on some more mixed salad leaves.
Lots more to be done but pleased with today's work.

[Small pumpkin]

A little more tidying.
A bit more weeding.
Taken some bay cuttings. Leaf, stem & new growth all dipped in rooting hormone first. Also pinned a small branch to a pot. Now we wait to see if any will take.
Also raked the front lawn. Removing winter wind fall and clumps of grass and stones from where the little black **it has been digging holes.

[bario1]

Got out of the office in my lunch break and went to the plot where I gave most of the tunnel a sponge down to clean off the algae - it wasn't bad, but looks a lot cleaner now. Just need to go back and finish off the bits I couldn't reach today.

[veggiechicken]

Planted the final 7 of 12 fruit trees.

Meticulously cleared one bed of docks and buttercup etc, levelled and raked it over, and planted 2 nectarines, 2 cherries and an apricot with the idea that, if the birds and squirrels became a pest I could cover the lot with netting for protection.

That left 2 Braeburn apples and I don't really need any more apple trees. I was tired and couldn't work up much enthusiasm for clearing more ground - so I took the VC lazy option. Dig 2 holes and bung 'em in. The "holes" are in the middle of the scatter bed - where I dump all the seedheads and wait for something to grow. Its also covered in daffs, honesty, vinca, aquilegia and who knows what!! With my luck, these 2 trees will grow better than the ones I took such care over.

[rambleberry]

Washed the greenhouse and pots and trays, raked the lawn, chopped-up the decapitated buddleia and took it to the waste disposal, re-potted some aubergines, chillies and peppers. Pricked-out some coriander seedlings.