What I did today - 2019

[1Bee]

Made a soaker hose and put it to use. We haven't had more than the shortest of light showers up here for a very long time, and I'm having to switch to full on watering mode, which always makes me grumpy. At least with a bodged soaker I can be weeding or something while the hose does its work.

Weeded leeks, onions, broad beans, beetroot, salads, anything I else I could get my hands on.

Realised that the rather haphazard way I netted the redcurrant and blueberries, with a few gaps at the bottom means I have inadvertently made a perfect protective shelter for the blackbird fledgling that's bumbling around the plot. Put down some water for the blackbird and accepted crop failure as a reasonable payoff for birdie survival. (Baby blackbirds leave the nest before they can fly. It's stressful.) Baby blackbird spent some time eyeballing me and pretending to be a clod of earth. Mummy blackbird spent some time alternating between sotto voce chirps to baby (presumably, "don't move!") and full-on alarm call shrieking at me until I explained I have no intention of harming her bubba, and since I have access to a hose, any cats coming calling while I was there would also get short shrift. Plot neighbours spent some time wondering if they should have me committed.

Harvested broad beans (from both the early sown and main crop.... why do I bother trying to so sequential sowing, exactly?), peas, lettuce, radishes, strawberries, a random self-started raspberry, spinach and potatoes.

Dug some more of the shed base area. Decided I will need timber edging on two sides. Wept softly into my Diet Coke. Wished there was a shed base fairy.

Scored a Storm Kettle off fB selling pages. Felt very smug, even though it's got to be put away as a *cough*Christmas*cough* present.

[Small pumpkin]

A bit more Strimming.
Watered all tunnels.
Weeded bed 2
Dead headed basket by the front door
Sown seeds.
Tidy up around drive and shed because Bob apparently has an allergy to put anything away!

[bramble]

Decided to harvest my gooseberries.
It took me half an hour to take down the fruit cage.
I am using the word "" fruitcage" very loosely as it was my home made one.
Picked just under 11 lbs of fruit from the ond and only Bush.
Spent the evening topping and tailing them and they ste now in the freezer.
I was amazed at the amount of fruit this one bush produced this year.
Invicta red variety.

[ESBkevin]

Sideshoot and twist up the strings for the tomatoes. Lots of watering. Lifted some more new potatoes. Planted some spare bedding flowers in a patch for the bees. Planted out more leeks where the leaf mould had stood. Planted more carrots, sweede and Parsnips where the spuds came out.
Dotted a few marigolds about too.

[Snoop Puss]

Absolutely nothing. Hobbled over to look at the damage caused by the overnight storm (some, could be worse) and then took my bad back and the rest of me back indoors.

[bramble]

Took my grandson for a 5 mile walk and did some grocery shopping while we were out and about.
Spent part of the afternoon prunings g back my gooseberry Bush.
Dead headed the sweetpeas.
Watered everything indoors and outdoors.
Picked lots of strawberries and raspberries.
Dug some potatoes.
Did the usual weeding.
Took sideshoots from my tomatoes and tied them in.
Busy day but most enjoyable.

[ameno]

Cut back all my willows at the allotment, ready to dig out. I now have a huge pile of willow prunings I don't know what to do with. I'd like to shred and compost them, but there's no electricity on site and lugging the cuttings home to shred, then back again to compost isn't too practical.

I also thought I'd try my hand at digging one out, just to gauge how hard it would be. I got two out in 15 minutes. The stump doesn't go deep and the roots aren't at all woody; the spade just slices through them like butter.
This is going to be an easier job than I thought.

[MelanieSW]

Applied the second batch of nematodes and watered - take that, slugs!
Then spent a while pondering if that means that my veg is not vegan anymore. Though as I've also used manure on the plot it presumably never was.
That's all.

[bario1]

Nothing much to do at the plot, it's completely saturated. Watered the toms in the tunnel, even they didn't really need it!

[Snoop Puss]

Watered everything (fortunately, bad back is on the mend). Picked a few bits and bobs for lunch.

[robbra]

Nothing much to do at the plot, it's completely saturated. Watered the toms in the tunnel, even they didn't really need it!

Send some of that rain down here,not too much mind, grass is dead and my water butt is empty, I hate using the tap.

[bario1]

Gladly. You can have this lot....

"Parts of the UK are facing being hit by almost a month’s worth of rain in the space of a couple of hours.

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for much of Scotland and the north of England, in place from midday until 9pm on Thursday."

Great.

[1Bee]

It's rained properly here for the first time in months. The ground is still dust dry a few millimetres down...

What I did today: watered. And grumbled about it. ;-)

[robbra]

Sorry bario1, on second thoughts........... Sun blazing here, not so bad after all.
And I've ordered another 6 Halos, should be ok in Portugal, £13, not a bad price.

[bario1]

No rain here so far anyway. It's just sweaty.