What I did today - 2019

[muckdiva]

Planted out tatsoi, Mizuna, Chinese cabbage in my new mini cold frames - hoping they will be protected from pests that usually shred them to ribbons.
Collected seed heads from calendula and sweet William.

[bikermike]

Built a new bed, watered and fed most stuff. Commiserated next door plot for being knee-deep in marestail after going away for a few weeks. Picked rasberries and blackberries for the small person to hoover up

[Small pumpkin]

Yesterday strimmed half the plot. Made it look a lot bigger
Today strimming the garden and pruning a ( I’ve been told ) tea tree shrub. taking more cuttings.

[Bren In Pots]

Pulled out the majority of my Telephone peas just waiting for the last few saved seeds to go crispy then I'll be removing the netting and frame.

[bikermike]

picked some tomatoes, a strawberry and two figs

[Mark_Riga]

Watched about 50 swallows flying around very energetically while I dug up some of my maincrop potatoes. They will soon be gone. They made the slug damage seem not quite so bad - most found in one spud was 3. Then made tea with all but the olives out of the garden.

[bikermike]

As the small person is starting school on half days (not handy for working parents), I have had a few hours pottering time this week and have bought and painted the wood for the last raised beds. I have been able to come down to the plot every day and come back with something every day (today unexpected potatoes and some tomatoes).

Also, next door have bought themselves a massive telly, and the box is big enough to cardboard a bed almost on it's own

I have been topping up my compost heap with coffee grounds and some very rotted woodchip.

I hope to build a bed this weekend.

[ESBkevin]

This weekend we went and shovelled/bagged another load of rotted manure. Thats about 25 bags, although I'm learning not to fill them too much as they tend to rip when handled. then lifted the main crop spuds. I dug up about 35 feet/row and decided the other row can wait until mid week.
They were not particularly big, I didn't water them avidly and the dry summer has rewarded me accourdingly. We have a half dozen tubs of spuds back at home to harvest, they were reqularly watered and we expect better things there.

[Bren In Pots]

Mostly I've been harvesting then either freezing, roasting, jaring, dehydrating or eating. I've removed the tubs of sweet peas that have finished just one more container still in flower then that's it.

[bikermike]

Mostly I've been harvesting then either freezing, roasting, jaring, dehydrating or eating. I've removed the tubs of sweet peas that have finished just one more container still in flower then that's it.

So did you freeze, eat or dehydrate them?

Today and yesterday I have started mentally working out next year. 17 beds, 3 for spuds, 4 for brassicas, 2 peas, 1 green beans, 1 other pulses, 1 sweetcorn, 1 courgettes etc, oca, beetroot... and working out the rotation.

[Mark_Riga]

Finished digging up maincrop yesterday. 3 varieties Alouette had most slug damage may be up to 50%, harmony (for bakers) about 20% to slugs and Carolus, my favourite, largely untouched may be 5% damage. So have a big bag of slug damaged potatoes if anyone wants, would be ideal boiled up for chickens and mixed with some layer mash. Ended up with 170lb good and about 35lb damaged.
Might still plant some alouette (may be some of the 'better' slug damaged ones from this year) to draw the enemy from the main army.

[Bren In Pots]

So did you freeze, eat or dehydrate them? .

Only the apples had all 3 done to them, no its 4 really because I used some in the chutney.

[muck lover]

Today I acquired two new chickens to join the five I already have. Meet Charlotte and Georgiana.

Unfortunately the existing chickens Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia weren’t overly pleased about the new arrivals. I’ve spent a frantic few hours making a segregated pen inside the chicken run so that everybody can get used to each other. I’m hoping a week of this will be enough to ensure everyone gets along together without bloodshed. I’m looking forward to 7 eggs a day. (I’m not personally going to eat seven eggs a day although I could. The young Muck lovers are all fans of eggs)

[Small pumpkin]

Lots of shredding.
Weeded 3 beds.
A significant mile stone......... the first bed has been covered, never to be uncovered again while I live here ( mixed feelings )

[muck lover]

Hey I spent a lot of time shredding old French bean plants and tomato prunings and layering them with brown material and grass clippings in two large compost bins. Everything was terribly dry and so I had to water every few layers. This was difficult as the hose does not reach this far and I had to use watering cans. It was a good workout.

I have also been policing the chicken run following the introduction of two new chickens. One of them seems to be holding her own but the other one still needs protective custody in a separate little pen. I must say I’m seeing a new and pretty unpleasant side to my previously gentle hens. I can easily appreciate that these things are descended from dinosaurs and I think my lot definitely have T-Rex in their ancestry.