What I intend to do today or tomorrow number2

[Snoop Puss]

Sympathy like there, Penellype.

[Penellype]

Sending *hugs* - you will prevail Penellype.

Maybe replace the carrots with more carrots? I haven't sown mine yet - they'll just be later than I wanted - I'll sow an 'early' variety that doesn't take so long to crop. Slugs got our first lot & most of the second lot last year - I've resorted to 'organic' pellets

A friend had a total no-show on beans as they rotted this year so has only just sown more - they grow quite fast sown this time of year so won't be as far behind as you think. Even if they crop a few weeks behind you'll still be picking later

I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know but just wanted to try to cheer for you a little x

Thanks Andraste, its just so frustrating. The carrots that were eaten are the 2nd sowing in that position so I am not hopeful that sowing any more will be any good. The beans were intended to be an early crop, I have already sown one more lot which were intended for my friend, so I have put more to soak this morning as I am certain the originals won't survive. This morning I picked up 2 slugs that were crawling over the mulch that consists of "slug repelling" Strulch sprinkled with Slug Gone wool pellets. Each plant is surrounded by a ring of plastic bottle with copper tape round it and the plants are still getting eaten. I pick off any slugs I see and dispose of them and I have ordered nematodes but they probably won't arrive until the weekend. I don't know what else I can do as I refuse to use slug pellets because we definitely have hedgehogs.

The flooding is equally frustrating. I desperately need to cut the allotment grass, which is thick, lush and wet at the top end of the plot and under water at the bottom, which at least stops it growing. The horsetail loves it and is invading everywhere faster than I can pull it out. I have one empty bed that I was going to plant PSB in, but as I have to wade through 2 inches of water to get to it, it is far too wet for brassicas, hence the change of plan. I think I am going to have to plant them in the tunnel, which I was going to keep brassica free for one more year because of pests.

Things should improve later in the week as it is supposed to stop raining for a day or so at least.

[Andraste]

Sending *hugs* - you will prevail Penellype.

Maybe replace the carrots with more carrots? I haven't sown mine yet - they'll just be later than I wanted - I'll sow an 'early' variety that doesn't take so long to crop. Slugs got our first lot & most of the second lot last year - I've resorted to 'organic' pellets

A friend had a total no-show on beans as they rotted this year so has only just sown more - they grow quite fast sown this time of year so won't be as far behind as you think. Even if they crop a few weeks behind you'll still be picking later

I know I'm not telling you anything you don't already know but just wanted to try to cheer for you a little x

[Penellype]

Tuesday jobs
Weeding and horsetail - done some
Deadheading - no
Trim more long grass edges - done some
Finish trimming allotment hedge - done
Remove bolted spinach from growhouse - done
Shuffle tomato plants, pot up some - done some
Harvest spinach, check peas, strawberries - done

Wednesday jobs (working around the floods)
Collect rain water
Pot up self-seeded antirrhinums and lobelia
Plant tomatoes in tunnel
Take some tomatoes to my friends greenhouse
Cut off flowering grass stems that are not in flooded area
Sow more climbing beans to replace ones eaten by slugs
Decide what to sow instead of carrots eaten by slugs
Sow lots more courgettes to replace ones that won't germinate (1 from 10 so far)
Re-do planting plan to take account of slow early growth and floods
Take 10 deep breaths and try not to cry
Harvest bolting spinach, bolting beetroot, peas and a few strawberries

[Penellype]

Monday jobs
Weeding and horsetail - done some
Deadheading - no
Cut grass and trim long edges - done some edges
Trim long bits off allotment hedge - done some
Sow peas - done
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, check peas, strawberries - done

Tuesday jobs (weather permitting)
Weeding and horsetail
Deadheading
Trim more long grass edges
Finish trimming allotment hedge
Remove bolted spinach from growhouse
Shuffle tomato plants, pot up some
Harvest spinach, check peas, strawberries

[Penellype]

At my friend's
Take cucumbers to greenhouse and plant - done
Take tomatoes to greenhouse and plant - done but not planted
Weeding - done some
Water plants in greenhouse - done

At allotment
Weeding and horsetail - done some
Take beans and plant - done
Take net off peas (getting too big) - no
Cut grass if dry - no chance
Harvest spinach, peas, check strawberries - done

At home
Trim lawn edges - done most
Weeding - done some
Deadheading and remove dead bulb foliage - done some
Check for aphids and lily beetles - done
Rearrange plants and move some to greenhouse - done
Sow PSB, peas - done PSB
Pot up romanesco - done
Water plants under cover - done
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves - done

Also planted a melon in the greenhouse

Monday jobs (weather permitting)
Weeding and horsetail
Deadheading
Cut grass and trim long edges
Trim long bits off allotment hedge
Sow peas
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, check peas, strawberries

[Penellype]

Weekend jobs

At my friend's
Take cucumbers to greenhouse and plant
Take tomatoes to greenhouse and plant
Weeding
Water plants in greenhouse

At allotment
Weeding and horsetail
Take beans and plant
Take net off peas (getting too big)
Cut grass if dry
Harvest spinach, peas, check strawberries

At home
Trim lawn edges
Weeding
Deadheading and remove dead bulb foliage
Check for aphids and lily beetles
Rearrange plants and move some to greenhouse
Sow PSB, peas
Pot up romanesco
Water plants under cover
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves

[Penellype]

Thursday jobs
Check water level at allotment - done, going down slightly
Rearrange greenhouse to accommodate french beans where they have more height (can't plant out as planned as soil is too wet) - done
Sow more french beans - put to chit
Check greenhouse plants for aphids - done
(weeding, grass edges, remove bolted spinach, plant bedding plants all impossible due to flooding)
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, check strawberries, peas - done including a small handful of peas

Also managed to finish putting the edging in the middle bed in the tunnel.

No gardening time today.

[Penellype]

Wednesday jobs (rain all day)
Collect rain water - done
Check greenhouse plants for aphids - done
Remove tomato sideshoots - done some
Pot up peppers - done
Harvest french beans (from windowsill), check strawberries, peas - done

Also fed the tomatoes and scooped up nearly 3 dustbins of water from the flooded allotment, which made no detectable difference to the water level. The garden is also under water in places and it is still raining this morning.

Thursday jobs (flooding permitting)
Check water level at allotment
Rearrange greenhouse to accommodate french beans where they have more height (can't plant out as planned as soil is too wet)
Sow more french beans
Check greenhouse plants for aphids
(weeding, grass edges, remove bolted spinach, plant bedding plants all impossible due to flooding)
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, check strawberries, peas

[Penellype]

Tuesday jobs
Collect rain water - done
Go to garden centre and get bedding plants - done
Rearrange plants under lights - done for now
Weeding and horsetail - done some
Deadheading - done some
Continue to remove lily beetles and aphids - done
Trim long grass edges - done some
Remove bolted mizuna - done
Continue edging round centre tunnel bed - done some
Watering if necessary - done
Harvest spinach, carrots, check peas - done (finished the carrots)

Wednesday jobs (expecting rain all day)
Collect rain water
Check greenhouse plants for aphids
Remove tomato sideshoots
Pot up peppers
Harvest french beans (from windowsill), check strawberries, peas

[Andraste]

Congrats on that first strawberry - yummy

[Penellype]

Monday jobs
Weeding and horsetail - no
Deadheading - no
Continue to remove lily beetles and aphids - no
Stop indoor tomatoes and tie in - done
Trim long grass edges - no
Remove bolted corn salad and plant calabrese - done
Remove bolted mizuna - no
Continue edging round centre tunnel bed - no
Watering - done
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, carrots - done except carrots, also the first strawberry from the growhouse

Unfortunately a job I expected to take about 10 minutes ended up eating most of the day and I only got to the allotment very briefly.

Tuesday jobs (weather permitting)
Collect rain water
Go to garden centre and get bedding plants
Rearrange plants under lights
Weeding and horsetail
Deadheading
Continue to remove lily beetles and aphids
Trim long grass edges
Remove bolted mizuna
Continue edging round centre tunnel bed
Watering if necessary
Harvest spinach, carrots, check peas

[Penellype]

Weekend jobs

At my friend's
Weeding - done some
Plant out peas - done
Watering - done

At allotment
Weeding and horsetail - done some
Trim long grass edges - no
Put more edging round centre tunnel bed - done some
Put out water trays to collect any rain - done
Watering - done
Harvest spinach, possibly the first strawberry from the growhouse, check peas - done, strawberry not quite ready

At home
Weeding - done some
Deadheading - done some
Mow lawns - done
Plant chitted beans, calabrese - done some
Pot up melons, tomatoes, chervil - done
Tidy garage - no
Watering - done
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, carrots, french beans - done except beans

Also potted up some lettuces and cucumbers and put yet more courgettes to chit as they don't seem to want to germinate this year (2 plants from 8 seeds so far).

Monday jobs
Weeding and horsetail
Deadheading
Continue to remove lily beetles and aphids
Stop indoor tomatoes and tie in
Trim long grass edges
Remove bolted corn salad and plant calabrese
Remove bolted mizuna
Continue edging round centre tunnel bed
Watering
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, spinach, carrots

[Penellype]

Weekend jobs

At my friend's
Weeding
Plant out peas
Watering

At allotment
Weeding and horsetail
Trim long grass edges
Put more edging round centre tunnel bed
Put out water trays to collect any rain
Watering
Harvest spinach, possibly the first strawberry from the growhouse, check peas

At home
Weeding
Deadheading
Mow lawns
Plant chitted beans, calabrese
Pot up melons, tomatoes, chervil
Tidy garage
Watering
Harvest lettuce, salad leaves, carrots, french beans

[Penellype]

Thursday jobs
Weeding and horsetail - done some
Deadheading - done some
Check for aphids, slugs and lily beetles - done
Trim long grass edges - done some
Sow carrots, beetroot - done
Check chitting beans and pot up if roots showing - not yet
Put some edging round centre bed in tunnel - done some
Water if necessary - done
Harvest carrots, spinach - done spinach

No gardening time today.