What I did today 2022

[SarrissUK]

I have finally got around to digging the last trench for the greenhouse base, and lay down gravel with concrete mixed in to make it level (not an easy job when there's a natural slope!). I've put the metal lengths together too, so now I just need to make sure it's square. It looks like it's not 10x10ft as I was told, but more like 12x10.5ft! Beast!
I realised today that we'll need to paint the fence before I put the greenhouse up too, or I won't be able to get to it. I've promised our elderly neighbour I will paint the fence our side (it's her fence).

[Bren In Pots]

Potted on pansies, camomile, basil and coriander.

[Mark Rand]

Moved half the contents of the compost bin to a raised bed for further processing.

Edged the pocket handkerchief back lawn, then used some of the trimmings to turf the patches where Bailey the Guide Dog Brood Bitch had killed the grass over winter.

Moved tomatoes, chillies and cucumbers around in the greenhouse. Want to move some to their final homes, but worried about frosts still.

[ameno]

Well, I've just checked the apricot trees, and I can now confirm I've lost pretty much the entire crop. There are a few flowers at the tip of one of the trees which are still good, so hopefully they will pollinate, but the dozens of fruitlets which were developing before the frosts are all dead, without exception. I had a good fruit set for the first time ever, too...
I fear my attempts to reduce the frost damage may have done more harm than good...

[Bren In Pots]

Potted on some more mixed lettuce then planted pre-chitted parsnips.

[ameno]

Repotted some of my pepper plants. They're coming along well.

[ameno]

Pulled out the kale plants, and dug over the patch where they were.

[Bren In Pots]

Potted on my Tom's including the few spares I have.

[ameno]

Inspected the allotment fruit trees for frost damage.
The plum is probably 50-70% lost, but it never had many blossoms this year in the first place.
The pear tree probably has some 80-90% of open flowers dead, but the ones still in bud seem to be fine, which accounts for over half of the total, and it does have an awful lot of flowers this year, so I should still get a decent crop.
The akebia vines are maybe 60% dead, but there are still quite a few which seem to be okay.
Also, one of the grape vines has lost of a few of its early shoots to frost.

[Mr Bones]

Switched off the garage freezer and consolidated into the kitchen freezer (own frozen produce is running down now..).
Had a call from the rabbit poo man so started a new (large) batch of compost on the lotty.

[Bren In Pots]

Moved seedlings around and potted on Kales and last of the sunflowers.

[ameno]

Went out at dawn to pour water over my apricot trees. Defrosting them with cold water like this is supposed to cause less harm than letting the sun do it, and means there's supposed to be greater chance of the fruit and flowers surviving.
Based on an inspection just now, I don't think things are look promising... And it did go down to -2 for several hours last night, after all.
I had a really good apricot crop coming, too, for the first time ever...

[annie8]

Dug up a large lavender and a scabia and move to a different place in the front garden. Sowed some flower seeds and pricked out some cosmos.

[Bren In Pots]

Potted on Marigolds and sunflowers.

[ameno]

Did a load more digging.
Also checked the fruit trees for frost damage. No appreciable damage yet, but tonight is set to be the coldest night...