What I did today 2023.

[Plot70]

I dug out a nasty creeping thistle from my bean trench.
The hole will be partly filled with mixture of sun dries couch grass roots and spent squash vines with a layer of manure under the returned soil.
The whole trench will be done but that nasty thistle had to come out first before the pile of soil and manure traffic moves.
My bean trench is in a fixed frame with a low sun shade to keep the roots from drying out in high summer.
It is the best place for stuff that makes machine cultivating difficult.

[ameno]

Pulled out all of my tomato plants and put them in the compost bin, then cleared the left and rear sides of the greenhouse (the right side still has pepper plants in it).
Also dug up a couple of self-seeded cape gooseberry plants, which I shall take home to overwinter in my conservatory.

[Jungle Jane]

Yesterday I pruned the rest of the grapevine & got access to behind my shed,the neighbours ivy grows over & attached itself to the shed so I cut it all away,one bit was going under the roof,ivys a horrible invasive weed. Also cut down all three bean teepees,chop & dropped the leaves,did this with the grape leaves too,to leave a mulch at the base of the plant. Deadheaded the sunflowers,marigolds & dahlias. Also pruned the clematis at the bottom of the garden & the honeysuckle a tidy.

[Mark Rand]

Brought the seed spreadsheet up to date. I've got more varieties of seed than I can possibly sow, many past their official 'best before' dates let alone room for the plants. Gives me a choice.

Now I know what to sow in the next few months and in what conditions.

[Plot70]

A bit more work on the bean trench.

[ameno]

Started emptying the compost bin. Tipped two barrow loads onto the greenhouse borders then went in for the day. The rest will be put on some of my raised beds another day.

[ameno]

Finished emptying the compost bin and spreading the compost. Then relined the bin with cardboard, and raked up some fallen leaves to put in there.

[Mark Rand]

Actually a few days ago:-
Tuesday:- Emptied No1 small greenhouse (5'x8'), cleaned the floor, aluminium frame and inside of the glass. cleaned the staging and reinstalled it. Didn't bother fumigating because the lack of use until June this year seems to have reduced or eliminated the dormant population of red spider mite. Tested the grow-lights.Then reassembled the heated propagators for the late November/December sowings of pansies, chilies, peppers etc. Squashed a couple of dozen tiny snails that were hiding in the aluminium extrusions of the greenhouse frame, plus one small slug. 6 hours of enjoyable work.

Wednesday:-Collected up, emptied, scraped out as appropriate and washed all of the flower pots and seed trays in the kitchen sink, after putting away last night's washing from the draining board, washing and drying all the stuff waiting from the night and breakfast. Released half a dozen spiders, squashed another dozen tiny snails and stabbed a handful of tiny slugs from seed trays that had been outside. put everything back in No1 greenhouse ready for use.

Took a large part of the day, but I was happy to have tidied things up.

Basil plants got left outside, I think we've had the last picking off them unless I start a fresh batch of cuttings in a heated propagator and grow lights. Pak choi plants in pots came back inside, although I suspect that the only benefit will be the lack of snails and slugs on the inside. They need transplanting into the beds of No2 small greenhouse (6'x6' with 2' wide beds on three sides).

[Plot70]

I finished the bean trench and by the time the beans go in the worms should have done there job.

[Jungle Jane]

Yesterday I cut down the last three cucumber plants,harvested the last tiny cucumber. Deadheaded marigolds & dahlias…

[ameno]

Shredded a whole load of prunings and sweetcorn plants.

[Bren In Pots]

Cut JA stems down to 5inch and generally tidied the garden.

[ameno]

Took my shreddings to the allotment and dumped them into the compost bin, then did some weeding and cut a load of comfrey for the compost bin.

[ameno]

Emptied the contents of my weed drowning barrel onto the compost heap, along with a few bags of coffee grounds I picked up in town.
A plot neighbour offered my some raspberry canes which had had dug out due to them invading his veg beds. I already have some raspberries, but mine aren't look very healthy, whereas his as nice and big, so I took 10 of them and have heeled them in for now.

[Bren In Pots]

Gathered and bagged up leaves.