What I did today 2012-2014

[Peas'n'Kews]

Not a very exciting day - really need to weed! Instead took the flowers off my Kale and am going to try cooking it for dinner as if it was sprouting brocoli.....
the weather just isn't encouraging me outside to play!!!

[bethduckie]

Digging, mowing very slowly and traumatically with the pushalong (didn't really work), edging (nearly as unsuccessfully as the mowing) resorting to using the shears in frustration (grass is now shorter at least, in parts anyway) and de-stoning a small raised bed.

Much swearing was uttered. Can't say I enjoyed my time at the lottie today!

[Acanthus]

Did 4loadsof washing as it was dry for the first time for ages, and got cloches out for brassicas. Planted out 20 ormskirk cabbages, some chard, sweet peas. Put a couple of grow bags in poly for daughter's season pepper seedlings, and another with a couple of gardener's delight. Put the first of the 'serious' tomatoes in the greenhouse ie pink brandy wine, Sungold, Cherokee. Bit worried I don't have enough leeks, and the squash courgettes and cucumbers haven't come through yet after a week. Spread the last of the compost, hoed the broadies, and finally got distracted by oh so made chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic for tea. A good day, but still so much pricking out to do! And this year I thought I had been sensible with flower seeds.

[Peppermint]

(Yesterday) Popped out and bought a pull along trolley for moving seed trays, tools and things around the garden. Filled four containers and planted some more seed potatoes. Have loads in plots around the garden but still have a few more to plant. Next year I'll make sure I have enough dug beds ready for all my seed potatoes

Started planning where a raised bed and trellises can go. Then we pegged out the base area for the shed we are planning to build.

[Two_Sheds]

- pick up all dog poops, put in compost bin, watered then topped with a layer of lawn clippings
- continued digging up the back "lawn" which is more dandelion than anything
- trod the clods back down, edged it, watered it all overnight, then reseeded with "shady" lawn seed
- continued hardening off runner beans, dahlias, marigolds & sunflowers
- fed everything in gh with liquid seaweed
- sowed a few chitted parsnips in back garden, too cold to get to lotty
- resisted deadheading the daffs: I want to see if they self-sow
- potted on tomatoes, moved from windowsill to unheated gh
- sowed more pretties (larkspur & lobelia) in the heated prop
- went to bed at 8pm, shattered. Got up at 9pm to turn the CH off (it's still on in May, ffs)
- planted out sunflowers & nemophila in the school beds
- gave the alfalfa another cut (2nd this year) & left on surface as a mulch
- gave the school beds a light weed: not much needed, the close planting is really working well
- worried about not enough beans: chitted a bowl of Canadian Wonder & a dozen soya beans

[StephenH]

Spending today in the back garden, which I admit is somewhat neglected. I've just mowed the lawn the traditional way, with a scythe, which is great fun but makes your wrists ache, and am lightly forking and weeding the South-West-facing border, between the gooseberry bushes. Making a new compost heap as I go. I've got courgette seedlings (Zucchini*) on the kitchen windowsill ready to go in the cold frame to harden off, but may wait a bit longer - this rotten weather may mean frosts at night. My onions (Ailsa Craig) are coming along nicely - seed-grown, not sets, started on New Year's day.

*That is what the seed packet told me the variety is called, but since 'Zucchini' is, I think I'm correct in saying, simply what Americans (and presumably Italians) call courgettes in general, I wonder if it is a specific variety name.

[Feral007]

Zuch's are what the whole ot is called over here! I grew Black Giants this season and they were awesome.
Today I just sprayed weeds in the paddocks. And tomorrow and prob the day after that.
I did check the yard plants and the dogs have not dug any more back up. Altho after the massacre in the garden bed the other morning ..............not happy Jan! I might just be electrifying that fence sometime soon to remind some furballs that white tape is 'not nice'.
Ali

[GardenFaery]

May already but cold for the time of year and STILL all this rain. Stayed dried enough today for me to get out and mow all the lawns and unplug the drain which had filled up with yuck bleurgh - but clear and free - flowing now.
Pricked out Broccoli seedlings and potted on.
Hollyhocks in cloche outside have grown surprisingly well!
Sowed more cornflowers, hollyhocks, (Chaters Mixed) watered all seedlings,
Harvested first salad leaves from lettuces - a whole plateful of them - yay healthy salad
Potatoes are starting to show and onions are growing really well.
Lilac is late this year? I remember gathering bunches of lilacs to put in vases inside during April last year and have a photo album showing this. They are blooming at last, but it will probably be another week at least before I can gather any full blooms? Fed all seedlings and new plants with liquid feed.
Yellow violas are growing SO well in the window boxes, they seem to love the rain and/or it drains really well from the window boxes.
LOts of heavy weeding by hand - mostly the blasted dandelions, but a few nettles to use too - funny how weeds thrive in extra rain and everything else waterlogged or clayed in! Should have dug in a lot more sharp sand to soil before now, but really hard to find horticultural sand any more in local stores?
Separated, pricked out and re spaced radish seedlings - should have enough for myself and some to sell on too! Planted lemon balm near fruit trees, ‘near’ rather than fully underneath as it would be too shady. Weeded and swept path. Weeded some nettles to put on compost heap or make into tea. Recycled pots and reused gravy container and tin can as pots.

[Sanjo]

Went out into the garden early to uncover all the potatoes that I hastily put various covers on yesterday as I thought frost may be likely (other half assured me it wouldn't happen but what does he know )
Took me ages to cover them in the tiddling rain yesterday and then reverse order, also in rain today.
Went into town for when the shops open at 10 only to remember when I got there at 20 past that they've changed their opening hours now to match Lakeside and most don't open until 11 Grrrrr. Hate shopping on a Sunday and try to avoid it but I had decided to try and get a cover for one of my seedtray racks which I intended to leave in the garden with the plants that I am trying to harden off.
Anyway, Wilkinson's was the only one open and it so happened that they had a tomato growhouse reduced to £9 that is just the right size for my rack, it's quite tall so has taken the sweetcorn which is already big, as well as some tall runners.
It isn't particularly strong looking but does at least have ventilation holes on the top, which will also serve to dispel any rainwater.
I checked out Argos before I went and their similar looking growhouse was £17.99 and most of the bad reviews were along the lines of the top is flat and rainwater collects and then the cover tears at the seam.
I have wrapped a bit of fleece around the rack and the whole lot is tucked under the plastic.
I've also anchored it top and bottom. I don't suppose I'll get more than a couple of seasons from it but It looks neat and tidy and I hope will save me the extra chore of transferring the stuff in and out of the greenhouse every day.

[Snadger]

Dug over and weeded my carrot bed 5 foot X 18 foot. Couldn't get a fine enough tilth as the soil is still too wet so raked it the best i could and left it to dry out a bit before re-raking, sowing carrots and covering with enviromesh.

Dug over a 4 foot X 4 foot area and planted out two dozen swede plantlets I'd grown in modules. The foliage looked reddish which I put down to the cold weather until I lifted them out of the tray that has no drainage. Methinks the redness was caused by waterlogging rather than cold!

[Florence Fennel]

Sowed cabbage and cauli. Transplanted grass shoot leeks. Re-planted cabbage bed with plants, trying polystyrene collars to see if I can keep the snails off. Potted on a huge Tigerella tom. Complained to Wickes about their compost. They have changed their supplier and if I have a receipt I can change the bags. I haven't. Will pursue further tomorrow.

[Bren In Pots]

Planted out my sweetpeas and more mixed lettuce plants.

[mothhawk]

Planted out sweet peas, then remembered I had planned to put them somewhere totally different - oh well, next year then...

Planted out the sweetcorn 'cos it's too tall for the cloche now - it'll just have to take its chances - put fleece over them, plus a micromesh tent thing.

Took the fleece off the potatoes (to use on the corn), they'll have to tough it out too. There's about 6 -8 inches of growth, and the same for the broad beans planted among them.

I reckon slugs have eaten the carrots and beetroot.

[plymouthred]

(Yesterday) finally managed to get hold of a drill bit to put holes in my water butts and attached some 40mm fish pond flexible hose to the guttering of the greenhouse. Currently 04:26 and at work and raining 'hounds and moggies' so a good call to do it yesterday! Still need to seal the area around the hose with sealant in due course.

Mrs Plymouth Red not happy though as the 40mm flexi hose was for cleaning the garden pond with so I had better redeem myself with a trip to the garden centre ** to get some new hose and a bunch of flowers wouldn't go a miss either I suppose

** Oh and a couple more grow bags

[Peppermint]

(Yesterday) Spent 10 hours in the garden OH built a 4' x 13' raised bed - with me supervising and labouring of course. Managed to get a good layer of cow manure in and then half filled it with top soil. I'm hoping it will act a bit like a hot bed.