What I did today 2012-2014

[traceys plot]

Hi i harvested 12 red electric yesterday too, should lift my shallots also they are splitting at the base ?

[Two_Sheds]

- dried the shed roof out for 2 days, then whacked a tarp on top
- wind ripped through tarp, roof now soaked again and puddles inside shed

- picked lots of strawbs, peas & broad beans to cheer myself up

[binley100]

Planted out savoy cabbage, purple cape cauli , late queen cauli and psb (all eggshelled, blue sweetied and netted) ........put up supports for peppers ...

[eirish]

Put up a couple more teepees and planted out a couple of squash plants, under cloches. Gave the toms, cucumbers, beans and squashes another seaweed spray. Destroyed a batch of gooseberry and elderflower jam.

[binley100]

oh no eirish ........what went wrong?

[Jelliebabe]

Planted out the runners and frechies that I managed to get to grow this year! Also Planted out four cukes rather than let them die in the pots at home! strimmed and cut the grass/weedy paths by hand! got the last broad beans, picked (and ate) some strawbs and dug up the first of the new pots! plot looks loads tidier!

lol - I've ordered more runners and french bean (plants) online as the seeds I sowed direct have not come up (no more seeds either).... until today... we are going to have beans comeing out of our ears!

also sowed some more raddish!

[hamamelis]

Pulled out the garlic. Mostly OK, not quite as good as it looked, but one or two bulbs are pretty good, and one or two were going a bit dodgy.

Got amused at my friend's 'climbing' french beans, which are starting to flower at around 1 foot high, at the base of the huuge frame she put up (she's using a patch on my lottie, in exchange for helping me with stuff there when I was broken). Methinks the beans forgot to check what packet they were in
Planted out a few more winter squash that somehow managed to wander out of the garden centre with me even though I was only going to buy pet food... Hopefully the slugs will leave them alone, as they're quite a lot bigger than the last lot. Hah.

[Rhona]

Checked over the psb netting
Mr R weeded a small onion patch and the sweetcorn bed
Pulled up a few over wintered onions to use this week
Narrowed my eyes at the garlic
Bbq'd some sausages for dinner at the lottie

[GardenFaery]

Lovely Sunny Midsummer's Day - cut hedges, cut back weeds to reveal old old raspberries, christmas tree and assorted forgottens! mowed and raked lawns, sat under a tree tickling a dog with a blade of grass, had a glass of elderflower cordial, fed and watered various, weeded, cut more roses and apple blossom - swooned at the smell of Apple blossom

[eirish]

oh no eirish ........what went wrong?

Well, I missed the second container of fruit to start with - was boiling the jam when OH came home and pointed this out. Then after I got the rest of the fruit cooked and added in, I didn't stir enough and it caught on the bottom of the pan. Not burnt, but rather caramelly tasting. And it's set pretty stiffly - not sure it will even be spreadable!

Good thing the gooseberry bush is still loaded even after we picked a kilo and a half.

[VirginVegGrower]

Lawns down or should that be meadowland cut It was past my knees. Neighbour's meadow cut as well. Started to cut down the rain/wind battered poppies, which unearthed the snails and brought Mr Toad hopping by. Deadheaded loads of roses and cut two large posies for the house - pics on Twitter. Now off to the allotment for some fruit bed weeding - much needed. May pull the remaining onions

[kentishgal]

not alot...just homed the last of the tomatoes. So my bush variety are in their buckets and my tumbling toms are in their window boxes. (starting to get flowers appearing. Hurrah!!).

[eirish]

Planted out calabrese and Florence fennel seedlings, all with a moat of Slug Gone pellets and bottle cloches. Still don't feel very optimistic about them.

[Loudbarker1]

Finally managed to get something done over weekend - actually quite a lot!

fist good haul from veg oatch this year: new pots - two good suppers from four plants. First courgettes. Broad beans. Lettuce. Taste of calebrase (first time I've grown it) Taste of tayberries. Promise of riches to come -my first every blueberries and roseberries! More broad beans, spuds and lettuce, french beans and beetroot and carrots not far off, and lots of brassica, parsnips and leeks for winter, all rids, moth, fly, caterpilar and slugs permitting.

So down to work. Over the weekend I:

removed the broad bean haulms pulled up last week to compost;
turned compost: said haulms help give structure and air to the grass clippings I dumped on it three weeks ago
Planted out white sprouting brocoli, and early sprouting broc and swedes (marina and joan to compare) where the beans where after a good weed. The swedes were interplanted with the broc as discussed here recently.
Planted out second lot of dwarf french beans where (nearly bolting but eaten) lettuce has just been pulled from. Covered with cloches.
Planted out runner beans: scarlet empire and white lady.
Lots of weeding to keep under control. am quite satisfied here.
Patrolled cauliflower, savoy, calabrase and red cabbage plants for caterpillars; picked off and crushed both caterpillers and eggs. Put some in a jam jar with leaves form Master an Miss Loudbarker so as to demonstrate metamorphosis - children have got wrong idea here!
Watered generally and in particular put on second dose of nemaslug - three days out of date . We will see if it matters. Scattered some slug pellets as well. Cucumbers, courgettes and tomatos got a good dose of tomato feed (with added seaweed extract) as well.

Next weekend: plant second round of lettuce, white and cylindrica beetroot, third round of french beans, turnips. Weed, water and generally clear. Mow lawn. Patrol for caterpillars. I really need to net soft fruit and rebuild defences of brassicas (blown off by wind).

[Florence Fennel]

Planted out bras - sprouts interplanted with borage, cabbage and cauliflower. Tied up the broad beans they were flopping about all over the place. Planted out French beans and fennel.