What I did today 2012-2014

[Feral007]

Watered the a couple of the gardens, and then pumped water so that I can wash clothes and water the garden while the kids are away. I like to have company when I go to the snakey river.
Had a little tidy up.

[hamamelis]

Made it down to the swamp/allotments today; I'm glad mine's on the top of the slope, the low-lying ones were getting properly flooded, mine's just very soggy. Discovered a rather startled rat in the compost bin, and gave it a nice Christmas dinner of kitchen scraps, and some lovely new bedding from my mouse cage... I somehow doubt it'll move on in a hurry.

The second lot of beans that I planted out and netted were still OK, but the nets had vanished from my kale and the ratbag birds had scoffed quite a lot of them. They were only just recovering from slug damage, so I don't think I'll be getting much kale this winter.

Harvested some lovely sprouts- which unfortunately weren't mine; my friend was helping me do some digging when I had back trouble this spring, and she planted up one bed on my plot- my sprouts, bought from the same local shop as young plants at the same time, are a third of the height, and just have teeny tiny sproutlets on them. I know she didn't do anything different to them, 'cos I'm the one that's been keeping an eye on them, she's not been down there since about July- not fair! Then it started raining yet again, so I left to deliver the sprouts. Hope we get another dry spell soon!

[VirginVegGrower]

Sown my onions, leeks and shallots today.

[Marcher]

Bought some rhubarb 'Red Champagne' rhizomes the other day and some onion sets (stuttgarter giant and karmen) and some red hot poker and lupin roots.
Ordered the fruit expert and rose expert from Amazon with some gift cards (I've read fruit expert a few times from the library. The apple section is almost like a catalogue, but it's a good book). Rose expert should be good (I hope so), I'm new to roses, I'm not in to the fussy, twiggy types but prefer some of the older varieties.
And I also bought some Caledula, Forget me not and Cordyline sees today as well. The forget me nots can grow in some partial shade under a tree or in the hedge and the Calendula will go in some stony soil. I've seen Cordylines from seed before, apparently they're not hard to grow from seed but take a few months to germinate. I already have one, I just fancied a few smaller ones planted in a little copse.

I don't think any of what I wish to grow this year can be planted yet. I presume the rhubarb has been cold treated, I may stick it under the she for a few weeks and then plant it in spring just in case. On second thoughts, it might as well get its cold dormancy in the ground.

[VirginVegGrower]

Bought some rhubarb 'Red Champagne' rhizomes the other day and some onion sets (stuttgarter giant and karmen) and some red hot poker and lupin roots.
Ordered the fruit expert and rose expert from Amazon with some gift cards (I've read fruit expert a few times from the library. The apple section is almost like a catalogue, but it's a good book). Rose expert should be good (I hope so), I'm new to roses, I'm not in to the fussy, twiggy types but prefer some of the older varieties.
And I also bought some Caledula, Forget me not and Cordyline sees today as well. The forget me nots can grow in some partial shade under a tree or in the hedge and the Calendula will go in some stony soil. I've seen Cordylines from seed before, apparently they're not hard to grow from seed but take a few months to germinate. I already have one, I just fancied a few smaller ones planted in a little copse.

I don't think any of what I wish to grow this year can be planted yet. I presume the rhubarb has been cold treated, I may stick it under the she for a few weeks and then plant it in spring just in case. On second thoughts, it might as well get its cold dormancy in the ground.

Get you rhubarb crowns in when it's dried up a little or lots of compost into the planting hole otherwise they could rot. Crown top should be proud. They are hardy.

I also cleaned the chooks out and Rockdusted my polytunnel - thanks chicky you know who you are!

[hawthorns]

watched the rain sat in the conservatory

[veggiechicken]

Sowed some onion seeds in a cut-off milk container

[horticultural_hobbit]

Rummaged around in dad's shed and found my yogurt pots and window sill propagator.

[Bren In Pots]

Sown more Spicy salad leaves in the bathroom window sill planter.

[MartinRSharpe]

Sowed my "who knows it might work" batch of peppers into coir plugs in a heated propergator. They are all collected seed and I have hundreds of them so no real loss if they all fail.

[frogga]

Built 2 strawberry towers to plant tomorrow. Sowed a small seed tray of cress for my daughter, and prepared my mushroom growing kit.

[binley100]

Looked back at wot i did last year........realised I'm a bit behind so sowed some chillies, aubs , toms and caulis to catch up

[veggiechicken]

Planted some very old, very chitted potatoes into the tomato pots in the GH on the basis of nothing ventured, nothing gained

[stella]

Did some weeding, the ground was like a wet sponge

[Snadger]

Good day at allotment today. Got my priorities right and lit the woodburner first!

Cleaned out the remains of old tomato plants and weeded one side of the greenhouse extension. Brought in my collapsible table and set it up ready for the seed sowing fest soon to come.
I purchased some compost and seeds earlier today (half price) so set about sowing Lyon Prizetaker leeks, Santero onion seed and long red Florence onions. All sown in 5" pots and wiil probably start on the windowsill at home.
I moved my broad beans in modules into more light, like wise some japanese onions and garlic that are still in modules and also some Nero De toscana kale.
The garlic that i planted where my toms had been are now 5 inchees high and thriving. Here's hoping I get a decent crop from them.