What I did today 2012-2014

[Snadger]

Went to allotment after a gruelling day at work. Was hanging around waiting for someone to come to collect some eggs they had ordered. My strides were wet so I lit woodburner and sat down in front of it with my legs propped up against the greenhouse frame.
One hour later, I awoke,and stood up and promptly fell flat on my face! My legs had went to sleep.I was stomping around trying to get some feeling back into my legs when my egg benefactor arrived to collect.

[JustPotteringAbout]

Looked out of the window at the the heavy rain, thought "nah, no chance!"
As I was in the bathroom heard the compost collection truck which I forgot about the last two fortnights. Had to run out half-dressed to put out the brown waste bin, which the woman collecting found amusing.
Quickly watered the greenhouse plants.
Went to gym (at college). My tweed jacket must have gained 2kg in the 2.6km walk in the rain.
No more spent coffee grounds from college cafe until next academic year.
Bought 5 more gravel trays from Morrisons (last of stock) marked at 75 pence each and was charged 25 pence each for them. They are fine for stationary use.
£13.50 total spend this - my first - year.
Cleared out assortment of drinks trays, food trays that pots are sitting in from the greenhouse. Will still use the McKenna mushroom and veg trays reclaimed from the back of the chinese take away though, as they are just the right size to fit two in the polystyrene leek trays from the same place. Seedlings need all the insulation going here in late winter / early spring.

[Florence Fennel]

Just in from potting on, feeding and weeding. Pulled out half the unplanned borage patch and made a couple of gallons of tea. What is it good for? I'll have to find out now.

[Likac66]

Put down weed mat on another path so that's 2 paths done. Weeded, weeded and weeded. But there's still more to pull! Yikes.

Planted 3 cucamelon plants at the plot. Harvested first courgette - only a baby really but I'm not very patient. The taxi courgettes have definitely got quite a few small fruits coming - with them being yellow you can see the female ones really easily.

Picked enough peas and baby broad beans for a large portion with my dinner while the rest of the family had baked beans.

[stella]

Just in from potting on, feeding and weeding. Pulled out half the unplanned borage patch and made a couple of gallons of tea. What is it good for? I'll have to find out now.

Good for making everyone evacuate the area

[bojangles]

Put down weed mat on another path so that's 2 paths done. Weeded, weeded and weeded. But there's still more to pull! Yikes.

Planted 3 cucamelon plants at the plot. Harvested first courgette - only a baby really but I'm not very patient. The taxi courgettes have definitely got quite a few small fruits coming - with them being yellow you can see the female ones really easily.

Picked enough peas and baby broad beans for a large portion with my dinner while the rest of the family had baked beans.

What is a weed mat?? Where did you get it from and how much?? Thank's I really need to sort out my paths too they are becoming green again!!!

[JustPotteringAbout]

Friday
Missed GQT. I like a nice cup of coffee and a sit down in the garden when GQT is on.
Got an end of line CR2025 battery, put it in an old temperature clock and checked the cal. 4 degC difference.
Mowed front and back lawn, trimmed edges.
Repaired lawnmower
Mowed neighbour 29's dandelion lawn and ranuncula lawn
Started to hoe neighbour 31's veg plots while they are away in the yacht. It's solid chickweed on hardpan, sanddy looking and looking devoid of humic material. Watered and fed his vines. Poor fellow, his wife/partner is always nagging him to sell the yacht and slab over the garden.

Neighbour 37's 'gardeners' came in. Right dodgy-looking pair they were, I thought they were burglars, as another neighbour left their shed open. Said "about time they were in as all the neighbour's weeds were seeding in my garden". Went on to say it was hardly fair that BTL owners expected tenants to buy gardening equipment when their lease may last only 6 months and they may end up in a tower block next and BTL owner's should really provide gardening tools or buy places without gardens. He mumbled that there is a lawnmower suppied and he has it in the contract. Kept scthum that I still have a key to the shed from when I looked after the garden when the previous elderly owner was there and there is no lawnmower. Oops!, that was the BTL owner and his son. Just as well I didn't use the language I normally use to describe BTL owners.

Planted out Winter Squash
Sowed some chick pea sprouts.
Potted on Cayenne, basil, reserve tomatoes
Washed some pots
Dug over soil in ornamental borders
Weeded path
Watered and fed greenhouse plants

Saturday
Nothing, of course.
Enjoyed the garden and my rest from six days labour.

Today
Greenhouse door just fell off (polycarb panels though as it often falls over)
Tied up some pea and bean plants
Weeded a bit
Fluffed up more soil around ornamentals
Added some liquid self-sourced nitrogen feed.
Propped up some slouchy-shouldered peonies

[Snadger]

My Son and his girlfreind broke his bed!Most lats were serviceable so........Made new latts for my garden bench Saturday,stained them Saturday evening, took old latts off and fitted new ones today. Bench looks great positioned to the front of my herb wheel and isn't rickety any more, but its still one of those jobs I wish i'd never started.
Son has mattress on the floor now where he can do no more damage!

Weeded flower bed, leek bed, potato bed........now I'm ready for my bed!

[RedThorn]

Seems the weekend for breaking beds.....

[veggiechicken]

Are you two related?
What did I do.......? Weeded and cleared and weeded again.........its all very satisfying

[Likac66]

What is a weed mat?? Where did you get it from and how much?? Thank's I really need to sort out my paths too they are becoming green again!!!

I meant weed supressing fabric. I just buy it from places like Home Bargains because it seems to be pretty cheap from there. I have double layered it on the paths between my veg beds and pinned it down with ground pegs.

[Likac66]

Weeded another path and put weed fabric down. 3 done now and it did feel very satisfying.

Desperately trying to find a way to support my purple podded peas - they keep falling over! Tied them back again today.

Planted out asparagus peas in the legumes bed. Might have planted them a bit close together.

Discovered big hairy caterpillars devouring one of my purple sprout plants. Picked off loads and put them on my compost heap on the opposite end of the plot. Went back to brassicas to adjust netting and found even more of the blighters. I'm afraid those ones got chopped up with my trowel.

Brought home masses of big weeds for the chickens. They love them and it somehow makes the hard work of weeding seem more satisfying.

Watered and fed with tomato food, the tomatoes, chillies, peppers and cukes in the greenhouse at home.

Harvested more salad leaves. I tend to pick a big bag at the weekend and use them up through the week then give any left over to the chickens and pick another bag.

[Indigo23]

Might not look like much but this is what we've done this weekend. First we had to clear the knee high weeds, and dig out 2 hawthorn bushes with roots that went down to Hades. We also had to cut out 2 old wooden posts so that they were below ground level as it proved impossible to dig them out. Shame we didn't think to take a before picture.

Buying the slabs was an adventure. We needed 2 trolleys because of the weight. Also glad that no-one took a picture of me on my knees, with my bum in the air, levelling the sand!

Tired but very pleased with what we have achieved.

[KevinM67]

Not long back from the plot, had to be on auto-pilot coming back home due to the darkness.

Due to work commitments at the start of the week, the mini-monsoon over Thursday/Friday and my little lad's 5th birthday yesterday, it had been a week since my last visit.

Armed with enthusiasm and wine, it was great to get back up there.

Hand weeded some of the bigger stuff round the onions
Sowed some carrots and spring onions
Started off some more peas and French beans in pots
Started pouring some of my first attempt at nettle tea into plastic bottles (which was nice)
Had to sort out and trim the communal path next to my plot (and if my neighbour on the next plot is a member if this forum - we are both responsible for this task - not just me - and don't use the excuse of being 93 yrs old).

Obviously between these tasks I mellowed out and dreamed about how fantastic my plot will look next year.

[JustPotteringAbout]

PM
Packed me flask and notebook.
Went to the Botanical Gardens and looked at the different species of bees feeding.
Got home. Had left the outside tap one. Drain blocked and flooded. Tried to clear it. Loosened dirt around access points so I can have a look tomorrow.
Dug out more bindweed roots. Gosh they are quite long and unpredicatable.
Riddled the used compost from greenhouse.
Riddled 3 sacks of spent coffee grounds.