What I did today 2012-2014

[Bren In Pots]

Planted out some Coriander then potted on the Chard that doesn't have a home just yet.

[rustylady]

Took the team of little helpers to the allotment this afternoon. Heck it was hot! Spent most of the time sitting in the shade and reminding the littl'uns to sit down on the picnic blanket in the shade and drink.

All four of them had peas straight from the pod, strawberries straight from the plants, and Caleb even ate a raw gooseberry and said he liked it - strange child!

Re-netted the brassicas against the flying rats, picked radishes for daughter's salad.

[Martin H]

Played 18 holes then watched Andy Murray.

Then went to the allotment and planted out PSB, cauliflowers and Kohl Rabi from modules and covered them with debris netting.

[PyreneesPlot]

Lifted shallots and planted out melons. Fed nettle tea.

[Rustybean]

Something different !! - Watered lottie early then went to a wood for a day of tree dowsing, managed to measure the aura circle of oak and the health of a birch. Then walked a labyrinth designed in Knights Templar style before sitting in a meditation circle of willow. Trees were of better health when growing over water lines.

[jayjaybee]

This year our rasperry bed has fulfilled its purpose. It is actually full of rasberries. Usuallu we get a few autumn berries which the birds leave alone. This year the patch is 'jam'packed with summer fruit (I'm not entirely sure how) and the blackbirds are lining up to dine. Today hubby helped me put a very 'Heath Robinson' type fruit cage. It is ugly and beautiful at the same time, and very functional. Blackbirds eat your heart out... ..rather than my raspberries.

[veggiechicken]

Had a 2nd day of clearing weeds in the shade of the trees. Hot work but would have been even hotter in the sun. All I need to do is throw a few seeds around and sling my hammock - bring on the sun, I'm ready for ya!!!
Piccies at http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1148129

[stella]

This year our rasperry bed has fulfilled its purpose. It is actually full of rasberries. Usuallu we get a few autumn berries which the birds leave alone. This year the patch is 'jam'packed with summer fruit (I'm not entirely sure how) and the blackbirds are lining up to dine. Today hubby helped me put a very 'Heath Robinson' type fruit cage. It is ugly and beautiful at the same time, and very functional. Blackbirds eat your heart out... ..rather than my raspberries.

Exactly the same here, next year I am determined to buy a fruit cage

[Loudbarker1]

Beautiful summer weekend. Quite a lot done what with tennis, etc.

Harvested broad beans. removed the autumn sown ones to create space for PSB and swede to be planted out in the next week or two. The remaining spring sown BBs are coverd with blackfly: I didn't pick the tops quite soon enough and ants are everywhere. Ate picked broad beans for tea wioth omlette.

Planted out runner beans (mixture of white lady and scarlett empire (7 plants in all). Planted out 9 allegria french beans and sowed aother 18 plnats if they all germinate. Curioursly the seeds I had from tuckers last year have all germinated, but the seeds I had from Nicky's Seeds have not germinated at all. (Evrything else I have had from NS has been fine) And Tuckers have discontinued allegria! I expect the problems with the others are a one off, but I do like allegria......

Watered everything - salads, spring onions, beetroot, parsnips, leeks/carrots/ earlier sowings for french beans, potatos as well as ususal soft fruit, tomatos in grow-bags and courgettes. Weeded round where broad beans used to be (see above) and elsewhere. Dug (and ate for tea) new potatos and cut salad (little gem, grandpa admires and australian yellow leaf). Harvested purple topped milan turnips and ate grated into salad - never done his before but really nice and helps me know what to do with turnips that no one else in the family will eat.

The turnips were sowed bewteen rows of parsnips awhich are now alone and growing away. Last week when I took out last weeks turnips (and the rest of the radishes which were intersown with the parsnips I really shoudl have watered them: there was a little line of frizzeled parsnips that could have been saved but suffered the consequences of having their roots disturbed on a hot day. But we will have enough for the winter.

Lastly picked tayberries - there will be a fanastic crop! And I think thsi is becasue I pruned them last year "bu the book. Master and Miss Loudbarker ate them for breakfast with greek youguet

[SP1965]

Struck lucky and got my 1st compost bin from ebay! Brand new 300l for £11

[VirginVegGrower]

Went up this morning at 6 and got two hours of weeding and watering in.

[Canny Grower]

Pulled up the spinach that had bolted, after harvesting enough leaves to make a batch of saag aloo with my new potatoes. Sowed some more spinach and another row of lettuce.

[Two_Sheds]

AT SCHOOL GARDEN CLUB
- no rain due all week, so we watered all the school veg: 14-22 litres per sq.metre
- dug up the garlic, lots of it good size. Better than on my lotty (school beds have richer soil)
- picked a punnet of peas & broadies
- deadheaded the cornflowers in the Blue & Orange bed
- picked roses for the children to take home, they do love a free gift

IN THE WILDLIFE GARDEN
- scooped green algae & duckweed off the pond
- cut back the reed that really does need to come out completely
- cut down all the going-to-seed red campion, to allow the light in to the dahlias
- planted out all the leftover plants I have waiting in the wings
- added chopped up comfrey & weed leaves to the bed with the poorest soil in it. Even red poppies struggle in that soil

ON THE LOTTY
- spent another 7hrs watering & weeding. No rain for 2 weeks, and before that no rain for about 2 months. Very, very dry: even the strawbs are wilting now
- furtled a dozen small spuds. The foliage is Yellowing & dying from drought, not from maturity
- tried to stand up the peas that have collapsed their netting & cane supports
- pulled off lots of dying leaves from the strawbs, picked a punnet and ate another while I worked
- put a slosh of comfrey tea in every watering can that went on the garden
- covered all the seeding grass weeds on the paths with a wet newspaper mulch
- found a "nest" of about 40 slugs under a plank of wood: put them in the comfrey tea bottles
- cut back the green manures (alfalfa, phacelia, crimson clover) which are flowering. Left choppings on the soil as a mulch
- pulled probably the last of the broad beans & started chopping the plants up for mulch
- put markers on all the plants I want to save for seed
- put organic pellets around the dahlias because snails are shredding them

[KevinM67]

AT SCHOOL GARDEN CLUB
- no rain due all week, so we watered all the school veg: 14-22 litres per sq.metre
- dug up the garlic, lots of it good size. Better than on my lotty (school beds have richer soil)
- picked a punnet of peas & broadies
- deadheaded the cornflowers in the Blue & Orange bed
- picked roses for the children to take home, they do love a free gift

Out of interest - what does the school do with the crops it produces ??

[Yorkistransplant]

To day I have been baskin in the sun, after taking 80 Lt. Of water to the plot and using the lot! It just so hot:-)