What I did today - 2015

[Martin H]

Raised the netting up a foot on my PSB and Sprout beds. Like this (kale on the left, PSB on the right):



Started to put up a cage to protect my sweetcorn, which will be flowering very soon now. Got the top on but then realised my strategy for the sides was fatally flawed. Job for another day...



Dug up garlic, new pots, lettuce and some lovely baby carrots. Nice and straight, no sign of carrot fly. Result!

Oh, and lots and lots of watering. Looks like it'll be a continuing job for a while. Mustn't grumble though!

[Coopers]

Today I finally collected a garden bench, raspberry and blackberry bushes plus a Bunch of pots my dad no longer wanted.

Then went to collect one of those large wooden cable wheels so I have a rustic table to go with my garden bench...

[anton002]

I treated my runners as they were showing really early signs of black fly,planted out my brussels and built a cane and net cage to save them from the pigeons.
Planted out a few dwarf beans and visited the garden centre were i bought reduced strawbs for the pallet planter i am currently planning

[Snadger]

Productive session at the allotment this morning. Sorted my tomato plants by adding canes ( old broom shanks being thrown out at work!) and arm pitting them.
Finally found a space for my Kintsai, dug over bed and planted 12 module grown plants.

After that I watered all stuff requiring watering, followed by a 'weedfest' continuing my war on weeds.

Carrots have finally shown themselves above ground so I hoed between rows and applied more slug pellets. Planted eight cabbages in an old water butt that had parsnips in it last year.

Noted that Japanese onions have done well and are nearing maturity and my climbing french beans are starting to germinate in modules.

Harvested a handful of broad beans for dinner!

[Snadger]

Raised the netting up a foot on my PSB and Sprout beds. Like this (kale on the left, PSB on the right):

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Started to put up a cage to protect my sweetcorn, which will be flowering very soon now. Got the top on but then realised my strategy for the sides was fatally flawed. Job for another day...

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Dug up garlic, new pots, lettuce and some lovely baby carrots. Nice and straight, no sign of carrot fly. Result!

Oh, and lots and lots of watering. Looks like it'll be a continuing job for a while. Mustn't grumble though!

Impressed with sprout/PSB bed, looks very tidy and effective!

[kris1960]

Arrived at allotment this morning just in time to save stag beetle which had fallen in and found that the first waterlily had opened- it is a beautiful soft pink. Can't wait to see froglets on the lily pads. Dug a couple of rows and planted some maris bard, will finish tomorrow.
Watering and weeding.
Saw the Vulcan again today- it is a beautiful thing- I'll be sorry when it goes out of service!

[Coopers]

Today I collected a load of old decking to make edges to my beds come winter. Plus I collected a load of wood which I will use to make cold frames. Both are my winter tasks.

Back with planning for today and I pulled up all my garlic and plaited them. Also dug up more potatoes, radishes and picked a load of strawberries, red currants and raspberries. Plus sat in my new chair that I mentioned yesterday

[Ding Dang Doo]

I managed to get a permanent roof on my shed.

had the plot since the middle of May, shed came a couple of weeks later, minus the rotten felt that dicentigrated as we dismantled it from its previous site of 10 years. A plastic sheet has been in place since, which has held up suprisingly well, but it was never going to last the rigours of a hot summer (well this week should be!), followed by a winter of everything Mother Nature loves to throw at us in the North West of our fine country; so I managed to get a few hours of precious Sunday time to put on the metal roof of the shed.
The north side is easy, as it is at a standard height from ground level, whereas the south side of the roof posed more of a problem, as the is a 3 foot drop on our sloping plot!

Job took a little longer than antisipated (don't they all?), and a few choice words could be heard coming from the plot vicinity from time to time, but it is finally on - and jolly proud of it I am too.

[weed]

feeling smug after spotting the lazy way to scrub potatoes on you tube so thought i would give it a try and its fantastic for new potatoes for those that haven't heard just attach a new toilet brush to battery powerd drill (NOT ONE THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE MAINS) as some show on yt half fill a bucket of water add potatoes insert brush switch on and in seconds there done nice and clean the videos show older potatoes being peeled these are the hoax videos but for new early spuds this is definitely a fast way to clean them and the way im doing them from now on garden to pot in just a couple of mins

[1Bee]

(We saw the Vulcan on Sat, Kris 1960 - gorgeous and knee-meltingly loud)

FOUND A CUCUMBER! My solitary container-grown one upped and died a week ago, but today I found one in an Aldi and adopted it.

Over the weekend we continued Weed Wars, and harvested radishes, baby courgettes and lettuce.

[CaroleL]

Today I potted up the last couple of cucumbers and peppers. Late, I know, but they were the stragglers and I haven't the heart to discard them after they've finally made an effort to grow.

I've also potted out some module grown basil and marjoram. The herb garden is coming on nicely now.

The lower leaves on my French beans are getting nibbled so I've scattered some eggshells.

[ESBkevin]

Last night after tea, we planted a few cut and come again lettuce and about a dozen Cos lettuce plus the 4 surviving celery we grew from seed in cardboard rolls ;-) These have been really hard to keep alive because the tall rolls mean the tops dry out quickly and soaking them didn't seem to help. Anyway the four went in the patch and got soaked and will be soaked daily until they get a bit bigger.
Other than that Carol harvested the last of the broad beans and chopped off the growth to add to the compost bin. We picked strawberries again and then applied something well in excess of 400 litres of water to the plot with cans and buckets. Our plot has access to water troughs in the central path so a 15Mtr walk from the corner of the plot. I use a 9ltr can and one of those builders soft tubs that has about 2.5 cans each time. It's a good workout and one we will no doubt be repeating almost daily for a couple of weeks now. It was hard to see evidence on the surface of the thunderstorm we had Sunday afternoon, but better to keep it damp than allow it to dry out and try to rehydrate everything.

[cristalfiona]

Last night I did loads more weeding of the volunteer tomatoes sprouting everywhere in my raised bed (including out the sides). I fixed my too-smooth wire trellis so my cucumber had some canes to grip at various heights and cut back the insane amount of strawberry runners I have at the moment, except one from each plant, which are being trained into pots.

I took cuttings from my failing oregano to try and root new plants and trimmed all the other herbs. I trained next door's bramble using canes and string so it would climb the fence instead of invading my decking. I also finally put in the screws to fan train my fruit trees and started training them. And of course the excessive amount of watering in preparation for the heat due today!

It doesn't seem a lot now, but it took most of the evening.

[Nannysally99]

We emptied a recycling box full of Casablanca spuds, weighed in at approx 8 lb

[Amandaod]

I planted out curly kale, leeks, onions, dwarf french beans and pumpkins. I also sowed some squash and beetroot in the greenhouse and my lovely husband done some weeding for me