What I did today - 2015

[kris1960]

After the enjoyment of greenhouse tomatos I thought that I would stake outdoor ones before they started falling over - they are looking great now that they have had a bit of warmth. Got everything together and remembered grand daughters second birthday, rushed home to make and applique name on apron to match her mother and sisters. Only got back to allotment to put tools away and pick cabbage, completed apron at 2.00 am and will deliver this afternoon.
The Gods conspire against my tomatos again!

[susieq100]

Mowed lawns and did the edges this morning, weeded the drive and then down to the plot. Lifted my garlic and shallots, dug up some spuds for supper tomorrow night (FiL is coming for his dinner), picked a bag of broad beans, cut a load of rhubarb for rhubarb and raspberry jam. Then I armpitted and de-leafed the tomatoes in the glass shed, planted some beetroot, broccoli and turnips. Came home and watered the little greenhouse and it has started to rain Yay!

[Martin H]

Today I potted on some cauliflower seedlings into modules. Also sowed some spring cabbage and lettuce seeds. Then I got away from gardening to go for a nice walk in the local country park with Mrs H.

[Greenleaves]

Eradicated two deseased plum trees with my trusty chainsaw but bottled it when it came to the 25' cherry tree, someone put the picture in my head of it crashing onto someones car!

Watered as much as my arms would allow, but treading on your fingers when you walk is no fun

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Did a long few hours in the "Nut House" nipped into "The Oasis" on the way home!

Bagged a few offerings!





Off tomoz! Thank god!

[Snadger]

Put an old metal table frame over my carrot seedlings and constructed an enviromesh cover over it! Looks quite professional even if I do say so myself!
Lots of hand weeding in various areas of the allotment. Watered all indoor stuff.

Gathered a bucket full of luscious strawberries, two days after the last bucketfull. This is the best crop I've ever had and I just can't keep up with them. Think I may need to make some jam to use them up

Borrowed half a dozen fertilised hens eggs from my mate at the allotments and after making a nest from hay put them on it for a suspected broody hen I am looking after. Went back and she was sitting clocking on the hay beside them. If she hasn't moved onto them tomorrow I may need to try and sneak them under her.

Lots of raspberries, blackcurrants and gooseberries about ready for picking along with strawberries, broad beans and tatties.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Did a bit of weeding! Deadheaded the roses.



Then commenced the "Battle" with the newly bought! yes bought "Passion Flower" The idea being to train it up the east side of the "Summer House"



Tis in, really wants "Trellising" Winter job I'm thinking!

Bagged a few bits for home! and the "Greenhouse" is going mental!



Yep! Like Martin n "Lady P" says! what a difference a few day's make!

[alrklein]

So far in 2015 I have picked 1 courgette, 6 small tomatoes and a couple good handfuls of peas. Thats all

I take heart from the previous posts that things will improve with experience!

We are self sufficient in lettuce even though it was bought as plants not from seed!!

[CaroleL]

I haven't done much today, just checked anything growing upwards to see if it needed any more support. The toms did, but not much else.

[Jay-ell]

Unzipped the blowaway and got attacked by the watermelon plant, having wrestled that back onto the trellis it was the cucumbers turn followed by the melons - I really wish I bought those machetes the other month. Turn your back for a couple of days and they're all over the place.


Decided to transplant a strawberry in a pot that came with the plot. After dividing it into a dozen little crowns it now resides under the red currants as ground cover and the third layer of fruit from that bit. Have another potted strawberry to split up as well as the ones on my old plot so looks like I'm going to have a couple of strawberries next year.


Measured my kiwi plant. it's growing really slowly - it's only gained one foot in the past week and is now 35 inches tall. That just under an inch and a Half a day. Hopefully once it's roots get down a bit more and the new leaves grow and produce food it'll begin to grow a bit quicker.

My runners are starting to get to the top of the canes so I nipped a couple of them out. Flowers are there but no beans just yet.

Despite wearing shorts I hacked back the nettles growing in front of my larger see through shack - right next to a bumble bee nest and managed not to get stung by either.


Counted the male flower buds on my pumpkins - LOTS. Counted the female flower buds on my pumpkins - not many.

[bario1]

Over the weekend I:

Planted out my PSB and the last of my kales into my 2nd brassica bed.
Planted out my last sowing of French beans and sugar snaps (actually, I might try direct sowing a few more beans between my sweetcorn - note to self)
Watered everything in pots/polytunnel
Harvested Red Duke of York spuds, gooseberries and some strawberries to eat while watching the Wimbledon final!

[kris1960]

Dug up first potato bed, probably a bit early judging from enormous amount of too small ones and prepared for leeks and carrots to take over tomorrow. Some picking, chatting, veg swapping, watering and weeding.

[Jay-ell]

Planted out three more red currant bushes and six gooseberry bushes (three more to go). Teased apart another strawberry plant which gave another dozen little plants which have been planted underneath the red currants.


Watched the bees buzzing around my runner beans - hey hey I have a very small bean pod forming. Watched them buzzing in the blowaway, popping in and out of the melon flowers. Noticed the male flowers on my watermelon are open - hopefully I'll get some female ones soon. Cucamelons have perked up a bit but still no flowers.


A couple of female flowers were open on my Hundredweight pumpkin as well as a male flower on the Atlantic Giant. As both are Maxims and the bees were flitting about them I'm hopeful they'll take.


Resisted the judge to measure the kiwi fruit.

[kris1960]

I'm supposed to be getting allotment ship shape with veg removed, beds dug and replanted, fruit picked and turned into chutneys and jams ready for a weeks grandchildren minding in Sheffield next week but I am not making the progress I intended:
Mobile not charging so spent a long time organising that and ultimately agreeing to new phone(weeks of trying to learn how it works in store). Then set off to Coventry to pick up seeds that I had left in Sheffield in June(daughter to daughter exchange), lovely time with grandchildren and some errands done but totally forgot seeds.
Intending a full day tomorrow and am wondering how to get plans back on track!

[Penellype]

Cut the road side of the leylandii hedge and filled the green bin with it as its recycling day tomorrow. Still got 2 lengths of 8 ft high hedge to do but they have to be done in stages due to battery life, space in the green bin and the amount of energy required.

Went out to harvest some peas and decided the meteor had about finished and most of them needed to come out. Spent some time chopping pea foliage and filled a layer of the wormery with it. Stuffed the rest into the hotbin - that makes green bin, wormery and hotbin all completely full.

Also managed to find time to make some bread and go shopping, so quite a useful day really.

Harvested some white currants and ate them with ice cream. Makes a change from strawberries.