What I did today - 2016

[Martin H]

Newspapers ?

Yes, I collect the free newspapers and use them as a weed barrier on my paths between beds. I soak the whole paper in my water butt, spread them out on the paths with a few inches of overlap, then cover with chippings. As long as there are no perennial weed roots under there, this keeps the paths weed-free for a season.

Here's a pic before chippings, from a couple of years ago:



And once the chippings are down (reverse angle), a year on:

[Containergardener]

Ohhhh , would that work with soaked cardboard .
What if I put cardboard on perennial weeds then gravel? Would it help or weed membrane too?
We have lots of cardboard at times .

[Jay-ell]

Been on nights the last few days so haven't been down the plot for a couple of days. Finished work at 9am, went home, had a snooze then down to the lottie.

Finished rebuilding the second arch and planted climbing courgettes and squash to grow up it.

Digging over the bed showed up loads of broken poppy seed heads. Planted out another 10 squash and courgettes to cover the bed and hopefully smother everything. Just got to put in three patipan, two giant pumpkins and three trombones and that's the squash done.

Planted out my two Yacon plants and four skirret plants.

Planted out a himalayan honeysuckle and three fuchsias into the front garden on the lottie - that's almost planted out completely now, just got a gap along the edge to do and one bed, once the onions have come out. Not sure what to put into these spots yet. I'm trying to make the front a perennial fruit garden so I don't have to dig up the soil as this area has a lot of glass in it.

Pulled of the runners off the strawberries and put some straw down under the fruit.

Popped a grape into the space in my fruit fence made by a dead red current.

Didn't like the look of the wild flower mix under the fruit trees so started to pull them up and use them as a mulch.

Also pottered about in the greenhouse and filled up the water butts

[Martin H]

Ohhhh , would that work with soaked cardboard .
What if I put cardboard on perennial weeds then gravel? Would it help or weed membrane too?
We have lots of cardboard at times .

Yes, I've got a load of cardboard ready for when my newspaper stash runs out.
I hate weed membrane because it doesn't rot and once you've put it down it's really difficult to take it up again. I don't like gravel either, because although it looks nice it hurts your knees when you're hand-weeding the beds!

So I use free paper (or cardboard) and free chippings, because it's free and it works. If the weeds aren't growing through I just top up the chippings. But once it's all rotted down and the weeds start growing again (takes at least a couple of years, longer if you look after the paths), you can shovel the residue onto the beds as an organic mulch and start the paths again.

[Containergardener]

Mines for garden , I had a bed , I don't have allotment but il try by greenhouse as having problems with neighbours nettles and buttercups things name I've forgot just now...front we end up parking car by it now getting full of weed , as if plant up its drenched in clay and water in winter , needs just covered with something to be dormant . I don't want to dig it all out (midge fest)
(oH would dig whole lot out but I like it , it's rockery around grass)

[muddled]

Ohhhh , would that work with soaked cardboard .
What if I put cardboard on perennial weeds then gravel? Would it help or weed membrane too?
We have lots of cardboard at times .

Yes.
It works with cardboard. No need for weed membrane.
In fact, better without the weed membrane which doesn't rot down and can be a total pain if grass seeds blow in and take hold. You can pull the grass out of chips on cardboard so easily (no soil to anchor roots) but if they go through membrane its a total nightmare to get them out.

What I did today;
I planted and sowed but the bestest thing was I bought a bag of pretty coloured balls (for a kiddies ball pool) and stuck them on top of the canes on my plot...

And they look GORGEOUS!
I am ridiculously pleased with them!

[Containergardener]

Thanks muddled.

Pics required of ...how to write this ..coloured balls...kids balls...canes balls we will go with.
Late night yet again, night all.

[bario1]

This morning I finished putting up my brassica cage in the drizzle. Didn't enjoy it one bit, too reminiscent of a bad camping trip for my liking. Also, looking round I had to admit that I've been beaten by the weeds this year and the plot is an embarrassment. I can hardly even make out the paths, the plum tree, the fruit bushes etc, and I just can't see when I'm going to find the time to sort it. Feeling very disheartened.

[Jay-ell]

I bought a bag of pretty coloured balls (for a kiddies ball pool) and stuck them on top of the canes on my plot...

And they look GORGEOUS!
I am ridiculously pleased with them!

Come on show us your orbs

[SusieG]

Thanks muddled.

Pics required of ...how to write this ..coloured balls...kids balls...canes balls we will go with.
Late night yet again, night all.

You lot really make me smile, you know..! And 'show us your orbs' made me proper lol ..

Oh and yes, it's a brill too re newspaper/cardboard and chippings - I've got an area around GH that would benefit from doing this - as it takes some of the graft out of working the paths ....

[Scoot]

Potted on the rest of my tomatoes into their final pots had 3 spare so found a couple of pots for two of them but they'll have to sit outside. The other I had to chuck. 26 tomato plants of 13 different varieties.

Took the 30g fleece off some of some little carrot seedlings as they are suffering from damping off I think. Had to resow one of my larger pots completely. Was hoping to let them dry out a little before putting the fleece back on (do carrot flies attack tiny carrot seedlings?) but it's now just started peeing down.

Weeded the garden a bit too.

[Guest]

More this week so far than today.

Weeded some of the beds in the bottom part of the patch.
Planted out squash and sweetcorn.
Resowed my flower bed (patchy germination is an understatement)
Filled one root bed with seeds.
Planted out chrysanthemums.

Finished assembling the brood box of my hive and set it up as a bait hive for this year.

I am sure I have done more but can only think of cutting most of the grass.
The sparrows have been very busy this week (and looking very plump for it) they have been scoffing all the aphids off the lupins and fruit trees (the plants I have seen the on)

[skeggijon]

Potted my Britney Sweet Pepper and Indigo Rose Tomato plants into their final pots and potted on about 50 Lavender plants grown from cuttings. Surveyed my plot and thinking that I might have trouble finding space for the 10 Mountain Magic Tomato plants that I couldn't resist buying in a £1.99 deal from T&M
Getting frustrated by this wet weather - I want to get to work clearing my new plot!

[1Bee]

Posting to celebrate yesterday's best day on the plot so far....

Netted the strawberries and made some adjustments to the brassica tunnel to let me flip it open easily. Laid another 1.5 cardboard-and-membrane paths (only one to go!). Checked and watered the tatties and furtled the first earlies - coming along nicely!

Helped runners, sunflowers and climbing courgette to train. Planted out another marrow (now have 13 curcurbits on the plot) and some basil.

Tore down another PSB, weeded the brassica tunnel and the onions.

[Jay-ell]

Must concentrate more on my spelling.

I wanted a barrier that would shock interlopers with high voltage and sparks.

Instead I've built an eclectic fence.













Apart from building the fence and a bit of weeding I decided it was too wet to do anything else so I went home for tea.