What I did today - 2016

[ESBkevin]

Took a couple of days off Monday and Tuesday because the weekend was a right off and the weather looked drier comming up but didn't get to the plot until Yesterday.

We laid compost and slug pellets under cardboard and then mulched over with composted woodchip before settling the hoop frame over the top ready to plant up with brassicas.

Had a day burning diesel with the car trailer, went and got another load of leaves/woodchip from the local churchyard, went and bought half a dozen straw bales to mulch once we're planted up and the farmer offered a couple of loads of part rotted pig muck for free and we just had to go back - twice. So one way or another I shifted about a ton of soil amendments up to the plot ready for future use.
I was tired by the end of it and my 'office waller' hands ached from shovelling shtuff (still do a bit) but the satisfaction of having the right ingrediants to hand on the plot was worth it all. Just have to nurse the seeds up so we can plant up and enjoy it all.

[Gillykat]

There's so much broken glass in my plot I won't need to 'chip' the spuds I'll be digging them up ready chipped!

Mine too! I'm still finding the odd piece of glass as I weed or turn the soil over and I've got quite a collection now in the tin I chuck it into Thankfully it's the only bit of rubbish I keep finding. Perhaps in ten years' time I'll have found it all

[skeggijon]

Went to plot after physio appointment and pleased to see its finally drying out. Did a bit of tidying up and made space for the mountain of woodchippings I'm expecting from the tree surgeon that starts work on clearing the garden at home tomorrow.
Found a couple of Cape Gooseberry plants that have been totally neglected in my mess of a polytunnel that have overwintered really well, so cut off the dead material, repotted and placed in the greenhouse.

[vixylix]

LOTS!!

Passed my exam with flying colours so treated myself to spending the rest of the day in the very sunny garden

Transplanted last years leeks, which are finally pencil size (not expecting much mind) out of the raised bed, planted red onions and broad beans into the raised bed and sowed carrots and lettuce. Also planted out the last of the potatoes and cut a load of PSB for tomorrows tea.

I can't remember what else, but the ache in my back tells me it was more!

Now relaxing waiting for the second treat of the day... a Chinese takeaway!

[Snadger]

Raked over the area I planted tatties on my new plot then locked the gate and left it.

Decided i must make an effort on my old plot which has now been halved. Hand weeded the strawberries in the sunshine then gave them a bit of feed. Decided to demolish the half of my large herb wheel which encrioached onto the plot I have given up. I didn't realise this would affect me, but it was a sorrowful act to perform. All the 'sets' and pan tiles will eventually be taken to my new plot but for the time being they are stacked on my remaining old portion of the plot.
Spotted some bumble bees working my peach and broad bean flowers in the greenhouse, so I shut the door and locked them in!

[Jay-ell]

Couldnt sleep this morning so played on tinternet. Ended up buying perennial veg plants and seeds.

Popped into Band Queue to pick up a cordless strimmer - when I got back postie had been with my quinoa seeds and yacon. Potted up the Yacon.

Loaded a car full of plants from the kitchen table, window, shelves, cooker and sideboard to put into the new greenhouse - think I must have lost half of them on the way as the greenhouse still looks empty. Let's see how it looks tomorrow when I take down the fig trees and bananas

Planted out broad beans, sprouts and broccoli.

Added a layer of bricks and a paving slab under the water butts in the greenhouse. Added water to the butts and Jerry rigged them together to start building an irrigation system. Realised that £-land have taps with screw threads which would make the jerry rigging easier and less leaky. Tomorrow I have to get the taps, pump the water out of the butts one at a time and swap the taps - hurrah I get to play with my new butt pump (not a phrase I get to use very often without getting strange looks)

Laid a path along side of my mini - orchard. I know that I did that yesterday but I enjoyed it sooo much that I wanted to do it again.

Wandered around the new plot and found 3 tires I had missed, 3 Holly trees and several ash trees. Weeds are starting to curl up and die.

At the end of a nice warm sunny day I took a little time to stand and watch the parrots mating in the tree tops as the bamboo swayed in the breeze - picturing in my mind where to put the sausage tree.

Then I went home.

[jonny the plant pot]

Dropped 10 sacks of chippings on my orchid part of plot and went to redhall and bought myself some rosemary plants .

[Bex2012]

I had a lovely hour over the plot this morning, at 7.30am I was the only one over there. Planted out some potted on dwarf peas (packet says they are cold tolerant), as some were starting to flower. Also planted out some more broad beans, and a seed tape row of spring onions.
Tonight I made some seed tapes, was very easy but fiddly (carrot seed). Luckily I found some nice thin loo roll in the toilets at work

[Small pumpkin]

Busy day but not a lot of it in the garden. But did manage to prick out some herbs and used the plough attachment on my mantis for the first time and ridged up my potato bed ready for planting.

[bramble]

Did a bit of everything today. Sowed some Morning Glory and Red Nastertium seeds. Potted on some Cayanne pepper plants. Potted up my Celeriac into seperate pots.
Spent some time weeding, emptying pots, refilling the window boxes.
Deadheaded the spent tubs of Daffodils and put them away under the balcony.
Prepared a strip of the garden under the south facing wall for my outdoor Cucumbers when the weather warms up.
Earthed up my first early potatoes.
Dug upuand devided my Polysnthus and then replanted them.
Built a tentlike structure in my greenhouse, lined and covered it with polystyrene sheets and fleece and moved the rest of my tomatoes into it.
Absolutly shattered now but very satisfied with my days work.

[plam]

Another lovely sunny evening after work. Though still only 1.5 C in the greenhouse last night. The plot has dried out nicely so I planted the last of my potatoes (apart from the 10 that I can't bear to throw away but don't know where to put) then did 7 wheelbarrows worth of mulching around the new plum tree and the patch with the very thin/non existent topsoil.

[bario1]

Yesterday I just had to take the afternoon off work and make the most of that glorious weather! I finally got my asparagus crowns in the ground after a 2 week rain delay - I really hope they come to something after all the work I've put in prepping that bed for them!

[Scoot]

Turned all the compost in my compost bin, it's starting to look bloody good.

Buried all my tomatoes a little deeper as well.

Then went fishing for a few hours.

[Small pumpkin]

Lots of plant juggling today. Trying to make it easier for the other half next week when I'm away. Potted on lot of things. Pricked out a few things. Not stopped all day but don't seem to have got very far. Half the jobs on my list for today haven't been done.

[jonny the plant pot]

And made a new strawberry bed ..
P's posted my last post in the wrong thread sorry.