What I did today - 2016

[Scoot]

Had a very productive afternoon at work....inbetween serving customers with newspapers and scratch cards I doodled a few ideas for the layout of the allotment I've worked out quite a few beds for veggies but also flower areas and a wildlife pond with a meadow area in front which I'll hopefully manage to grow a few native flowers in . Also putting in a log pile for the wee beasties

Rough sketch below

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Sounds like my garden. Its got a veg patch, growhouse and pots for veg, but I have left plenty of room for wildlife. Always get my wildflower seeds sown.

[Lumpy]

Half built a blow away = just got to decide where to put it in my micro garden now.

[Small pumpkin]

Got the frame for my raised bed in place. All I have to do now is fill it. Hopefully tomorrow, weather depending. Also ordered MORE seeds!

[bario1]

At last, a decent stretch of time at the plot! Finally added the used cat litter, chicken manure, seaweed and shredded paper that i've been hoarding in plastic bags for months to my compost bins, and turned it all in with my new compost turning device (the butt of many cruel jokes over Xmas). Also composted all the dead aubergine and chilli plants in pots that i've been tripping over all winter, so the plot looks a lot tidier.
Planted out some onion sets that have been overwintering in the tunnel, and 'earthed up' my Autumn sown garlic which is about 4" high now. Also spotted some lovely big Brittany garlic bulbs in my local fishmonger for £1, so bought one of them and broke it up and planted all the cloves today - worth a shot i reckon!
Raked over my root veg bed and covered with cardboard until it's time to sow.
Chatted to the foxes.
Filled a hanging basket with a mix of soil, compost and manure for the first of my three strawberry baskets for the polytunnel - I'm re-purposing the strawberry patch as i need the space, and the slugs get most of the strawberries anyway!
Came home and drank cider in the bath.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Last of the planning done! Only 2 packs of seeds now needed to complete the plan!

Decision in! T5 light ordered! Gunna stick with the "Stewart's" variable heated propagator this season having never grown under lights before, did a load of research n reading on various things, rebranded myself on Google n utube, get this next few days out of the way, and gunna have a good few days off!

Then the fun shall begin!

[Bigmallly]

After moving/stacking a few logs I decided to have a play with the chainsaw........it passed a few hours........

[Tripmeup]

Came home and drank cider in the bath.

Ah, the life of the rich and famous
Great way to end the day

[Guest]

Grafted a few pears.
Stuck a couple of fig branches in pots to root.
Mucked out birds and put muck to one side to go towards hot bed.
Researched how I am meant to use the clips for tom grafting that were kindly gifted to me

[Tripmeup]

Weeded the garlic and onion beds
Harvested the last of my carrots
Did some composting
Finished assembling my shredder

[veggiechicken]

Another exceedingly energetic day for me!
Moved the seedling monkey nuts and tomatoes from the house into the GH and back again.
Filled a few more modules with compost and put them in the heated prop. to warm up.
Did a bit of sorting under the GH bench as the dogs were convinced something is living there.
Wandered round the garden trying to replan it in my head.
Drank coffee.
Exhausted

[kiwiman]

Tidied strawberry plants and removed runners, dead leaves etc. In raised bed so no wellies needed.

[bramble]

Actually had to water the Sweet Peas in the greenhouse today. Since I pinched out the growing tip they have thrown up multiple shoots and they are flying along.
The rest of the day was spent taking the furniture out of the bedroom and other household chores that "just happen" the minute anything is disturbed.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Went to the Hill this afternoon and

• emptied and moved to its new position the third dalek (of four)
• planted the garlic (marco) - yes, only two months or so later than planned
• got sidetracked doing some random prunining of the red currant bushes which kept snagging my trousers
• dug over a half-bed
• brought home some of last year's onions which have been languishing under some netting, and are now sprouting
• took photo on 'night' setting on phone at 4.50pm when it was well and truly dusk with a pleasing result - although all this shows is how bedraggled a plot in mid January looks
• forgot to dig a parsnip for tea - something I am very much regretting now that the lamb is roasting in the oven and the spuds ready to go in

[Guest]

Not a lot, but least I got out in the garden.

Planted out some rather old foxglove plug plants
Mulched 3 fruit trees (4 more left)
Pruned one apple tree
Done a little on the chicken wire fence at the bottom of the patch.

[Greenleaves]

Spent a couple of hours over the plot, just a little tidying and dispatched a few rodents, seems to be the peak time for them little burgers