What I did today - 2016

[hamamelis]

Went down the plot with the full intention of spending a day sorting out the big wild patch which I'm trying to turn into beds, having dug the majority of the trees out.

Unfortunately, it was bleedin' roasting hot, and muggy, and I was literally dripping with sweat inside 5 minutes. Still, got one bed out of 4 pretty much dug over and paths partly done.

I'm not complaining too much about the weather, as I'm still trying to ripen squash and loads of tomatoes, but that was a bit much for mid September!

I had jeans and proper boots as well, 'cos I needed to go check my bees, a task that does not well combine with summery frocks.

[Root66]

Watering, constant job here at the moment.
Harvesting tomatoes (endless supply - incredible year), courgette, squash
Gathering bits for a fire
Keeping leaf-mould bags damp
Emptying the good compost heaps into bags

[bario1]

This morning I decided to have a bit of tidy up of an area that I've been using as a dumping ground for the whole summer. Amongst the empty fertiliser bags (now all neatly stacked ready for re-purposing, and mangled blowaway frame (now all dismantled and ready for re-purposing) was a giant slug factory complete with nurseries full of eggs .
At the back of the dumping ground, buried under nettles and Himalayan Balsam was a potato bag I'd forgotten about. Wasn't expecting great things when I upended it, but was pleasantly surprised - my best Charlottes of the season!

[ESBkevin]

Hard and dry here. looking forward to Fridays rain which will make lifting the last row of spuds a whole lot easier this weekend.
we finally got around to chopping off the excess top growth on the strawberrys we are keeping in situ, I know it's late but there ya go.
Planted another dozen strawberry runners just as spares/giveaways and split a clove of garlic and planted that.
Watered the critical stuff (overwintering seeds put in the weekend - which have all shown in 3 days!) cucumbers, celery, late pea crop, carrots & Beetroot - so they don't split and transplanted/potted strawberry runners.
Also once the moisute level get more normal I can commence cultivations again. Still managing to get a few outdoor tomatoes but I expect the night time temps to end that within the week now this pleasant hot spell is ending.

[Small pumpkin]

Today I've mucked out birdies. Weeded front garden and done the edges. Planted my 5 seed trays of flowers (from my 1p seed shaker). Tidied up my overflow/ hardening off bench. Weeded and covered 2 1/2 tubes ( monkey nut still trying to die in the other half ) in veggie garden that aren't needed till next year. Then rain stopped play.

[Snadger]

Instead of strawberries and cream I am relishing a constant supply of blackberries and cream. Each evening I pick a small punnet frommthe allotment fence to be eaten the next day.
Its nice to see p[lot holders leaving the allotments with carrier bags full of produce each evening. Even my chooks have doubled there laying rate recently.
Watered greenhouses and had bit of a chat before hurrying back for a meeting with someone!

[bramble]

Took out all my containers of Daffodils bulbs from under the balcony where they were stored. Took the top few inches of soil off and topped thrm all up with fresh stuff.
Took all my continers of Lillies off the balcony. Emptied the pots and repotted all the bulbs with fresh compost and they are now stored away until next year.
Picked some tomatoes and chillis, particularly Cayanne which are producing at a phenominal rate.
I am afraid I am tempting fate but my Celeriac seem to be producing some kind of a root ball this year. Fingers crossed as they are in the last chance saloon.

[Bigmallly]

Posty arrived with my 20mm pump tubing, Fitted to pump & what a difference to bog standard hosepipe.
Dug out a bed & edged with timber. Covered the log store with 30 sq mts Pond liner..........Got a nice Tan.....

[Jay-ell]

Spring is in the air

Don't know what's happening on my plot but the plants don't seem to know what time of year it is. My summer raspberries are flowering again and are covered in fruit and the apples are starting to blossom.

Started working my way down the squash beds telling the courgettes that they'll end up like the shooting star if they don't buck their ideas.

Ripped the shooting star up by it's roots. Also ripped out the black forest as they hadn't been paying attention.

The other day there was nothing but male flowers, today these have gone and they're putting out all female again - except for the zucchini which has both and should be able to polinated the rest.

Started digging over the area which had been the shooting star and black forest bed and popped in some Japanese onion seedlings - stuck what was left in a clump to see how they do.

Planted out some white Lisbon, sorel, good king henry and some other alliums.

Just before I left the plot I noticed that the trombones have about 20 fruit on them and are heading for the leeks, bean and yacon beds. Obviously the pep talk worked.

[cptncrackoff]

Pumpkin harvest!!!!!

[bario1]

More clearing up and weeding in 'chaos corner' this morning. Emptied two more potato bags I found there, with lesser results than yesterday. I can now officially conclude that my experiment with growing potatoes through a thick straw mulch was a failure - smaller yield and more pest damage. I've yet to empty my barrels of spuds grown in woodchip with a straw mulch, but I'm not too hopeful!

[Gillykat]

Internet wasn't working last night for some reason

Yesterday I dug up some more Sarpo Mira spuds which had grown from some I must have missed on the patch last year - all perfectly healthy and absolutely delicious on a chicken dinner....with my five teeny carrots!

Worked out a rough plan of where Neil will be putting my raised beds for next year's crops. He's on holiday next week so I'll be keeping him busy

Deadheaded flowers and made notes of which prerennials I want to move and MUST stake or otherwise support next summer because they're flopping all over now

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

My rescued tomatoes from the Dreaded Blight! Playing on the new Mac too so who know's how this is gunna pan out!



Yey! It worked! Time for bed said "Zebodee"

[Nafets]

Cleared two new beds, one for over wintering onions the other will eventually be for currant bushes. Dropped off some pallets to a new couple started the plot round the corner to me.
And now I'm making some tomato soup from my recent harvest

[SusieG]

Managed to give both lawns a haircut...!

Used 2kg tommies to make some Tomato Chutney
And
Another kg of tommies and the last of my courgettes to make Tomato & Courgette soup ............ mmmmm, very very tasty...!

AND - I still have a trug full of tommies and also another load still on the plants in GH ............!