What I did today - 2017

[BUFFS]

today I got the red and white onions, more parsnips, just in case, and carrots sown outside, and French beans and perpetual spinach into the heated propagator, the pots of fruit trees/bushes got some BFB and the blueberries got some ericaceous fertiliser and passed the little paintbrush over the peach flowers again to help set the fruit, about 60-70 apricots already set, and the sun is out, for the third day in a row, that's the first time this year we have had more than one days sunlight in a week, with the bumble bees all around the flowering pear trees , it looks like it could be a good year......

[Baldy]

Lovely day here so helped someone put up a shed - two bottles of wine as thanks for my efforts.
Put some runner beans in modules in unheated greenhouse. Sowed some aubergines. Built a mini polytunnel to cover two seed trays. Ache a bit now...

[johnjohn]

Picked up the lawnmower from the plot but couldn't resist doing a bit.
Planted out/sowed my outdoor first earlies Lady Christl and Duke of York, realised belatedly that I had room for 2 more rows so have to decide whether to get some more or slip Kestrel into the gap (I keep the spacing the same).
More polytunnel spuds coming through so watered and re fleeced those.
Sowed a smallish bed with broad beans- Witkiem a double row at the back, not done these before, and a couple of fat rows of The Sutton towards the front.
Took a photo of the broadys flowering in the poly (not many left, suspecting a mouse), and then mowed the front and back lawns at home. That's enough for me today, now in the bath with a beer and a book (and tablet to do this of course).

Great to have decent days again!

[roitelet]

Cut all the flower heads out of the rhubarb

[Baldy]

go go roitelet - don't over do it mind

[Ms-T]

Went the plot,its mine now .the lady that had it before really really like carpet tiles ,but the weeds have grown all over them. think its going to take years to sort out .

[Baldy]

Seems johnjohn and I have a predilection for bathing with alcohol and consumer electronic devices post allotment.

Danger Will Robinson Danger!!!

[Baldy]

... not together (as far as I'm aware ...

[Jay-ell]

Seems johnjohn and I have a predilection for bathing with alcohol and consumer electronic devices post allotment.

Danger Will Robinson Danger!!!

Bathing with a 7 foot tall Deutronium power robot can be hazardous to your health

[Guest]

First grass cutting of the year. Only done a path through the meadow, then the paddock which was rather hard going.
Hacked the neighbours laurel.
Finally sowed some broad beans.
Dug over another bed in the veg patch.
Took the flowers out of the rhubarb.
Planted out some perennial phlox
Roasted, toasted and cleaned the hive and set it back up with some bait swabs.
Had a bonfire.

Done something I don't think I have ever done before. Walked round the garden with a cuppa. It was glorious especially with the heat and sunshine Very happy bunny today

[hamamelis]

Finally got the spuds in. They've been over-chitting at me accusingly for a week or so now.

Also weeded and mulched the strawberries, re-edged two beds, weeded half the other beds and sat in the sun with a flask of cocoa, watching the birds. Oh, and sowed beetroot and spinach at home, in the lean-to.

[johnjohn]

... not together (as far as I'm aware ...

Sadly 190 something miles separates us...

[Baldy]

I'm "up in the Midlands" quite regularly

[Jay-ell]

Just bough some of T&M 10 for £10 seeds - and this time it wasn't VC's fault. It was NickG who made me do it.

Out of the 10 packets 8 were flowers - yes 8 packs of flower seeds on my food only plot.

Well, there's :-

• 2 types of Nasturtium, a climber and a dwarf. Tangy leaves, edible flowers and spicy seeds so these are really herb and spice plants and therefore don't count as flowers
• Also 2 types of pot marigold which can be companion plants and also have edible flowers to spice up a salad or used to colour food - these don't count either
• Poached Egg Plant - attracts hover flies so it's really pest control. Plus the fact that it's edible means it doesn't count
• Sea Holly - I like the spiky blue look to these flowers - but the shoots are edible in the spring and the root can be used in the same way you would use parsnip - or you can candy it and make sweets. Nope not counting that either.
• 2 types of Dahlias - a Dwarf Cactus mix and a dark red and orange one. The Flowers can be added to salads to give a bit of interest and Cactus dahlias are supposed to have the sweetest roots (according to James Wong) so neither of these will count towards being non edibles.

So I'm not going to count any of those as flowers, just alternative veg (even if I don't eat them). This means that the only flowers in my garden are the ones growing in the paths - no matter what you may think you see on my plot later on in the year.

(some of my alliums have dainty little flowers - but as they're edible they don't count either)

[happyhumph]

Pinned down membrane over most of bank where squashes are going this year. Encouraged eldest to throw stones on there to help weigh it down.

Covered part of the veg patch in cardboard, some with woodchip over to make a path. Planted garlic and onion sets through it. Hopefully no/v little weeding will be needed. Thick cardboard so had to use a drill to make the holes Eldest particularly enjoyed this - getting quite good with an electric drill for a 7 year old (under close supervision of course - I'm quite fond of them really!!)

Finally measured plot! OH mowed front lawn. Have lots of onion sets left despite planting them close, so may stick remainder in pots in gh for early 'spring' onions.

Early mothers day as OH doing a bike race tomorrow. Received my present (which I bought myself on Friday ) of 2 new arches to grow peas over and a pack of 10 lilies from wilko.

Realised I really need to get some more seeds in....