What I did today - 2017

[bario1]

Nice and sunny outside so I nipped down the plot in my lunch break. Planted up three big spud bags, one with last year's Red Duke of York, and two with Charlottes. This year my bag mix is 4" of heavy garden soil with a handful of potato fertiliser mixed through it, three spuds on top, then 4" of farmyard manure mixed with woodchip, masses of water, and finally 4" of cheapo mpc.

[Guest]

Yesterday I dug over one bed, topped three and done some framework and tying in on the trees. Planted out a couple of apples. Put a couple of leylandii teepees up.

Today I weeded the flower border in the patch, sunk some pots of sweet peas, done teepees for them and tied them in. Finished the tying in of trees. Moved the leylandii teepees, remembering that they were not in this years to be flower bed but the yacon bed must make a sign to remind myself. Hoed a couple of paths (just a couple as they were a bit hard going).

[Small pumpkin]

Bit of tray juggling to make space for new seed sowing. Raised the level of my micro greens gutter growing station. Using fish boxes and cable ties. Much more comfortable harvesting position, not bent double. Tumbling toms red & yellow now in baskets. So are my basket of fire chillies. The baskets look a little dodgy with fleece wrapped round them ( use your imagination! ). Potted on another 40 peas. Lots of seed sowing.

[Baldy]

Turned over second compost heap - no sign of rattus rattus as reported - still the job needed doing. Bean trench dug and filled with rough compost then covered.
Summer Cider toms potted on into MFBs in the plot GH - which was maintaining 17 degrees C at 7.30 which ain't bad for what is essentially 10 thin pieces of plastic with numerous holes and gaps filled with gaffer tape and pallet wood.. Half a pint of cider drunk in evening sun.
Dried couch grass and rotten wood burnt of in an impromptu bonfire.
Ordered a couple of seedlings for collection by friend from South Devon Chilli farm - well, varieties to be decided but they'll be on the hot end of the scale as they're the ones I struggle most with.
5 minutes of mostly ineffectual weeding

[Bigmallly]

aaw Bario that is rubbish - better than what I thought though. I thought someone had broken in just to sabotage your flowers - apparantly I have a suspicious mind!

That's what becomes of living with a copper.................

[Bigmallly]

Today I decided to take the car for a run as it's been suffering from a flat battery due to under use so went around a few cheapo garden retailers. When back I planted out some Beetroots from their rootrainers, weeded & earthed up the spud bed that I said I wasn't gonna grow anymore........................quite a chillaxed day really.

[the big lebowski]

i popped up the plot today and spent 2ish hours clearing an area with my new mattock (digging hoe/pick axe type tool ) very impresed ,the weight of it really helps and makes it really easy to dig all the weeds out ,potatos will be in by the weekend at this rate ,also got my vodka for my rhubarb infusion ,good day ,cheers

[1Bee]

I use a mattock for digging over our heavy clay where it's weedy.... It's easier to get up a nice swinging rhythm, and eliminates the biggest back strain for me which is lifting the clods, which are often still 'knitted' together with weed roots.

I'm used to mattocks, though, because I used to use them a lot in my conservation work days.

[bario1]

Had a crack at positioning some roof tiles to create the inner circle of my raised keyhole asparagus bed. Seems to work quite well, I'll get them finalised over the weekend hopefully.

[Small pumpkin]

Turned the contents of my big compost bin. Fill 3 wheelbarrows and 4 fish boxes with compost concentrating on getting to the bottom of one corner. Then you get in the bin and move the stuff still in there around, then tip all the removed compost back in.
Moved my hardening off bench and veg washing stations ( wish it was as flash as it sounds! It's a wooden thing with a hole in the top for a washing up bowl or sieve ). They would be in the way when the new tunnel goes up.
6 barrow loads of farm yard manure on the raise bed in the tunnel and covered with weed fabric.
And started pricking out some of the herbs

[Baldy]

Moved some of the Toms I'd grown from Deano's seeds from the unheated gh in the garden to the unheated gh at the plot and potted them on - doing quite well, we've had the odd cold night but mostly around the 8 or 9 degree mark outside so maybe has maintained a degree or so warm in the gh'ses...
Couple of tumbling toms potted on and put in the cold frame. Managed 20 minutes of half hearted weeding...

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Here! Baldy! Just having a bit of a catch up, and was very weary on the "Rosella" seeds regarding as to wether they were F1 or not, but having just read Marks post on the Tomatoes seed circle thread they clearly are not, which actually puts my mind at rest to be honest!

[Baldy]

Thanks Deano...
or possibly not... anyhow, time for bed said Zebbadee

[Bex2012]

Stopped at that v.expensive gardening chain beginning with a W on my way home from work... Came away with some big trays of broad beans, mangetout, carrots and peas. Plot inspections are next week, should really look like Im growing something!!
Put in some parsnip seeds and some radishes. Im not a huge fan, but I understand they are quick to grow. Will make some seed tapes when I can find the cornflour.
Sowed a load more seeds, inc sweetcorn (a multi coloured one this year). Sowed them monday, and they are up already! Lots more bits in there too, really must take them all over to the greenhouse and free up my dining room table.

[susieq100]

Yesterday afternoon - a lot of potting on and moving plants from conservatory to greenhouse where it is not quite so warm! Mowed front lawn too! I may have too many cucumbers (again!).