What I did today - 2017

[Jungle Jane]

Yesterday I picked more tomatoes still have a lot that are green. How long would you leave them on the branch into September? should I pick the bigger green ones to ripen in the kitchen?

I thinned Carrots. checked Winter Lettuce, Kale and broccoli

Been a great first year gardening for me. roll on next year. I will get my allotment someday!

Try to leave the tomatoes outside as long as possible,I'm still picking them every day & if some are turning colour,I pick them to hurry the rest of the green ones up. Tomatoes that are already changing colour ripen in a few days indoors near a window. Congratulations on your first year,hope next year goes well too

[Small pumpkin]

Today I've cleaned out the ferrets
ripped out the Broccoli plants and harvested the last of the side shoots. Pulled up a couple of bolting Swiss chard. Had a bit of a tidy up in my tunnel.
While I was doing that someone decided the ..it heap needed it's cover off and turning!



So I've also picked up lots of bits of plastic, re covered the ..it heap and washed the dog with the hose pipe!!!

[Jonny.D]

Planted out and sowed winter spinach and found a couple of spring onions I'd forgotten about

[Chris11]

Mowed lawn yesterday, so thinking about some light scarifying of moss later today if it stays dry.

Sowed some spring onion seed on kitchen windowsill. Will try and overwinter in greenhouse after germination and hope for an early crop in ...err....spring

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Had a few hours on the plot!

Chillies!

Tomatoes!

Had my first ripe "Artisan Pink Tiger" Today! God they are gorgeous!

Fruit set n slow going on all the rest!

Come on my "Babies" I need your seed!

[bramble]

Planted out the wallflowers which I grew from seed in the front garden.
Spent the evening painting the back gate and the shed.
Feel like I achieved something today as the painting has been on my list for a while.

[1Bee]

Well, we've reached the stage in the year where quite soon it'll be too wet to do much on the plot at all, so I'm grabbing dry days whenever I can....

On Sunday, I:-
Mowed the paths.
Emptied the compost dalek at home and put its contents into three garden tubs. Transported the lot to the plot in two loads, carefully using Husband's bigger car and trying not to leave any compost and/or worms in it....
Reassembled on the plot with added newspaper, grass clippings, weeds and trimmings, comfrey, manure and rain water.
Harvested sprout tops, PSB (which shouldn't be ruddy sprouting now! Rrrr), pumpkins, french beans, runner beans, lettuce, rocket and courgettes (stop it already, courgette plants, stop it!).
Scrambled into the brassica tunnel and weeded, stripped off yellowing lower leaves, de-slugged, mulched the sprouts with comfrey, and generally improved air circulation and checked things over.

[Bren In Pots]

Bagged up my Charlotte and Purple potatoes I'd emptied yesterday then picked and cooked Serbian pole beans.
Just now I've got a Sourdough loaf in the oven along with a Briam to use up the less perfect potatoes.

[Small pumpkin]

Thanks for that Bren I'd never heard of briam before! I've just gooooogled it. That sounds lovely.

Today I've cleaned out chickens, ferrets, goose pond.
Started the Autumn/winter tidy up of the front garden ( ripping stuff out & cutting stuff down ).
Taken down the electric fence round the field. Deer are aloud back in now the silage has been harvested.

[Jungle Jane]

I was trying to cut down some finished sweetcorn plants yesterday but my beans love one plant so I'm going to have to leave that there for a while

[1Bee]

I'm with SP. Thanks Bren! Will Briam freeze, do you know?

Over the last few days I've:-

Weeded the leeks and parsnips
Picked french beans, runner beans, sweet peas, marigolds and sunflowers.
Cursed my sweetcorn. Then apologised.
Dug up the last of the potatoes.
Made 14 portions of ratatouille.
Picked parsley and made and frozen parsley butter.

[Gillykat]

I've had a week off work since last Sunday so been busy clearing the plot and I must say I'm well pleased with how much I've achieved It's already looking a LOT better than it did.

Sunday and Tuesday I weeded and cleared a couple of beds and the compost heap - all buried underneath nettles, willowherb, brambles and sow thistle.

Today, Friday, I got my new pair of secateurs delivered (my original cheapo pair broke completely on Tuesday afternoon....just when I was getting into my stride with removing brambles!) so work could continue.

Cleared brambles, nasturtium, willowherb and various tree seedlings from complete side of polytunnel.

Didn't faint when, upon removing weeds from the actual soil in the tunnel beds, I came upon a rather big 'mouse' hole which I think is probably a rat hole!!! Luckily rats don't freak me out so I just continued on with my work. Once I got a sledgehammer and started knocking some of the tunnel frame off to make it easier access I'm sure they'd soon pack their bags and leave for a quieter home elsewhere

Removed half of the impenetrable jungle of 6ft nettles, brambles and bindweed from behind polytunnel before heavy rain blew in and stopped play. Retired to shelter of greenhouse until it eased but it looked like it was in for a while so I reluctantly called it a day.

Last day off tomorrow so planning to get back up there and finish weeding that area and then remove all perennials from the tunnel beds into a 'holding bed' I created on the first day. They can stay here until I work out where they can go permanently.

[Chris11]

Saved seeds from Artisan Bumble Bee Purple tomato.

[Jonny.D]

Dead headed and scooped out various mushrooms that have been sprouting up in the raised beds before they go all black & squidgy.

[Small pumpkin]

Today I've been playing with the shredder. Had to put it away, when I realised I was looking for things to rip out of ground just to feed it! It was fun though.