What I did today 2018

[Dynamo]

I only had time to do an hour or so work today so I got my paving slabs laid out in the new greenhouse and four out of the eight put in place. I've lowered the ground beneath them to give me a bit more head room.



This evening I've made a list of all my seeds that I've bought and saved and listed them in monthly planting order.

[Jay-ell]

Well I had shredded 2 builders bags of prunings to give 5 potato bags stuffed full of chippings. I went down to the plot with the intention that I'd just mulch around my fruit trees and that's all.

In the end I weeded and mulched under the fruit trees, raspberries, blueberries, Lingon berries and cranberries. Also spread sulphur under the blueberries, lingon berries and cranberries.

Not much growing this time of year but I did harvest some leeks and replanted the baby off shoots to let them grow on a bit.

Also dug up some scorzonera and replanted the off shoots to give me a crop next year (offshoots from 3 plants gave 24 offshoots - planted into a new perennial root veg bed in the New Territories)..

Dug up a skirret plant and replanted the offshoots growing at the crown into the new perennial root bed. a dozen offshoots from 1 plant. That beds filling up and I just started it today. Might do the same with the Sweet Cicely later.

Dug up the last of my carrots. What is it with carrots not producing offsets - loosers.

Prepped the onion bed digging out the dead nightshades, piling on the old manure from the potato bags and adding chicken pellets. Just need to rake it over and add the hoops and nets and it's ready to plant in a couple of weeks

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Bit late but yesterday was spent weeding our borders.

Despite having the garden gutted and throughly dug over before being relandscaped last Autumn, it seems we’ve been left with a collection of bulbs where they aren’t wanted. Mainly bluebells. A few crocus in in the lawn which is fine but I’ve spent most of my time trying to get as many bluebell bulbs out as possible. Have to be careful because we do have daffodils and tulips in the beds which are supposed to be there.

Also sprayed the patio to clear the algae that has grown in the joints. Nothing on the slabs fortunately as they are porcelain and virtually non porous. Patio Magic has done the job but the whole lot still needs a good scrub to get the ingrained dirt off.

I’m now wondering if some of our new plants have survived the winter - the salvias mainly. We have a salvia Amistad which was delivered cut right back and as yet no new growth. Maybe too early but I’ve read it’s not completely hardy. I’m a bit worried about the extreme cold we have coming next week.

[Bex2012]

Im itching to get growing, but what with the weather its just too early!

The plot is a wet mess, I really need a week up there to get it straight. I have however managed to get hold of some herras fence panels for free, so the fence on the left will be replaced and covered with debris netting to try and act as a windbreak, when we get the time. We had some wood chippings delivered, so i put some down around the shed and the top raised beds, as the old stuff had rotted away. Put in some field beans and onion sets, but need to go back tomorrow to cover them over.
At home Ive sorted my seed packets out and have a large pile that can go up the plot on the sharing table, mainly duplicates and stuff i wont grow.
Ive grouped together and covered my less hardy pots with a large rubble bag I was gifted - it will hopefully keep the worst of the snow off, especially as some things (like the hydrangeas) are starting to bud!
Ive also just set out a load of seed potatoes into module trays to start chitting. I wasnt going to bother this year (the old boys up the lottie told me they dont chit their spuds any more), but I needed something to do this afternoon...

[Greenleaves]

Arrived home at 12 from a week away, over the plots by 13.00

Ground has dried out nicely as we had a dry but breezy week so done plenty of hoeing and prepared a couple of beds for my onion sets. Gave the autumn planted garlic a quick feed.

[bario1]

Filled the new pond up and backfilled around the liner with soil. Added some rocks to the back edge to cover the plastic at the waterline. Was going to go to the garden centre to buy some aquatic plants ,but decided to wait until after this week's supposed 'sub-Arctic freeze'! Dug out more of the bog garden area ready for lining.
Watered the greens, onions, broad beans and strawberries in the tunnel. Put a cloche over the greens just in case we really do get -5 on Tuesday night...

[Small pumpkin]

Compost bin fixed and refilled



Finished filling new raised beds with compost (still have to top with manure).

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Planted a couple of broad bean seeds in pots indoors. I have a couple of spare spaces in my broad bean squares as one seed never germinated and another got damaged so thought I’d grow a couple more to fill the gaps. Hoping they should be ready to plant out by the end of March as long as it’s warmed up a bit.

The rest of my broad beans are tucked up under some fleece in preparation for the minus temperatures expected this week.

[Mr Bones]

Got a load of wood chips from the car park onto my lotty, now my back feels sore so I've got me feet up

[bramble]

Spent the afternoon potting on my tomato and pepper plants.
I now have 30 tomato plants and 20 peppers.

[HoneyChild]

Looked under a plant pot in my greenhouse and found what I suspected to be a NZ flatworm. Looked on the internet and it deffo seems to be one. Took a photo of it and filled in the survey on the Opal website.

[muck lover]

Are we supposed to report these beasties?
Every time I lift the troughs in my polytunnel there are one or two of these things. I hate them. I’ve veen grinding them into a paste but the next day there’s usually another one...

[1Bee]

Trimmed the hedges with loppers in a few goes, and then this morning the 4yo kept company with me while I chopped up the trimmings, and then this afternoon the 7yo was my bonfire foreman. Good fun, and a nice, controlled, neat fire. Result.

Took down the bean teepee and did some general tidying up.

[Chestnut]

Dug out another two carloads of carpet, and sowed some leek seeds for the little veg patch at home ;-)

[Small pumpkin]

Tidied my herb bed
Now the compost bin is fixed I could finally pull up old crops get them through the shredder into the compost.
Fencing and rock moving.