What I did today 2018

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Cycling Programmer, I don't want to dishearten you but I had two cats for the best of 14 years and it's impossible to keep them out of the garden especially when the soil is freshly dug over.
Extensive netting was the only way I could keep them out.

I’m hoping the plastic spike mats will do the job, they are about the only deterrent on Amazon with mostly good reviews. Failing that I guess it’s netting.

[rary]

Today I planted 12 MFBs with potatoes, also planted cabbage, onions, spring onions and sowed some lettuce, beetroot and rocket, I also used a rotating composted to mix some compost, soil and course sand, worked a treat, was going to make up some flower baskets but feel a bit shattered so decided to call it a day

[Jungle Jane]

It’ll be difficult using the matting on areas you’ve just sowed seeds,to stop my cat from going on some areas,I get pieces of prunings & put it over the bare soil,like this with my beans & peas,there’s carrot seed amongst that I just sowed it today-

[cabbagepatchkid]

Worked this morning so dashed out to the plot in the afternoon.
Potted on about a million tomatoes and squashes. Ran out of pots, so the final 8 will have to wait until the brassicas get planted out on Monday!
Weeded. Then weeded some more. Am afraid of how long weeding will take once the whole plot is planted up!
Planted out toms and cukes in one of the polytunnel beds.
Tidied up the second poly bed.
Sowed the second wave of peas and mange tout.
Discovered bindweed between the peas and swore a bit.
Sowed runner and French beans.
I was delighted to see the redcurrant actually setting some flower strings! It's only knee high and was planted (bare root) about a month ago, so this was massively unexpected!
Watered most plants as we're away tomorrow so they are on their own until Monday.
Thanked husband profusely for looking after the kids for most of today.
Collapsed.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

It’ll be difficult using the matting on areas you’ve just sowed seeds,to stop my cat from going on some areas,I get pieces of prunings & put it over the bare soil,like this with my beans & peas,there’s carrot seed amongst that I just sowed it today-

[ATTACH=CONFIG]80083[/ATTACH]

The seedlings should grow through it. This is the stuff I’ve got:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008ID91..._vlH7Ab33ZGV56

[self-contained]

Not much done in my garden, just some hardening off

<pauses to give a stern look at a certain someone, you know who you are>



However, I have been to visit my parents. My mother is a keen but haphazard gardener. She's largely focused on flowers/shrubbery apart from some fruit bushes, rhubarb, courgettes and multiple failed tomatoes but she's been doing a bit more veg the past couple of years. She has sent me home with a little selection of strawberry and herb plants and I have swiped some seeds too. I have no idea where I am going to put all the extras. I don't even have room for the stuff I bought myself! But how was I supposed to resist purple radishes or red carrots or multiple different types of basil?

Anyway, lots more sowing to do. Good job they sent me back with 2 x 125L of compost and not just one.

[the big lebowski]

yesterday i cut my grass around my shed ,moved the flattened greenhouse out the way ,did plenty of weeding ,added some more strawberry plants to the gaps in my strawberry bed ,mulched my grapevine (so so happy it survived the winter) netted my gooseberry bushes and got a burnt neck ,good day

[Bren In Pots]

Planted out my gutter sown telephone peas, potted on cucs and courgettes.

[Two_Sheds]

Potted on scores of Munster lavender, dig strawb plants for sis, weeded the perimeter fence at lotty, painted shed, planted out onions, continued hardening off GH trays

[veggiechicken]

Welcome back, Two Sheds.

[muck lover]

Yesterday i planted out a courgette under a cloche,tomatoes into polytunnel, mangetout peas planted out to a wigwam,repotted a few tomatoes to plant into polytunnel when i have space, sowed a patch of carrot under a cold frame outside, warered polytunnel, planted a few broad beans in gaps where winter took its toll, harvested a giant leek left over from last year and made it into leek and potato soup, planted out some french marigolds into polytunnel,put some grass cuttings over weeds to mulch, got backache,ate soup and retired to bed.

[muck lover]

Oh and I forgot. I transplanted rudbeckia seedlings. They’re so small and grow so slowly. It’s hard to believe they grow into such big vigorous plants. I’ll persist because last years two plants were fabulous. And I sowed some French beans in pots.

[Jonny.D]

Moved the dahlias out of the greenhouse to harden off. Planted out some tomatoes. Gave the compost a turn and added more to it.

[rary]

Planted up some tomatoes in air-pots, checked my cauliflower which is under some fleece and found that the slugs have been in for a feed, sprayed them with a garlic solution, will keep an eye on it them to see how well the spray works, potted on my tromboncino, two for outside two for in the greenhouse, if I can find room

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

Trimmed the long row of leylandii that line our driveway as best I can. It’s still far too high even with my pole hedge trimmer and it’s hard work. They must be nearly 4m tall in places and I can’t really access the other side (our neighbour on that side is a church). I may have to get a tree surgeon in to try reduce them at some point. It cost £500 last year to have them all trimmed so who knows what reducing them all will cost.

Potted on my Apache chillies ito slightly bigger square pots which should do until I’m ready to plant out later this month. Two will be going in my raised beds, the others into bigger pots for growing on indoors and in the greenhouse.

Finally sowed my cucumbers, I’ve left it late as they are going in my raised beds where I currently have broad beans.

Topped up the level in the raised bed squares that I will be planting my tomatoes in a few weeks time with some multipurpose compost and cultivated it to a finer tooth and then added some Seafeed poultry manure pellets and worked them in.

All but a couple of my carrots have germinated. How long should I let these grow before thinning? Should I wait for the first true leaves?

Also got all of my parsnips up except two.

Watered a lot of the small pots and modules in my mini greenhouse and also the potato bags.