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Sieved a load of Jacks Magic compost and sowed a whole tray of isotoma/laurentia as well as some 60 day broccoli, some early peas, and some spring onions. Squelched to the allotment and picked up some propagator lids and trays. Its absolutely sodden over there.
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Today I finished off preparing the beds in the new greenhouse and putting up my plant supports, then I made a short video of my efforts.
https://youtu.be/ZAiJCIh0jZE
After that I fitted a cover for my wormeries.
The fact that it looks like the Ukrainian flag is a complete coincidence, honest.
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Tuesday morning I carried on digging bed one which is the biggest established bed. Dug. Pulled out weed roots. Dug some more. I did about another quarter of it, which was all I could stand with the conditions as wet as they are - my back protests too loudly to do more! I might be able to finish digging it tomorrow morning. Shifted another half a dozen trugs full of rotted manure onto various beds. Covered the dug portion of bed one with black plastic. Trimmed a handful of lilac prunings and jammed them into the soil in a corner. of the new bit of the plot. You never know. Realised the ground was crunching underfoot because of the heaps of broken glass under moss and creeping buttercup. Did some raking and picking but barely dented the surface, so that bit might have to get buried. Hate to do it, but can't think what else to do. To shady to crop much in that corner, anyway.Comment
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That sounds nasty. I think what I'd do is cover it in a mulch and cardboard and polythene and leave it for a good while until at least the majority of weeds have died so you can see what's underneath. In that time hopefully the worms etc will have taken some of the compost into the ground to help make it a bit looser and then when you have a bit of spare time, get cracking at it with a fork and a riddle and clean it all out. Being in a shady spot is a pain but I'm sure there'll be some crops that would be happy there. If not, there's definitely some flowers that will so brighten the area with something colourful. Good luck.Originally posted by 1Bee View Post
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That's a good plan, Dynamo. I'm not planning on cultivating the whole of the new patch immediately, it's going to be more of a play garden for the boys, so making sure it's safe (enough) is important. There's a big spoil heap in the middle of the new bit which will need moving and sifting - the site manager was making noises about getting a mini digger - if he does, I've asked him to make a heap in a corner for sitting on, rolling down, messing about with... it would make sense for this to be in the shady (and, as it turns out, glassy) corner. It's not ideal, but we live with what we get.
Thurs morning:- New personal best for me, and was on the plot half an hour before dawn. I am equal parts proud of myself and appalled at my own insanity. Internal dialogue was on the lines of, "wow, you're really committed to this, it's not even light yet, well done you! Also... what the HELL are you DOING? You could be in your BED!"
It was windy, cold and intermittently raining. Evil conditions, and not ideal for potting up blueberries and heeling in rasps, but that's what needed doing, so that's what I did. Nearly sobbed when I realised the pots for the blueberries needed drainage holes, but then managed to 'drill' them with a pair of scissors. Mixed up ericacious compost and grit and planted up Earliblue and Bluecrop. Popped them in an old topless cold frame for a bit of extra shelter and covered with fleece. Not strictly necessary, I think, but it was a bitter wind for newly planted darlings.
Heeled in the rasps and edged a heap of debris netting over where the roots were to protect from frost. Should be able to get these in soonish.
Conquered bed one, mostly because by that stage I couldn't feel my toes or fingers and needed to keep warm. That's now covered with black polythene, keeping cosy and dry waiting for Charlottes.
Shifted some more rotted compost and distributed as the mood took me.
Next: digging over bed two for the onions and the strip bed for the raspberries. Ken Muir tells me this needs to be 6' wide.... Ken Muir can kiss my raspberries.Comment
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It was that grey-light-before dawn kind of thing, bikermike. There wasn't enough light to spot weed roots, but enough to handle plants and pots and compost. I usually find the half hour or so before dawn has enough light to manage by.
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Civil, Nautical or Astronomical?
https://www.timeanddate.com/astronom...-twilight.html
It's amazing how early light starts when you don't have streetlights to make unlit areas look dark isn't it?
I was once driving up through the north wales mountains at gone 9pm without needing the headlights (on the longest day of the year).
I'm going to have to up my game to win the "unsociable hours gardener" crown.
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LOL bikermike!
Oh, and last night I planted out 3 rocket tatties in a tub in the back yard. Probably need to find some bubble wrap now...Comment
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Potted on 23 tomato seedlings, 4 courgettes and 3 cucumbers. They're spending the day in the GH and nights in the kitchen.
Also started digging out dock, periwinkle and raspberries from Bed 26 which is going to be the dwarf orchard. A lot of horrid gnat things around in the damp soil so I moved next door to Bed 27 which is an overgrown soft fruit area at the end of the potato potment.
Its been a warm, sunshiny day and a pleasure to be out in the garden.Comment
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It was such a lovely sunny day here, and I had all day to myself so I made the most of it
Picked up a few bits of wood from the community recycling yard, dug out another 2 carpets, two bags of couchgrass roots and another two bags of plastic, decided not to dig out the rusty metal bedstead which appears to be functioning as a ‘retaining wall’
, wolloped some stakes into the ground with the postbasher thingy, and created a woodchip path with some free shredded tree prunings from the council.
I even discovered a 6 inch layer of very well rotted manure between the two carpets
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Was out in the snow today finishing off moving the gravel to the new potting space down the side of the garage.
I estimate I did about 20 wheel barrow loads maybe 40 meters each way so trekked about a mile in total.
Laid down a couple of heavy concrete slabs as a base for a mini grow house.
Tomato seedlings looking ok on the windowsill, no sign of chillies yet which are still in the heated propagator. My spare broad bean plants are starting to get a bit leggy. I’d started hardening them off this week but have kept them in this weekend due to the cold and snow. I’m away next week so they will have to wait another week for planting out.Comment
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made good use of the cold and and emptied the weed tea bucket. good lord that smells! I'd hate to think how bad on a warm day... it's all bottled in plastic milk cartons in the allotment shed now.
also lifted the last parsnips.
because of all the rain of late, its frozen on the top and boggy underneath... yuck!Comment
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I was so fidgety today that Mr Snoop shooed me out of the house with strict instructions to actually do some gardening. So, beds for spring-sown broad beans and peas nearing readiness now. Even if the weather isn't.Comment
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First 13 slabs are laid. Half of them have stones between them. Other half tomorrow.
Seed juggling.Comment
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