What have you done in the garden today?

Remember to clear off the snow!

It can rip the plastic and bend the frame from the weight!

It's slid off now

took over allotment 2 on monday now have dug it over and ship shape readyfor potatoes just a quick fork over and then put spuds in nearer the time

Still too cold and snowy here and even if I started seeds in the propagator I doubt I could keep them alive once out. Spuds are chitting though and OH has spring onion seeds on his UK shopping list (you can't get them here). SPring is coming I know but she's is taking her time

Have cleared a flower bed of all the old seed heads and dead stuff ( now all eaten by birds) the new growth coming means I need to clear away the dead stuff, finally. Rather sadly I found the remains of Henny and Ginger hens whilst doing so, :-(

I moved 2 hen runs and dug out the droppings, trodden down chippings etc, composted them , put back the runs and laid down new chippings for the feathery ladies.

I managed to re capture the wild Legbar pullets and put them inside the ( newly cleaned out and freshly spruced up) Eglu house and run. They seemed pleased and relieved to be back inside, to be honest!

I dug out 3 compost bins full of compost and composted bark chippings, ready to put in the soon-to-be-made raised beds on the veg patch. I am going to try a strip with raised beds and see if I get a better yield from them than the bare soil beds next door, by growing the same crops in the raised bed and in the flat bed.

Also have measured up the area where the Mega Hen Pen is going to go, and discussed what I want with Compostman, and what materials we will need to order for him to make it ( with my assistance, as needed)

Am off to sit down and watch "Being Human" now, with a glass of wine I think....

More of the same stuff tomorrow, weather gods permitting!

Sorry you've had to deal with the remains of your chickens, CW. Sounds like a productive day otherwise.
I love being in the company of so many people who just can't wait to start growing again. You read in the garden magazines and books that it's just too cold to get things going, but we're all poised at the starting blocks ready to go - just a suggestion that something might possibly survive is enough to get me busy!

I know, Dandelion! I sort of feel it is still to early, but there IS stuff I can do even now..I won't plant anything outside where it could get frosted, but I CAN clear up beds and do stuff under cover...

so as it is fine and dry I am out there! ( and have the aching back to prove it!)

Have you put some black buckets over your rhubarb buds? ...It will help with the forcing....

Hoped to be able to sort out the areas where the broad beans and peas are waiting to go in. The fork would only penetrate 1/2 inch then it was rock solid with ice. Well it was minus 12 in the valley where the veggie patches are last night and it hasn't been much above freezing for days. But rain forcast for tomorrow so it should thaw it out and I may get the beans and mangetout in!

Have bought too many seed potatoes (as usual...). I'm going to have a go at growing some in compost bags (I'll turn the bags inside out as they have a black lining - I'm thinking that this will keep them a little warmer. Will also put holes in the bags) I've heard that this is as good a method as actually buying potato growing bags.

A lot of the snow went today and we had very cold rain so I doubt the veg patch will be workable for a while. I did do a bit of digging in the PT and tomorrow I plan to try and finish in there or at least add some manure/compost to the bit's I've dug. I'll also check the weather forecast and maybe sow a few hardier seeds.

Dandelion wrote:Have bought too many seed potatoes (as usual...). I'm going to have a go at growing some in compost bags (I'll turn the bags inside out as they have a black lining - I'm thinking that this will keep them a little warmer. Will also put holes in the bags) I've heard that this is as good a method as actually buying potato growing bags.

Yes, it worked better IME and was MUCH cheaper !

Managed to plant my shallots today, a bit of a tidy up in the greenhouse & garden, & a mix up in the compost dalek. So well happy.

Pol

Snow here so nothing outside can be done AND I can't work in the PT as I can't get my shoes or boots on ( and I can't walk, anyway...)

Grrr.....

...and there's a limit to how much planning/dreaming you can do - we've had three months to sit around planning!
Hope your foot improves quickly

Ta!

(waves in the direction of Ledbury)

It's getting desperate - I have shaken the snow off the bag of compost, stood in the sun (very nice!) and sieved the compost, filled up some pots and brought them into the living room to warm them up so I can grow something!! I'm not house proud

I pot up seedlings on the Lounge table....

Cleaned out the henhouses ( all three, real scrubbing job), moved a load more leaves into one of the leaf mould bins, looked gloomily at the snow covered veg plot, planted some more salad seeds and filled up some more loo roll tubes with growing medium.

I am SO sick of snow....its snowing here AGAIN!

We have rain, rain & more rain, it is really difficult to get things done. Have made a start in the greenhouse, but there is only so much you can do. Really fed up with it all.

Pol

Well I had enough of all this waiting & as it was too cold to go out into the greenhouse while Lady Sparhawk was at work I "converted" the kitchen into a seeding room & thought I would put some seeds in to sprout with a view to planting them this weekend so today I put in a few:

Kale
Beetroot
Broccolli Raab (this is the last chance if it doesnt work this time they go)
Lettuce
Carrot
Pepper
2 sorts of tomato
Aubergene
Peas
Broad beans
& Leeks
These could prove interesting as they "self seeded" the kitchen carpet, so Lady S might not need to walk quite so far as she thinks when they come up ...

That's really funny!

Have planted two kinds of tomatoes as well - one is Tamina,which is a potato-leaved variety and seems a bit more blight resistant than some. It also seems a bit more resilient generally - we like 'resilient' here in snowy Herefordshire!

Dandelion would you like to do a tomato plant swap? OI always wnd up with far too many plants of far too many varieties...so we could do a swap....

?

Anyone else near enough to come and get some will be very welcome, as well...!

That would be great - are you planning to grow any interesting ones (yellow, black etc)? We could arrange a get-together for anyone near enough to travel..... :r2:

Went down to have a peek for germination this morning - the first of my orange bell peppers (from the Real Seed Catalogue) has just shown its head. Up so far are Hungarian wax and Ancho poblano, and tomatoes St Pierre, purple russian, Franchi red pear and Rio Grande. So exciting to have things growing again ...

Dandelion wrote:That would be great - are you planning to grow any interesting ones (yellow, black etc)? We could arrange a get-together for anyone near enough to travel..... :r2:

ooh a Marches/Midlands seed/plant swap event here? we could have a party as well.....and a camp fire in the wood etc....

Hmm will have a ponder and think when would be the best time for plant swaps.....

yes I grow Black Russan, Yellow Perfection, Golden Sunrise, Derby striped, all sorts really! various HSL ones..I ALWAYS end up with too many, I lose some to school and I sell some to raise funds for Eco Club, but even so.....

Chilli Head they sound wonderful! I have only just planted some of mine....