Re: What have you done in the garden today?

by Dandelion 9th October 2011, 3:34 pm

Today in the garden I have got frustrated with my leeks! They are being shredded by Leek Moth, which I have never seen before, but which I've learned is rife in the West Midlands. Rather than digging the affected plants up I have experimented by cutting them down more or less at soil level, below the lowest areas of insect activity, hoping that the plants will re-shoot.

by polgara 21st October 2011, 10:38 am

Well I have been clearing up & moving stuff the greenhouse.

Still pulling spring onions & have some nice lettuce growing.

Carrots are looking good, but I am keeping them for the winter.

by Chilli-head 3rd December 2011, 10:06 pm

I've been clearing a spot for some raspberry canes that caught me out by arriving earlier than expected. The only space I have has had a lot of couch grass which spent last summer under black polythene, but some of it is still alive, so lots of careful digging required. Amazingly dry, now I know it has been under polythene, but even so I would normally expect a harder time digging Bedfordshire clay in December !

by polgara 4th January 2012, 5:48 pm

Still got lettuce growing so happy with that. Raspberry has about 6 fruits on, but I have left them for the birds.

Bought seed pots & onion sets today in the £ Shop, so that will get me moving again.

by Dandelion 7th January 2012, 3:48 pm

The little spring cabbage plants and other brassicas (mainly kale and chinese broccoli) had got very blown around in the wind, and were looking a bit squashed under the netting I had bunged over tham to keep pigeons off. So as it has been mild today I've enjoyed time outside staking and tidying the plants up, putting down organic slug pellets and making eccentric 'cabbage cages' out of netlon, netting and clothes pegs!

by polgara 9th January 2012, 3:40 pm

Started clearing the garden today. Must start to collect toilet rolls so that I can plant the broad beans etc.

by Chilli-head 9th January 2012, 5:17 pm

I started greenhouse clearing at the weekend by shifting the stuff and cleaning the glass. I notice quite a few creatures holed up - woodlice and spider's egg sacks. Much as I don't like killing things unnecessarily, I have had bad attacks of Red spider mite on my cucumbers the last few years, and so I may have to resort to a sulphur candle ... I can't see any other method of cleaning getting rid of everything.

Still, nice to think that the first tomatoes and chillies will be going in next month ... Very Happy

by Sparhawk 15th January 2012, 1:25 am

Today I did:

In my "rehedging project" plant 3x bare root Hazels, & transplant my Wink

2x "relocated from where they are going to build soon "Cherry Plums"" ...

Am now ready for arrival of self fertile "stella" cherry to grow at one end of our "outback"...

Dug a couple of parsnips, & dug over a row of the raised bed ready for peas...

Scarified the planter with the black & red berries, raspberries, goosegogs in & topped them up with a layer of homemade compost...

by Kristy lee 15th January 2012, 7:10 am

today did lots of repotting of plants to bigger pots. We used up the small ones for lots of new herbs.

Planted some pumpkin, rhubarb, snow peas, tomatoes, beetroot and carrots. Trying to work out if i have the space for potatoes when it comes up to winter time. Hmmmmmm planning

by Wilhelm Von Rhomboid 15th January 2012, 10:19 am

Will be wassailing the apple trees today.

by polgara 23rd January 2012, 12:05 pm

Did some clearing out of pots & planted some onion sets, so very pleased.

by Adrian 23rd January 2012, 1:05 pm

-18 today.

Sod the garden, I'm curling up in front of the kitchen woodstove

by Lottie 23rd January 2012, 2:32 pm

dont blame you.. been pruning this morning, now it's piddling down so back to essay... Rolling Eyes

by polgara 16th February 2012, 9:30 am

Did some more clearing in the greenhouse. need to get something to disinfect it now.

Waiting for a potted Baytree to arrive.

Looking for a patio cherry which I really fancy.

Weather cold & dull, so shall do a lot today.

by Dandelion 16th February 2012, 1:12 pm

Potted bay sounds lovely Pol.

Have just cut back the autumn rasps, and taken the old leaves off the hellebores. Have also prepared a bed for some over-wintered cabbage and cauli plants. They all died last winter. Sweet peas in tubes are just emerging, which is amazing considering that the place I put them turned out not to be frost free, and they froze solid when we had overnight temperatures of -9. I didn't think they'd make it, but they are hardier than I thought!!

by Dandelion 18th February 2012, 12:17 pm

Managed to get outside before the rain and wind came, and dug up a Lavatera which was right at the bottom of the garden, next to the fence which needs replacing. The Lavatera was a present from a relly which I didn't have room for in the main part of the garden - it has had a good few years flowering away in a bit of the garden which looks a bit junky but has good soil. (The house is on the site of an old orchard). But as we're going to get The Man in to replace the fence later this year we have to clear everything away so that the old posts can be dug out. This includes having to shift five compost bins!!

by polgara 18th February 2012, 5:39 pm

Nothing cos it rained,,,,,,,,,again

by Kristy lee 18th February 2012, 9:02 pm

ok we haven't got our bees yet. So i was wondering if anyone has got tips on manual pollination for pumpkins?

by Dandelion 18th February 2012, 9:55 pm

Have only grown pumpkins once, a long time ago, and I can't remember! But if they are like courgettes and other curcurbits, you just take the bit out of the middle of the male flower, and put it into the middle of the female flower to transfer the pollen. You can tell the female flowers because they have a little fruit growing just below the flower.

by freebird 19th February 2012, 5:32 pm

Today I 'as mostly been pruning a ginormous pyracantha - now reduced (with the man's help) from about 30 feet high to about 15 feet high. The robin isn't too impressed, and it's not going to be much good for nesting in for a couple of years.

by Dandelion 19th February 2012, 6:00 pm

I get the impression that robins aren't ever impressed with us humans....

Have generally done snipping and tidying (our garden has ivy threatening to overgrow it on three sides - no-one is quite sure whose it is, if indeed it belongs to anyone!!) Also scrubbed the innards of the eglu. One of the chickens made me laugh - she saw me busy, and motored along to see if I was doing anything interesting (i.e. food...). She arrived at a great speed and flew up to perch on the nearest thing, which was the wheel of the upside-down wheelbarrow. She was going at such a rate that the wheel spun round and deposited her a few feet away!!

by polgara 23rd February 2012, 6:41 pm

Planted onions & garlic, I know its late but have just got round to it. Also planted potatos & put the next lot to chit.

Did loads of weeding & emptying of pots ready to start anew.

Sulphur candle in the greenhouse. OH likes to do that & who am I to say no.

by freebird 23rd February 2012, 7:39 pm

I've been doing battle with couch grass, bindweed, nettle and bramble - and this is on the vegetable plots that I used last year. I find it nearly impossible to keep on top of it all. The mainly mild winter has allowed all the pernicious stuff to keep growing. Oh, and planted first potatoes in a planter in the greenhouse.

by polgara 26th February 2012, 4:17 pm

Planted on the herb cuttings I had in the greenhouse. Should now have a lot of thyme & sage, which along with parsley are the herbs I use the most.

Planted some flower bulbs, again a bit late but might get some flowers.

Broad beans planted & covered up in the greenhouse.

Emptied one of the bags I filled with compost from the bin last summer. My my what a lovely lot of fresh homemade compost. A few bits that should not have gone in the bin in the first place, but 99.9% dark & crumbly. Well impressed.

by Dandelion 26th February 2012, 10:00 pm

I've been sorting out compost too, sieving it to fill potato bags, and have planted some 'Rocket' (let's hope they're as fast as they sound!) The chickens have been 'helping', riding in the wheelbarrow, and one fell into a large flowerpot.

by Chilli-head 27th February 2012, 11:57 am

Had a busy weekend.

Made seed compost using leafmold, sterilised by putting it in a large biscuit tin, with holes in the lid and a glug of water in the bottom, then placing it over the camping stove to simmer for 10 minutes.

Tomatoes, Chillies and salad trays sown in the greenhouse.

I want round to take a look at the allotment, and was pleasantly surprised by the state it is in; not completely out of control (I sense the beginnings of victory in the battle against the weeds), and my overwintered cabbages have actually survived the winter this year.

Heaved out a couple of decent leeks whilst I was there Very Happy

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