What have you done in the garden today?

It sounds as if you're managing to adapt to only being able to use one arm,CH.

Today I finally managed to sort out my mini greenhouse: removed it from the slabs it was rocking about on, levelled the soil under the slabs, tightened all the nuts and bolts (with Mr D's help - one of us on the outside and one on the inside!) and washed it ready for the growing season. How long has it taken to get round to this? Only a year, as every time I had time to do it, the weather was appalling. Am celebrating with tea and cookies!!

I went to the allotment today and planted some more potatoes.

I can dig again (with care and a smaller "border" spade)

Also put in a short row of petit pois from self-saved seed - the soil is still a bit wet so I put my cold frame over them. Since the seed were free, I reckon there's nothing to loose. Popped in some Japanese spring onions multisown in modules too, to plant out when it is warmer.

Who knows how late harvesting will be this year...

Chilli-head wrote:
Who knows how late harvesting will be this year...

VERY late, I'm guessing! I've had cabbage seedlings in a pot which germinated before the snowy spell, and several weeks later (despite being coddled on a warm windowsill inside) have only just got their third leaves. It's as if they've been in suspended animation. Will sow more cabbage seed tomorrow out of interest, to see if they catch the first lot up!

...and glad you're able to get back out onto the soil CH!!

Dug up the last two leeks, and was pleased to see that next winter's leeks have just germinated in their little nursery bed.
The tadpoles have just hatched too (but I'm not planning to eat them.)

I had so much to do this weekend that I skived off on Friday to make it a three day one. Finished off getting the potatoes in, and weeded a couple more beds at the lotty. The spring onions are emerging nicely, but the peas have not poked up yet...

Finally, weather nice enough for a pleasant evening potter at the allotment.

I went there the other evening, armed for warfare against horsetails. I have been hoeing this dratted stuff off for six years now, and it has proved ineffectve. This is fat, healthy looking horesetails with shoots about 1cm thick, not the whispy stuff I get in the garden. And, despite the hoeing, it is clearly progressing up the plot. It is also immune to digging, coming up from too deep to reach by spade.

So, that leaves the last resort, the gauntlets of doom. That is, don a pair fo rubber gloves, then a pair of cotton ones on top, dunk your hands in a bucket of the stiffest mix of glyphosate available (allegedly glufosinate ammonium is better for horesetails, but I don't have any), and walk round scrunching in your fists all that you want dead. I hate resorting to weedkiller, but at least this way it only goes where you want it, and the scrunching helps to bruise the plant and get a good dose in there.

I also finished off putting up supports for my raspberries, which are emerging with impressive vigour. In fact, slightly worrying enthusiasm ...

Here's another thing you can do with horsetail

Horsetail has been used for centuries. Galen (Roman physician and philosopher approx. AD 129-199), used horsetail to aid arthritis, kidney and bladder problems as well as other ailments. This multi-purpose plant has numerous healing properties that include being an anti-hemorrhagic, antiseptic, antibiotic, an astringent, cardiac as well as a diuretic. Makes an excellent healing tea and cooked horsetail can be added to soups, stews or cooked in a stir-fry.
(Only suggesting it - I haven't actually tried it as we have no horsetail growing. And no, I don't want any cuttings...thank you!!)

At last Everything worked out & I have managed to start planting my pots. More potatoes shallots, lettuce, radish, spring onions & beetroot. Now fingers crossed for tomorrow & I can get some more done.

You must be feeling a bit better,

Still playing catch-up in the garden. Last year's bean plants, brown and brittle, along with the bean poles, are still in situ. The late spring and cold weather delayed everything, then as soon as it was nice enough to work in the garden, other things came along.

Just planted outside potatoes yesterday. Need to get sweet corn and courgettes started today. It's all a bit of a mad scramble, and the weeds are taking over faster than I can deal with them.

Am trying to get a few seeds sown, including a few goodies from the seed swap - the space on my windowsills and greenhouse shelf is rapidly disappearing!

What have I done in the garden today? Lost the lens from my glasses while pruning the hydrangeas - I wondered why my eyes had gone all funny. Have just come inside for my reserve glasses so I can look for it.
Meanwhile, the little girl next door is doing some gardening, dressed in a bright red flamenco dress. I love the Spring!!

And I've broken a tine on my garden fork, try to dig out a bramble. But on the plus side, sorted out the wormery and harvested the over-winter worm compost, done some shredding, some planting, and best of all, the man got his angle grinder out and at last got rid of the swing that's been in the garden for 30 years.

Spent a lot of time in the garden planting more seeds. Also a car load of rubbish to the tip. The garden begins to look a bit useful again.

Not as much as I would have liked - lawn and dandelions still not strimmed - but we've been weeding ion the front garden. Nest job is to water the plants.

Lens from glasses found in a mass of old snowdrop leaves, so now I can see again!

That's good news DL...

Today I have planted some more (for succession): sweet corn, broad beans, white runner beans, saved seed runner beans, alderman peas, & meteor peas.

Transplanted some: cabbage, kale or sprouts (I forgot to label them ), little gem lettuce.

Put some yard long bean seed into soak.

Earthed up 2 compartments in the spud bunker.

Weather still not good, though the potatoes are growing OK.

OH has taken up a lot of space , so I cann`t even start my seeds off. Begining to get angry but must keep my mouth closed.

Need to cover up the potatoes which are just sprouting in their bags, as we're expecting a bit of frost tonight. Have a shed full of tomato plants (I'm supplying some to the staff at school) so will also fleece them as having promised them to people it would be a bit sad if they all died!

Finally did something in the garden (besides getting beds ready)

1) Planted winter squash (butternut). Might be early but I have plenty of seed to replant if necessary. We've done OK the last year or so with late planting but there have been no early Fall frosts and you can't count on that. Besides seeds rotting instead of germinating in cool ground the other risk of early planting is timing relative to the worst of the striped beetles (sometimes late planting escapes).

2) Set out the brassicae. Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and savoy cabbage. With the rain we've had should be less shock for them leaving the trays.

Before departure for the cabin will do the rest. A few basil plants to set out (and seed between with more basil) and the pepper plants. Ideally the peppers could wait another week but we won't be here so taking a chance that no late frosts (as far into the future as I can get forecasts warmish nights).

Planted more potatoes today & did some clearing up.

Planted out my sweet peas, to make room for me to sow beans in loo roll cores - sowed French bean cobra and soissons, runner painted lady and Greek Gigandes. Also sowed a few flowers - Cosmos and Morning Glory, pricked out French Marigolds.

Fixed some vine eyes in my south facing garden wall to provide support for ... my vines ! Hopefully I will be able to make some Domaine Chilli-head soon

Have had to re-sow climbing French beans - out of 18 pots, three germinated and the rest rotted . This was in a heated propagator!! Ah well, good thing I have more seeds

An awful lot ! Major catch-up going on. Drafted the family in to help with weed control, and got a couple of beds clear to sow my carrots, more peas and some dwarf french beans. My tree-surgeon mate had delivered me a humongous pile of woodchip to tidy up my paths, which are now looking rather smarter. The old woodchip from the paths, now well composted, makes a great mulch.

Almost finished planting for now, also managed to transplant some of the tomatoes. Things are begining to grow at last.