Author Topic: What have you done on the plot today? (Read 251646 times)

ElyDave · « **Reply #1100 on:** 26 April, 2020, 06:07:09 am »

My packet seeds finally appeared yesterday, so planted as a family activity with my son, three seed trays in the greenhouse germinating.

Ham · « **Reply #1101 on:** 26 April, 2020, 08:24:06 am »

Quote from: hatler on 25 April, 2020, 10:34:41 pm

Courgettes planted in the patented knackered old tyre towers.

How does that work? they droop down the sides?

hatler · « **Reply #1102 on:** 26 April, 2020, 08:37:29 am »

Quote from: Ham on 26 April, 2020, 08:24:06 am

Quote from: hatler on 25 April, 2020, 10:34:41 pm

Courgettes planted in the patented knackered old tyre towers.

How does that work? they droop down the sides?

Exactly. Keeps them off the ground and away from the slugs.

offcumden · « **Reply #1103 on:** 27 April, 2020, 10:23:16 pm »

I'd noticed that one of my water butts had a slow leak round the tap, so took the opportunity while it was just about empty to fettle it. The rubber washer had split, so I was pleased to find a replacement in my lav cistern spare parts box. Replacing the tap involved wriggling down into the bottom of the water butt, which has a rather narrow opening at the top; just as well I'm more racing snake than prop forward. Inelegant, but effective, the job was done in about 5 mins, just in time for the promised rain . . . which has yet to arrive!

Also dug out one half of my double compost box, and distributed the 'good stuff' over three of the deep beds, partly to 'earth' up the potatoes. Now for a rain dance . . .

ElyDave · « **Reply #1104 on:** 28 April, 2020, 06:32:28 am »

It worked, first decent rain here for weeks, hopefully my butts will be full by the end of the day

Wobbly John · « **Reply #1105 on:** 28 April, 2020, 07:42:49 am »

I planted out a row of beetroot (about 100?) and a row of carrots (about 200?) micro-modules yesterday, so they will be watered in, and I won't have to haul the normal 30 litres of water down there this morning.

I still have about 1000 carrot micro modules to plant out, but it looks like several of the earlier planted ones have fallen victim to something (ants are the main suspects).

The rain won't be enough to fill my IBC water butt (1000 litres) from the small shed on the allotment!

It's gonna get the weeds growing though.

MikeFromLFE · « **Reply #1106 on:** 28 April, 2020, 08:11:29 am »

I haven't done it yet, but I'm building up the courage to empty the garden compost bin. Courage? Yes! In the past the bins at the bottom of the garden have been the residential quarters of rats. This bin has been sitting staring at me for a couple of years, so they've probably got themselves quite cozy in there.
Currently chucking buckets of water into it to warn the blighters that I'm coming.

Ham · « **Reply #1107 on:** 28 April, 2020, 10:23:07 am »

I stand mine on galvanised wire mesh, which seems to keep them out.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1108 on:** 28 April, 2020, 01:13:24 pm »

I stood mine on mesh. They ate their way in through the sliding door. I find shooting them works fairly well though

ElyDave · « **Reply #1109 on:** 28 April, 2020, 01:22:04 pm »

Tried making mine out of a frame lined with chicken wire, didn't work.

Some git of a slug has eaten one of my greenhouse tomatoes, lucky i have spares

SteveC · « **Reply #1110 on:** 09 May, 2020, 04:51:49 pm »

The area between the greenhouse and the compost heaps is tidy.
As a result, I've found four bags of leaf mould ready for use. They will just get used as a mulch, but I was getting a bit short of material for that, so a good thing.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1111 on:** 09 May, 2020, 06:22:06 pm »

Loads. Up the allotment this morning to earth up potatoes, hoe and water before it got too hot. I'd always assumed allotment folk were early birds but was there at 9 which is later then usual for me and deserted. A few more about when I left.

Then planting and weeding a plenty in my own garden including making one of the raised beds that are repurposed baths into a flower bed for the wife as its now by our patio

Had a slight moment. Our compost bin is on the other side of our stream. This is the only part of the garden without ground eldar so the wife and kids are under strict instructions not to put any in compost heap.............. I did though so had to get it out again

ElyDave · « **Reply #1112 on:** 10 May, 2020, 02:41:12 pm »

I know what you mean on the compost heap, I have bindweed in the garden, which is progressively dug out as I get to it, picking over the soil for the smallest bits of root I can see, which only goes in the green waste bin as they will get to a high enough temperature to kill it.

Not much doing here other than a back breaking but rewarding task of trying to create a new bonsai. In this case it's from a yew that has been in the garde since the house was built by the look of ot, in 1985. I'd been topiarising it into a cuboid about 3ftx2ftx2ft, but the wife kept complaining about it scratching her car. Last yeat I cut it back on one side to reveal a very good branch structure as well as a trunk about 6" diameter at soil level.

I've been slowly trying to excavate it over the last month or so with combination of spade, fork, pick, rake and loppers, and am not far off getting it out now. About a spade and a half down is heavy clay, which I think ahs made it put out lots of nice shallow roots. Now I've found my small folding camping spade I think I should have it out tomorrow.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1113 on:** 10 May, 2020, 02:49:46 pm »

Pricked our the little gem seedlings into a module tray. Our first batch of seeds germinated in a yogurt pot greenhouse, a top tip from Beechgrove Garden. Then, because they were starting to look a bit yellow, potted on the Gardeners Delight into their final “long tom” pots, and moved the Big Daddies and Tumblers into the next size up pot. Then potted on the sweetcorn seedlings. Then had to find room in our 6x4 greenhouse for them all because of the very cold next few nights.l

ETA Itcwas like gardening in a snowstorm - strong north easterly is stripping all the blossom off the hawthorn by the greenhouse.

offcumden · « **Reply #1114 on:** 10 May, 2020, 02:53:00 pm »

Just a bit of tidying so far, but later today will be the vital job of earthing-up and otherwise protecting the spuds against the forecast frost. One small raised bed is bursting with sprouting spuds so tall and vigorous that there simply is not enough room to earth up much more, so i'll be covering in straw and adding fleece or some other membrane to keep it in place while the frost threat lasts.

The rest of the veg look healthy, including tomato and bean seedlings which are too tender to plant out yet, but may be in need of potting on in a week or so.

hatler · « **Reply #1115 on:** 10 May, 2020, 02:57:36 pm »

Another bed dug over. Zinnias covered with plastic to ward off the possible frost. A set of cosmos and sunflowers transported from the spuds to the newly dug over bed.

The damson/greengage is heaving with fruit. Never seen it so loaded.

Wobbly John · « **Reply #1116 on:** 10 May, 2020, 03:02:55 pm »

I had planned to spend an afternoon on the allotment, after a week of rebuilding the shed, and deorating, but it's windy and rainy, so I'm not going to bother hoeing round the peas, beans and alliums (garlic, shallots and onions).

If it dries out a bit tomorrow, I'll be down there planting.

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1117 on:** 10 May, 2020, 03:11:42 pm »

Our greengage is developing loads of fruit. It's in its second year and from whatever the name of the pound shop we have in town is.

ElyDave · « **Reply #1118 on:** 10 May, 2020, 09:11:13 pm »

I fleeced the courgettes, the kale, tatsoi, beans and beets will have to fend for themselves. Hopefully the outdoor cucumbers will be OK, if not I have seed to resow. All else back into the greenhouse

The Family Cyclist · « **Reply #1119 on:** 11 May, 2020, 06:47:56 am »

I did break up a bale of barley straw and insulate my beans as is down to around 3c overnight a few times this week. Brought the kids sunflowers in as well. Hopefully everything else is small enough to survive with the heat in the soil

ElyDave · « **Reply #1120 on:** 11 May, 2020, 03:39:26 pm »

looks like one of the cucumbers has gone, everything else looks OK though.

Today I finally managed to get the yew out of the ground by the edge of the drive, it was about another 5 hours of heavy manual work and nearly broke me. MY shoulders are aching like hell, but it was worth it. The trunk is 11" across at soil level

offcumden · « **Reply #1121 on:** 11 May, 2020, 08:29:32 pm »

An impressive bit of excavation, ED!

I've done a fair bit of tree removal (notably bloody leylandii!) and grubbing out of hedges over the years, and enjoyed it in a destructive sort of way. However, you add something creative with the bonsai-ing (?). Don't you ever feel sort of guilty, though? OK, much/most gardening has a touch of the fascist in its intolerance for 'weeds' and the desire to control, but bonsai takes it to extremes . . . but with often stunning results. Perhaps you also talk to them

ElyDave · « **Reply #1122 on:** 12 May, 2020, 07:58:16 pm »

Quote from: Johnny Faro on 11 May, 2020, 06:47:56 am

I did break up a bale of barley straw and insulate my beans as is down to around 3c overnight a few times this week. Brought the kids sunflowers in as well. Hopefully everything else is small enough to survive with the heat in the soil

No straw here, I was thinking about the shredded cardboard packaging around my new bonsai pots today, but then realised the perfect frost protection - all of the dead dried leaves of the red-hot pokers from my tidying up activites

Wobbly John · « **Reply #1123 on:** 12 May, 2020, 08:58:39 pm »

At the plot today:

Cut up the remains of the plum tree that got blown over in the strong winds.It was a self seeded one and had grown through some steel mesh which had weakened the trunk near the ground.
General tidying up.
Built a study support for runner beans.
Planted a row of mange tout pea plants and covered them with steel mesh (scavenged from a skip - they were protection for strip lights in the sports hall).

ElyDave · « **Reply #1124 on:** 13 May, 2020, 05:44:38 am »

Quote from: Wobbly John on 12 May, 2020, 08:58:39 pm

At the plot today:
Cut up the remains of the plum tree that got blown over in the strong winds.It was a self seeded one and had grown through some steel mesh which had weakened the trunk near the ground.
General tidying up.
Built a study support for runner beans.
Planted a row of mange tout pea plants and covered them with steel mesh (scavenged from a skip - they were protection for strip lights in the sports hall).

Do you still have the stump of that plum tree? Any roots attached?