Author Topic: What have you done on the plot today? (Read 257167 times)

Regulator · « **Reply #1575 on:** 18 April, 2023, 02:50:23 pm »

Over the weekend I got a new mini greenhouse in. I also got a couple of courgettes in (under cloches) as well as getting peas and beans planted. I shall have to check later whether the mini greenhouse and cloches are still there.

Next weekend I need to finish the tomato planter (lots of earth to sieve and compost to add) and get some tomatoes in. I also want to get some chillies and melons in under covers.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1576 on:** 18 April, 2023, 07:06:45 pm »

I'm going to be a mommy!

2023-04-18_07-04-43 by The Pingus, on Flickr

In my defence I've never brought anything to life before. I was ridiculously excited when I saw these this morning.

Regulator · « **Reply #1577 on:** 19 April, 2023, 09:42:34 am »

Quote from: Regulator on 18 April, 2023, 02:50:23 pm

Over the weekend I got a new mini greenhouse in. I also got a couple of courgettes in (under cloches) as well as getting peas and beans planted. I shall have to check later whether the mini greenhouse and cloches are still there.

Next weekend I need to finish the tomato planter (lots of earth to sieve and compost to add) and get some tomatoes in. I also want to get some chillies and melons in under covers.

Some fecker's been nibbling the leaves of the peas (they left the beans alone)...

Wowbagger · « **Reply #1578 on:** 19 April, 2023, 10:30:33 am »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 18 April, 2023, 07:06:45 pm

I'm going to be a mommy!

2023-04-18_07-04-43 by The Pingus, on Flickr

In my defence I've never brought anything to life before. I was ridiculously excited when I saw these this morning.

GERMINATE! GERMINATE!

Wowbagger · « **Reply #1579 on:** 19 April, 2023, 03:46:20 pm »

Planted 50 onion sets before giving up. it was too cold for me. Don't know what the onions thought about it.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1580 on:** 20 April, 2023, 06:59:46 pm »

More sprouting in the seed trays this morning (teeny barely visible bits). Teasels and eryngium.
This evening I decided to use the last tray and split it between poached egg plant and echinacea. I already have echinacea in the ground from last year but I'm not convinced they were entirely happy so I'm trying to grow more.

In other news, I've decided I should fill the shady bit between the fence and the bins with foxgloves. Hunners of foxgloves. Now I just need hunners of foxgloves.

Also, did I mention what a pain in the arse ground elder and creeping buttercup are?

rafletcher · « **Reply #1581 on:** 22 April, 2023, 03:19:15 pm »

If you get a couple of foxgloves and wait, by next year you’ll have dozens of the things - I’ve just weeded out around 50 of them from one of our raised beds, all self set. And having don3 that, I got ride of 3 patches of comfrey, leaves in the compost, roots to the tip. Then I fed and mulched the various roses. Pricking out tomatoes (Mamande) and peppers will be done tomorrow when rain is forecast. Also been getting rid of (fcvo getting rid) vinka and dog mercury, both of which come through from next door, and the sticky willy. No doubt our other neighbours bindweed will make an appearance too.

Found we’d lost another plant from the late frosts, this time a winter flowering clematis that’s not so far showing signs of life. And my “shade living” Vibernum looks to be in its last legs at only 3 years old

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1582 on:** 22 April, 2023, 03:55:26 pm »

I noticed some cotyledons in the bed where I dug up the rosemary, I assume they will be cornflowers being as I put them in there a week or 2 before I put the poached egg plant seeds in the same place.
Popped into our local garden centre on the way home from a ride this morning and picked up some fleece to put over that bed and round the hebes that have already taken a hammering this winter.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1583 on:** 23 April, 2023, 02:32:27 pm »

Potted up the tomatoes (Mamande this year), peppers (no idea, long ones) and cosmos. Potted on the sweetcorn, a mix of varieties. We usually grow Swift, but decided on a change. Mistake, no better than 50% germination, compared to near 100% for Swift, so got some extra from Franchi.

Gardening 23/4 by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1584 on:** 23 April, 2023, 02:39:40 pm »

I probably need to be pricking out my sunflower seedlings now but it's going to be freezing here next week. Can I get away with leaving them in their tray another week? They are very well spaced out already so it's not like they are fighting for space.

rafletcher · « **Reply #1585 on:** 23 April, 2023, 02:47:54 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 23 April, 2023, 02:39:40 pm

I probably need to be pricking out my sunflower seedlings now but it's going to be freezing here next week. Can I get away with leaving them in their tray another week? They are very well spaced out already so it's not like they are fighting for space.

No problem at all. My toms (see above) were pushing 4" tall and spaced only about 1/2" apart in the tray. We've been hardening them off, but they'll stay in the greenhouse this week - we're forecast 1C Monday, and that means a frost out here in the sticks at the bottom of the Chilterns.

FWIW our sunflowers are usually sprouted (by nature) from hearts spilt by the birds - no sign of anything yet.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1586 on:** 23 April, 2023, 04:00:36 pm »

Oh dear, only just got a cold frame and now I want one of these https://www.aldi.co.uk/wooden-mini-greenhouse-natural-/p/812717580118600?gclid=CjwKCAjwrpOiBhBVEiwA_473dCIVhY5Qep1zf9EZyKxJTY7yo2h9Wm9hppy8yGHIpsxSkoXTrSk1XBoCQeYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

MikeFromLFE · « **Reply #1587 on:** 23 April, 2023, 04:11:59 pm »

Went to the allotment - wet and cold as predicted.
Tulips and rhubarb and back home to warm up!

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1588 on:** 24 April, 2023, 05:49:31 pm »

Next question for me learned friends, cos Google is just giving me different answers. Now that I've laid fleece over my tender stuff (hebes and seedlings in beds), do I have to keep taking it off every day and covering again at night or assuming it's going to be cold and windy for the foreseeable can safely leave it on there all week?

rafletcher · « **Reply #1589 on:** 24 April, 2023, 08:57:40 pm »

You can leave it on if you like, it won’t hurt.

Flite · « **Reply #1590 on:** 25 April, 2023, 08:43:10 am »

I take fleece off the less susceptible stuff as soon as the temperature rises a bit, and replace it in the evening.
Hostas and anemones are my big concern in the ornamental garden.
Fleece needs to be well supported if we get heavy rain or snow, which we certainly will up here, so any fleece is supported on cloche type hoops (home made years ago by husband using galvanised fence wire and a bench vice).
Oddly, fine mesh like enviromesh seems just as good as fleece for frost protection, but doesn't squash the plants as much as it lets rain through, and it is more durable.
Minus 4C last night....

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1591 on:** 26 April, 2023, 05:12:13 pm »

Took the fleece off this morning as that seems to be the worst of the freezing wind over. Might try and prick out my sunflower seedlings tomorrow evening.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1592 on:** 28 April, 2023, 10:41:57 pm »

Potted up the sunflower seedlings. That's almost all my small pots gone and the cold frame has no room at the inn.
Some of the roots had knitted together in the seed tray so I guess they've been there too long.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1593 on:** 29 April, 2023, 05:56:45 pm »

Took delivery of these y'day

2023-04-29_04-09-57 by The Pingus, on Flickr

Although I am planning to plant some crocus bulbs later in the year for next year's bees, my main nefarious intention is to use them to make holes in the lawn to plant wildflower plugs. It's too hard to use a trowel easily and laughs in the face of a normal bulb planter.

Now I just need to choose what wildflower plugs to buy. Needs to cope with a poorly drained lawn on clay.

Flite · « **Reply #1594 on:** 29 April, 2023, 08:07:09 pm »

Where did you get these, please?
I've got a lot of home grown Cowslip plugs to plant, as well as a few Melancholy Thistle.
The augers could make the job easier than a trowel.
Especially if I can convince husband that it is a "technical" job requiring the skills of a mechanic.....

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #1595 on:** 29 April, 2023, 08:36:04 pm »

Crocus. They have long ones and short ones, but I dare say if you search bulb auger you'll find other places.

How long did it take to grow the cowslips? I have some seeds coming...

Flite · « **Reply #1596 on:** 29 April, 2023, 09:16:53 pm »

Thanks for the info about augers - I'll follow that up.

These were fresh cowslip seeds I collected last year and were sown into plugs straight away.
They germinated very quickly and I've overwintered them under cold glass for planting now.

Purchased seeds will have been dried and stored and be dormant and may take longer.
Conventional wisdom is to sow in plugs or trays in late summer and leave to chill (stratify) overwinter, and they should germinate when the weather warms up in the spring. You can trick the seeds by mixing with damp compost in a plastic box and putting in the fridge for a month or so, and then sowing them. Don't cover the seeds - they need light.
They will self seed when established, or collect and sow in situ where you want them.

Pingu · « **Reply #1597 on:** 29 April, 2023, 09:25:28 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 29 April, 2023, 05:56:45 pm

Took delivery of these y'day
2023-04-29_04-09-57 by The Pingus, on Flickr

I've got a bad feeling about this.*

*I'm fairly sure Mrs P is not fed up with this joke yet.

mrcharly-YHT · « **Reply #1598 on:** 02 May, 2023, 09:59:21 am »

Scythed the roadside verge. Absolute pain to do, it is a jagged uneven bank with hidden boulders and bordered by a wire fence (slicing a scythe along wire will fold and ruin the edge, btdtgtt). Filled 3x40l bins with the grass from this alone.

Chopped two barrowloads of kindling.

Cut down small apple in back garden - it had fallen over onto the lawn and didn't get any blossom, let alone apples. Converted tree to part of a 'dead hedge'.

Dug small bed and planted potatoes.

My right forearm is sore, suspect from swinging billhook.

De Sisti · « **Reply #1599 on:** 02 May, 2023, 10:54:54 am »

Yesterday:
Cut lawn and sowed more grass seed. Watered lawn. Will carry on with my tried-and-tested
method of obtaining a lush lawn.