What have you done on the plot today?

[Mrs Pingu]

A tale of 2 lavenders

2023-05-08_10-59-38 by The Pingus, on Flickr

These plants are no more than 30 cm apart, one looks dead, or at least desperately unhappy (and who isn't in this non stop days long rain) and yet the other looks quite happy.
Some were here when we bought this place, and I don't know what variety we brought with us, but clearly a difference between the two in this spot.

Anyway, what I think it's telling me is I need to move those plants and stop fighting and give into a bog garden in that location.

[The Family Cyclist]

Didn't make it up the allotment this weekend and starting to consider trying to make extra space in garden for veg and giving it up at end of season as struggling to get there much

In the garden sowed loads of salad crops in two baths (I have five old baths i use for raised beds). Sowed wild flowers in another. I can't sow them in the ground as the ground elder or green alkanet would smother them.

Also sowed various flower seeds in pots wife bought....not really sure why she bought more pots when we have loads.

Oh and pruned back my neighbours rampant Rose and tied it back so they can put over roof of their pergola rather then it being over my veg patch

[Flite]

A tale of 2 lavenders

I regard lavender as a short lived plant, but I do live 1100ft up in the N. Pennines
I rarely manage to keep lavender going outdoors for more than a couple of years even in a well drained spot.
So I usually grow them in tubs and bring them under cover in winter (stops them getting broken by snow and the water geting into them). Even so, the plants, which are now several years old, are showing no signs of life. The sudden change in temperature last December might be the cause.
I've bought a couple of small (inexpensive) plants and will grow them on to replace the old ones.
They do root easily from cuttings and you might be able to keep them under cover for winter and plant out in  the spring?. And in the past I've grown large quantities from seed.
A lot of trendy plants sold now are French lavenders (especially the ones with tufty tops) and are not suited to UK conditions (esp the north).
Stick to the established older varieties.

[Mrs Pingu]

The lavenders I brought with us when we moved had been in pots for several years up until last year, it's probably a shock to have their feet in water, I've put them at the wrong end of the garden really (stupid sloped clay nonsense). They are a few years old. I can't quite remember which ones came with us now.
I did have a bash at propagating from cuttings last year but with no success. I plan to try again this year though.

I'm trying to decide if it's worth digging the grey one up to see if it can be revived in a pot or if it's past that already.

[The Family Cyclist]

Ran past the allotment last night, potatoes need earthing up. Onions and garlic going well. Left in from last year artichokes ate coming up again. Need to run mower round the plot again

They are doing cultivation inspections with some people at risk of a warning, as some plots are as yet untouched i guess they've paid but not actually doing it. However I don't think it's at full capacity so don't know if they will enforce

[Bledlow]

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.

It's nice, innit?

I have seed trays of maize, cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbages, cauliflowers & leeks getting ready to be planted out, & pots of two types of lettuce on windowsills. Up at the allotment there are potatoes, garlic, onions, komatsuna, beetroot, parsnips etc. growing.

I love it when I see seedlings sprouting.

[SteveC]

A day of being on my hands and knees weeding and pruning, it being the first dry day when I've actually been at home with the spare time.
Maybe doing parkrun first wasn't the cleverest idea. The backs of my thighs are killing me.

[Mrs Pingu]

When the weather was utterly pish all last weekend I may have indulged in some retail therapy.
2023-05-13_10-22-46 by The Pingus, on Flickr
Anyway this week I have upgraded from a tiny wee cold frame to a bigger grow house, bought a potting table and also got a shelf for plants so that I can actually open the kitchen window.

In other news the perovskia I thought was being very reluctant to come back to life appears to be dead. I dunno why, it's on the sunny less boggy side of the garden.
On the other side there is no evidence of the echinacheas or scabious coming back.
The echinachea seeds I planted seem reluctant to do much either. Some did germinate but they seem to not be getting any bigger.
Sunflowers are trucking on though and the poached egg plant is sprouting.
I planted some foxglove, bugle and viper's bugloss seeds this afternoon.
I was going to dig up the dead looking lavenders but I've run out of arsed by that point.

In other news, I ordered some wildflower seeds from Crocus a couple of weeks back. They never arrived so I chased them up and they said the courier couldn't find them and they've send out some more. Tuesday an envelope full of seeds arrives. Thursday an email arrives saying my order has been dispatched. Today another envelope full of the same seeds arrives...

Foxglove seeds n=2000. Plus a load of other stuff.

[rafletcher]

Cut the grass - we have only a small area to sit on, and plenty of wildlife friendly rests of the garden. Planted the honeysuckle my wife bought yesterday, replacing the variegated ivy on the north facing wall that was planted last year and killed by the frosts earlier this year. Tied in some of the Creme de la Creme on the garden arch, which is now sprouting from lower down. Pulled half a sack of sticky willy out of the borders - the weather this winter certainly seems to have suited it! And (as noted elsewhere) got the Roundup out for bindweed and vinka coming through from our neighbours.

[The Family Cyclist]

Ran past allotment last night and realised it needed some love. Thankfully Thursday eldest goes to a club and youngest and wife watch a movie so dropped eldest off and carried on to the plot

First job was to mow round the paths. Didn't want to do too late incase little ones having early nights

Then sharpened Bush knife and hoe and attacked weeds and long grass where I could then got down and dirty between shallots and garlic to weed without damaging

Soaked the plot and then pulled a few volunteer artichokes up. They're a perennial and one rows enough

None of the carrots, beetroot or parsnips are doing anything yet. Potatoes doing well as are garlic

[rafletcher]

Quite a bit today.

Bur first, as Ive been somewhat defensive over "no mow May" due to the small size of our lawn, I took a short video to demonstrate we have a wildlife friendly garden, plus a huge field at the end of it.  The Wisteria on the pegola is flowering for the first time ever this year, and is, in it's small way, spectacular and wonderfully scented.

Garden May 26 by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

And so to today's jobs; 

Weeded the raised beds and spread some blood, fish and bone on them and raked it in.  That was after I'd filled a couple of wheel barrows with the 2 year old compost I'd taken from one of our compost bins earlier in the year and dumped there for convenience. That has been spread on the various borders to try and improve the soil. Pulled up the flat leaf parsley that had gone to seed. It's replacements are but cotyledons at present.

Planted out the Marmande tomatoes and the several varieties of sweetcorn - usually it's just Swift, but we tried a couple of others and had poor germination so had to get more seeds.  The soil was amazingly dry, down to 6" inn some places. The sprinkler will be on tonight to give them and the other beds a good soaking.

This is the result - the Aliums in the forground are chives, which for some reason have just taken off in our garden.

Untitled by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Planted out some sweet pea seedlings against a fence panel to the right of the beds - south facing - and also stuck in a few pairs of runner bean seeds to see what we get.

And finally, as it the way of things this time of year, the wisteria had come out some more - lovely.

Untitled by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Tomorrow, I'll be potting on some sweet peppers into the pots the tomatoes came out of. They'll stay in the greenhouse. And we still have a dozen tomato plants left, so depending on the compost (multi-purpose type) I have left after the peppers I'll stick a couple into long toms that some of our roses came in.

[Mrs Pingu]

Not sure you have anything to be defensive about, it looks like a lovely garden. I am hoping one day to achieve that 'full' look but I'm a long way away from that yet.

[Mrs Pingu]

Meanwhile, I think I spoiled myself by choosing sunflowers as the first thing to grow from seed, as all the other seedlings look absolutely miniscule, even several weeks on (apart from the poached egg plant, which does look like a small plant now).

Also, the perovskia that I thought was dead is still alive. And I found the verbena that I knew I had bought but could not find. It is planted at the back of a bed and is being completely shaded over by an astilbe. I suspect it might be dead now too, but I shall give it a bit more time.

[SteveC]

I have been turning compost heaps. Fortunately the heaps are under the shade of a large beech tree (not in our garden) so it's not been too hot, but it is still hard work and there is still more to do tomorrow.

[rafletcher]

Not sure you have anything to be defensive about, it looks like a lovely garden. I am hoping one day to achieve that 'full' look but I'm a long way away from that yet.

Thanks. My wife can’t abide to see soil in the garden! 

[Bledlow]

Restoring the strip beside the path on our allotment plot which was dug up for the pipe for the new taps.

[rafletcher]

So today was potting-on some peppers, the long red variety.  Decided to use up the "green" peat - recovered in water treatment plants where the water runs off the moors, it's dreadful on it's own, too fine - mixed with some elderly multipurpose acquired after our neighbour died. Mixed them together.

Untitled by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Then, with what was left, potted up some left-over Marmande - we had fantatsic germination this year - to use on the patio.

Untitled by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

And then I decided to try and remember to document all the different roses we have scattered about the garden. The first 2 are on the same bit of fence up by the patio.

Maid of Kent is around 4m long and 2m high, a rambler. Not scented, pale pink fading to white. Coverd in blossom that opens over a period of about 3 weeks, and then thats it until next year.

Untitled by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Then theres Gloire de Dijon, a scented climber (though ding poorly for reasons unknown) that's a very pale mandarin colour.

Untitled by Richard Fletcher, on Flickr

Those are the only 2 open atm.  There is a Maygold, but the first flower has already faded.

[Mrs Pingu]

Has anyone tried growing eryngium (sea holly) from seed before? I have a tray full of sprouting things but I'm not convinced they are what I sowed:
2023-05-28_06-58-30 by The Pingus, on Flickr

My courgettes have sprouted
2023-05-28_06-58-07 by The Pingus, on Flickr

And after waiting 29 years for my very own rhubarb, I finally have some that I can scoffle
2023-05-28_06-58-58 by The Pingus, on Flickr

In other news, I shook a packet of alchemilla seeds over a bare patch back in April. But there's no sign of anything sprouting there.
However I do seem to have an alchemilla plant popped up out of nowhere in the 'leave it alone' wildlife area at the end of the garden 

I also pricked out my teasel seedlings and sowed some tansy, borage and cowslip seeds.
Earlier in the week I repotted approx 18 sunflower plants. I think I might need to give some away....

[SteveC]

I have been turning compost heaps. Fortunately the heaps are under the shade of a large beech tree (not in our garden) so it's not been too hot, but it is still hard work and there is still more to do tomorrow.

The compost heaps have now been turned. I have an empty bin awaiting the next load of green waste. I will not leave it so long next time (but that's what I said last time).
I have also planted out 18 tomato plants in grow bags next to the garage. Always satisfying when done.
And I've planted seven large dahlias.

The rest of the evening will involve beer and no (living) plants.

[Bledlow]

On the allotment.

Mrs B did some weeding, watered some vegetables & topped up the pond. While she did that the three mini-frogs hid.

I watered some other vegetables & dug another bit of ground-flattened-and-filled-with-stones-&-lumps-of-clay-from-the-laying-of-the-pipe-to-the-new-taps. It needs some compost, methinks. There're a few barrowloads ready, I think. That'll do.

[MikeFromLFE]

Yesterday was our first visit to our allotment in three weeks.
We've not been able to get because of a holiday to Forin Parts and major daughter trauma.

The height of the grass was worse than I thought it could be. The weeds in the veg beds weren't too dreadful.
The stuff we'd put in before the holiday was doing OK, although the root veg seeds aren't germinating well (possibly dry weather).

Mrs Mike spent a heroic time weeding the garlic bed while I've given myself very sore arms strimming, and doing even more strimming.

Planted some squash and courgette plants with the help of the children of our plot neighbour.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Shifting sheets of corrugated asbestos.

Disposal on the island is very expensive (starts at £700 per ton, and that's after you bag, wrap and transport yourself). The previous owner had the barn reroofed, and dumped the asbestos right behind the barn.

MrsC wants us to be able to use that area, so I'm moving it up to a 'not used' part of the garden.

My life, these bloody things are heavy. About 16kg per sqr metre. I have about 1.5ton of sheets to move.

[rafletcher]

Might make suitably rot resistant surrounds for raised beds.

[The Family Cyclist]

Got the whole rabble up the allotment although the kids did very little but let them wander to shops to buy more sugery crap.

The wife weeded what was the soft fruit which we flattened last year and covered in manure and then we planed various squash and pumpkins

I dug over some of the rest of the plot and transplanted leeks and chard

The kids the  returned so they helped soak the plot and also soaked themselves in the process.

Still got loads to plant/transplant and plot and garden are getting full. I don't like them as they are in plastic but think u may need some growbags for courgettes, toms and cucumbers

[mrcharly-YHT]

Might make suitably rot resistant surrounds for raised beds.

That is what the previous owner did.

I've been digging remnants out of the ground for the past 2 years.