Grow Your Own Magazine

Things I did today.
This is intended to act as an aid memoir to everyone on the grapevine. I hope it will help remind us of tasks that should be carried out at the time of year each posting is written.
It is not intended to be a Blog or a journal but simply an aid to help. I hope everyone will post what they did in their garden or allotment each day.
Jax

Today I checked out the propagator in my greenhouse where I have onion seeds germinating.
I had a quick look at my wormery to make sure the worms are all happy and still active.
I checked the soil of all my cuttings I took earlier in the year to make sure they are not too dry.
I turned my potatoes a little to get even chitting on the potatoes I am keeping in the light.
I inspected over wintering plants for insect infestation in the greenhouse.
I swept the paths and gave the garden a general tidy up, stacking pots and removing stray dead leaves from the odd corners.
I re-set my max/min thermometer in the green house.
Jax

Today I would have cut down all my autumn fruiting raspberries and checked through my jerusalem artichokes if I hadn't ridden my horse, walked the dogs and then decided I was too whacked to start!

I turned off the heater about 8ish in the greenhouse and opened the door for the day, cut back the autumn bliss raspberries got out my pruning saw and cut off the dead branches on an elderberry tree that I have been meaning to do for 2 years, dug up cabbage for the goats and thank you, you have reminded me I have left my fork in a veggie bed!

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www.poultrychat.com

If you're into autumn raspberries poultrychat,advice please. I've got rather a forest of the things which I love,as I get to eat loads, but I could do with moving a row to a new position so I don't have to go in with a machete next season. Is it alright to move them now while they're dormant?

I would have thought you'd be fine moving them now as long as you check after a frost that they haven't been lifted

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www.poultrychat.com

Today, I was mostly trying to shake off a hangover (friends 40th birthday bash last night) but I succeeded in clearing out my greenhouse and disinfecting it, washing all my pots and seed trays and spent ten minutes admiring the first snowdrop of the year. Then I went online and ordered all my seed for the coming season - except spuds and onion sets which I buy locally
Rat

I poked my nose out of the door, watched as pots flew past on the wind, planned my seeds indoors and tried to get to the corner shop, watched Nigella Bites on TV and thought, "It's Sunday ahhhhhh!".

Andrewo

Currently kicking my heels on an oil rig as we're waiting to go drilling in the next few days.

We have a good internet connection so I was on Thomson and Morgans site ticking boxes on what veg seeds I wanted. The final total (and I'd restricted myself as this will only be our second year) came to an eye-watering total so had to admit defeat and leave it for now.

Made to feel worse as it's been a great day back home with the OH being able to get loads done. She did make up for it by getting 2 electric propagators in the sales though. Only wish I could be at home to use them.

Hope you all had a fruitful day. Not long to wait now.

This 'weekend' I bought my potato seeds, shallot sets, fleece and some umberella style opening cloche/covering that were reduced - they are marvellous, I bought a few in different sizes.

Today I cleared out the garage which was imensley satisfying. Checked my shrub cuttings were ok, had to treat them for aphid though. OH then put me a nice length of worktop in the garage and I have a great work space.
In the summer I fell through the garage roof (when I had got over the shock it was a hilarious sequence of events!) and all Wickes had suitable was clear corregated plastic sheets. OH had to do the whole roof as long term / temp job. Hey presto - almost one giant green house! It has been great for my shrub cutting over winter. When the sheets are no longer needed as roofing, they will be converted into a cold frame or a cover of some sort.

All in all a good weekend which I am about to reward with a long bath and a baileys!

Bit of weeding; last bit of planning of the layout of the allotment ; then good nosh with family. Parsnips,sprouts and rhubarb from the allotment a bonus!!! Spring on it's way eh?

Taken all advice on board re planning allotment and I think today I've finally, at last, got a plan.... (well.... maybe!)

Went internet shopping and ordered asparagus crowns and a selection of strawberry plants.

Made a list of seeds (ie which plants) I would like to grow - just got to work out which varieties are best for me and who to get them from.

Worked out what I'd like to grow as a forage crop (ie healthy fresh greens) for the chooks

Started to get a bit worried about how much it was costing.... until I worked out how much our current organic veg box costs us each year Feeling postively angelic now

Yes -it does seem expensive all at once, and then hardly any outlay for the rest of the year. Just think how much cheaper it is than gym membership,how much healthier it for you (exercise and quality food),how much more your friends and family will want to visit you(!!!) aswell as de-stressing . Can't think of many hobbies like that. And look....nearly 300 new people to chat to!

Very good point. I can hardly walk today from just 4hrs at the allotment. It's the same 'good pain' that you get after going to the gym.

Today I are be mostly thinking about what to do next on the allotment and yearning for Saturday.

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Blogging Again at..
http://www.wizer.co.uk

I bought lots of mine from Alanromans, only 50p. Not the widest choice but as I am on a budget I was happy with the compromise. I found that many of the varieties were RHS awarded too when I typed them into google.

I can help you with that one, I grow spinach and sorrel and they love it. It grows all year round too. They will love the tops of any brassicas, and chick weed is a big must.

Mine go all unnecessary when they get that! As you can see on the link below

Kind regards
Kooringa
http://kooringa.blogspot.com

Obviously be careful where you pick the chickweed from.

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Today I had a trip round all the shops looking for bargains and I found a number of things at half price at my local superstores. So I bought loads of things. Small cultivator. Tree ties. Big ball of twine. Widger and Dibber. Pro seeder. Fleece. Long trays to carry grow bags. 3 bundles of 8’ bamboo canes. Metal 25mm mesh roll. Glazed ceramic pot feet. Plant labels. Bark chipping. Multi purpose compost.
Little done in garden other than check propigator and greenhouse heater.
Jax

Today I set out the grid system for my Square Foot Gardening project.
I also put up my support rails for my beans and other climbers.
Gave all the plants in the greenhouse a little water.
Set up some yellow insect traps in the greenhouse.
Made seven, one foot cubes out of galvanised mesh to form the basic structure for cloche/protection supports, which I will use in some of the square grids now on display in my raised bed.
Feed my houseplants.

Today, I ordered strawberries and a strawberry tub. I am new to veg/fruit growing and have decided to save the space on my veg beds by growing what I can in tubs (currently planning potatoes and strawbs). The veg beds will have the other usual stuff like peas, beans, carrots, garlic, cabbage, chard, spinach, kale (basically all the things I currently get from Riverford). I know that some of these things can also grow in pots.

Got up at 7, had a cuppa then barrowed 4 tons of topsoil to my raised beds and veggie plot. Went to Inverness for lunch and bought some necessaries for the coming season. My daughter bought a Skimmia japonica to add to her growing collection of plants - I bought it really - but she insisted that I do so as she knows what pot she wants to put it in and hey, you can't argue with a 4 year old !
Rat

yesterday the sun was shining for I think the first time this year when I wasnt at work so I cleared all of the dead stuff from the flowerbeds and noticed lots of little green shoots comming up - yay spring is on the way. and I tidied the greenhouse sadly disposing of my chilli pepper and ginger plants which had died over the winter . Today I'm planning to plant some veg seeds in my little propegator. My alotment is still too wet to do anything with - hopefully next weekend

I went down to the allotment and did some digging in the very welcome sunshine, I then met my husband and went to a house just down the road and dismantled a locally built 7' x 7' shed for my allotment. We then delivered it to the allotment in 2 trips. We would have actually stayed and erected it but the floor needs some repair and we have plumbers coming tomorrow to fit a new boiler so had work to do at home. I am exhausted but it was sooo nice in the sunshine, roll on spring.

Looloo

Well done you - isn't it a great feeling when you achieve so much. A bad cold and bad weather has prevented me from going up the lottie - it is very wet so there is not much I can do anyway, but it is still nice to just go and have a look.

Have set out all my pototoes to chit - just need to get some late main crop now.

Cleaned the chickens out and spent time hand feeding them and general wasting time watching all their antics.

Cooked and ate a traditonal rabbit stew - the rabbits I had gutted, skinned and frozen myself, have bought them for 50p each. All the veggies in the stew were home grown, which is very satisfying. To be self sufficient vegetables and summer fruit after only 2 years of the alloment, I would never have dreamed possible. So all the hard work and preparation is worth in.