What I did today 2020

[MelanieSW]

Looked after the allotment trading hut for a couple of hours, did some weeding, and dragged a large dalek composter from a friend's garden (unwanted, left behind by the previous owners) to the lottie.

[ameno]

Planted out about half of my leeks in the back garden. The other half will go in at the allotment once the early peas are out (which shouldn't be much longer)

[Shortie]

Finally, today I mamaged to get out and stake my tomatoes. It started to rain whilst out there though, and by the time I'd grabbed my gloves, string and scissors, and pulled the garden umbrella down and in, I was soaked to the skin

Mind you, I'm not complaining. It's been so refreshing to be cooler and we definitely needed some rain

[ameno]

Went 5am slugging again today.
Not nearly as bad as yesterday; I guess I really did make a dent with the 200+ slugs I killed. I also discovered that a slug's very favourite food is dead slugs - most of the slugs I found this morning were ignoring my plants and just eating the remains of the slugs I killed the day before.

I also pollinated 3 more squash flowers. All pink banana (the others aren't out yet).
If these pink banana squash produce fruits in the same way they produced female flowers then I'm going to have more than my weight in squash by autumn.

[ameno]

Planted out the purple sweet potato plant and the edible dahlia which arrived today.

Mulched one lot of beans with the manure i got a couple weeks ago.

[Shortie]

Today was mostly spent trying to now melt in the heat whilst on video calls with work. It involved opening as many windows and door as wide as possible. We do have fans but I can be a bit of a funny so and so about burning electricity if I can find an alternative. Kind of like a challenge?

Then when it had cooled down enough after work, I spent time deweeding around the pond again. Now the pump and water fall thingie have moved, I can get proper access to the side by the fence. It's had a problem with bind weed for years and I can now finally get in there and sit down to attack it. There's something oddly satisfying when you manage to pull up a long piece of root (it's mostly in between weed membrane and slate so can be easy to pull up).

Seeing the amount of roots that were under the slate was a bit soul destroying though.. I plan to spend time each evening when it cools down rooting around like a nutter among the slate looking for more roots

Tomorrow I need to weaver the tomatoes to the stakes

[ameno]

I went to the allotment at 5am today to go slug hunting...
I almost wish I hadn't. Ignorance was bliss...
I'm utterly infested by the things; it's a wonder anything grows at all with that many of the damn things about. I killed well over 200 of them, and I probably barely even made a dent in the overall population.

[burnie]

Cut the grass before the predicted rain, too hot, not a good idea at all...…...………….siesta time......……...

[ESBkevin]

Checked the brassicas have emerged in the nursary rows and put a cover of fleece on to keep the birds off. I'll do something better at the weekend.
Carol planted a couple more rows of beetroot, she likes beetroot.
I planted the last two courget plants we raised, one on its own and the other in the sweetcorn, both with a spadeful of very old horsemuck.
Dug out some bindweed (I do thise 2-3 times a week in the hope it will give up)!
Watered the top half of the plot. We try and drench half a plot and alternate rather than a bit of water on everything. No hosepipes allowed so it's cans from a trough.
Watered the strawberries for the last time, looks like maybe one more small picking if we're lucky and the runners are becoming abundant.

[ameno]

Watered and fed the melons and squash.

Did a little weeding

Sowed some more beetroot and carrots.

Tried to redirect some unruly squash vines, as well as lightly "pruning" a couple. It's not even July, and they're already starting to take over. I think 8 may have been too many...

Also noticed that a lot of my blackcurrant fruit have gotten sun scald in these last two hot days...

[bramble]

Watered and fed all the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers squash and Cape gooseberries in the greenhouse.
Dead headed some of the sweetpeas, the windy weather has not been kind to them.
did a lot of weeding, they grow like steam.
Did lots of odds and ends, just pottering but enjoyable.

[Jungle Jane]

It was so hot today,I just harvested the garlic & the red onions,they’re all outside on a wire rack. I’ve never seen so many ants & aphids already on the dahlias,I squashed loads but they’ve probably multiplied by now Watered the pots & potato bags.

[ameno]

Planted out one edible "hibiscus" (it's apparently more like a type of okra) and four cape gooseberry plants.

Pollinated two more squash flowers.
One thing I've noticed is that Pink Banana squash are very precocious. All of the four plants have produced female flowers already, and one is on its second flower, but the other varieties only just have female buds forming and are still about a week from opening.

[Jungle Jane]

I potted up four emir melons,three in black buckets with a layer of straw & one’s in a bigger container with a climbing courgette. Potted up another tomato & pepper. Watered the potatoes,pots & a few of the new plantings in the ground.

[ameno]

Potted up some more peppers in a compost/manure mix for the patio.