The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[MURFE 18]

this morning i planted my asparagus crowns, never done any before, but will wait and see, how they go.also planted rainbow chard, pak chi?, horseradish, then it started to rain so went home nice cup of coffee, and put my feet up for awhile now on the vine seeing whats to read. will be back down on the plot in the morning, planting sweet corn , beans and few other things hopfully see you bye,

[pigletwillie]

I had a most productive session today, gardening wise ,that is. The first part of the morning saw the last onion sets planted into a prepared bed and relieving a wheelbarrow full of rhubarb crowns from another plot holder and replanting them on myy new plot.

A quick shuffle home saw Madderbat and Bubblewrap in the kitchen handing over a bottle of chamagne style parsnip wine. Thank you very much for that.
After loading them up with surplus plants it was back to the lottie where I started building my second home made polytunnel. Not much progress yet but one hoop is half in as are some of the posts. Hopefully the framework will be completed tommorow.

[vicki]

Planted my germinated parsnip seeds into toilet rolls, thinned out the radishes which were sowed by James aged 4 rather clumsily!, sowed some leeks and more peas and french beans.

[dexterdoglancashire]

I met up with Eternal Sunshine and her OH to view her newly acquired lottie. It doesnt look that bad, although they will have to work hard to get it into shape we dont think it has been touched for a good 2/3 years. Eternal Sunshine and her OH are very enthusiastic and I am sure they will soon get it sorted! Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Kimbo]

Today I bought and erected another 6 x 4 plastic greenhouse. Got two 3 tier mini greenhouses to go inside as staging. I have moved my carrots in pots into the new greenhouse which gives me more room in my other 6 x 4 greenhouse. I am hoping to transplant my broad bean plants from the greenhouse to a raised bed tomorrow plus dig my fifth raised bed and get some more peas and broad beans planted if I can find some seed trays.

[LostthePlot]

Things are starting to get a bit busier on the 'What I did thread' now that Spring is really getting going. I made an 'effort' on my home garden for the first time this year. Started to mow the some of the lawn, I am waiting for an attachment for my rotary mower that will dethatch without too much effort. Now that I am busy dig, dig, digging at the lottie on a regular basis I don't think I will have the reserve energy to manually swipe it out with the rake! My 6 year old jetwashed the sandstone patio (yes, you did read it right) and he made a really good, thorough job too - no whips involved! I dug over a couple of the borders and scattered some annual seeds around. We have had a dog since last summer and since then and over the winter, between my son and the dog, they have trashed the garden so I am having to rethink the structure of the planting etc. I got cracking at home because next week - Monday and Tuesday - I am going to plant my first ever potato patch and seriously big onion bed. I am Moon Planting and so these two days are the optimum ones for this method. I am also lining the potato trenches with a bed of wilted comfrey leaves as opposed to manure as these are supposed to be much better for nutrients. We will see.

[Snadger]

To cut a long story short.....digging....knackered!

[Digger-07]

Filled a quarter of the plot with spuds, just got home, it's still light and I should be doing some more planting but I am having trouble straightening up. Still there's always tomorrow and it's forecast better than today.

[johnty greentoes]

Completelt tidied the house garden. Moved stuff about, created a fernery near a dripping tap. Repotted bronze fennel and angelica. Fed daffs and tuplips. Kissed my chitting first earlies for luck - they go in tomorrow. Bought posh compost and an outdoor germination tent to get everything else started off for planting in April.

Sat at noon in full sun and listened to R4 on my solar powered radio - in Hull!

[Hazel at the Hill]

Lovely day here so went to the Hill and sowed

• peas to replace a row sown in Jan where the germination is poor
• short row of radish mirabeau
• short row of carrot early nantes
• short row of beetroot woden F1
• short row of lettuce little gem

Now back home and have repotted 2 big (but flattened) cat mints in tubs, sown some brussel sprouts in jiffies (thank you, Mushroom!) and a trough of the rest of the peas which I will either eat as pea shoots or sow out at the Hill.

Did a little dance round the kitchen this morning when I saw Mrs D's leek seedling finally showing through!

[Peter]

Warm sunshine, strong wind.

Strange but lovely day, wonderful warm sunshine with a cold strong easterly wind. Two T-shirts and a fleece tied round the waist needed to keep my back happy.
Dog forced me to construct her a sheltered sunny spot then settled down to supervise my work.
Hoed out three 18' harvesting ridges from last years spuds, nicely weathered soil went straight to seedbed tilth and after raking in a light dusting of pelleted chicken manure I planted 120 Sturon onion sets and one 18' row of Early Nantes pelleted carrot seed, 300 seeds.
Then Iweeded 80% of my fruit terrace, 90% of the weeds being strawberry runners. Nearly filled a 300L composter.
Strimmed and mowed the site drive and my plot side paths.

Back stretching breaks an absolute pleasure in the sunshine, garden trolley plus coat equals highly adjustable windbreak.

[Hilary]

after a full day at work, shot home and straight into the garden.

Planted dwarf rhodies in a bed prepared with ericaceous. then went and watered all camellias/magnolias/acers/blueberries etc with jugs of cold tea! have asked coffee shop to save all teabags and coffee grounds for compost heaps - plus office for shredded paper./ someone told me to put cold tea on as a feed. convinced they are looking better already.

deep watered asparagus bed - and fed with seaweed.

sowed green manure on a newly dug bed that is being used later in the summer.

prepared loads of seed trays and planters ready for the sowing frenzy tomorrow.

cleared lawn of debris ready for mowing. next plan, moss kill - then scarify - and reseed. have been aerating and filling with topdressing - and its looking so much better.

spring garlic planting starting to peep - the winter planting coming through strong.

preparing a mushroom bed that will be a permenant bed.

clipped hens wings closer... the cut i had done has just meant they fly like lancaster bombers! i am going to get an asbo if they keep wandering.

[Mrs Dobby]

Gorgeous sunshine but strong winds here too yesterday, which meant it felt a tad cold!

We spent the day working on the garden at home yesterday, going to spend the day on the plot today!

Managed to completely sort out the back yard (organised all the pots and brackets that Mr D scrounged from work and just left out there), then (in the back garden) put up the plastic walk in tent type greenhouse that we bought last year, and moved the larger of our tomato plants out into it to harden off, the kitchen windowsill now looks very bare, so can now plant something else to fill it!

We also managed to give the Buddlehia (at the front of the house) a very harsh pruning, we've been in the house for 5 years now, and have never really given it a proper haircut, so after watching GW and seeing how they did it, we've had a go!

Off to get up to date with the postings on the vine, then off down the plot to put our spuds in and plant out some more beans, carrots and onions!

[bubblewrap]

Madderbat & my good? self pruned next doors Budlia tree.
Butchery would be more apt the tree is now a shrub!

[Kimbo]

Today I planted all my charlotte, pentland javelin, pink fir apple and maris piper potatoes into polypots (the maris piper I put in compost bags). I also sowed some more broad beans and peas, repotted my tomatoes and sowed some more tomotoes.

Now I am going for a soak in the bath or I will never get out of bed for work in the morning my back is killing me.