The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[Salina]

Didn't do much because a) it rained and b) we went out doing some grocery shopping and looking at cars for sale lol.
So:
I found some soil and put most of it around my spuds stalks (which are growing very tall now, yay!)
and the bit I saved I used to sow some bean seeds and also another couple of watermelon seeds.
I also put a sheet of glass over my strawberries to help the fruits get big and red quicker when the sun would be shining through the glass, but unfortunatly it was grey skys and drizzle all day! (even though it was boiling hot, stuffy weather)
My ''compost pot'' is also filling up nicely, mainly teabags! you don't realise how much tea you drink until you start saving the evidence lol.

[lfcjohn]

This evening i harvested all my garlic, i planted about 80 cloves (bought from a supermarket) and all but 3 formed into lovely big bulbs which have split well. Put them in before i knew you werent supposed to use supermarket garlic so i think it was beginners luck. Even so i am feeling pretty pleased with myself.

[BayViewPlot]

Have planted the last of 32 sweetcorn (F1 Incredible) in a raised bed with 2 squash..french beans to plant when sweetcorn gets a bit larger.

Watered the 18 varieties of new herbs planted last week (in an asparagus bed that has failed dismally!)

Started preparing the ground to erect a new shed

And watered some more (the promised thunderstorms and heavy rain failed to materialise in Cardiff today)

[wellie]

Six hours weeding yesterday..... I've just about managed to 'straighten up' now! and, with the first ripe tomato photographed, updated the blog.

[pigletwillie]

Piglette and I invaded the plots this evening. The old girl was let loose weeding in the banana shallot bed whilst I rebuit a fence and started to lay down tram membrane between the fruit trees we planted on our new plot. Lots of holes have been cut into said tram, the soil dug, manure added and pumpkins are being planted. Still lots to go but the first ones are in.

The garlic harvested yesterday has been put into one of the tunnels as we are forcast rain from tomorrow. With that in mind I will harvest the rest tommorow and get the leeks planted in their place.

[Snadger]

The garlic harvested yesterday has been put into one of the tunnels as we are forcast rain from tomorrow. With that in mind I will harvest the rest tommorow and get the leeks planted in their place.

Is allium after allium a good idea Piglet or do you, as Nick does, work on a yearly rotation as opposed to specific crop rotation??

[pigletwillie]

Snadger, I tend to do alliums on a yearly rotation in the traditional beds and then leave the bed clear of them for 3 years. In the raised beds however I plant a different crop after lifting the garlic or maincrop onions but also rotate the beds so they also get a 3 year rest.

[Salina]

I bought 3 bags of soil yesterday so have got loads of repotting to do.
I repotted my gooseberry bush, courgettes, beans and radishes into bigger pots.
I repotted 3 trays of flowers into pots (mixed 3 types up so when they grow there will be a nice mixture of flowers, hopefully!)
Mr. Postman just brought my squash seeds so I am going to sow them in a while.

[Mrs Dobby]

Got back from an overnight trip to see Blackmore's Night in concert and then a stay in a lovely hotel in York (Lady Anne Middletons Hotel) at about 1130ish, said thanks to our friends who were dog sitting, checked the vine and then went down the plot at about 1230ish!

Just as we arrived the heavens opened and torrential rain followed, spent most of our time either in the greenhouse or sat in the car waiting for it to ease! We did want to do some weeding and hoeing, but the ground is really too wet for hoeing and the rain isnt conducive to weeding by hand, so will have to try and get on it tomorrow after work!

Did manage to notice we've both Gourmet & Sweet Pointy peppers on the pepper plants (both currently about 1" long), lots of chillies forming now, Naga Jolokia, Big Jim, Santa Fe Grande, Pimento, and flowers on all of the other varieties we've also got in the greenhouse! Aubergines are flowering away happily, so with any luck we'll soon ahve some aubergines to harvest! Our first Courgettes are now formed and almost ready to flower, so I recon we'll be eating them in the next week or so! Garlic is now almost totally yellow on it foliage, and the first of the overwintering onions have fell over, so will be harvesting them on my day off next week!

Harvested our first 2 carrots (Rainbow mixed variety, but both normal orange colour!), 6" long, beautifully clean and sooo fragrant, they just shout out CARROT!!! Also harvested the first of our bored beans, enough Mange Tout to go with tea, another 12oz of strawbs and a rather large Iceberg lettuce! Looks like tonights vegetable accompanimnet for the evening meal is all going to be plot grown! Very smug here!! :

[momol]

I have harvested some lolorosso salad leaves, rocket and courgettes for my mother in law. I have manage to harvest mint leaves, mellisa, thai basil and terragone and has hang them to dry( will be making some herbs oil from it ), has manage to make some basil pesto ( with an extra bit of chillie). This afternoon will be repotting my watercress seedlings to slightly bigger pot.

Momol

[OverWyreGrower]

Picked (and then ate) some more peas (Feltham First) and strawbs, pinched out and removed shoots on Big Boy, F1 Incas, Gardeners Delight, San Marzano and Tumbler Toms.

Removed wilted flowers from courgettes, picked coriander, sage and thyme for freezing.

Shook grapevine for pollination, clipped some more triffid shoots and began the slow process of thinning out grapes (without actually touching them)

[pigletwillie]

Rain stopped play today but the last of the garlic was up and in the polytunnel to finish drying.

Two beds of leek "bleu de solaise" were didded and dropped in so thats a few more trays of seedlings out of the way. On plot 1, two melons were planted against one arch and some runner beans against another and will soon romp away. Another 20 odd kenya fine beans were also planted into a bed and a home grown red hot poker went into the flower border.

[TEB]

planted rows of cauli, kohl rabi and leeks, mulched squashes, pinched out Borlotto beans - dead headed corn flowers, threw a stone at a pigeon - missed and garroted a Gardener delight

[heebiejeebie]

"We've no potatoes!" said the mr despondently.
"Oh yes we have!" I crowed, "Pass me that fork!"

I mean - dug up my first lot of tatties. Two of the Arran Pilot plants

Sowed some kale (black tuscan) in modules.
Pulled up a couple of 2' high suckers from the staghorn sumac and got another out with some root attached so potted it up for a friend whose sumac blew over.

[Two_Sheds]

today I planted out loads more French beans and beetroot. the PSBroccoli will have to wait till tomorrow. I pulled out all the pink foxgloves, cos i only want pale ones; and I dug up compost potatoes for tea. Yum.

I do have veg on my plot, but they haven't grown as much as the flowers yet!