The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[sewer rat]

Potted on my chilli and sweet peppers into their final 5 litre pots. Had a cuppa
Planted out self blanching celery. Had a cuppa
Gave neighbour a tour of what was where. Had a cuppa
Looked at two and a half acres of weeds, shrugged had a cuppa
Went home for supper. Had a cuppa
Did paperwork. Had several cuppas.
Oh yeah - early peas starting to flower, as are broad beans, one of my Ailsa Craig plants has tomatoes forming on it's first truss, chilli peppers are covered in buds, dwarf french beans breaking through, and the whole field is just moving with ladybugs - no aphids for me this year I think !!

[Sebbster]

Noticed the first broccoli central head appearing which will be my spring harvest from them.

So tempting to pick some broads but as I'm growing Giant Exhibition longpods I will let them get larger first. At present they are around 6-7 inches so will give another week or so.

Watered my spinach which is continually bolting. I shant grow Bloomsdale again, will grow a perpetual I think next time.

Anyway, watered really well then a very large black cloud came over and it started to pour down. Typical ! Hasn't stopped since which is relatively good as not had any for some time now. Will also fill my butts.

At home the cucumbers are really getting too large for my small greenhouse now so they'll need planting out at the next opportunity. I will put up a trellis type fixture next to my shed and grow them up this. Courgette's are growing fast now as are the chilli's. Should be able to harvest some in a couple of weeks.

Once I've finished the first row of early pots, I shall replace with the leeks which are growing at home. The Kale I wont be planting out for a while yet I think.

[pigletwillie]

At work last night I cut the tops off some 25litre plastic barrels, leaving the carrying handle though and drilled holes in the bottoms for drainage. These will be filled with a well rotted manure and compost mix and will be planted with courgettes.

At home I have just pricked out a load of French lettuce into 2" pots for follow on planting and also 40 modules of beetroot, 2 clusters to a module. These modules will be planted out in about a months time 6" apart and will be pulled as required, no thinning required as the ones left at each station carry on growing and are again pulled when big enough.

[SarzWix]

Took kids to school, walked the dog, got to the plot absolutely soaked to the skin. Made a bru, attempted to dry off with the heat from stove and some kitchen towel. Sideshooted a few toms in greenhouse, started to shiver, so gave up & came home...
Better do some washing, no-one got any socks left...!

[poozie]

We have finally had first rain of the week, its been frustrating as the rest of the country has been deluged. Not been to allotment today, due to go at weekend.

[moggssue]

Working today, but last night I finally gave in and used organic pellets around my beans and spinach. Resowed courgette seed since my babies became slug food, made another sowing of spinach, lollo rosso and iceberg lettuce and fed everything - OH included!

[Salina]

It's been raining a lot here today, although thankfully it hasn't really been cold and only a light (quite warm) breeze, but I covered my plants up with plastic anyway to stop them getting squashed/waterlogged by the rain and I had no plastic left over to cover 2 pots of beans so I put them in the shed just inside the (open) door where they have plenty of light but a roof over them so they will be nice and dry, because they got waterlogged lol.
then I planted a few potatoes that have grown ''eyes''
I never got around to sowing my squash seeds yesterday but I will hopefully get them done today.

[roitelet]

Eeeeeeeeeek, discovered the beginnings of BLIGHT on the potatoes so sprayed with Bordeaux mixture in the hope that I may arrest it. Then we had a thunder storm so will have to do it again as soon as it dries up.

[DirtDobber]

Today was a busy day for me...well busy for a little old lady like me...I weeded, tied up the tomatoes picked a few (the first) green beans, I walked all the beds checking for any kind of damage and to make sure all my babies were doing fine...I specnt some time making or cleaning up my rock garden as I am totally redoing it this year...it had gotten very weedy and needed re-doing...and I hauled in from my dirt pile about 1 yard of dirt and topped off a couple of beds ...I emptied my composter ...I had two drums of fresh compost and I put it in the beds with the dirt...sat on the porch with a glass of lemonade and stripped an old t shirt for tomato strings...It was a good day...tomorrow will be good too cause I have new rock coming for my rock garden.

Here's a quick shot of my garden today

[pigletwillie]

A quick trip to water the polytunnels (no matter how much it rains they still need watering) also produced a trug os salad stuff, 2lb of strawberries and oh joy a bowl full of the first raspberries this year.

Piglette ran off to work with the fruit , 5 a day and all that.

[Cutecumber]

I just discovered a new high-adrenaline sport. Some of you may like to try it over the weekend...

You put one gardener in a small greenhouse, the smaller the better. The only implement you are allowed is a small watering can. Into the greenhouse, you introduce a rampant squirrel, hyped up after chasing its mate through the trees. The object of "the game" is to get the squirrel out of the greenhouse without being bitten or damaging the cucumbers. The game is void if either party suffers injury. The game can last quite some time, depending on the amount of equipment in the greenhouse.

I have already applied for a patent, so don't you go getting ideas.

Best go for a lie down to recover now *whimpers*

[Farmer_Gyles]

spent a few hours in the greenhouse tidying up after a few weeks of ummm ... not really doing as much as i should have ....

moved some of the peppers / cucumbers into bigger pots, sowed more lettuce / rocket / spinach / cauliflower in tiny pots (lost most of the seedlings few weeks back but hope still got time to get *something* useful .....

put some weed control sheeting around the rhubarb patch - rhubarb is still small and can't keep up with the weeding

sat and sulked cos all my gooseberries have gone - probably birds

sulked even more when i saw how people here are already picking fruit and veg

(i'm new round here - huge veggie patch out the back, very ambitious but not had as much time as i wanted ..... but doing bit better than last year!)

[LostthePlot]

Came home today with peas, spinach, new pots and a punnet worth of strawberries. Let the good times begin!

[Dobby]

got up at 5am to be at work for 6am gods this is not good
got home at 3pm had a brew and planted out 10 tomato plants that had been neglected
but hope fully they will recover its just started raining heavey so come in for a brew and put tea on Mrs D wont be home till about 9pm and then its up again at 5am for work

[Snadger]

Went to the allotment after work as I didn't get yesterday. Broad beans have been battered by the strong winds and rain. A bumble bee was sitting shivering on one of the stems waiting for the wind to abate so it could carry on pollinating. Tied them up temporarily until I can make a decent job the morrow!
Tatties have been battered like wise and the top had blown off my pumpkin cover. Re-fastened it in position.

Sprayed all my brassicas with a solution of salt water and washing up liquid to knock out any remaining greenfly from last onslaught!

Temp was down to 50 deg F in greenhouse so lit wood burning stove. Took a bit of lighting but managed to increase the temp to 80 deg before I left.
Deffo need some sunshine and less of the wet stuff for plants to start growing again!