The 'What I Did Today' Archive - 2007

[wellie]

I planted loads of basil seedlings into the big greenhouse border. 20 groups of five seedlings..... should be enough for Trousers to be getting on with!
I also planted out 30 Sugar Snap Pea seedlings, multi-sown Beetroot seedlings, a veritable buffet of hardy annuals, and sowed some extra pelleted onion seeds to fill in some gaps in the onion bed.

Bought two all-female cucumber plants from a fabulous small locally-run garden centre: 'Pigmy Pinetum' in the Forest of Dean, what a fantastic place.... Note to self. Must use it more.... and I'll get these going in 'double-depth' growbags in the Little-Girls-Greenhouse, next week-ish.
Shopped, Banked, the AFTER breakfast (!)
(Mrs. Dobby, every girl in the land is sharing your sentiments right now! So please don't think that you are alone. )
Trousers made the mistake this evening of asking me what it is exactly that I do.... Did I miss something? Is it me? Face. Bovvered?..... Yea, I'm scared.

Tomorrow after I get back, I'll pot on all the squashes, to give them another four weeks in pots till I can safely plant them out under cloches.

I did a complete whoopee moment yesterday (!) as there are weeny, weeny yellow courgettes on the plants. (See Wellie run round cottage with tee-shirt pulled up over her head again like Arsenal have just scored....)

I tell you.... I'm just like a kid in a sweet shop!

Keep at it girls and boys!
and thank you for listening.

[pigletwillie]

Great minds and all that Wellie, I have just pricked out into modules clumps of basil seedlings for planting into the greenhouse border later. A huge chunk of greenhouse space at home appeared as the new tunnel got planted up in the main yesterday with sweet peppers going in by the tray, however this space has been filled by pots and pots of flower seedlings, herbs, peas, beans and melons germinating and my old cat Betty who just loves lying in the cactus bowl.

At the plots clumps of rhubarb chard seedlings were planted out along with module grown spring onions, more beetroot and some salad leaves. now its time for bed zebeddee.

[TonyF]

Bit chilly and misty this morning, only 8 degrees when I opened up the shutters but by the time I'd finished for the day and was having a large - very large - kir, it was 30 degrees - yes, that is THIRTY - on the terrace.

So, managed to finish weeding and raking over the last of the beds, used Joy Larkham's Decorative Vegetable Gardening for a couple of ideas for growing the peas and beans in crosses rather than straight lines, lots of very short rows in the corners of the beds as catch crops.

Also weeded out the rest of the fruit cage ands used the spray to kill off the persistant weeds round it.

And even managed to clean the terrace with the jet spray power thingy!

Now showered, fed and wined, just settling down for the evening and working out what I'll do at my chum's tomorrow. French weather forcast just been on and it's set for the same for the next few days.

Anybody want a gardening holiday to start off their tan?

[Mrs Dobby]

Went to the local GC for some more plant labels this morning, only to spot some Blueberry plants reduced to clear at £1.50 each, so we grabbed 4! Always like a bargain we do!

Then popped round to the plot for a quick visit, checked up on everything, did some weeding, harvested some spring onions and radish, then checked on plot 2, and noticed that one of our neighbours had dug up 3 of her smaller apple trees (one 6' and 2 x 5', lots of leaf buds and flower buds too, tho she has just taken over the plot and has another 6 apple trees - between 10 and 15' tall) and 2 of her gooseberries, and as they were headed for the skip we got them for free! No idea of varieties, but cant complain with freebies!

So, it was back home for some planting, put one of the apples inbetween the other 2 existing ones in the front garden, and the other 2 in the corners of the back yard, then back off to the garden center for some ericaceous compost for the blueberries, and planted them with the 2 goosegogs in the border at the side of the house, the soil there is nicely free draining and quite poor as it was originally under a row of pavers, but it is nicely sheltered, and we did dig in 25l of ericaceous compost around each blueberry (actually they were planted slap bang in the middle of the 25l), so we will have to see how they get on!

Have now set up all the seed planting stuff and compost ready for Mr D to get planting some more seeds tomorrow, as he is a bit more mobile now!

All in all a beneficial day, even if it wasnt quite what I'd planned!

[Pottypotter]

Watered seedlings, Master pottypotter of school ill.

[sewer rat]

Well, finally finished pricking out / potting on my young plants today - 6500 cabbages, 2400 cauliflowers, 2400 brussels sprouts, 1200 lettuces, 800 tomato plants, 150 cucumber plants, 150 peppers, 75 runner beans, 75 courgettes, 75 broad beans, 150 peas.
Have got some of my outdoor stuff in too - 6500 onions, 150kg tatties, 90m double rows broad beans, 150m double rows early peas and 1750 garlic plants.
No room on polytunnel floor or staging til I start to shift some of the young plants out next week, so cannot sow anything else for myself at the moment. Have started my herbs (dill, fennel, chives, coriander, basil done to date) and sown my own leeks, celeriac, cabbages, sprouts and cauliflowers.
Sorry haven't been on in a while - been kinda busy - next year I'm gonna employ someone else to do all the pricking out. !!!!!!
Will post some photos when I finally get the camera downloaded.

[Seabreeze]

Today I: checked out the following:

These blinkin (fresh) parsnips seeds sowed on the damp paper towel aren't germinating yet.

Nor are the ones in the raised bed outside, (unsurprisingly)!

I am going to stick them in the electric. prop. So there!

[wellie]

You know what? I never got to 'pot on' all my squashes today, because I watered the entire garden this afternoon. We've not had rain here for ages, since the deluges and there's weeding and soil conditioning to be done 'all over the shop' this weekend to prepare the borders for the flowers to go in. The raised beds are in good condition, now suitably moist as well for the planting. And I sowed more courgettes, Cucutzi and Black Sunflowers this morning before brekkie.
And I larfed out loud this morning upon reading Piglet's Wot I did today.....
Sweetheart, it's "And time for bed" SAID Zebedee, or you'll be getting an irate call from Zeb, who may not actually WANT to go to bed with you. Ever thought of that, eh? eh?!

[pigletwillie]

Mmmm, sorry Zebedee but I play with a straight bat, just in case you got ideas like.

I managed to sow some Little Leo sunflowers and prick out two trays of rudbekia, some Australian yellowleaf lettuce and some chard. Less pleasurable was laying some recycled slabs in the new tunnel as paths between the beds but hey, they will only be lugged about the once.

As a bonus, a Yugoslavian plot holder gave me some dwarf beans to grow which her family have been growing for generations. They are a yellow podded variety so hopefully, that will be another variety that I can save the seed of and cut down on seed costs.

Good night and good planting.

[Flummery]

This morning I sandwiched up a double bed quilt (other obsession!) with backing, wadding and patchwork top. This is for my niece's wedding in August. Now to hand quilt it!
I took some onion sets round to my Ma and sister's garden this afternoon. They were well rooted and sprouted in a polystyrene module. I also put my sweet dumplings into 4" containers. There's no answer to that, Little Ern!

Flum

[has-bean]

finally felt pain free enuf to dig and put in two short rows of mancrop - Valor. Also bought some maincrop fertiliser to try. Then had lunch and did a few sowings - runner beans in pots - Lady Di and Enorma, and sweetcorn, sundance and another i cant remember. courgettes sowed yeaterdy along with more sprouts and cauli and cabbages as mine died in heat of greenhouse - now outside. broad beans looking a bit limp and no signs of a parsnip yet but really dry. checked garlic and shallots and former is great altho shallots are a bit sad. Bean trench tomorrow and some more spud planting if fit. Off to pub now for a few earlies. enjoy the weekend all

[madderbat]

I've been good this week and pushed myself to achieve targets. Have been to the lottie most days, checking on the greenhouse and weeding seedlings. Carrying 'babies' in and out of house morning and night, and opening greenhouse cover at home and door on the lottie.

Yesterday I planted all the parsnip seedlings, three rows, and set some pepper seeds.
Today I set a row each of carrot and beetroot seed and weeded my herb bed. Picked some rhubarb for wine and had a few left over for crumble tonight. Custard here we come!

Tomorrow I'll rake in the extra soil BW has dug out of the 'sandpit' which will be our pond. We got an old one from Freecycle, which is great.

My herb bed is beginning to look good. Will post some piccies when I remember to take the camera down.

[TonyF]

Really hot today - 32/34 this afternoon - so only half a day at the chum's garden. Still managed to get the pea frame built, put the first lot of peas in, spinach seeds, broad and French beans. Just laid a few pavers early afternoon then off to have a break and a drink in a local town.

Watered my stuff this evening, first time I've used the spray this year. And left detailed instructions with my chums about watering regime. They want me to price up a watering system for them now and they're going for water butts across their estate to make general watering easier.

Must work out how to shrink pics over the weekend so I can post a few.

[Seabreeze]

I have begun to clear the next bit of neglected ground and I hit a seam of coal!

When we moved in sixteen years ago I dumped it down the overgrown end of the garden so that I could convert the shed to a workshop.

For years it lay forgotten, and eventually became an ivy covered mound.

So, for anyone who lives near here, and reads Freecycle...

Keep your granny warm for a few hours next winter, courtesy of us.

Keith

[mandyballantyne]

Tonight I weeded the plot, verges and borders, paths (and my neighbours)and behind my fence as the brambles, nettles were coming in to meet me.

God, I ache.. digging tomorrow! but I love it