What I Did Today Archive 2009

[Two_Sheds]

- moved my apple tree to the back garden (Lane's Prince Albert, M9 rootstock)
- collected 4 bags of leaves
- sorted out loads of beans to sow next year: v.pleased with a dwarf black turtle bean esp.
- dug up 6 lovely parsnips, no canker (Gladiator)
- racked the blackberry wine, started a red-and-blackcurrant
- bought 2 new goldfish for water butt (black Moor and a white one)
- transplanted a dozen comfrey roots as a barrier against next door's couch grass
- cleaned and sorted all the plant labels for next year
- took down bean canes to store
- podded 2 carrier bags of French beans

[Newbie]

With the help of my lovely OH, we have emptied 2 compost bins onto the only empty veg bed (will spread it around the others as & when they become emplty), part filled one of the 2 compost bins with the stuff that wasn't rotted down, cut the lawns, hoovered up the falled leaves around the garage & the drains, sprayed GH for whitefly, took remaining tomatoes off three tomato plants to ripen on kitchen windowsill & binned the plants (only 4 left now) and moved a couple of fuscias into the GH. Time for a wee rest before going to the Beer Festival tonight at the castle.

[BumbleB]

Have been working on our new front garden. OH had made raised beds of various sizes and shapes on a shingle base - As per Seaside theme. Spent today arranging and splitting existing plants into a Dichotomy from the back garden and transferring to the front beds. One of the beds is square with black grasses and miniature lime Hebe, we have a L shaped bed along a fence and in front of the window which is going to hold my collection of fuchia. I am raising seeds for the other shapes and hope to include Rudbeckia cherry brandy as it gave a terrific display this year. It is very exciting planning a new garden.

[sewer rat]

As the OH and the girls are away to Belfast to visit the outlaws, I spent a full day at my field / tunnel / shed.
Lifted approx 100kg Duke of York tatties, about 15kg Foremost tatties (that's them finished) and approx 50kg Charlotte tatties.
Pulled about 20kg onions.
Started to clear shed - mammoth undertaking as I haven't done it for a few months as my visits have been fleeting and stuff tends to get chucked in the door and not put away properly.
Anyway, came home, and have just finished making another batch of quince jelly, another batch of chilli jelly, labelled these and all the other jars that needed labelling, peeled the beetroot that I boiled last night in preparation for beetroot chutney, shredded a load of red cabbage, now salted and being left before pickling, and now I need to go and get ready for work which starts at 10.
Later dudes and dudesses...........

[susieq100]

Went to the plot and forked in the manure that I spread a couple of weeks ago - hurrah we actually had some rain this week by gum didn't the ground need it! Raked over the beds I had cleared ready for onions and shallots and planted the overwintering ones. Twice as many as this year - I used this year's within a nanosecond in piccallili and pickled onions! Weeded the leek bed. Cleared weeds and rubbish from in between the brassicas. I'm quite annoyed with my romanesco plants - they are visibly romanesco until the curds get to the size of a golf ball and then they 'bolt' and turn into green sprouting broccoli! Taste quite nice, but that's not supposed to happen! Picked at least a pound of French beans - they have been great! Really cheap seeds from Lidl - 29p - what a bargain. Started clearing the sweetcorn bed - the seeds were left over from 3 years ago so whatever they produced was a bonus and I have some small cobs that I am going to use in veggie soup today. Got to tackle the greenhouse this afternoon!

[sewer rat]

Got in at 4 this morning and woke up with a slight hangover so I had a late start today - got out to the field at about 12. Potted on some young Rosemary, Thyme and French Tarragon plants into 5 litre pots which should do them over the winter.
Cleared some of the tomato and cucumber plants, but left those that are still ripening / producing. Came home with 4kg green tomatoes = mostly from Roma plants.
Picked another 20kg of onions and 50kg Charlotte potatoes inbetween the showers.
Just finished printing next yeras programme of guest speakers for the Gardening Club AGM tomorrow night, along with 10 copies of the Constitution and 10 copies of the annual accounts for the same.
Couldn't be assed making beetroot Chutney, especially as the Green Tomato Chutney will hit full speed later this month, so just sliced it and pickled it, along with the red cabbage.
Might have a go at the Pear Honey from this forum later, then again, I might just have an early night

[Sonata]

Today I put the second half of my cut down runner beans in the compost (after packing down what was already in there - it's rather full now).

Trimmed back lemon balm and mint - put that in the compost too.

Planted out my PSB where the runners were

covered over my patio furniture

dead-headed one climbing rose and tied it back (it's been coming away from the wall all summer - oops)

Hmm, it felt like I did far more than that list. Humpfh.

[Newbie]

Emptied out the dead / dying handing basket & pots into the compost heap, replanted the hanging baskets & pots with winter bedding, cut off all the unripe vine tomatoes in the GH & spread out on kitchen windowsill to ripen, cut down all tomato plants & put in garden waste bin, thought about doing some other things but couldn't be bothered.

[HotStuff]

Today I planted 84 cloves of Garlic, 14 each of 6 varieties into 2 of the raised beds in my back garden. 5 of the varieties were from stuff I harvested a few months ago, the 6th was Moldovan that I bought from TGF at Winchester Farmers Market yesterday.

I also planted 112 onions into the other 2 raised beds, a mixture of Electric, Radar & Senshyu.

Netted all 4 beds to stop the foxes/birds/squirrels etc. digging any of them up.

[bramble]

A glorious day today. Spent most of it tidying up for the autumn. Planted out lots of lily bulbs which were in containers that were becoming overcrowded.
Brought all my pots of geranium and fuschia into the greenhouse.
Emptied all the containers of spent tomato and pepper plants and took the last few green ones in to ripen. Still have three outdoor toms producing a good amount of fruit against a south facing wall.
All in all a very productive day.

[selfraising]

Emptied some of my containers today and cut down some of the perennials in my flower border. More of the same tomorrow, if it's dry!

[sewer rat]

Attended local Farmers Market - okay but not as busy as we hoped given the beautiful weather. Back to the field to pick a load of kale for an order, tidied up shed and various bits and pieces, came home and am now making a large pot of Pear Honey.

[amandaandherveg]

What a fantastic day here - lovely and sunny.

OH and I met mygardening buddy Mariell and her son down at the Walled Garden. We finished our huge new Wondermesh Tunnel (it looks fab) and moved all the barassicas from the outside beds into the tunnel. Finished planting out our garlic and onion beds (400 sets which include Senshyu, Electric, Shakespeare and Autumn something?). We prepared the new strawberry bed whilst the boys dug over a few beds, edged a new path and collected loads of leaves from the sycamore.

Came back home and planted 2 more beds of onions (Radar and Senshyu) and another bed of Garlic (bottom drawer of fridge courtesy of Asda), potted up another 100 strawberry runners and tidied up whilst OH cut the grass. We both dug over the potato patch and lifted the last 3 flower buckets of spuds and lifted the last of the courgette and sweetcorn plants. Brambles to be picked tomorrow if it's not raining.

[bubblewrap]

Bought & sowed(in riddled manure) broad beans (120) in toilet rolls & put in greenhouse.
Bought too many still have lots left.

[dogsbody]

Planted 100 or so onion and shallot sets, put up the anti-chicken fence to stop the one remaining chook from digging them up again, then drained the larger water butt and dismantled the (rotting) stand it was on and replaced it with one made out of the surplus fire bricks left after the central heating replacement. Now just waiting for the Brazilian GP to start later.....