What I did today 2025

[Snoop Puss]

Got through a load more weeding. Still miles behind but never mind.

Oh, and got Mr Snoop to prune an olive tree for me, as it was casting a huge shadow over the beds.

[Nicos]

48 tomato plants JJ?
Wow….and wow again!

[ameno]

Emptied out my allotment compost bin, then refilled it with the contents of the other compost bin. Then I emptied the weed drowning barrels and put that on the compost, too.

[Andraste]

Glad you posted that ameno I must add the weed drowning emptying to my jobs list

[Peanut]

I have had an unexpectedly productive afternoon. I started by shredding all the dogwood and other stuff I cut back the other day, It was a chore, I am realising that the shredder really doesn't like softer stems, it just kind of crushed the dogwood which I then had to pull out of the bottom on long mangled lengths. I must have done it earlier in the year when it was still dormant last time.

So anyway, I was fed up after that as it was no good for mulching so I decided to chuck it on the compost. Got to the compost and realised that it really needed sorting out. I went back, got my fork and spade and started chucking everything from bay two into bay three as they are both really old and ready to use, then I emptied the top half (this year's stuff) of bay one into bay two which is no the bay I will add to this year. This left the bottom half of bay one which is a really lovely kind of mulchy, crumbly stuff, which was a fab suprise!

I was supervised by my resident Robin.

Then I decided to start hacking back the huge self seeded pheasant berry and cherry sapling, plus a suprise buddleia, they were very open and I could see right through them so I knew there was no nests inside. I want to dig them out but I think it may kill me, as I have a blackthorn, crab apple and hazel sapling to make into a hedge instead.

I might not be able to move tomorrow, but it was worth it!

What is the best way to use homemade compost?

[rary]

Potted on some fuchsia, planted out strawberries, and sowed some peas.

[Snoop Puss]

What is the best way to use homemade compost?

This sounds like a question that deserves a thread of its own. Do you want to start one?

[Peanut]

Will do Snoop Puss

[Andraste]

Weeding.mostly. Dug up some Autumn Raspberry suckers, moved a few to a more convenient spot & planted 2 in a pot for a friend.

Bit disheartened to have dug a hole just over a space depth in the bed which always performs poorest - over an hour or 2 the bottom puddled with water. I knew it was wet that side of the plot & we've had a good bit of rain the last few days but I didn't know it was that bad. Not really sure what we'll do atm.

[Nicos]

Andraste …one or more raised bed would work.
We used to have a plot next to a peat bog ( the very bog where Lindow Pete was found)….and the raised beds worked a treat.

[Andraste]

Thanks Nicos.

OH's been advised the previous plotholder always dug a trench down that boundary of the plot so we're going to do that & dump a few bags of gravel we have into it. The soil from the trench will go onto the bed & we'll see how much more height/depth we can add from the daleks.

The planting plan's going to need a total overhaul. We may decide to rest that bed this year so we can raise the level more, dump more compost, manure over winter & try again in that spot next season.

[Nicos]

Good call

[ameno]

Some more digging.
Mulched the fruit trees and grape vines with cardboard.
Repotted my greenhouse tomatoes.

[Bren In Pots]

Potted on, tomatoes, basil, courgettes, cucumbers marigolds and broccoli.

[Mark Rand]

Planted out the gazanias and antirrhinums. Planted half the cucumbers in the No2 greenhouse beds (got spares in case they don't survive, despite the weather forecasts). Sowed gherkin seeds.