What I did today 2012-2014

[BertieFox]

Today I mostly pricked on my new F1 Calabrese seedlings, Marcus. I also continued stroking my leggy cauliflower seedlings 'Merveilles de Toutes Saisons'. This seems to be working in making them stronger after a week of doing this twice a day and they are definitely looking more robust. I read somewhere it would give them 'bigger muscles'!

Another thought, I sowed 30 seeds for my new Calabrese and 29 germinated, all with tough little seed leaves and strong stems. As a 'seed hoarder', I often sow seed that is several years old and they often come up misshapen, weakly, low germ. rate, and seed coats sticking to the seed leaves. I guess this is the downside of keeping seeds too long. Anybody else notice this, or would it be better if I store the seed in the fridge?

[george356]

Just had 6 bags of Miracle Grow general purpose compost delivered by Wilkinsons. �30 plus �3.50 delivery - bargain, as it would cost me at least that to collect them from my local branch.

As a plus I also have the 6 polypropelene sacks that protected them during delivery - they will come in useful for collecting leaf mould from the local woods and seaweed from the local beach.

[Bigmallly]

Jobs a good 'un..................managed to lay cardboard down for the paths followed by 2-3" home made chippings. Due to the soil being a tad clayey I had to fork it into clumps before adding about 4" homemade partially rotted compost. Finally topped the bed with 3-4" well rotted horse manure. Just gonna let it settle before deciding if it needs topping up...........not a bad weeks work for a soddened January.

[mothhawk]

That looks great BM, what are you going to grow there?

[mothhawk]

Have got so many Jerusalem Artichokes it's silly. Have you tried this recipe?Jerusalem artichoke & horseradish soup | BBC Good Food It's also very nice.

Not a big fan of horseradish, Noosner, so I'll give it a miss, thanks.

[Bigmallly]

That looks great BM, what are you going to grow there?

Anything that butterflies like.....................

[Penellype]

Retrieved the 4x2ft piece of plastic I'm using as a cold frame cover, along with the bricks that were weighting it down - the whole lot had jumped over a 5ft high blueberry bush during yesterday's wind. I can understand the plastic, but the bricks???

Have ordered a new cold frame (well a "half growhouse" which is taller) so hopefully I can soon get rid of this one, the lid of which a cat broke a few years ago by jumping on it.

[Currysniffa]

Put my seed potatoes in egg trays and egg boxes to chit.

[Snadger]

Cut down last of tomato plants. Dug up some leeks to give me space to have a bonfire. Made a start on putting canes up to to re tye my now dormant grape vine to a suitable position in the greenhouse eaves. I want to keep it back from the glass a bit so that leaves aren't up against glass.

[BertieFox]

Planted four climbing French bean plants (got very leggy) into the polytunnel bed with four canes in a wigwam. Now I guess there will be severe frost in the next 72 hours or so!

[Noosner]

Took delivery of half a trailer full of horse manure at the weekend. Luckily it arrived during a break in the rain! Would not have fancied shite-shovelling in this weather. Planted 4 sorts of sweetpeas in root trainers. They are ont windowsill under Saturdays paper now. Have bought a paper shredder from Argos thanks to grapes advice over on compost thread. It is wonderful! Shredding anything I can get my hands on! The dog is looking worried

[Penellype]

Finally got myself onto the waiting list for an allotment. I'm told it is likely to be 2-3 years before I get one though

[AllInContainers]

Went to work and it was dark and raining. Came home tonight and it was dark and raining.

*sigh*

C'mon Spring, get a shift on, I want to do stuff!

[veggiechicken]

Spent some time this evening doing a Blue Peter type trick of turning toilet roll tubes into square pots, with bottoms and sowed some Sweetpeas into them. 16 toilet roll "pots" fit one half size seed tray perfectly.
Lots more tubes to fold - that's this evening's entertainment sorted!
............ Wonder how many times I went to the toilet to generate such a stack of toilet roll tubes

[Bigmallly]

Had a well earned day off if I do say so myself....................if you believe that, you'll believe owt..........have been playing around with clay pots with the intention of using them for watering purposes, plus cleaned up some clear polythene to make cloches to help dry the beds in the netted kite.