What I did today - 2015

[cheapskate chaz]

what compost/soil have you used for your bagged pototoes? I have not been that sucessfull with mine, I used 8" general compost/a layer of potatoe compost followed by more general compost till filled, the spuds I grew in them were Estemas but not a great yield, had a nasty colony of ants in one of them as well.

[Penellype]

I've used all sorts in the past - bought mpc, home made compost, home made hotbin compost and recycled compost from last year's pots with some blood fish and bone. This year I am trying an experiment using last year's grow bag compost mixed with some BFB. I'm doing 2 30l pots and 2 potato bags, each with 3 seed potatoes in. One of the bags and one of the pots have some vermiculite mixed in with the compost to see if this makes any difference.

I think potatoes will grow in pretty much anything as long as they have plenty of water and are fed occasionally. Watering bags can be tricky as the bags tend to droop and the water can run straight out. The foliage also makes a very effective umberella. In the past I've stood the bags in large drip trays to give them a bit more chance of not drying out. This year I am going to put some of the bags and pots onto soil and bury the bottom inch or so to give the plants access to water and nutrients from the soil and see if this makes a difference.

[LillyRoseGarden]

Moved peonies from shady spot to sunny place, hope they are going to flower this year. Pruned the rest of the fruit trees.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I bought some seed tatties. Mind you, I was amazed at the tiny ones being marketed by Taylors in small bags. I totally ignored them

[21up]

Finished rest of digging got it all to level out now 8 bags of wick grass roots bagged up.
Can now start making my paths with wood sides and half inch rubber to walk on,
paint my free barrow tomorrow with red oxide and hammerite.

All my seeds to get going,collies/sprouts/cabbage/plus red cab/ flowers all these repotted in paper tubes
and in g.house
Plenty more to do soon heated propogator ordered.
Raring to go onece done i can start putting new shelves in shed and remove temporary ones

[Verinda]

I dug out loads and loads of rushes...ugh...and horse radish and gorse seedlings all of which were flourishing round my raised borders and pond.

[Bigmallly]

This year I am going to put some of the bags and pots onto soil and bury the bottom inch or so to give the plants access to water and nutrients from the soil and see if this makes a difference.

I came across this last year Pene but then forgot about it till you just mentioned it.........

[Penellype]

I came across this last year Pene but then forgot about it till you just mentioned it.........

Yep, that's the video I saw, and his harvest video which is simply astonishing. I decided I simply had to try it.

[Bigmallly]

So did I....................but I forgot............................it's an age thing............

[Lumpy]

Whoop whoop - no D word today - just had a very enjoyable 5 mins with son and grandson on Lu Lu showing them what we had do so far.

[FlawlessVictory]

Yesterday we sowed some sweet peas, lupins, poppy and other flowers! (Mrs side project). I've got the day off today but it is raining! May still go down the lottie though.

[bussinspain]

yesterday actually

Yesterday I was digging in the kitchen garden in the wonderful warm sunshine, birds singing and my 2 dogs laying in the grass watching me. I have nearly finished digging over the bed that will be used for my toms, cues, squashes, corn etc., Last year I sowed some green manure seeds, hubby has strimmed it down for me ready to dig in. I started using my little tiller but the stalks were getting wound round the tines So hand-digging it is then. Well rotted horse manure and olive tree shreddings have been spread over and lightly forked in over the are dug so far. Raining today as if on queue so no gardening today I will carry on knitting my scarecrow doll family instead.

[bario1]

Black-bagged a pile of perennial weeds and various other compostable stuff that had built up into an ugly heap in the middle of my allotment over the course of last season.

[susieq100]

First major visit of 2015 to the allotment, where a lot of forking was done! My neck aches now ... but am going to aerobics in about half an hour in the hope that more jumping about will sort me out.

There is plenty of work to be done at the plot(s) but sadly this year, I will have loads of time. Anyway, it will keep me out of mischief! I have already been approached to join the pumpkin growing competition. I grew pumpkins reasonably successfully last year and found them to be unutterably bland and boring to eat. So, I politely declined. This huge vegetable thing seems to be a male preserve - I am more interested in things tasting good. Size doesn't always matter

[Dorothy rouse]

Planted out my 30 Albion strawberries, hoping they do what it says they do!