What I did today - 2016

[veggiechicken]

This is intended to act as an aide memoir to everyone on the Grapevine - to remind us of tasks that should be carried out at that time of year.
It is not intended to be a Blog or a journal but simply an aid to help.

I hope everyone will post what they did in their garden or allotment each day.

Last year's thread at http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...5-a_83011.html

[Snadger]

Last to add to this thread in 2015 and first to add to it in 2016!

Lit the woodburner in the greenhouse as it was a bit parky. Transplanted half a dozen ball headed spring cabbage into positions down one side of 'L' shaped greenhouse. Because there is a lot of fresh muck around them and because they are indoors so the birds won't be affected, sprinkled slug pellets liberally around them. Had a bit of a potter in greenhouse trying to sort out seeds that needed ditching mainly!

[Snadger]

I have a 3 foot high pallet wood fence along the edge of my allotment. I also have cordon apples and pears planted at 45 degrees planted along it with a cut off height of 6 foot. My next door neighbour has just put a greenhouse the other side of the fence, so I thought it wasn't very neighborly to have a six foot wall of leaves in the summer shading their greenhouse.
That is what I started to remedy today. First of all I pruned plants back to short spurs. I took out the 8 foot canes that had been the original supports. I then bent each plant down until the top was level with the 3 foot fence,(about 20 degree angle) then I tied it in position. I did about half the fenceline today and will do the rest another time.
I also weeded the inside of my polytunnel and started preparing the beds for planting. I need to build raised beds but will just board off a lowered pathway so i can use the existing soil level.

[Jungle Jane]

This morning i took my hyacinths out of the shed & have them indoors on the kitchen floor out of the sunshine for now. I also potted up a basil cutting that has rooted in a bottle of water,the mother plant can be seen in the photo behind the hyacinths.

[Martin H]

Today I cut all the greenery off my Chrysanthemum stools, bedded them in fresh compost and stood them on the propagator for some gentle bottom heat. Hopefully there will be some nice fresh cuttings material in a few weeks.

[vixylix]

First post of 2016! and my first gardening related activity for a little while!

Yesterday I sowed 24 zebrune shallot seeds along with thai basil, oregano, mini bell pepper and various chilli seeds all courtesy of the VSP.

So excited to be waiting for something to germinate again!!

I forgot the strawberries I sowed too - despite all but one of my strawberries (from one plant only) in 2015 being decimated by earwigs, I have six different varieties of strawberries for 2016!! Overkill maybe

[veggiechicken]

Vix, Post them in http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...6-a_87843.html to remind you next year

[vixylix]

Vix, Post them in http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...6-a_87843.html to remind you next year

Done VC! I won't need a reminder next year with my amazing new seed tin (yeah right)

[Lumpy]

The tyres are now in place for my new strawberry mountain and filled with soil/compost mix awaiting the arrival of my runners.

3 1x0.5 mtr now filled and cloched over

[elleme]

Just checked on broad beans in greenhouse - all doing fine. There is a tray underneath the pots with a little spilled compost in the base and some seeds have germinated in it. The seedlings look like they could be self-sown from an oriental mix which was growing nearby last year, so I've pricked them out into fresh compost to see if I'm right.

[Snadger]

I planted out eight Wheelers Imperial Spring cabbage into one of my greenhouse beds, watered them in and put slug pellets around them.
I visited the supplier online that i got my chrysanths from last year. I downloaded a small picture,name and info about each cultivar After printing this info out I laminated the 'Plant labels' i made.I labelled each pot with the crown in. This way i will be able to tell what cultivar I am taking cuttings from!

[Martin H]

Today I fixed some gravel trays underneath my greenhouse staging to act as water reservoirs for capillary matting.

[Bigmallly]

Went down to't local builders merchant & picked up 15 pallets. Had to make 3 trips as I could only get 5 in't car............ Work will start the next nice day we have............that'll be March then..............

[Vickilou]

Today I got the gardening bug again and logged on to this site, first time in months, hadn't realised how long it's been! It's good to be back x

[Snadger]

Went down to't local builders merchant & picked up 15 pallets. Had to make 3 trips as I could only get 5 in't car............ Work will start the next nice day we have............that'll be March then..............

Work on what?