What I did today - 2016

[Small pumpkin]

Attacked the front garden. Tidied, pruned, thinned out. Dug out. Garden now looks dreadful but lots of space for my flower that are starting to germinate. Cleaned my flower buckets ready for carrot challenge.
Nearly finished cutting back hedge in veggie garden. Cleaned out chickens & turkeys.

[vixylix]

I re-potted the remainder of my germinated tomatoes and one long de florence onion which seems to be going strong despite all the others giving up the ghost!

One of my golden queen toms finally germinated and I was so excited I managed to pull its head off. Doh

I have re-sown the golden queens and the aubergines to see if I have better luck in round 2!

[Scoot]

One of my golden queen toms finally germinated and I was so excited I managed to pull its head off. Doh

Sorry but this made me laugh.

[Bigmallly]

Marked off a few more SFG beds. Sowed a seed sheet each of Beetroot, Carrot & Turnip. Spent a few hours laying chippings on the plot paths, made & filled another sloping squash bed. Dismantled & relocated a dalek, to be rebuilt...........I think that's about it.

[lolie]

I planted seeds for sorrel, dwarf kale, red lettuce, winter savory, curled and Italian parsley, dill, and carnations.

I spent a lot of time misting my other new seedlings.

[Small pumpkin]

Finished cutting back the hedge in veggie garden. Finished weeding my last raised bed. Weeded and added plant supports to my herb bed. Added new supports to the hardening off bench ( was getting a bit saggy in the middle). Re potted my 7 red wood.

[Gillykat]

Another lovely sunny day with an outside temperature of around 9c (32c in greenhouse, 12.9c in polytunnel). The soil has dried out lovely and I'm working in a t-shirt....have to keep reminding myself it's still only February!

Today's jobs were to measure the two remaining beds for Neil to make....he finally gave in to the six instead of four Especially after I raised my voice, gave him a glare Nina would have been proud of and said ''I'm having six!'' I'll give ground or not argue about stuff that doesn't really matter but this allotment is my pride and joy and has to be perfect! Well, as I visualise it in my head full of flowers and healthy beds full of veggies

I forgot to soak my Sweet Peas overnight so will sow them tomorrow....I've currently got them soaking in two yoghurt pots (in water!) in the greenhouse. I had a few other things I could sow so did them instead...

Aubergine 'Black Beauty' x 6 (only did a few because I've never eaten aubergine before....anyone tell me what it tastes like?)
Borage x 48
Hollyhock 'Giant Single Mixed' x 15
Shallot 'Red Sun' x 18
Shallot ' Golden Gourmet' x 31

Potted up my 5 Pink Fizz Fuchsias into bigger pots and will prune them by a third tomorrow (just googled pruning instructions).

[veggiechicken]

Planted out some Bijou mangetout seedlings that were in the GH.
Split another bed in two and edged the new, central path with logs and covered it with wood chippings. The chooks and puppies helped to spread the chippings
Dug up lots of raspberry canes that really shouldn't be there!
Put my tomato seedlings in the GH for some sunshine but was too lazy to bring them in this evening so I've covered them with a fleece jacket - the one I was wearing Well, it kept me warm today

[veggielover1980]

Did not go up the allotment but did go to the garden centre and bought all our seeds and seed potatoes so the thought was there, dad and i also had lunch while we were there well would have been rude not too.

[Gillykat]

Potted up my pre-soaked sweet peas ~ 23 Blue Ballerina and 23 of the Scented Mix that was on the cover of last months' Gardeners World magazine. Pruned my Pink Fizz fuchsias and decided to see if I could root a few of the cuttings to get more plants. Got them in a yoghurt pot of water.

Couldn't procrastinate any longer and at 12.45pm I started to dig over the middle section which runs alongside the polytunnel. Digging and weeding as I went I got one-third done by 2.05pm and decided to knock off then rather than sicken (or wear myself out!) by doing too much. Will do another bit tomorrow and then finish on Friday.

Finished by spending a few minutes leaning on the fence and just looking at the plot and it came to me EXACTLY how I want it to look. I've been umming and aahing about where to put the raspberries and fruit...one minute it was in the section I've just dug and then I'd think that perhaps it would be better next to the entrance...both lovely sunny spots. So I've decided - it's going next to the gate where I had the flowers last summer and they will be transplanted to the section I have just dug which will become a herbaceous border next to the seating area.

The obligatory Before and After pics...

[jonny the plant pot]

Planted 7 buckets of various carrots and built my neighbour his new shed.

[Lisasbolt]

Finally got all my early potatoes in, that was a lot harder than i thought, i have always done it the lazy way but i dug proper trenches and pulled up all the soil and spaced them properly, about 40 meters of them. then i realised the boys had knocked out a few and they did not get planted always tomorrow.....Now only the main crop to do, but there is a lot lot of them and i will do them properly

almost got a new GH (another) b&q had a 6x4 complete for 50, but i stopped myself.

no sign of the GH in the post

[Small pumpkin]

Finally finished much spreading on my raised beds. They are all covered with weed suppressant as well. 3/4 filled 6 big tubs with manure. Ready to split up my mint collection. Re-built the strawberry cage.

[veggiechicken]

Pulled out my paintbrush and "painted" 3 peach blossoms on the "donut" peach I bought a few months ago.
Said Hello to a big fat bumblebee in the GH - unfortunately he was not in the peach GH so I had to do his job for him (could have been a she bumblebee of course (
Potted on some honeysuckle and jasmine plug plants.
Spread some more wood chips on the paths.
Cleaned out the chooks - so easy in their kennel.

I'm sure there's more!!

[Scoot]

Pulled out my paintbrush and "painted" 3 peach blossoms on the "donut" peach I bought a few months ago.
Said Hello to a big fat bumblebee in the GH - unfortunately he was not in the peach GH so I had to do his job for him (could have been a she bumblebee of course (
Potted on some honeysuckle and jasmine plug plants.
Spread some more wood chips on the paths.
Cleaned out the chooks - so easy in their kennel.

I'm sure there's more!!

It will have been a queen bumble bee at this time of year. They hibernate already pregnant then wake up in the spring looking to make a nest and lay their eggs.