What have u all been doing?

[Compo]

The 'today I have been mostly...' thread was great last weekend so I thought that I would start one again.........So today (or this weekend, I have planted my second early spuds (charlotte mmmm lovely). Filled my bean trench full of home made compost, even lovelier.........

Sewed cauli seeds in the greenhouse, drank tea with the chaps on the plots, noticed the bean weevil on my broad beans............any ideas on non chemical ways of dispatching em??

And finally have made a great frame for my runners out of seven foot stakes with brass cuphooks for holding the canes in place, all in a raised bed......

So what have you been mostly doing today??

[Chantal]

I was clearing a patch of land that had beetroot and parsnips in over the winter so hadn't been dug. That took the morning and then I went for a pizza for lunch and bummed around all afternoon as the weather was cold and cloudy.

[Tigger]

This weekend I've planted out all of my potatoes, weeded the raspberries, potted up a few thousand seedlings, planted out the broad beans and lettuces I started off in the tunnel, sowed more lettuce, beetroot, spinach and carrots outside, put the first of the cucumbers and melons into their beds in the tunnels and tied in some of Piglet's tomatoes (but they're mine now ).

Bought 2 pairs of shoes..........I love shoes.

Oh - and stared at the asparagus 'cos you can practically see it growing before your eyes! First cutting by the end of the week, I think.

[peterf]

well ive had an interesting weekend.barrowed 35 ton of top soil into the new raised bed.started friday afternoon finished 8pm last night (did sleep in between).just got up for work and can barely walk,at least its a nice start to the day weather wise, hopefully i'll have a steady morning lambing

[peter]

This weekend I are been mostly...
Watching lads play rugby, whilst personally drinking beer.

That was Saturday, a glorious sunny day, the top of my head is sunburnt, Doh, forgot to take a hat . Hertfordshire Mini-rugby festival, the A team up for the cup, came third equal, my lad was in the B team up for the plate, which they won and he got two tries . Bought him a Saracens wall clock as a personal trophy. Back late to a grumpy OH (her birthday) and a takeaway curry.

Sunday a miserable drizzly day, so as I was too late to buy bareroot softfruit, went to a local Garden Centre and bought two blackcurrent, two red current, two gooseberry. Sowed sweetcorn and tomato in coldframe and propogator, walked the dog.

[CatBud]

On Sunday I was taking down a greenhouse with the help of my dad and boyfriend that will have its new home in my garden. And also picking up a sofabed that we found in an ad.

Next weekend will be cleaning and moving things in our new house

I was also preparing my lessons for today as the Easter holiday is now over and it's back to work

[lizzie]

Saturday went to lottie and pottered about a bit. Glorious day, so sat in the sun watching the butterflies and bees float about!!! Walked the dog, cooked, cleaned, washed ironed etc!!

Sunday, another glorious day so went to lottie again. Dug the last three brassica beds over. Nothing heavy, just broke the top up a bit and shoved on a bit of lime.

Did some more of the family tree, one of my brothers came round with mum and we had a little chat.

That was that, really. But very pleasent it was too

[sandersj89]

Hmmm, a pretty busy weekend one way and another.

Saturday saw me at the plot for a couple of hours. Job one was fixing up two new water butts on the shed and lean too. That should hold about a further 400litres of water. I also had to make a top for an old water butt to meet health and safety regulations.





Next job was to thoroughly weed the onions and garlic beds and the last few leeks. The sets have been over wintered and have got away to a decent start this year so far. I will be giving them a top dressing of potash soon once I have had a bonfire.





I also slipped the peas in from their guttering, now under wire to keep the pigeons at bay!

Then it was grass cutting of the paths and edging the beds. The grass has finally got around to growing a little now after a slow start. The damp conditions should mean this will accelerate over the next few weeks but I need the grass for the compost bins as they are lacking in a bit of green material and they will come in handy to mulch the potatoes and runner beans.

Talking of spuds, the first earlies, (Mimi and Foremost), are just a few days away from breaking the surface of the soil.

The final big job for the day was erecting one of my walkin 6 by 4 plastic greenhouses. I have a couple of these and have decided to place on on my second plot this year. To facilitate watering in the summer I have installed a water butt inside and this will have a drip irrigation system attached to it to water the tomatoes, cucumber and aubergines that will be grown inside.



At the moment it is acting as home to a selection of stuff being hardened off and some early spuds in pots for a catch crop. The water butt inside will alo act to some degree as a heat sump.



Then all that remained for Saturday was to pick some salad leaves from a cold frame and head home for a barbeque that evening as it was such a glorious day.

Sunday started early with me on the plot for 7am. It was very dull and damp and as I parked the car the first spots of rain fell………………..

But I finished all this years digging and sowed a row of carrots, Early Nantes, and a row of parsnips, Tender and True. The root bed is all ready for the rest of the carrots and parsnips which will go in over the next month.



I also popped in the over spill sweet pea plants, I grow most of these at home for ease of cutting but had about 20 plants over, mainly Liz Taylor, Blue Velvet, Galaxy Mixed and Kings High Scent.

Before heading home for breakfast with the kids there was time to pick some rhubarb and flowers, Tulips and Anemone’s for the wife.





As the drizzle set in for most of the day I spent 30 mins or so in the greenhouse potting on dahlias, Echinacea and Delphiniums.

The before lunch out with the kids as oldest was in the St Georges Day Scout parade.

Evening was spent slumped in front of the tellie!

Busy but good fun and exercise!

(Updated with pictures as I forgot earlier, will be adding more to my blog site.)

Jerry

[Deb P]

I was at work all weekend, so have just got out to my garden and had a sowing bonanza! Purple dragon carrots, and the ones in 'tape' form I bought back from France have gone in under fleece in one of the raised beds. Parsnips in too, into soil I removed the cloche from the other day, so hopefully a bit warmer. Bright Lights Chard into modules, and a row of spinach too, thought still have some going from the winter!

I also have been busy planting some seed potatoes I got via Freecycle into polypots; will be interested to see how they do, I haven't got the space to plant in the ground yet!

The rest of the enormous French shallots have gone into another raised bed, also dumped more woodash around them, I've found it really helps in keeping the slimies away, and weeds down too. More module sowing tonight, might be tempted to start the courgettes off...?

[Chantal]

Can you grow chard in modules? I was going to as I start most things off in the greenhouse but the packet said to sow direct.

[Deb P]

I've had success with both Spinach and Chard grown in modules, it gives them a head start over the slugs, and they don't seem as eagar to bolt either.

[Chantal]

That's what I wanted to hear. Thanks very much!

[fuchsia]

I have planted both first earlies and seconds as I am late with the firsts ,sown late parsnips carrots and radishes ,planted my onions sets which I had shooting ready in modules called golden ball ,appropriate for the world cup I thought lol !
have to do some late pricking out tomorrow and sow some more brassicas and lettuce in the green house plus sow some of the later things too
phew
Fuchsia

[Zena]

I got the weekend the wrong way round, I'm afraid. Spent Saturday (sunny) doing housework, (as I wanted to take advantage of hubby being out watching football to rearrange some furniture)and then Sunday came along and it was miserable! Still, planted out 2 rows of peas (with canes) and 2 rows of marrows.Talking of which, is it possible to grow marrows in pots/grow bags? I didn't expect them all to germinate and also didn't realise how far apart they're supposed to be planted! I haven't got room for them all in the plot!!

[oldherbaceous]

Hello Zena, you can plant marrows in large pots or grow bags, but they will take quiet a lot of watering. The other thing i was thinking about though, depending how many marrow plants you have on your plot, do you really need any more. Once marrow plants start cropping you end up with a lot of marrows. Sometimes you are better to stick with the amount of plants you need and give the others away, this goes for all the veg plants you grow.
I must admit i should think everybody has been guilty of doing this at one time or another.
Hope this might help just a little bit.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.