Early Winter Bits and Bobs.

[Primrose]

Lots of rain and wind here but only sone flimsy old wooden trellis ripped on an equally old and flimsy wooden fence so got off lightly. Nice, sunny and calm now and actually just put on my coat to sit outside on the patio and enjoy some fresh air although everywhere looks drenched and sodden.

[Geoff]

You could have taken your gin out with you here and let the weather top it up with hailstones!

[Monika]

Slushy snow on the hills and just sleet and rain down below, but things are going to be jolly icy overnight, I think.

[oldherbaceous]

We got away lucky here, no more than a few things blown about.

[Westi]

Bella blew out a couple of laminate sheets in the greenhouse & one cracked glass pane in the door. I had 10 large wooden 6' stakes leaning against the outside door ready to take down to the plot to raise the fence as pup is too interested on the other side; it was still packaged and that got blown over & I lost my little trug that I take scraps down to the compost in, but strangely replaced by what looks like the top of a resin bird bath. I put the birdbath outside & it has been taken, hopefully to it's home but I didn't see. It was certainly loud & was over 100mph at the Needles.

I'll rug up well tomorrow in preparation for the sleet showers forecast to check the plot. Anticipating there will be quite a few posts & nets to sort out & just remembered I moved the box of cleaned pots to replace some membrane in front of the shed & didn't put it back wedged beside the shed, so expect I will be collecting them from all over the place as well.

[retropants]

Pretty cold & icy here today. Is it too soon to sow leeks?

[Primrose]

Retropants. I think your leek seeds might welcome a rather longer lie-in in their seed packet unless you're sowing them indoors. Even so, I don't think you'll gain much benefit sowing them this early. I don't sow mine until late Feb at the earliest.

The onky sign of garden activity here is a large rat spotted chasing our pair of resident crows around the lawn. Haven't seen any rats for ages. Perhaps the cold weather is driving them further afield in the search for food - the crows look pretty annoyed at having their territory invaded.

[retropants]

I was only half joking! I'm dead keen this year, as my veg plot at home will be ready this spring for the first time ever, having been hard standing for over 25 years.

[robo]

Went down the plot this morning we actually had snow it’s been a few years since we had the white stuff, I had to take a brush to the poly tunnel to remove it although the snow wasn’t thick on the tunnel cover we are promised more tonight and as it’s heavy I didn’t want to risk a build up I also did a couple of netting frames over a raised bed

[Westi]

No sleet showers as forecast down here, but we got about 1/2 - 3/4hr of really thick mist come over from the east but gave me the opportunity to sprinkle loads of peppermint oil in the tunnel & to deter the mice. (& hopefully rats)! No idea if it will, but was recommended on a forum. Certainly cleared my sinuses but I might have been a little over enthusiastic!

Bella did some damage to the site with sheds over & greenhouses broken but I got off pretty lightly but walk in was not happy. Twas like doing a jigsaw puzzle to match the water butt lids all over the plot to their possible homes & deliver them back to their owners. (Hopefully the right owners)!

I can feel the growing itch despite the wrong time of the year so think I shall scratch it & set up the propagator & temporary ledges in the back room. Won't start anything off as although I could, the plants get too big & have to be potted on too many times before they can go out & I run out of room, so will sit on my hands for a bit & just look longingly at it & focus on the planting plan for 2021 - only Version 2 so loads of tweaking to do with it before it's the right one!

[Primrose]

Retropants. - can understand your eagerness to get going. Sounds as if your hard preparation work is ready to start paying off

[robo]

Forgot to mention I pulled the last four tomatoes this morning in fact I had one with my tea tonight

[Primrose]

Gosh robo that,s good going. Mine lasted until early December but they certainly wouldn,t have won any prizes for appearance - or taste - were cunningly used up in a "Bottom of the fridge" vegetable soup. YOu certainly miss the "summer sun ripened flavour" don,t you? . I always feel it's a shame to waste them but eating them does rather feel like a dutiful penance rather than a pleasure !

[Monika]

Mid-winter Bits and Bobs, OH? It certainly feels like it.
We had snow yesterday, followed by a hard frost and now the snow is melting to black ice on the paths. Rather slippery.

[Clive.]

Two seed catalogues dropped through the letterbox just now, on a quick glance one feels a bit thin on vegetable seed selections.?..

We kept getting some heavy drizzly showers this morning, which has put paid to my digging efforts today so far, however I did spread a few barrows of wood ash about when on my work visit this morning...needed to do a little something to feel making some progress..

C.