Spring Bits and Bobs.

[Clive.]

Lovely still morning...starting to blow up a bit now this afternoon. Just been chipping along my South border with a border fork. A little light weeding of a few bits of speedwell. and a break of the 'cap' to get it breathing again
Next was a light weeding and surface breaking of the old pond bed which is now the home of my patch of 'Markery' (English Mercury) Chenopodium bonus-henricus, etc, etc. Actually it was only 5 plants rescued from my mums old markery patch... now 6, as I found a seedling/offshoot. it'll be a while before I get a feed from it but it usually knows how to grow with vigour once established..

...Ought to get a pea row sorted next..

C.

[Westi]

Haven't got down to the plot due to massive confusion of which bus services are running so looking forward to Tuesday when the hols are over. Was going to hoe my front grass off as so trashed with the pallets sitting there but the ground was just too wet despite it being dry here for a while.

On inspection found it was neighbours guttering all clogged up causing it, both back & front....& in turn mine as it's open right across. He's not a pleasant chap & all avoid him so did not challenge, but I was peeved when a nest was washed out! Fortunately my gutter guy comes a bit more often now. But I was thinking can you get a clip in plastic thing to divide our guttering & prevent all his leaves washing down to my end & it's proper name? Thingie won't do it I expect! I'm sure I've seen something that it might be while mooching around hardware stores but probs need a name for my guy to check size etc.

[oldherbaceous]

Morning Westi, if the downpipes are only your end of the guttering, and he doesn’t have downpipes, you can’t put a divider in….Although i’m not sure they do one anyway…they do what they call stop ends but, that would mean cutting the gutter and putting one on his guttering and one on yours, but you can’t even do that if he hasn’t a downpipe! You could always just put a short piece of crumpled up wire mesh in the gutter, half way along to stop the leaves washing down your half of the gutter….

Lovely bright morning here, but still the wind continues to have a bite to it.

[Clive.]

The Early Onward peas are sown..or rather, placed 3 wide along the flat drill.

It turned into a dodge the hail showers exercise...I had readied the ground earlier and worked in some growmore and took the drill out with a wide draw hoe before lunch..then came a sharp shower..
After lunch it had dried enough in the wind to work from kneeling pad to sow the seed onto the damp drill.. Just got it completed, pulled in and firmed when along came another shower.
..but they are in...and onto damp soil.

Weld mesh hoops yet to add, to complete..

C.

[Westi]

Hi OH.

Thanks for answering. I had a proper mooch around & I'm the side without any downpipes. Just the one serving both sides & that is on his side of the fence. I'll have a chat to my guy when he comes next, he's the one that climbs up there so might have an idea, both workable & legal. We did have a proper drain between my house & the other neighbours down our centre path that went out to the gutter, but it collapsed & was filled in except for the grate before we moved in.

Cheers again!

[Clive.]

Cold start, frost on the lawn and car windscreen, 3C at home and 1C along by the river on the way to work,

Later, a shirt sleeves sunny day..

Got some green longpod broad beans pushed in and then the onion sets in. Sturon, Stuttgarter, Rumba.

C.

[oldherbaceous]

You’e getting there, Clive!
Spent a bit of time working on Old Codgers, allotment this afternoon….poor old boy is really struggling these days….
Looks like a few warm days are forecast.

[Westi]

Off to the plot tomorrow, nice big sun shining & saying 16max 8min online. Things will be back to order as well regarding buses so stars must be aligned! I've got to get on & sow some seeds & fingers crossed get a few plants in as well if they have stopped sulking. At least most beds have been prepped & I believe the asparagus will be nice & tall & ready for a nice tart!

I think I may have also sorted out transport for the future hols & taking down things. I always got down there by a hippyish taxi driver that had a spot on the high street & he was fine with dog in the car if on the floor & helped get stuff out, but the big guys (mostly foreign & grumpy), took his patch. Saw him waiting for an old lady to reverse so said Hi & had a chat & he is back near the High St & apparently doing fine as word gone out to his older passengers where he is now & says nearly as many users as before. Deffo a win for me & the old folk, more for me I think though as always have something to take down!

[Clive.]

Slightly less cold this morning at home but had to scrape ice off the car side windows.
Along by the river it was showing 0.5C.

Soon warmed, in the sun, but there's a markedly cool edge to the ESE breeze.

Blue sky sunny all day...soon shirt sleeves, out the wind. Had another re shuffle, greenhouse to poly tunnel with some hardier things heading out of the tunnel to make room first.
Early Onward peas were put in..some lovely looking 2023 collected seed.

...and a trip to the dental hygenist...who along with reminding me to floss more often was also telling me about seed sowing into 'seed snails' made of strips of plastic bag etc. I have just looked it up...

C.

[Westi]

Lovely day down here as well & I got into the zone quite quickly, unfortunately not doing the jobs I had planned but I wouldn't want to scare you & have a plan that I stuck to. Still very little progress with the brassica's they are still just sitting, but noted a couple more wee ones popping though. I put them out on the staging for the morning seeing it was such a lovely warm sunny warm day so maybe that might kick start them. Prepped, weeded & feed the holes for the squash & pumpkins so all ready, & got the hose laid out ready to fill the butts. Been tucked away for so long it was a bit stiff & unyielding.

Took my first harvest of asparagus & some really nice spring onions. Pleased with the asparagus as they had lots of gaps last year & as 20yrs old & thought maybe their swan song but the tlc given prepping them for winter seems to have worked. Still another year before I can take the spears from the new beds so pleased to see they are looking a bit plumper. All in all not too bad a day!

[oldherbaceous]

Making my ears tingling today…..there’s some real power in the Sun!

[Geoff]

Think I broke a record this week. Monday was a big sowing day using 36 assorted containers to sow a mixture of flowers and veg. I ran out of space on the greenhouse staging for some of them but had space left in the propagator so I promoted a tray of Cosmos Gazebo Red to the propagator. Last night as I was covering the propagator for the night I was sure I could see them showing (about 30 hours after sowing) and this morning they are well through, that's almost quicker than cress.

[oldherbaceous]

Now that is fast germination…..all to do with the Moon!

[Clive.]

Making my ears tingling today…..there’s some real power in the Sun!

We started the day still with an ESE breeze but once that went round, SW it certainly was warm... I got some carrots, 'Marion' sown and covered with mesh.. then some parsnip 'Victor.' I was working some ground for beetroot in front of the North wall and decided the heat was a little too much so headed for shade and did some sowing in pots. A few more zinnia, which I thought I had broken the germination record with on the first sowing..
Then some Tithonia and sweetcorn Swift...for which I may well have been fooled early by this warm...

Also an absolute treat...I was in the back greenhouse when hearing something airborne approaching I just got outside in time..to see BBMF Dakota ZA947 in its new SEAC colour scheme...across the gardens low from the South, a right hand orbit and got a second viewing.

C.

[Cider Boys]

A very warm and pleasant day here to-day. I managed to plant out my glass house sown onions, hoed my onion sets and sowed a row of parsnip seeds. Yesterday I followed OH and sowed some runner beans seeds in the green house. Plum blossom has faded, now to be replaced by cherry, pear and some apple flowers. The moor behind me is beginning to dry up and is awash with cuckoo flower or ladies smock or mayflower or the many more names for this delightful wild flower of damp meadows.

It has not been too peaceful of late, the local countryside dominated by a melodic trio of chainsaws felling trees accompanied by the rhythmic beat of pile divers building a flood defence barrage. I shall take my dog out this evening when it all becomes quiet, hopefully.

Happy gardening

Barney