Summer bits and bobs.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Westi, have you got a piece of metal bar, that’s a little bigger than the poles that you are building you bean frames with…if you have, or you could buy, or borrow, you can make holes by knocking the bar into the ground with a hammer and then your poles will be a lot easier to get into the ground and at a decent depth, too!

Rain all day here, what I don’t mind but, I don’t like the blustery winds that go with it…..greenhouse jobs for me, sowing the second lot of seeds, so they follow on from earlier sowings….also sowing all the Winter Brassica seed!

[Geoff]

Interesting you are just sowing your Winter Brassicas. The last few years my outdoor purple sprouting have been poor, quite a few plants dying during the Winter. I planted all mine out this week, six varieties to hedge my bets. The last two years I've grown a few in the polytunnel from a late sowing that have done well, sowing scheduled for w/c 29th June. Am I growing my outdoor plants too early I wonder?

[Westi]

Cheers OH for the advice, I did have a great metal pointy thing that I would whack everything in with, but it disappeared. But I don't think it has gone missing but been thinking & last time seen was in a bucket in the little metal sheet with the canes, but I also moved some of the fine netting I bought into there as it came in one huge piece so it is probably under that. I do recall the nightmare of trying to re-fold the netting when the wind was blowing & gave up as bus near due so bet it is under that. Will have a peek when it stops raining & I can go down which looks like Tuesday so will make it my first job to find it.

[Clive.]

Had the 1987 Hayter Harrier48 out yesterday and gave the lawn and roadside frontage a mow...still got the daffodil tops section to sort.

Found myself at the local garden centre on the way home from work...some of the yellow bidens came home with me and a pack of lobelia....quick sort of the fence side narrow border on the south side found a home for these.

I see the clary that I sowed recently has benefitted from the rain and is slowly popping through..

This afternoon the spent bluebell tops have been pulled away around the Abies tree and the ground pulled through with a little short handle Wolf 3 tine drag..very useful for just grubbing and breaking through the dry hardened top. There are four small free areas now that deserve something in them...so I have ordered some night scented stock, echium, californian poppy and another packet of clary....to sprinkle on and rake in...time is getting on but worth a go given that it was so dry recently and now some damper conditions are advertised... it was an on the hoof developing plan..else I would have bought something on my visit out this morning.

I can remember watching the bees on echium in the lawn side border with mum when I was very little...so as ever there's a hark back to those times in my sowing thinking.... For many years the echium used to pop up from self seeding but not for some years now..

Also, at last, got some leek seeds sown......and in a further bit of retail therapy a new duvet covet in a floral meadow style has been ordered...

C.

[Westi]

The local weather keeps changing it's mind, was a bit of drizzle tomorrow then to rain, back to drizzle then breezy etc. I think I shall just change my day down to Tuesday to be sure as rain risk is lower then. (Hmm weather just changed again to some heavy rain showers on Tues)! Only job is planting the toms out in the tunnel so I'm undercover & even if I just do these I'll be happy, nearly 30 of them so that will keep me in the tunnel for a while & I will have to put the dog proof netting fence back up so that should fill my time.

[Westi]

Went to the plot despite the weather report & it was lovely. Mind I just got in the back door at home & down it came so some luck there! Once again the runners frames were down so that put me behind before I even started. I don't think I have much more plastic coated wire to secure it but I have a feeling I might need some more if the soil doesn't dry out to secure the canes. I'll buy some anyway as comes in handy.
As a result I didn't finish my tunnel jobs, but tunnel all cleared out at least, staging went out & I did get some toms in at least, only another 20 odd to plant! The sweet potatoes have settled in there & starting to sprawl but thinking I might have to direct them outside as don't want the thugs strangling the toms.
Rain again for a couple of days but then it looks like summer may be returning!

[Geoff]

I've always found it is the end posts that stabilise a runner bean frame not how far you push in the canes. Two good end posts with a tensioned wire between, tie the canes to the tension wire then add a horizontal round of binder twine about three feet off the ground to stiffen the structure.

[Westi]

Off to the plot tomorrow after a couple of domestic days. Wind hasn't been too bad & rain eased so hopefully the runner frame is still standing. It's getting a bit tedious sorting it out on every visit & wasting a lot of time so getting behind on my chores. I put the extra posts in & tied the extra twine around so am hopeful & I'm sure the fact the rain has eased it will dry off a bit for even extra security. Well will see tomorrow!

[Clive.]

Plenty wet yesterday...and arrived in the wrong order...as my flower seeds to sprinkle and rake in arrived in the post after the rain was well underway. May be a light relief job for later today...

Internet ponderings partly sorted with a required account switch so phone could be retained...given poor mobile signal here..but email going to be lost.....so new one to establish and a crazy lot to sort of 25 yrs worth of email lodged everywhere to work out and right....

C.

[Clive.]

Stuck inside signing up email account.....just went for lunch and opened the house back door and it's gone back to warm out there

C.

[oldherbaceous]

I’m so glad my Son’s are really good with such things, as I know I would give up!
Just been and cut all the allotment grass, and it really does feel quite muggy…..not muggy enough for any blight, hopefully!

[Westi]

Yah! The runner canes are secured & stood up to the wind without a hiccough! I was so lucky that not one wee plant got squashed! Thanks all for your excellent advice.
Spent today in the tunnel getting the rest of the toms planted, setting up the tom supports for when they grow & filling in seed gaps but ventured out to re-sow the french bean seeds which the mice/rats found. Filled the butts that I emptied & cleaned. (Full of dead mice, (gross) & a bit strange that so many committed suicide at once, probs a visit from Mr Fox freaked them & I left the lid off, hopefully they will move on now)!
Plan on Monday is purely weeding, have other jobs but they can wait as if I don't control the weeds now it will take longer later when the predicted sun dries out the soil so I will take the easy route now.