Early Summer Bits and Bobs.

[tigerburnie]

Sweetcorn planted in the greenhouse and outside, walk was walked in sunshine, then heavy rain put a stop to further outdoor activity.

[Myrkk]

I still haven't planted anythign out, I am so worried about the slugs, I'll basically be laying out a royal feast for them.

A lot of my young plants are still in the conservatory after a whole batch of kale and PSB disappeared overnight. I’ve started using sheep wool pellets and am very impressed with them. Not a single item that has been surrounded with it has been noshed

Sweet potato slips arrived today but it’s too wet to put them out, and variable, temp was 21C earlier then a few hours later 13C. Have popped them in some big pots and will try and get them hardened off (not drowned) and in in a week or so.

[Westi]

I decided to go to the supermarket on opening to get it over & done with & home before more consistent rain started, & timing was good as it was really raining by the time I left so I had to get a taxi home. (Didn't want my chocolate eclair to get wet)! I have never been there for opening & it was kind of surreal, way more staff going around than shoppers; (only about 10 of us), & even the suited & booted guys were filling shelves. Lot's of banter between them & we were included & as so many around they were happily running out back to get things we wanted.

It smelt of fresh baked bread as well as a bonus & yep I think we all bought some fresh bread as a result. The only down fall was no tills open so had to go to the self serve checkout, usually this would freeze me with fear as their pics of produce on these screens don't look a bit like what I have, or the bar codes won't register, it won't accept my card points etc. They were in such a good mood I got a quick tutorial on fixing these issues as well. Mind I will have forgotten by the time I go back as this is not my regular store, but there are some things the Euro supermarkets either don't have or just not as good!

[Westi]

Well tomorrow is 1st June OH, just a reminder? Mind that does depend on whether meteorological summer, but not to the 21st for astronomical summer.

Nice & quiet on the plot & I did not get too distracted with my chores & stuck to the back of the plot & might have got lucky. Carrots still not germinating except a few in the tunnel, but I put some saffron in the freebie raised bed & it seems the critters quite liked the wee bulbs so had this whole bed to sow carrots in. Of course they still have to germinate but it was filled with brand new sifted compost & doubt the short time the saffron survived made any impact on it & a brand new packet of seeds. It's protected like Fort Knox from carrot fly & slimy things. Other than that just weeding!

Got a good harvest today as well but some should not have been ready, but my seed sown onions were all bolting from the bird attacks & had left them as long as I dared so onion soup for them. My grub around got me some 1st earlies ready, some spring greens, salad leaves, rhubarb, asparagus, the hugest (well tallest) spring onions ever & Strawberries - so many of them that even the slimy things have had enough & leaving them alone!

[Stravaig]

We have a nice big patio out the back and have taken some of our large containers from our Kent house. I haven't been out there yet (fractured ribs again) but I suggested to husband that we try to give ourselves a bit of a start by planting some potted herb plants bought from a supermarket. Let's see how it goes. They never last long on the windowsill anyway.

Come to think of it, it might be better to buy some young plants from a garden centre.

Plus maybe we can get some hydroponics on the go if we can unearth my little hydroponics units. It's very satisfying to easily grow 'exotic' herbs at any time of year - Thai basil, etc.

This is a rented house but it's longer-term (we were in a one month AirBnB before, and anyway it was a flat with no outdoor space) so it's worth making some kind of garden here, but it needs to be portable so we can take it when we buy a house and move on.

[oldherbaceous]

Flaming June……it feels really nippy out there, with the North wind blowing!

[Primrose]

I'm sill wearing my winter sweaters. And was so chilly last night I resorted to a hot water bottle! No wonder our poor seedlings are suffering, you can almost see them circling up shivering.

[Clive.]

Yes, I nearly put my woolly hat on when walking up from the car park this morning, wind is certainly in the North.! Thankfully for the big garden it is protected by a shelter belt on the North side as well as the big wall, else the sweetcorn just put out might be flat.!! Had a run round with a mower this morning, lush and green is the word...once again not been possible for part of the week with the curtain of drizzly rain...

Back home, washing machine has had a big run and things are now blowing keenly on the line. Had a few minutes attacking some errant bramble that was happily leap frogging not too far from the house back door on a bit of ground that I hadn't got to late last year and maybe longer.... I can even now see the old nursery barrow that was gifted to me many many years ago that I was going to renovate for a little plan that I had...but hasn't quite got done.!!

C.

[tigerburnie]

Dare I say it's a bit hot out there, sunny and 16 degrees all day.....................................................for a change.

[oldherbaceous]

Had quite a few planes coming over today, Clive….not sure what types they were but, I think we had a pair of Hurricans….

[Westi]

Nice day here as well! The weeds have had a great time with the rain/sun/rain/sun & scarpered my plan to just hoe as well established & quite a few naughty ones spotted so Japanese knife was the chosen tool. Finished the back strawberries, raspberries & one Asparagus bed. I could have done a bit more but dog decided to nap on the netting in the shed & caught totally caught up in them as wrapped in her ID tag & she panicked & ran out & got caught up on the outside netting as well & even pulled a stake out. Big chaos but sorted at the expense of time.

I have a total overload of strawberries found on weeding, as only spotted those on the outside edges of the beds before but there are literally hundreds - not an exaggeration! Fortunately a lot in early development so should get a break so have been looking at recipes, quite like the look of Rhubarb & Strawberry Lemonade as need a pound of strawberries for that! Reviewing the Raspberries I think it will be pretty much the same. The food bank is going to have an overload, as not just me that has excess!

[oldherbaceous]

A beautiful day here today, job to know what jobs to be doing first….

[Clive.]

I started off getting some sticks at an Early Onward pea row....a bit of a late running job catch up... and then hand weeding along some long rows of potential beetroot sandwiches...another late running job that had been pending it drying enough to get on..
I might even get my own done later...

C.

[Westi]

Plan was basically to veg out today, but got the itch! Little front lawn mowed & beds weeded; some things removed to make room for the more impressive flowers to be. Then went a bit mad & weeded the path between ours & the neighbours; just my side as it is really hard work as the bitumen is all cracked & breaking loose. I have rung three Tarmac companies to price this & replace but none interested, neighbour also rung some as well as we will share cost. Thought I might try a resin path so took the opportunity to ask someone down the road a bit who has his whole drive done; big mistake as caught for a considerable time while he ranted about it being total rubbish!

Then this afternoon the back flower beds attracted my attention. Plan was just to plant my new clematis replacement but those weeds just tease until you cave! Well at least done, so 100% focus on the plots now. Even packed the large Tupperware box for the strawberry harvest as was 20C here so there will be loads ripe. My neighbours, their tortoise & the Food bank will be happy!

[oldherbaceous]

You have made me feel guilty now, Westi….I knew I should have started at 4.00am!