Kitchen Garden Forum

Been gardening all day at the big house, it started of a little drizzly but soon brightened up. I really enjoy working there even if it is good friday. The gardens at the big house were set out many years ago, so all the borders are well established and look lovely all year round. When the sun is shining like today, there is nothing better than working the soil. I really do feel quiet privileged to work there once a week. Going to spend the weekend potting up and getting stuck in over the allotments.
Life really is brilliant when your gardening.
Anyone else had such a good day?

Kind regards a very contented Old Herbaceous.

When i'm not fishing i'm mending my nets.

You can bet your ass I've had a good day OH! Six hours of digging and two hours of nattering to my allotment neighbours, most of whom I've not seen for months. Sunshine almost all day and loads of digging done. I'm looking forward to the next few days as I'm off work until next Thursday.

Hello,

Blue sky and fluffy white clouds here in E. Lincs...it brought a few classic aeroplanes out of hibernation....PA23 and also an Auster 5J2 noted fluttering by...

2 rows of Peas put in..Early Onward and Radio.
Another row of Potatoes...the last of the Swift and a few Lady Christl to complete the row.

Row of Broad Beans just poking through.

Plenty of hoeing done..letting the earth breath.

A few bits trimmed out of the South mixed border... then out with the old battery mower and some diagonal stripes added to the front lawn.

Yes, a lovely day.

Clive.

Had planned a morning planting spuds etc on the allotment, then down came the rain. Ended up at the garden centre What rip-off prices. Afternoon spent mowing a very wet lawn. then sowing runner beans in peat pots, Late afternoon brillant sun.
Yours dissapointed. john

Continuous warm sunshine, light breeze since lunchtime.

Had three cubic yards of manure delivered after lunch, did the site strimming while waiting.

Funny lady, coyly describes it as horse droppings in cannabis. Actually shredded hemp, reckon I should tell the yobs otherwise, I can just see them toking away on it, oh lovely dream.

With my lad, barrowed about twenty barrow loads round the plots. He planted some carrots an sweedes on his plot, then left and I carried on, emptied and refreshed the raised bed and cold frame. Planted out about ninety strawberry plants from raised bed in open ground, divided and replanted some chives, moved some soild from my Dalek sanctuary (planned) to the fruit terrace.

Took the dog for a walk, had tea (plus cold beer) and came to see what everyone else has been up to.

The day just got better as it went on. The tunnel is now finished and all the tatties are now in the ground. We came home in brilliant sunshine, tired but very happy.

We were on the plot for 10 hours and had a pan of snorkers for lunch and a cream cake for a mid morning treat.

Unfortunately 4 days on shift now so will have to wait to plant stuff in the tunnel.

A beautiful day here. Quite warm with blue skies and fluffy clouds. In Grocks greenhouse it was about 75 degrees. I re-sowed a lot of stuff up in the lottie. Loads of sweetcorn, brassicas, lupins, delphiniums, livingstone daisys, marigolds, herbs, salads, radishes, paris silverskin onions, and I can't remember what else. The place is packed now, just how I like it.

One of the other plotholders came down with some of his kids. Gave the girls some spare flower seeds and we had a very enjoyable chat about how they sow them, companion planting, finding frogs spawn,the merits of a pond and ideas on how the girls could suspend the sunflower heads for the birds to eat in winter.

It was a real treat, seeing them so enthusiastic about fruit, veg and flowers. Gardening in general really. Then had a cuppa.

Then checked on Grocks and her husbands plot, made sure nothing needed watering and came home.

Totally agree, it has been a lovely day and here are some pictures showing my little empire.
To see them larger just click on the one you want to view.

From the two green daleks to the coldframe (background and from both off to the right,up to the hedge is my two plots, the foreground is the small plot I gave up this year.


These two show me spuds from last week.


This is to make Chantal jealous, my two doorer.

Actually it is just a shed that was too small and got extended without taking the end off first. Next to it on the right is a previous tenants "dump" which has rotovated out as quite nice loam and is being added to the fruit area. The leveled surface will become a dalek sancturay,


My Fruit Terrace, in the making, two rows of raspberries in, two out of shot trenches prepped for tomorrow?


Waving in the breeze down there are my overwintering Shensyu Onions.


Finally the grandly titled, wet and shaded, Herb Garden together with my enourmous raised bed.

Good weather this afternoon in Somerset, started t0 dig my beant trench (does anyone line theres with newspaper, started to fill mine with old sprout stalks, semi mature compost and some horse manure, my lotment neighbour did this last year and got a bumper crop, and this year he has put his broad beans on same spot and his are the tallest on thesite so far. Sun was perfect, and i planted some cos in my cold frames and sewed some Beefsteak Toms in trays. Good news is three more days of the weekend to potter and a good forecast.

You will note that I sensibly stayed out of the weedkiller debate, have not mentioned the 'O' word all day but I did dig up some dandelions with my non toxic spade!!

Happy horticulturing over the weekend folks!!

Peter nice to see the photos of your allotments they look really good. I think it's good to see what other peoples plots are like.

Kind regards a very interested Old Herbaceous.

We will always get some sort of weather.

Fab sunny day here in Warwickshire. First full day on site this year, and I have dug, weeded and planted until my arms nearly fell off. Birds a-singin' bees a-buzzin' and ladybirds and lacewings around too. *sigh* . Lotties really busy with happy folk doing the same as me. People who don't garden don't know what they're missing ....

Hi

Yes Old HB there is nothing better than working the soil and I have had a great day as well.

Here in Moray (North Scotland) it has been a good Spring day. Showers in the morning and warm sun this afternoon. The soil is also warm now and I prepared three of the 4ft beds for seed sowing - today parsnips, raddish, and carrots. Made a 4ft by 4ft mini tunnel covered with netting fot the carrots to totally avoid root fly. Planted out lettuces in the greenhouse and the overwintered ones are ready to eat. Went for walk in the afternoon on one of the many beautiful sandy beaches on the Moray Firth and finished the day with cheese on toast (with trimmings) and a Cragganmore malt - who could ask for more?

Yes this has been a very good 'good friday'

Chris

Good day here in Northants too! finished planting out the spuds and also got the onions and Jerulsalem artichoke in. (well, hubby did while I sat and planted 100 peat seed pot thingies with a variety of cabbage, caulies, brussels, spinach, lettuce etc etc)all available window sill space is now taken up with seed trays covered in clingfilm - next year I will get a greenhouse/propagator!tomorrow - herbs while he starts digging veg bed # 3.Old H. - I'm trying to guess which Beds village you're in?? (i'm not planning on stalking you, honest - no need to worry) no probs if it's too personal to divulge - I'm just curious! I'm from Wootton originally, though now over the border:-)

Better late than never - it was a lovely warm day in Shropshire yesterday and the shorts emerged from hibernation, so there'll be UFO reports in the local paper again.

I planted out ny potatoes, transferred the potted up strawberry runners to their new raised beds, pricked out melons, cucmbers, courgettes, dahlias and other flowers. Sowed more peppers, tomatoes and aubergines. No bridge yesterday evening, so had a late dinner and watched GW. That's when the interruptions started 'cos I'm on call, so I didn't get a chance to look on the Forum before bedtime.

First call this morning at 4.20am so I've been up since then. Looks like another promising day today. Happy gardening folks.