Long awaited Spring Bits and Bobs…

[Primrose]

Freebie courgette seeds

Wondering if anybody else has sown seeds from the last free packet of courgette seeds given away with the magazine.?

I,ve had three attempts at sowing them and to date not a single seed has germinated. Unlucky or what?

[tigerburnie]

Only grown them once, 30 years ago, we had the first one, "this nice" we said, but after a dozen more and more marrows than you could shake a stick at, never again was the decision, I give the seeds away.

[retropants]

I’ve finally planted out the savoy cabbage and bush beans. I let both get very sturdy in quite big pots before I sacrificed them to the gods of slime.

[Clive.]

This morning I have re sown the rainbow chard..there were only a couple of attempts at anything from the first sowing...having the same fun with beetroot... and I like beetroot sandwiches.! and sowed a couple of seed rows of Cairngorm and Bulgarian Giant leeks.

Lawns have had a mowing.

Had another short visit to the local aviation heritage centre to check on their progress...getting my monies worth from the membership that I took out. only 5 miles up the road silly not to.

...next plan, that I wasn't going to do, is sow some carrots, a row of Yellowstone and row of Berlicum that I just happened to pop on the chard seed order.
Thinking of going even further and there's just room for some snip-snaps as my old colleague used to call them...I think I have a give away packet of parsnips on the sideboard side...somewhere.....

C.

[oldherbaceous]

Sounds like you have had a sucessful day, Clive….I have done similar things….had a selection of oldish planes heading Eastwards, so take it they were heading to Shuttleworth…..one was a big old bi-plane, very impressive.

[tigerburnie]

Rained on off all day, so greenhouse work today.

[Primrose]

The protective covers finally taken off my outdoor tomatoes today so fingers crossed. Blue spikes on lupins have sudden shot up overnight and two cheerful delphinium spikes in full flower in a front garden border. Suddenly it,s all happening.

And indoors we suddenly have a plague of ants whixh have appeared from nowhere !

[tigerburnie]

Autumn back again, thick fog, drizzle and single figure temperatures

[oldherbaceous]

A friend of mine is in the Isle of Skye and she said the weather hasn’t been very good at all….I feel quite guilty, as the heat has just drove me out of the glasshouse….

[Westi]

I was down before 7am this morning as wanted to commandeer the hose for a bit to top up & clean the big Trugs I use for filling the can as well as a backup to the butts & the dog prefers them to her bowl. Only one person down so got that done with only one hiccough when some git ran over my plastic hose connector & broke it, but I have stocked up on spares! Finished weeding the onions & several other beds where they have popped up despite only a week or less since I last did it!

Had to trim some new growth off Plum Beauty as catching in my hair every journey through that path despite ducking & the tarragon had got a bit cocky so more like a hedge now but light can reach the other beds. Did all the needed re-sows & cross braced the net walk in enclosure. Absolutely no carrots showing from 3+ sows in the re-purposed cold frame, but the culprits were found with patience & lots of emptying that area. Them sneaky brown underground slugs were probably imported when I topped up from my compost & maybe even just eggs then?

Just the tunnel to sort now but not tomorrow as pretty cooked today despite the factor 30 & it was 38C+ in the tunnel with doors & vents open & I already grafted with the rest of the chores the last two days so avoided it. Overall very satisfied!

[Primrose]

Can't post the link but did anybody see the article in Sunday's Telegraph where a landlord incurred £10,000 worth of expenses when next door neighbour had to dig up her entire garden because the bamboo roots from his property had spread under her fence and burrowed across her entire garden. The invading roots filled two skips apparently

Luckily the landlord next door had liability insurance to cover that but the damage to his own property wasn't covered because his own tenants had planted it.

Definitely a thug plant, like Japanese Knotweed, to beware of !

[oldherbaceous]

Anyone have any thoughts to when we should start, “Early Summer Bits and Bobs”….

[Primrose]

June 1st I would think !

[oldherbaceous]

Your word is my command, Primrose….

Some Bamboo’s need to be avoided at all costs…their growing tips can pierce through virtually anything!

[tigerburnie]

Why are plants like those bamboo species allowed to be sold in the uk, the Victorians could plead ignorance, but we know there are invasive plant causing chaos, there's a huge cost here in Scotland trying to eradicate rhododendrons and skunk cabbages.