Spring Bits and Bobs.

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Westi
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Weather played really nicely today & I have got all the brassica's in & netted. I have way too many as got too impatient waiting for them to come up, & did 2nd sows but I think I can live with that but they are taking . This took all morning though, a lot of that time trying to put the tunnel net back on, I'm just that wee bit too short & had to muck around with the steps.

Tomorrow I will plant the sweet peas which are going a bit crazy & get the 2nd earlies in & finish digging the main crop bed. The coming weeks forecast has changed for the positive, not without some rain & wind & definitely without sunshine, but light showers now & temp holding......we will see! ;)
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Myrkk
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How exciting OH. Here’s to a plethora of hoglets in your future.
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oldherbaceous
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Seems a little dark this morning…🙂
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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Primrose
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Happy Easter everybody!

Broke open a Cadbury,s Easter egg this morning. What a disappointing experience. I'm not a huge chocolate consumer but since they were taken over by Kraft some years ago I suspect their chocolate formula has changed, very much for the worse.. Wouldn,t bother again, a bit like being offered a Marmite flavoured hot cross bun!
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oldherbaceous
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Happy Easter, Primrose……how disappointing about your egg!
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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Clive.
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Well, I bought some hot cross buns this morning when down the co-op...haven't had them for years...hope I didn't get marmite flavour.. ;)

C.
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vivienz
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My greenhouse sowings are coming along nicely, with plenty of brassicas and flowers. Some duds from old seed that I took a chance on, so I've already re-sown with newer seed. I suspect that seeds that languished in my greenhouse last year got too hot and have gone crispy, so I shall have a sort out of packets that are of a dubious age.
Thursday's weather gave us a bibilical amount of rain here - our local access road was cut off by flooding to anything smaller than a tractor or vehicles with snorkels. Our ground is still so, so wet and more rain to come over the next couple of weeks that I can't see us being dry before May; it's going to be a very crowded greenhouse by the time I get stuff into the raised beds.
On a positive note, my greenhouse strawberries are flowering and fruiting prolifically now. These are my loved and nurtured old ciflorette plants, a French strawberry variety which is super early and intensely sweet and flavourful. I'm hoping for fruit by the end of April. Another superb thing, drum roll, please, I picked my first asparagus yesterday. Happy days! It's scheduled to go into tonight's dinner as yesterday was already sorted - stuffed portobello mushrooms using my lovely young chard leaves instead of spinach. Very tasty. I've also seen the first central flower bud making an appearance in the heart of my green globe artichoke plant. Can't wait!
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oldherbaceous
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Very productive, Vivien ….glad i’ve started more stuff than normal, in the glasshouse this year.

On about strawberries, I sent Burnie a PM, but it hasn’t been opened, so I do hope he is okay……
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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oldherbaceous
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Just had a quick look and it looks like Burnie is still doing his Rugby stuff….so at least that is good!
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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vivienz
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I really must get out and tackle topping up my raised beds. I've had some bulk compost delivered but it's some distance between the compost and the beds with a muddy lake in between the two, not ideal for dragging a wheelbarrow through! I might enlist some help on that, though, as time is ticking with the seedlings and outdoor strawbs.

All this typing and posting is thirsty work - time for a cuppa and a hot cross bun!
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Clive.
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I've been sorting my prospective beetroot patch today....it had remnants of last years potatoes lingering about in there...and then ran in to some creeping sow thistle roots at one corner...
Forked over twice and then put the sharp spade in really deep to severe a few shrub roots that had found their way under there... light soil on a sunny slight slope... sun subject to availability on the day.... it's raining now and a cool East wind..

C.
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Westi
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Weather not quite as predicted, but quite nice on the plot, just a bit chilly. I did get the 2nd earlies in & the sweet peas. Fixed the arch over the path for them but feel this might be the arches' last year, but for the price it has stood up well but I did paint all the joins as rust starts in these weak points, but showing that vulnerability now. I'm thinking I might get 2 next year as it is really nice walking under it with sweet peas & other flowers & could even sneak a couple of small squash to climb the mesh I secure to the frame for the sweet peas.

All the membrane off the beds now, bigger net put over the spring greens as the birds have been having a peck & a bit of a tidy behind the shed as the wind had blown a few things off the shelving. Yellow rain warning in force overnight & tomorrow now, but not planning to go down until Wed, back needs a rest.
Westi
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Myrkk
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Switched the heated propagator off today as it’s been reasonably warm, for here anyway. The seeds planted off the heat are doing just as well as those planted with the benefit of some heat. It’s all so exciting having a garden again.

Sadly the local cats are used to using our raised beds as litter boxes so going to have to dissuade them of that idea. The shed by the raised beds stinks of cat urine. Anyone any ideas? Don’t want to use an ultrasonic as it will upset our pets. Might try a bag of lion dung, think I saw it on amazon.

Trying my hand out at a flower bed too, somewhat out of my comfort zone but hey gotta try these things. Very shady area.

Hoping it stops raining long enough for me to get my spuds in, they’re looking very ready.
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Westi
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If you throw holly leaves on beds frequented by cats they will find another place. The leaves curl up as they dry & they prickle their feet, also plastic forks with the tines up dissuade them.

Went down to the plot today as looking grim for the next few days...when will this rain & wind stop?? Did progress with the chores though, finished the last spud bed for planting, earthed up the brave few earlies popping up & their friends thinking about it! Levelled off, fed & dug over the 'to be' squash & pumpkin bed & put their summer cut out thick membrane put down, probs way to many stakes & bricks holding it down! Did start the weeding of the asparagus beds, but gave up when the under gardener decided to help as spears are up.
Westi
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oldherbaceous
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More rain over night and first thing this morning…..had some large flower beds to weed through for someone but, have put them off, would have done more harm than good, walking all over them!
The weekend is looking good, so hopefully things will start to dry out…..itching to get some things in, over the allotments!
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

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