WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2017

Up the plot - potted on par-cel, parsley, chard, spinach and perpetual spinach, sowed beans (finally!); runner, dwarf french and some yellow podded type I was given off plot opposite, melons from a friend in Ireland, Heinz tom seeds (totally forgot about them), courgette, a gourd(?!why!?).
Flowers; sunflowers, cosmos, calendula, marigolds, dahlias (totally forgot about them too, blooms for bees trial seeds), borage and rudbeckia and also direct sown salsify (I enjoyed my freebie from the plot).

Nothing in my garden.. I hate having half a fence, I've ordered 10 panels for that side (Found out it's shared ownership between me and council. Not waiting for them to build the wall, sod it..will have to do the rest of the garden, I suppose!)
My dahlias are shooting up and got buds on 3 others! Still got a load of glads to put in plus my hanging baskets to plant up with annuals and tomatoes.. I'll cut the grass tomorrow before I go away but everything else can wait till frost has passed.

 

Not much today .... planted the two Ferns by the mini pond and added a few rocks to create shelter. Potted up a Lithodora. Moved one of the hedgehog houses onto the patio.

I don't have anyone to feed the birds when we go away next month, so I've bought plastic chicken food and water dispenser. Set up the water dispenser several days ago and removed the usual water supply in an attempt to get the birds used to the idea of the water dispenser. They have flatly refused to go near it. This afternoon I placed the dispenser in an empty bird bath, but they wouldn't entertain it at all. Going to set up food dispenser tomorrow. Expecting same reaction. They might decide to leave once the usual window boxes/ hanging feeders are taken down. If one would just try it the others will follow. I know the dispensers are strange and they are wary of new things but the water and food are the same.

 

Hardly did anything yesterday due to headache from lack of tea (doing a detox)

Still took doggy to garden centre and bought a new Buddleja Pink Delight and a Eurphorbia. Put some plug lavenders into the cold frame to harden off.

 

Well, we finally finished filling the second veg bed. At the moment it doesn't have raised sides, just 1 metres deep of compost/manure. We will build the raised beds this autumn, topping up the bed again at that point.

I've alternate-layered the "new" compost with fresh horse manure, in the second compost bay. Hopefully that will rot down quite quickly, and make me lots of compost for the autumn. The final bay is still being emptied. Thinking I might bag up the remaining ready-to-use compost, so I can do a similar "club sandwich" in the final bay too... if I have the strength to get yet more manure from the stables! The grooms are very friendly. But I think they are concerned that I might be using the raw muck on my garden. I wish my horticultural French stretched far enough to be able to reassure them!

I need to sow some more French beans indoors, as only half came up from the last sowing. I also want some for a local couple who host many refugees in the area. We are starting a veg garden for them, to give fresh veg, new skills, and HOPE! To the refugees. Unfortunately we are a little limited on what Iranian-style veg can be grown in chilly Belgium!

Need to cut the grass this afternoon as well, as the latest series of frosts has passed...

 

I payed 5 of these the other day and put my back out. They are very heavy and awkward to handle.
Rusty

 

Just potted up some peppers. Second sowing as some from the original got fried due to a loose connection on my thermostat The ones that survived have weird leaves but still alive. Guess I'll have to wait and see what happens next..

 

Well we have a lovely little Hardwood Greenhouse. Cleared it all out. Washed all the Algae off n now rubbing down the wood. Ready to stain.

Never had a Greenhouse before. Takes me back to Mother & Grandads have them

 

transplanted a few stray plants last night. and thinned some bulbs to other locations. Raining all day today. and off to work.

 

Typical, day off and it rains

 

Had to go shopping this morning. Complete chaos in Holyhead, people driving like idiots, guy in Tesco's collided with me because he wasn't looking where he was going ( and didn't apologize! ), kids screaming. Was in such a bad mood when I got back.

Sat in garden wearing 2 fleece's, woolly hat and wrapped in a blanket as very cold wind today, plus overcast. Felt much better after 2 coffees, lots of chocolate and listening to the birds singing. Mrs Ratty appeared as usual. I saw something I've never seen before. One of the Robins picking up suet pellets and feeding them to another adult Robin . The one being fed was flapping its wings and chirping like chicks do but it was an adult Robin. Googled it. I've seen them doing the courtship dancing but didn't know the male feeds the female too

Cleaned out shed this evening and found a pond pump that I had forgotten about . Also a bag of Daff bulbs that have sprouted, will they be okay to plant this autumn?

Turned out to be a nice evening, so sat on bench out front watching the Swallows. At least 6, think they just arrived today ( we've been checking the skies for them daily ).