WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2017

Thanks @BeeHappy. It was just that my wife questioned why I was mucking in now and not waiting until spring. It makes perfect sense to me to start the soil improvement process as early as possible.

G.

 

Beware of the blood fish and bonemeal if you have dogs-they love digging in it!

 

@Jack Sparrow The only thing to make sure is that it is well rotted down - the only exception would be if it was going in a bed that was going to be left dormant until the manure was well rotted
@Snorky85 thanks for mentioning that -yes they do - just going to add that to this post norty pooches LOL

 

Ha ha....hope so taurusmmuk :rasp:
Snorky, foxes too will dig to get at FBB .....

 

Our dogs will eat the manure.

G.

@BeeHappy The manure I'm collecting will be fresh. Some of the beds I'm hoping to plant spring bulbs. The others I intend to leave for the time being.

G.

 

Can you use horse manure in a garden?
Fresh manure should not be used on plants to prevent the possibility of burning their roots. However, well-aged manure, or that which has been allowed to dry over winter, can be worked into the soil without the worry of burning.

@Jack Sparrow
As above i can only advise that fresh manure will be too acidic for all planting -thats why if you google it will always state WELL ROTTED manure for any immediate planting- So i would avoid adding bulbs into the soil with fresh manure- if you have a compost heap add a couple of buckets to the compost heap to accelerate it breaking down adding to the compost heap will also kill off some of the weed seeds that are naturally present in any manure ....and top dress and very lightly fork in not too deep to avoid any potential damage to the bulbs - that bulb bed/border that you planted up this Autumn with the manure compost next Autumn

 

No I don't have a compost heap. It would be great if I had because then I wouldn't have to worry about transporting my mountain of shrub trimmings to the local tip. I would like to have one but I need to clear the space first. By the time that happens there will be nothing left to put on it.

If I don't use it right away the manure will have to stay in plastic bags until such time I find somewhere else to put it. Perhaps I will have to forego spring bulbs for this year and start afresh next year.

 

@Snorky85 I watched the video Zigs put on. Well done . Free plants too . Roger downloaded last year's GW from a torrents site, so been working our way through that. I really like it . But, Monty Don's garden makes me realise just how bad mine is. He must have a full time gardener to keep it that clean and neat - and how does he stay so clean I'm always filthy and mud streaked after a couple of hours.

Sadly the hoggy with injured leg died during the night

 

Yesterday I looked at this

This is the new soakaway. And then I went and looked at this

This used to be grass with Daisies and Dandelions and red Campions. Then I went and looked at this

And then I went and made a coffee and snacks and sat on patio listening to and watching the birds.. Later I shovelled more gravel out of area where the sink is.

 

Aww soo sorry to hear that. At least he's at peace now

 

@luciusmaximus Awww so sorry to hear

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RIP-You were one very loved Hog -Happy snuffing little man ​

 

Just got inside before it started bucketing it down. Chopped down more sweet peas on the perimeter of the garden, dead headed a load of rose bushes and then dead headed/chopped all the dead flower heads on the lambs lugs. Pulled out a load of couch grass etc. Filled another massive builders sack full!

Was going to go out and hoe over to get the annoying little weeds out but it might be too wet now after this downpour. So annoying.

 

Raining here too Snorky,

 

I think I need to move down to West Cornwall, all this talk of the sea.. sun & blue skies with one-off nurseries specialising in the best perennials. Way to make a man hungry, eh

 

Working in a large garden today.A couple of hours in the Orangery watering the Orange trees,pot plant display and brushing up dead flies .Then to the rose garden for deadheading roses,they are still budding and flowering.And trimmed the old flower stalks from Agapanthus.