What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

I grow as much as I can, I just dont produce too many of each perennial, usually 36 or 54 of approx 180 perennials, and I have quite a few rare or not common anymore. From seed, this year approx 250,000 plants, mainly bedding, veg, tomatoes etc, then from cuttings approx 50,000 plants, mainly Geraniums, petunia and other basket plants. We live on site in a bungalow, so its out the door and i am in work, now the days are lengthening, I start early, finish about 5pm, with lots of tea breaks, later in summer, I can be out planting etc, at about 4am, then at opening time, take it easy, and finish watering about 10pm, but with lots of tea breaks throughout the day, nearly finished planting, just a last round of seed, and cuttings, then it eases until may, when we start on autumn crops,mthen it goes quiet, until autumn, when we start, division and hard wood cuttings, then xmas trees, with January off. Apart from early seeds.
Some of not so common plants we propergate are Enkianthus, cercidiphyllum, Eucomis and dwarf Eucomis, Serrulata, Echium Webbii, Salpiglosiss, Schizanthus, Oleander (got a nice varigated one with double apricot flowers), Cimicifuga, Muckdenia, Paulownia, amongst others.

 

@Snorky85 there's just no pleasing some people is there? They've obviously got nothing better to occupy their time.

 

Didn't fix the fence yesterday, weather turned to cold wind driving drizzle. So spent the afternoon planting stuff in the greenhouse and listening to "The Man With the Golden Gun" on Radio 4.

 

Church is closed for the non-lockdown lockdown, so I had the morning to do some gardening!

I raked the rough material that had risen to the surface from the compost topping to the two lower raised beds, then re-topped with some fine 2-year old compost. It’s been sitting in compost bags for a year, having gone through the three-bay rotation. Looks lovely stuff!
5 barrow-loads of compost (from the final bay) put onto the top bed, up to and around the stand of broccoli plants. This was then capped with some more bag-mature compost, mainly to protect the compost worms that hadn’t finished doing their stuff. I know the birds will feast well, without clearing out all those hard-working helpers!

Then it was time to install the two soft-cover cloches on the middle bay, and fix the rigid cloche over the planting trough under the kitchen window. All ready to benefit from the occasional sunshine that we have been forecast this coming week.

ohh, and sowed my first batch of Oregon suger snap peas....

 

Made a bit of space on the bench by moving some hardy stuff into the fruit cage. I then made space on the heated bed by moving some of the less tender stuff onto the bench space that Id created.

Then a bit more sowing :

Gaillardia Torchlight
Lobelia Crystal Palace
Cleome boliviensis
Lobelia cardinalis Queen Victoria
Yellow tomatoes (name unknown as they were labelled up as gardeners delight)
Buffalo Heart tomatoes

Heated bed now full again - will have to shuffle more plants about later

 

Well seen as football not on anymore I seem to have to much time to do some gardening .

I've been in the GH pricking out seedling Antirrhinum majestic / admiral - Petunia Axillaris - verbena . Sowing some more seeds with some second attempts on some, Salvia hastata / crassula seeds have been in the fridge for the pat 3-4 weeks trying to break their dormancy.

Potted on petunia cutting which surprisingly took really well , and re potted some pelargoniums / petunia which mange to overwinter in the GH.

 

Today was a nice easy day, so had time to slow roast a shoulder of pork 5 hours, after it had been marinating in a home made BBQ sauce over night, just turned it into pulled pork, wacked it into pita bread with salad, now sitting in my chair, feeling like a beeched whale (no resemblance in looks I hope), and wondering how long I leave it before, I crack open some ice cold cider.
So if I'm on here at 10pm tonight trying to tell jokes, just tell me to go to bed.

 

Sounds fantastic - I’ve got some homemade coleslaw to go with it....?

 

Blocked drains greeted me as I stepped out into the back garden this am. Not sure why they're blocked but suspect it's an accumulation of stuff being put down the sinks that shouldn't . So, instead of some pruning I spent my time cleaning out two drains and pouring down 3 bottles of drain unblocker - which doesn't seem to have achieved much.

I had to go into Tesco to get bunny veg as unable to book a home delivery slot due to panic buying reducing availability of food. It was total chaos, empty shelves everywhere, lots of people clogging up the isles and complaining, but at least my bunnies have fruit and veg for a few days. Rather surprised that there was quite a lot of fruit and veg on the shelves. I was very stressed and in a terrible mood by the time I got home. Wasn't up for art or gardening or anything else. So,sat on bench and fed the birds and the rats, which made me feel better. Crows in the pine tree were making a bit of a racket.

 

The sun is out and the outhouse door has finally been fixed, so I can access the lawnmower and powerwasher again It's been swollen shut all winter, which would have been fine if my Christmas hyacinths hadn't been stuck on the wrong side of it

Today's jobs are mainly lots of potting on (chillis, celeriac, red cabbage) and sowing (to be confirmed!) I've been trying to pace myself this year in anticipation of moving house this spring, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last - we're *hoping* to hear about a completion date this week, but who knows if corona will actually let us go ahead on schedule...

 

I reckon you are correct. Its definatelt Liliaceae

 

The blocked drains I mentioned yesterday turned out to be worse than initially thought. Further inspection this morning revealed the pipe leading to septic treatment plant backed up with sewage the whole length of the pipe and the wire netting covering the media balls in the plant itself had partially collapsed allowing the balls to spill into the chambers and up the pipe . Hefin Thomas came out within two hours of my phone call (there's service ). Guy said the problem is the heavy rainfall we've had over past few months coupled with the high water table has allowed water from the soakaway and surrounding fields to seep back into the plant. The water broke the wire netting and the escaped balls blocked the pipe. It's all been sorted now but it could happen again. It's currently again.

No gardening time except filling bird feeders and peering into the pond. I need another pond net as R used it to fish out the media balls

 

I've been busy digging out the 15 Portuguese laurel trees that I planted last year (before we got the approval for the fence). I've got a petrol rotorvator being delivered on Thursday to dig over the border and the 23 big trees will be arriving Thursday too! EEEK! Mr Snorks has to work from home now so at least he is here for when the trees arrive just incase the neighbours kick off.