What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

I have started on a permanent multi seasonal pot to stand by the front door. It's not the prettiest of pots but it should be perfectly functional for the time being.

I started it off with a sarcococca. It had been happily growing in its interim pot since last spring and so it was about time it moved up to a more permanent home.

I bought a couple of cheap pots of daffodils. They were slightly passed their best but next year they should come up fine.

For good measure I have pushed in a cutting of Ivy. I have no idea whether it will take or not.

I was thinking of agapanthus for summer interest. I dont know how compatible they are with what's already there. I was thinking of some kind of trailing perennial. I thought about Vinca but I think it might be too aggressive. Lastly I was thinking of something like primroses or aubrieta.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

G.

 

Yep until they scrapped the toll, back in December, it was £11.60, for a van, £8.60 for a car, and £16.60 for a lorry.

 

You make your own potting soil as well. Is that a pot of sand for your cuttings? On the right by the bag

 

Spent most of today in the garden had my thick fleece on though, the wind cut straight through you, been mixing up soil, grit and mpc, potted up my plug plants and repotted some agastache and verbena, cut back some plants that have new growth showing, found some of last years seed I'd forgotten about so I've just chucked it around the garden, wrong time of year, wrong way, but it's got more chance of growing than in the packet Don't want to sound soppy but with the all the stuff that's going on in the country I had a real buzz when I went in the greenhouse this morning, seedlings growing, new shoots on plants, new leaves growing, it's like a breath of fresh air.

 

Actually unless a seed is not to be covered in order to germinate, I cover the surface of the pot with a thin layer of sand. It has proven helpful in discouraging soil gnats. .. I could be wrong but ..

 

I agree, the mild salts can keep most insects at bay, whilst forming a barrier against thripps, It maybe what you call knats, we call Thripps, a tiny fly that hovers over pots etc, that are attracted to a higher salt content of mass produced cheaper compost, like a mulch. My comment about the sand was with regards to a low nutrient media, which forces the forming roots of seed or cuttings, to go looking for nutrients, therefore creating a bigger rootball. So sand used to be used, instead of modern seed and cutting compost.

 

Two of the gift shops who stock my stuff have closed due to corona virus and the third shop will close soon I suspect. The new shop whose waiting list I am on is run by elderly volunteers so I imagine they have already closed. So, I guess I will have more time for gardening ........ unless I die from malnutrition that is. Crazy panic buying everywhere, struggling to find usual foods or fruit and veg.

Today has been sunny but chilly so had an hour or so outside. I decided to cut part of the Beech hedging with the electric hedge cutter I bought last year. I can truthfully say that it isn't up to the job, hedge didn't look as if it had been cut . I also strimmed the strip of grass between the hedge and the bun runs. I discovered the remains of a under the hedge, just a pile of spines left . Two male Sparrows have taken up residence in the two nest boxes on the telegraph pole. The boxes do not have perches so I thought I would put in a couple of screws for them before they get too comfy. However, upon closer inspection I realized both boxes are somewhat dilapidated and need replacing. I do remember looking at them in the autumn and thinking they needed replacing and then forgot about it. So, will buy two new boxes ASAP and hope the Sparrows don't notice. There's no actual nest building yet.

Something is going on in my pond. There were around 100 tadpoles in there and now there is 6 . The remaining tadpoles are still very much tadpoles and I check the pond most days. I don't think they became frogs.

 

@Cuttings thank you for the information. I also use sand on my soil blocks. Drop seed in Dibble made vy the block maker, sprinkle sand to cover. I get a very nice rate of germination and glad of it as I rarely buy plants.

There are are couple of items I cannot find seed to start and it is very puzzling because in the spring, the plants are abundant and inexpensive. One that comes to mind is a potato vine!

 

The last two days I've managed four hours in the garden, the first in months due to the weather. I've moved plants around in my one and only bed so that I can grow more runner beans this year. I've also tidied up the edges of that, it doesn't take long for the lawn to take over. I've also planted the Lonicera I bought about six weeks ago that's been waiting for the worst of the frosts to disappear.

In my front garden I've been dragging large rocks around on an old sack as they're to heavy to lift. I'm gradually rebuilding one of the dry stone walls at the top of my drive to stop drivers using it as a passing place. I live on a single track road and they are creating ruts. Annoyingly there's a proper passing place just thirty feet further on.

The neighbouring horses had there eyes on me while I was working waiting to see if they were going to get some grass cuttings, their field is now bare. It's not been dry enough to mow the lawns but hopefully they'll get their first cut next week and the horses get a treat.

 

It's 19f and expected to rise to 30f and be a sunny day. I've refilled the indoor receptacles for the cap watering and later will do the ones in the greenhouse. It is a toasty 48f in there and I am so grateful the heater is a steady friend.

I will be out in the back this afternoon taking apart some of the old watering lines that were in the greenhouses before I started with the capillary style set up so as to salvage lots of extra feeders for the back gardens and a couple more for hanging pots. So nice to be able to reuse lines instead of tossing them in the recycle.

The ground is still quite frozen so that will be a no go job. And I need to repair the French glass door I was using as a lid for one of the cold frames as the one side has come loose. I've got wood glue and clamps ready but unfortunately it is too cold so in the short term, I have wrapped the exposed wood in plastic to try to keep it dry.

 

Today started off well. Cut the paddock before letting the chickens out. Back in for a bit of breakfast and I noticed that the tyre on the sit on mower was flat. Couldn't find the leak so tried removing the wheel which was stuck solid to the shaft. Drained the oil (it was ready for its annual change), mower on its side, hammered the wheel off. Removed a few thorns and the self sealing gunk inside the tyre did its thing. Decided to change the oil on the other mower which meant tidying some of the garage first.

This mornings gardening jobs took a bit of a back seat. Planning to do a bit of tidying up in the tunnel this afternoon.... unless another curve ball comes my way

 

Silly me I should have said painted the shed roof all done now. I have a nice red face due to the hot sun or it could be wind burn.