What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

Not what I wanted to hear having only one fully functioning knee, is there a chemical option?

 

I've spent the morning bucketing up 32 large buckets full of rubble we dug out of the ground when planting the trees - all building rubble! Took it to my next door neighbours rubble heap (she has a valid waste licence). I am totally exhausted. And I've smashed in all my nails and ripped some quite low in the process, despite using gloves. I've then done our "shop" and filled up the fridge....only for us to have a damn weird power cut - on off on off on off on....which has messed up our big kitchen fridge. So i've had to go and turn on our small spare fridge in the garage and fill it with the essentials out the main fridge. We're now trying to fix the big fridge. I'M FED UP AND EXHAUSTED!

 

There is nothing wrong with my eyesight, I can read just fine so you don't have to put words in bold to make your point.

 

Waiting, ironically for Ireland, for rain before I can do much more, and also splurged all my energy and more yesterday so a planning abed day here; well that is the idea! My next splurge needs to be at the north facing back and involves the old dog crate as shelter and pea climbing frame on the outside using a large fish box as planter and cabbages and strawberries inside.... safe from any passing hares!

 

The flowers look the same as yours but I cut it back to ground level every year. I don't use chemicals either but I'm in the position that I can neither use my left leg to dig or to support my right leg to dig so the only digging I can do is with my arms, I suppose the other option is to leave things as they are but that's not me particularly when I have so much time on my hands at the moment , I had a few plans before my knee went like this and as long as I can get about I'll do my best to carry on with them, unfortunately if I need to use chemicals as a last resort then that's what I'll have to do.

 

Had a day off work so a very lovely day out there. Potted on seedlings, my trial plants Costus and Tree Basil are doing very well. The "should have googled first" plantation of Chia seeds is doing way too well, they are about 30cm tall and very vigorous. Very.

First chillies and Cosmos needed bigger pots. Then I massively ran out of windowsills. Maths is supposed to be my strong subject, and yet every single year I sow seeds until windowsills are bursting and then am very surprised that bigger pots need even more space. Why did I sow Cosmos (Cosmi?) when I absolutely don't have room for them remains a mystery.

My project of raised bed is going well, its now partitioned with a bit of cardboard and root fabric to keep the future tomato and cucamelon roots on their side, and the first round and purple carrots, as well as Boltardy beetroots are in, tucked safely under fleece. Some dill here and there of course. The lettuce in the washing up bowl has germinated, and spring onions are showing up. Both had a nice fleece coat too.

I discovered that I like beetroots in all stages. The young leaves are delicious, both young and stored roots my favourites, and even the seeds are fun. Should I be worried...?

The front border is too much for me. I ripped out a binful of Erigeron that is no longer flowering well. Approximately 50 cuttings are to go back in later on. The sucker rose in the middle of it will stay in, there is no way I can get it out. I'll just cut it down as it grows.

Anthirrinums are apparently perennial. They are sprouting nicely from the remains of last year's stems. I'll let them do what they want just for the fun of it.

 

Lots of bits and pieces here over the last few days; sowed the tomatos, and potted on the chillis, red cabbage and celeriac seedlings, along with last years fuscia and salvia cuttings. Both the propogators and the coldframe are at full capacity now so it's a constant game of jenga to work out what is most in need of going where.

Also did lots of general tidying and pruning, and gave the lawn it's first, much needed, mow and treatment. It's been an incredibly soggy winter here and we also had a series of builders and scaffolders criss-crossing it at various points due to issues with the flat upstairs, so it is in desperate need of some TLC.

I seem to be suffering from pest problems far more this spring than I remember in previous years; I found what I assume is vine weevil in several of the strawberry pots, so they've all have a nematode treatment, but lots of other plants are looking distinctly nibbled, so I'll start a new thread in the appropriate place for that.

Covid has wiped out basically all my work for April; on the plus side I have lots of time to spend outside, but on the downside I have no income, and our house purchase is on indefinite hold, so all the time that could be spent usefully working on the new house and garden is instead mostly going to be spent kicking our heels Overall I think the downsides have it

 

Sowed some more Cosmos, Zinnias and Petunias. Lovely in the greenhouse but still a tad nippy in the breeze.

 

Fed the birdies first thing and then moved the remaining unplanted pleached trees out of the front garden border so they are out of the wind.

Got the pick axe out and broke up some of the front border and forked a section over and added some calcified seaweed soil conditioner. Got the electric tiller out, used it for about 2 minutes and it burnt out! Talk about blimmin annoying. Then started with a stinking migraine so have had to come in and go to bed. Feeling rotten again and to be honest slightly narked about an unfair/unfriendly comment someone made on a different thread-but then again, probably feeling a bit sensitive with all this rubbish going on in the world. Ugh.

 

Potted on my tomatoes this morning. It was great to spend a bit of time in the warmth of the tunnel.

Havent done any more in the garden as I was clearing out the garage so that we can get to the chick cages in readiness for the imminent hatching of eggs.

Chicks are auto sexing so the cockerels can be identified on day 1. Female left, male right