What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2020

Think i might have been successful with grafting rose onto some rose rootstock, did this 2 weeks ago, the blue thingy is a rubber band to keep it on.

 

I'm melting literally! So just deadheading today. On the up side I have 1 tomato on one of the 4 plants. A Beefsteak I've told my other half if it ripens and he wants to eat it its £20 pretty reasonable I think for all the effort it's taken to get it

 

Just got back from the Lake District (my annual trip to ypres had to be cancelled very last minute :( ) and the garden has gone mad!

Was too hot to do any weeding yesterday but been out weeding this morning in the pouring rain. Didnt care about getting soaked through-was just pleased it was cool enough to do some work out in the garden and pleased that it has rained!

 

You won't believe what I've just done.

Used my new Bosch hedge trimmer this morning - strutting around showing it off to the neighbours. Just as I'd finished trimming the hedge I cut through the piggin cable....

First time for everything I suppose - so I quickly gathered it up and got out the pole hedge trimmer on the prentense that I had finished with the new trimmer anyway.

Only give away - the expletive - but I don't think anyone noticed...

 

That's given me a good chuckle @clanless Maybe go for the bosch cordless next time

 

That's what he has got..... NOW

 

I had been relying upon the house rcd to cut off the power - but it didn't - so I've just ordered a proper rcd plug off Amazon.

I suspect that because the trimmer is new and razor sharp - I got away with it this time. This was the kick up the backside I needed to get a proper rcd. If I had cut through the wire with the elderly pole hedge trimmer - there may have been a very different outcome.

I've also ordered a waterproof cable connector to do the job properly.

Be safe out there everyone

 

I cut through my cable last year, it just blew the fuse.
I think the problem usually occurs when people pick up the cut end, and if it hasn't fused you get a surprise.
Most tools are insulated now.
I've sanded through belt sander cables a few times, not much happens if you dont touch it.

 

Last night I pottered up to my little lotty to have a look at some "yellow flowers" my mum said she had seen whilst she was dog sitting for us.

When I got up there-my oh my-the weeds that had grown in 2 weeks were huge! It was pouring down with lightening above but I had to pull some of the weeds! Went back up there this evening and took gloves so pulled out all the thistles etc. What a relief. I just cannot believe how much had grown!!

 

Pond update:

the water lilies have been potted up and each placed in a bucket of water - the level of which is just above the growth. The idea being to increase the level of the water over time to encourage the water liilies to grow to their pond ready height. They grow amazingly fast.

The floating planter has been planted up with 3 different plants and is doing well.

I was going to replace the pond water but decided to leave as is on the basis that treated tap water will contain no nutrients for the new plants. This is a bit of a double edged sword as the water needs to clear before I can put in the oxygenator (hornwort).

 

I dont think it will clear until you put the oxygenators in there, that's what they do, take the nutrient out of the water, so algae cant survive.
Dont replace the water.

The water lilies will also shade the water from sunlight again stopping algae growth.

 

I'm new to this pondkeeping game - the pond has been there for years - I originally only wanted it for the sound of the fountain.

Now you mention it pete - I have seen pictures of hornwort floating on the surface of a pond - but you can buy it with a weight attached as well. I'm going to take a punt and throw in a hand full of hornwort - if it floats it will get the sun it needs anyway.

Why do I keep wanting to call it hogwart? Is it a Harry Potter thing?

 

Finally back home in Belgium following a stay in the UK to see Mum....

Poor hubby had really struggled to keep things alive in the days of 35+c heat. We’ve lost the mangetout (old plants and young re-sows), and the runner beans looked awful with dead leaves everywhere. But once I’d picked them off, the plants look better, and we could see some beans! They have stopped flowering though, and won’t restart until the temp drops to 25c. Then it was removing the side shoots from the yellow pear tomato cordons in the veg beds, the dead leaves from the courgettes and squashes, the stunted courgettes from when the plants were hyper-stressed, and the dead leaves from the spinach.

We also picked out first ripe chillies (Hungarian black, Hungarian hot wax, vampire and Pikito)

today will be tidying up the patio table which is currently groaning under the weight of a chilli forest,


and removing all the excess side shoots and truss shoots from the main yellow pears, which grow against the warm wall of the house