WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2021

Just been sowing 7 more pots with pepper seeds. These are the two varieties of cayenne style chillies that I like and they grow quite nicely in the hanging pots and will spend the summer hanging in the greenhouse.

Also sown some catnip. Cats aren't allowed to roam in my town but once in awhile they must break out of the slammer and I see them in the back yard. I figure if they were clever enough to get out, they deserve a treat!

 

I was going to put my fuchsias back in the perspex shelter because the rain has watered them now but it's too windy. They'll be all right until tomorrow since I don't think we'll get frost tonight.

I've recently found a few vine weevils in the house, mainly in the bathroom. They must have come from the pots of Spider plants and Dracaenas overwintering in there, so I sent for some vine weevil killer.
However it makes enough to treat 12 sq meters Too much ! I only want it for a few house plants ... and you can't keep it or use some of it so it's no good ...

 

Is it the nematodes stuff you bought @Michael Hewett ? It's very good and I'd use the leftovers to give all houseplants a dose just in case, and any outdoors containers too.

Or, you could just get more houseplants so that you have 12 sq meters of them... waste not...

It's so windy here that outdoors gardening is on hold. When the wind dies I will have the pleasure to rake the rubbish flown in to my windtunnel- for some reason high winds always hit us on the bin day.

Today I have been potting on Echinops and Mini Angel trumpets seedlings, sown the only tomatoes I'm growing this year (Sweet Olive) and stupidly also some cucumbers (Piccolo di Parigi) before remembering they don't like transplanting when big so I'm way too early.


With a resolute determination I held off sowing Cosmos but failed not to sow just a tiny potful of Cucamelons. The windowsill situation is getting out of hands and that makes me very happy. It's spring

 

@Michael Hewett use any left over mixture for all potted plants, vineweevils like anything in pots.

 

All I did today was shower all my balcony containers in ceyenne powder and crushed chilies (my latest offensive against squirrels - it's early days and I feel daft doing it but so far I'm cautiously optimistic) and learnt a valuable lesson. If you've been handling the strongest spices Tesco has to offer, do not rub your nose no matter no itchy it is. For a while there I think I was smelling things better than my dog.

@Loofah gorgeous camellias!

@ARMANDII they both look good - I'd go for the first one personally as I like to lounge around on benches and hang various apendages over the arms

 

Ah, that could be a problem then.

 

They're both attractive @ARMANDII but I prefer the first one. It looks more solid and has the open trellis on the back.....for more climbers!

 

The snow has melted off the lawns and beds so I just did a little walkabout. I'm encouraged that I don't see any buck thorn seedlings in the lawn. I spent many many hours on hands and knees last summer to eradicate thousands of them and it worked.

Then I tried to put a stake in one of the raised beds and only the top 1/4" is thawed.

 

Thanks @Logan and @Selleri Yes it is the Nematode one I bought but I understand it doesn't work if the temperature is under 10 degrees so it won't be worth using it outside, and I don't need 3 watering cans full for my houseplants. Maybe I'll wait a few weeks in the hope of higher temperatures and then I can use it on outdoor pots and tubs as well as the indoor ones.

 

Well @ARMANDII Even though I'm not keen on the roof of the 2nd one it's the one I would choose because the first one would be drafty on you back, and also the sides of the 2nd one look better for climbing plants.
But I prefer the roof of the 1st one

 

Today the wind is still strong and it's rained on and off. Checked the seedlings in the greenhouse. Each day more are germinating. The sweet peas are off to a good start however the winners at the moment are the Alyssum. First time growing them and they had germinated within a couple of days.
Put up some more shelves in there too.
Cleaned out and refilled the bird feeders and put a little plate of mealworms on top of a chimney pot. Within the hour a little (very chunky) Robin had appeared and had itself a feast.

 

in the greenhouse this morning and doing a few salvia cuttings and potting on some snapdragon seedlings.

disappointed in the germination rate of my marigolds!

do you think i should remove the germinated ones and put them into a heated propagator or assume they're bad seed and write them off? they were sown 15feb.

other seedlings doing well...butternut squash and money maker toms...


sweet aperitif toms...


borage...


rudbeckia...and nasturtiums in the background


ladybird poppies...


and some peas have started sprouted (kelvedon wonder)


do peas need hardening off if they're grown in the greenhouse (heated) first?