WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY - 2022

A GC member has contacted me concerned about my feeding the horses grass cuttings.

I'd like everyone here to be aware that this should not be done without the owner's permission. Grass cuttings can give horses colic and make them very ill, sometimes fatally. I was given permission by the owner to feed the horses as long as the cuttings are freshly mowed. If the horses are at the fence waiting I will feed them, if they are not the cuttings are put elsewhere in my garden. I would never take the chance of putting the cuttings over the fence assuming the horses would appear at a later point - they may not.

 

Planted up some more large pots with tulips and hyacinths wallflowers and polyanthus,then picked a lot of cooking apples.

 

I've had a bit of rain over the past couple of weeks, but last weekend although the veg bed was not too bad (regularly cultivated) when planting some shrubs then down below 4 in the ground was dry and broke up into large hard clods.

 

Trying to turn over the compost in my new composter with little success. I think I will give up on it and if it does anything by next Spring, good oh.

 

Not done anything on the balcony today as I'm waiting for my son to bring me a bag of compost I asked him to get me a few days ago.

 

I wasn't sure until I went outside at 0700 hrs and found that the badgers had been looking under rocks in the rockery, they don't put them back when finished. So first job move the rocks back, then dead head weed and prune as required.

 

Which design of composter do you have?

 

Yesterday potted up 4 large pots with tulips and wallflowers and helped hubby clear up the pyracantha hedge trimmings, haven't finished that yet have to do it in stages.

 

It is 300L capacity.

 

Sowed some primrose daniella seeds into a pot and placed them into a cold frame.

Been a busy week again with hedge trimming. Plants being lifted. Bulbs planted. But at least the weather has been kind.

 

shhh, don't tell anyone...


Well, actually I will be deadheading, collecting seeds and pulling up spent annuals.

 

But you don't really want her in your garden do you?

 

Ah, the Ecomaster 300.
Does not offer any method beyond shoveling from front to top, not very user friendly. Only suggestion would be to obtain 4 or 5 tubes to insert when filling to ensure air can permeate. Remove these 'core' pipes when filled. Ideally to stand on blocks to allow air in, or make a pallet base. Similar to the Johnson-Su reactor*

I shall stick with my pallet collection !
*https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...farm-biology&usg=AOvVaw3By7IRf9R0Z3YNujCZAkDS

 

Nothing again today! One of our gkids spent the night with us & so I couldn't get out onto the balcony to do anything! Plus my son has still not brought me the compost I asked him to get. He was going to bring it round this afternoon but we were preparing to go out with our grandson. Later he was too busy painting some walls at home to come round during the evening so he said he will bring it round tomorrow.

When I went to close the curtains over the balcony door I opened it & looked out for a moment to see if the sky was clear as I wanted to see the ISS pass over. (Around the equinoxes is the best time to see it pass overhead!) I'm glad I did that as I noticed that the trough on the central bar around the balcony railings had tipped over, (as it has a piece of wire keeping it on the bar it didn't fall off the the bar!), but the 3 Ice plants in pots in the trough were dislodged with one falling out onto the flowerpot beneath while another fell out & onto the balcony floor. The third was blocked from falling out by a big Dahlia plant. I had to scoop all the compost off the balcony floor & replant the Ice plant back in its pot & then water it in again. Hopefully nothing will have happened to damage the plant & it will continue to grow.