WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

Hi,

Two weather forecasts for today; one for sun one for heavy rain; living here in Yorkshire rain obviously won and sack the person having a joke about it being sunny; it's another wet black hole as I type but we're used to it and I'm not complaining the wildflower meadows are coming on a treat.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Started sowing the wallflower seeds in the toilet roll tubes, done 105 of Fire King so far, have to do a lot because of casualties.
It's difficult to get the colours that i want, most of them are mixed
colours.

 

Rather depressing as I emptied out a number of failures from the greenhouse. Somethings I may try again others probably not.

 

Have you tried cuttings of the flower colours you like.

 

Agree pete that's what I've been doing for the last couple of years now, I took a load about 3weeks ago.

 

I've been re- staking the peas this morning after their recent battering from the rain, thought I would do it before the next rain hits this afternoon.

 

I repotted an Hibiscus sytiacus 'Kiss of Death' and a Justicia brandegeana lutea (Yellow Shrimp Plant), tidied up a sad looking Strawberry plant and watered my little nursery of Adenium, et al.

 

Hi,

Fed up of the usual fairy story known as the weather forecast I got it bang on today; I looked out of the window.

Pouring with rain I decided to start repairs on my petrol rotavator; tines had become damaged due to hitting stones and tree roots; I did bend the damaged tine tips but the same ones decided they wouldn't let me off so easily and bent again.

The rotavators on the bench and rather than new tines at I think around £40 the set and have these also become damaged I'm making new very heavy duty tines from plate steel.


New tines roughed out.

The original tines were riveted but here I'm tapping threads the new tines are to be bolted on; the securing set screws sticking up I'm aware should be sticking down but I didn't want to be fiddling around under the drill press table so kept my fingers clear during tapping.

One done the second almost done; lets see these bend out of shape; I felt tempted to weld but I never do "easy" the set screws are also thicker than the original rivets the rivets at 7mm dia the set screws at 8mm dia x 10mm long the ends will be riveted to prevent future problems because for me if it can go wrong in fact if it can't go wrong it will go wrong; I don't do jobs twice. Easy job for me being a mechanical engineer with a decent home workshop.

Problems started when one of my 20" petrol chainsaws stopped oiling the chain involving stripping and removing the pump which is now fine; then the rotavator tines decided to torment me; these should be sorted tomorrow and the petrol mower has died; this will be sorted after the rotavator but I so hope something else decides to wind me up as if I don't already work hard enough; retired 22 years now 75 years old and wondering what retirement will be like. I'm never ever bored; I'm learning to play my violins but only dream of studio time because there's always a more pressing job to do; whilst doing these repairs the Triffids are going ballistic; are violins allowed in a care home because the way I'm heading it's looking like the only peace I'll get.

After tea I think I'll bake a batch of ginger cookies then I won't be lazy.

Kind regards, Colin

 

Talking Wallflowers made me check on all the cuttings and amazingly all the roots were growing out of the bottom of their large communal pot!!! I only took the cuttings a few weeks ago.!!
I repotted them into individual pots.

I potted up the Cucumbers into their final large pots.

Checked over the established Strawberry plants all are in bloom now and some have the beginnings of fruit.
The Strawberries that I sowed this year are still miniscule so not feeling optimistic at sampling any this year....but .


Surprisingly we've had no rain today after all.

 

Yes they just rot, tried in water and in compost, all i get is a smell of cabbage.

 

Never had a problem @Logan , I wouldn't try them in water though. I use rooting compound and perlite for drainage and then cover the pot with a cut off plastic bottle and then forget about them. The compost only gets an initial watering when planting and no more until ,like today, I spot the the roots coming out the base of the pot. It's the best way to get the colours you like.

 

Thank you @Upsydaisy I'll try it.

 

Your welcome, good luck.

 

Yesterday cleared some space in the greenhouse, so moved out some semi hardy fuchsias, Echium candicans and E fastuosum, freesias that have finished flowering. Note on E pininana seedlings I thought I'd lost the lot over the winter, but over recent weeks I've found a number which have germinated this spring or perhaps survived the cold weather; anyway I expect I'll be reducing their numbers by mid summer.
Today continue to get green house set for summer.