What are we doing in the garden 2024

Nothing will be happening out there today as it's to be much the same as yesterday and weather isn't suitable. Breaking the ice on the pond, and the other water tray, so that the birds can get in, will be about the size of it. I think they had a chillier bath yesterday than they've been having recently!
Did nothing out there yesterday other than the feeders, filling a fat ball ground feeder for the blackbirds, and the aforementioned ice removal.

@Retired - I used to give the locks a spray of WD40 and then make sure the windscreen cover came round far enough to protect the door a bit, or add another small cover if the windscreen one wasn't big enough. Helped a lot when having to go out for work etc, and daughter's car was always a bit iffy, so it helped her quite a bit as she left at the back of 5am for work. I think you can get protectors for locks too, but I might be wrong about that.

 

Hi,

Many thanks @fairygirl for your very useful suggestion. WD40 is wonderful stuff; I have 5L of it. I think I'll take your advice and start covering the windscreen. During our short hot summer I use a folded bedsheet tucking it under the wiper blades and with cotton tapes to the other two corners; these I tie around the front door handles; the sheet used to be red but now it's pink; the car has full leather interior which I try to protect from the sun; I treat the leather at least twice yearly.

It's highly likely you'll too have snow this morning @fairygirl because you're located much further north than I am.


Our rear garden this morning.


Across the valley; it's a winter wonderland.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Good pictures @Retired - not much point taking pictures here - we just get rain! But at least today it might be dry and cold so I can clear up dead stems etc. to try to make the garden a bit more presentable

 

Nice wee sprinkle there @Retired. The forecast altered, and it meant the front moved further south than me, so it's mostly north of Scotland that's had it - which isn't unusual at all. We don't get much in the way of snow here where I am, until after New Year, although we do get it in December, but we don't tend to notice it much until it gets to at least several inches. There's definitely less of it than there used to be though. The mild winters mean more ice rather than snow, which is much worse IMO. We still get over forty frosts in what I'd call a mild winter. It's all relative isn't it?

I had a big piece of heavy duty, coated bubble wrap which I think came with something I'd ordered. It was great for the windscreen. The car I now have has a heated windscreen, so I gave it to my daughter. Her car is smaller, so it really wraps round everything well.
I have to WD the bolt on the back gate when it's icy too, otherwise I'd need to climb over it on frosty days!

 

I picked some more tomatoes, just beginning to colour, to finish ripening indoors. Everything comes to those who wait.
Cut down all but the last vine which still has some tomatoes on it. Next job will be to wash the inside of the greenhouse and move semi tenders into it for shelter.
Loads of clearing in the garden still waiting to be done. Too wet and windy to work outside today.

 

Nothing today it's snowing.

 

Hi,

Oh dear @Logan; I did try to keep it in Yorkshire but it got out.

It'll be cold for you walking your boys in the snow.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Think I'll go out later and pack the dahlias away and bring the ensete in.

I sold a 125cc motorbike to a mate of mine, he decided to clean the disc brakes with WD40 keep in mind everywhere here is up and down hill, some dirty underwear that day but it did clean his disc brakes he said

 

@Retired Hello Col. Same scene here too , didnt expect that , bit of a shock really . Still snowing now and creating a nice light duvet for the borders to insulate the soil a little before it freezes properly after dark.

 

I would think the prevailing weather has kept us all away from the garden today but yesterday i spent a very rewarding couple of hours shelling my borlotti bean harvest . They had been left drying longer than intended but i got 1.5 kilos of beans which are now stored in Kilner jars in the dark .i grew a climbing variety this year , borlotto lamon. First sowing failed just like nearly everything i sowed in the spring . Second sowing was successful but late and i think it was early October before i harvested the pods to dry. The pods were certainly dry when i hulled them . I now look forward to the winter stews incorporating some borlottis which are delicious so long as we remember to soak them the day before !

 

Hi,

My two little feathered friends said hello this morning so I popped out with their mealy worms;



One on the left sitting on top of a cats head the other on the step; mealy worms middle. I love to see these; both are very nosy watching what I do in the garden; this is the first time I've managed to get a picture of them together.

The snow is rapidly melting but tonight will be treacherous at -5C I won't be going out.

Kind regards, Col.

 

Packed the dahlias away in the wooden boxes mulched with dry woodchip and brought in the rest of the tender stuff like the orange leaonrus nepetiflia and ensete upside down on the floor

 

Not much done here today apart from clearing last night’s snow off the fronds of my tree fern and realising that the damage done to my Zebra grass is going to require an earlier cut down than usual. Seeing that bed a bit flattened is tempting me to try something new in that area next year.

 

That’s an impressive yield you’ve got there @Perki!

 

Hi,

I cleared 2" thick snow from the car this afternoon before visiting the pharmacy for Bron's prescription.

It could be over twenty years ago since I had a cold; now my nose is a leaking tap and has been for the last two days; if this carries on I'll be called Rudolf. How strange though; I recently had a flu jab.

C'mon @Perki you've still got a bit of space left over on the floor.

Kind regards, Col.