I have started...... So I will finish! (Pictures).

0) Chopper,

I've been following your garden projects thread with great interest and I hope you continue to give us progress reports, although I expect it will go a bit quiet over the winter period - it does in my garden anyway!! I think Winter is a time for reading loads of gardening books & magazines and planning plantings and projects for the new year, at least, that's what I do. BTW, will you be planting any bulbs for the Spring at all? They always brighten things up at the beginning of the year and I love to see the first daffodils in February - a sign if ever there was one.

 

Hi Tiarella

Thankyou for your comments. Yes I will continue to update the thread. I still have a lot to do to the garden at the back of my house.

I am planning to build a raised bed for my strawberries in the morning and make a start on tidying up what is going to be the veg plot. I have done about 2/3 of the gravel path around the polytunnel, so that needs to be finished. Problem there is I have to do some heavy digging to finish that job and at the moment my neck and shoulders will not take that kind of punishment.

Since my last post I have added some cyclamen around the new pond and rockery. Also planted a lot of bulbs at the other side of the steps leading up to the new pond.

The staging in the polytunnel is finished and I now have 900 plug plants potted on into 3" pots. All of them perennials. I will do some pictures of the inside of the tunnel tomorrow.

Also spent some time looking at spring bulbs. I want lots of colour for as long as possible during the coldest months. Checked carefully with the bulb suppliers and bought what I hope is going to be a good selection. I have snowdrops, crocus and daffodils, but chose those which are claimed to flower from Janruary through to May. Bit of trial and error on this. I will be planting what I already have tomorrow. Big batches of single colours around the base of a Silver Birch in the front garden. Lots more around the base of a small Oak tree I planted several years ago.

As I said I have a hell of a lot of work to do in the garden. I also have quite a bit of motorcycle work to do as well. All of my Harleys are due for an oil and filter change. My Ultima El Bruto chop is due an oil and filter change plus new rear brake caliper, new tyres and new exhausts. My Suzuki Bandit is due for a new exhaust, new battery, oil and filter change, new plugs and an MOT.

Going to be a busy week!

Thanks for your interest in what I am doing, loving every minute of it.

Chopper.

 

Good grief, Chopper, you are certainlly a busy man. I bet the cyclamen looks good around the pond area. Your bulb plans sound brill and it seems you do your homework beforehand, which saves a lot of heartache as I am sure many can testify. I try to aim for bulbs from Jan to May too, starting off with pale colours (snowdrops & early daffs) and building up to sheets of vibrant colour using tulips with wallflowers. That's the plan, anyway. I think you may need to recruit a local school to help you plant the 900 plug plants next year!

Just how many motorbikes do you have ("all of my Harleys")???

 

I own three Harleys. A 2003 Sportster Sport 1200. A 2002 Heritage Softail and a 1992 FXR Superglide. All of my Harleys are heavily customised. My latest is an Ultima El Bruto 1850cc chop, which has a high compression race engine. Very very powerful. This one has been featured in numerous magazines and won several "Best in Show" awards. Bit of a beast to handle, drinks fuel and eats tyres, but I love every mile I do on her.

I also own a Kawasaki GPZ400 twin. A Honda CB750/4 DOHC which I have redesigned and rebuilt from the ground up. A Honda CB900/4. A Kawasaki Z1000G. A Suzuki GSXR750 and a Suzuki Bandit 1200.

Thanks for your comments and interest in my garden.

Regards

Chopper

 

My goodness, between the bikes, garden, and life.....you are busy!!

 

Been doing a bit more work in my garden. The first picture is what the corner of the back garden looked like BEFORE, I started work.




The polytunnel is now up and getting a bit crowded. I have over 800 plants growing in there. Staging down both sides. A raised bed running down the centre. The gravel path out side is now finished as well.

This is what the same corner of the garden looks like now.



As you can see, I have now built a small decking area at the front of the tunnel. I used the last of the recycled decking boards that I had left over from making the staging.

Hope you like.

Chopper.

 

Inside the polytunnel.

Left side staging.




Right side staging and raised bed.



I ran out of soil and compost to completely fill the raised bed. So I have raked the soil to the far end and temporarily dropped a length of board in place to keep it where I want it.

I have French Garlic, Onions, some broad beans that I started off a few weeks ago, have done really well in the tunnel. I was told by someone with a lot more experience than me, that they will over winter nicely in the tunnel and give me an early crop. Bit of an experiment really but I thought it worth a shot.

Same with the garlic and onions. Planted them based on advice from reading books about growing food in the tunnel all year round. I also have some carrots and spring onions sown in big pots.

Chopper.

 

All of the plants in pots on the staging are perenials that I have brought on from small plugs. I contacted a wholesale nursery and they were very happy to supply me with a mixture of plants up to thier minimum quantity. I was even able to choose the day of delivery.

My plan is to over winter the plants and bring them on. Harden them off when they are big enough and then fill all my beds with them. What is left over is going to be planted in wooden planters that I intend to make to sell at the door. Hopefully that will generate enough money to pay for any other plants/garden things I want next year.

I am going to plant up some relatively small hanging baskets with spring bulbs over the next few days. These will be hung from the crop bars. Been doing my homework and am aiming to mix the bulbs so that they have a long flowering season and still look good while the Violas and primulas grow to flowering. Another experiment which I hope will work.

Next on the list is turning over what is going to be the vegatable patch. I have some railway sleepers to act as a dividing line between the leisure garden and the veg plot. These I will sink into the soil about three inches, on thier sides. I have 15 bags of horse muck to spread over the veg patch which I am going to leave to rot down over the winter. I have now got a supplier just down the road from where I live. 50 pence a bag, which I thought was pretty good.

Still a long way to go though and I am loving every minute of it. Any opinions/advice welcome.

Chopper

 

Hmmm..

There's a lot of "I" (like mine) in your posts, but I noticed two full tea mugs on posts inside the polytunnel, did you have help, or like me often ask for a cup of tea, forget about it, let it get cold and then sheepishly have to ask for another?

Seriously though I'm well impressed with what you've done.

 

Absolutely right DR.

NONE of this would have been possible without the help, support and encouragement of Mrs Chopper. Tea maker extraordinair, labourer, calming influence, cook etc etc etc.

I am definately the boss in my house.........................

Mrs Chopper said I can say so!:hehe:

Chopper

 

I'm the same, I'm the boss in the house, but my wife makes all the decisions.

 

I call her the "War Office". :luv:

Best to call her that, though, when she can't hear!

 

I called her tonight....................... from the clubhouse!!!!:D:D:D

Chopper.