What are we doing in the garden 2024

You did.

 

@fairygirl I can’t have tomatoes in the greenhouse and outside it’s just too uncertain. I also struggled since my bag with favourite tomatoes was gone in 2021 und with the rubbish soil we have nowadays, it’s going nowhere. I buy the heritage tomatoes in Cirencester and they taste marvellous.

I took out the strawberries and used the soil for the compost. I also took out the two calendulas and watered the peas and tomatoes. The tomato plant in the pot gets now blight.
I will have next the two raised beds with wildflowers. I had so much joy seeing them Why bothering about something that doesn’t work.

 

"Yes" I've done this when I haven't enough toms to fill 6 jars in one go. When taken out of freezer, skinning is so much easier by just putting them into hot water "the skins fall off"

Of cause they do go soft but that doesn't interfere with the taste, and when I'm putting them into my Kilner jars it so much easier. It's then a matter of just placing them into a water bath @ 100C for 45mins, cool and store in a dark place, I use these for stews- sauces etc. 'they can last for 2 yrs at least, but ours don't last that long.
(1 tbspof bottled lemon juice is needed in each 500ml and if needed 1tsp each of salt/sugar)

 

When we have surplus of plums and grapes I seed them and freeze what I can't bottle/jam/wine. They always come out really well. Toms? Never have enough to do that.

 

Many years ago we made an archway between our boundary and the farmers. Just a window if you like. Then again after a long time we were able to buy a small strip of land that allowed us to move the ditch which was right against our home. Long story but we did all that we were made to do!. Recently we decided that the ivy on the arch was getting too big. We don't mind ivy and know how important it is for wildlife but this area was out of control. 3 days later we are still tackling the area. Ivy was enormous "trunks" and very hard to cut back. We will keep going as it is starting to open up an area which is just so worth looking at through our vines. Much work.

 

Excellent way, thanks a lot for sharing this with me (or maybe us, but I assume I was the only one who didn't know that one can do it that way )

 

Won't be doing anything in the garden today as I'm off to a hill soon - to get a rest from it all!

@simone_in_wiltshire - I grew my toms in containers in the gr'house, until about 3 or 4 years ago. I then moved the gr'house to a border under the back window, to grow them in the ground, and that gave me a bit more height for them. I feel if you aren't using loads though, it's not worthwhile growing them at all, and a gr'house can be put to better use. Same applies to any part of a garden really - it's for our own needs and our own pleasure

 

Planning to weed and feed the rose garden today after doing some pruning and taking of cuttings yesterday. Gave it a good watering last night so the naughty brambles I found will be easier to pull. However, set to get very hot today so not sure how far I'll get.

 

I picked my first Runners, oh and a few new Potatoes.

 

I've got to cut the grass, it normally has stopped growing by now but this year is an exception.
Hedges can wait till next week.

 

Picked a lot of blueberries and watered them a bit more watering later.

 

Despite the breeze it is too very hot so I've stopped after doing a bit more pruning - with gloves on this time - and some watering of pots. Need to go and check the chooks are OK and have water and also water the pots of cuttings, divisions and this year's seedlings in the veg plot and then shade for me till at least 6pm.