What are we doing in the garden 2024

Hi,

We've enjoyed an exceptional crop of water all year so far it just keeps coming and coming with lots more growth during the night.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Leaf removing. and gathering lots of twigs and limbs for burn pile.

 

Weeded around the rhubarb and watching a bumblebee on the yellow crocus flowers.

 

Didn't do the Begonias ,will wait until later in the week .

Did sow some Bergamot 'Panorama Mixed and some Carnation ' Rainbow Loveliness.

 

Something very new to me, but I have just planted Bulgarian Kurtovszka Kapia Sweet Red Pepper seeds (only got six), and have ordered Pepperdew, Piquanté (Capsicum baccatum) seeds (I get 20 of them). I know the latter from Alabama. So .

 

Hi,

Looking out this morning it was just another dull miserable day with overnight rain last night. Sick of this rain I thought I'd try rotavating the middle meadow after all the garden is so steep water runs off quickly.


Middle meadow now fully rotavated in spite of wet soil clinging to the rotavator steel wheels; the wheels needed frequent clearing of the soil using a screwdriver but job done at last.

Middle & side meadows; I'd already rotavated; raked and wildflower seeded the side meadow; I've just wildflower seeded the middle meadow it having been raked.

The number of times I've looked out of the kitchen window wondering if the rain would ever let up. Half way through the rotavating this morning it started to rain; I told the rain to go away and amazingly it did allowing me to finish rotavating and raking.

It was cold up there but I ended up sweating wearing my heavy "site" coat; how I dislike socks which go down to under my feet whilst wearing wellies and rotavating on the steep slope. Determination won through in the end; All three meadows can now be left well alone until Autumn.

The grass paths will be next to tidy.

The 70 year old Howard Bullfinch petrol rotavator I restored does a wonderful job. I'm pleased but tired.

Kind regards, Colin.

 

Yesterday planted up chitted sweet pea seed, also sowed seed of plants that don't need heat to germinate. Seed that needs chilling is in the fridge for the next few weeks.

 

white fluffy stuff fell from sky. lovely to be inside with coffee and just watch.

 

Nothing today it's been raining all day.

 

Having medical appointments + the rain have kept me off the balcony the last couple of days. But I did go out for a few minutes this morning - only to sweep the pigeon droppings off the of it!

Just as well I did because it started raining half way through the morning & hasn't really stopped all day. As the wind is from the SW once again it pushes the rain almost up to the doorstep!
.

 

Topped up and filled remaining pots with a mix of West-something compost with john innes, and the general veggie one. John innes has better texture but the pure compost is probably better for hungry plants like pumpkins.
Ill put some kale seedlings in.

Ive foolishly lost track of what my seedlings are...

 

Nothing today again it's raining.

 

I haven't done anything outside again today but I did water the pots on the kitchen windowsill. The 5 pots of Cacti still look to be in good condition so I gave them a drop or two of water. Then I watered all the other pots of Geraniums & Pelargoniums as well as a very little to the Aloes.

I also watered the plants on the shelf below the window, including the Bird of Paradise.There are a couple of pots of Tradescantia zebrina as well as a couple of T.fluminensis. There are also many very small pots of other succulents sitting inside the big pot of the Bird of Paradise. They all got a few drops of water each. I have to be very careful watering succulents as it's so easy to overwater them & kill them. I'm guilty of that many times! To make things even more difficult they are all planted in Cactus & Succulent compost which has a lot of sand, making the pots feel much heavier than normal, so I find it very difficult to judge if they need watering or not. Nevertheless, I seem to be making a better job of it this winter as nothing has died on me!

Finally I watered the Dragon Trees in the small kitchen window as well as the Christmas Cactus cutting in small pots that sit on the bigger pots. Even the the 2 Orchids were given some water! One has a scape that should produce flowers in a couple of months time. I watered the T. zebrinas on top of the fridge. These have grown exceptionally well during the last 12 months or so they have been there. The foliage is vibrant & very shiny. The very last plant to be watered, after going around all the kitchen, was the Spider Plant.
.

 

Last year i had to prune the roses, but now hubby has 2 new hips so he can do them again.