WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2023

After It stopped raining I went on a Slug & Snail hunt

 

Picking peaches and nectarines...thousands of them! This year I'm combining picking and pruning as I never get round to it otherwise. Mercifully, there aren't as many wasps and hornets around this year :-)

 

As I've been very busy this last week laying new flooring in our bedroom, the entrance & passageway as well as the living room you can understand why I've hardly been on here for the past week! Nor have I been able to do much on the balcony other than watering alternate days at 9pm!

But today I took 4 seedtrays full of Cosmos seedlings in the little plug containers you get when you buy bedding plants in the shops/GC. It took me an hour just to plant out 2 trayfuls! I left the other 2 in the church overnight with the intention of planting them out tomorrow - but I still have 3 more trayfuls on the balcony as well as a trayful of Calendulas I grew from my own saved seeds from last year. I have to take these 4 trays to the church gardens as well & hope at least some of the get through the next heatwave!

I've also got at least 3 trays full of Carnation seedlings in small 3" pots. Plus the original tray of seedling where they were sown. I didn't have enough small pots to put them in so I just spaced them out in the tray. Practically all the seedlings are growing very well but now they need bigger pots to grow on until next year when they flower!

My son will be bring me the 3 growbags I asked him to buy me this Saturday so I shall be planting the poor Tomatoes in the growbags. The self-sown tomato plant is now setting fruit & a 2nd truss has opened. It's currently in a 5lt plant pot by son gave me last year.

 

One more day in which I've done no more than feed the majority of the plants both inside & outside.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was the visit of a lady who said she was a councillor on our local council.She asked if she could take a photo of the balcony & enter the balcony in the local competition for the best front gardens of 2023! Though I have never taken part in this competition I agreed that she could enter it. She told me someone would be around in a few days to take photos.

I really grow flowers for my own enjoyment but if others like them as well, well that makes me happy, too! I'm not into competitions even though people have asked me why don't I submit it. Thanks to so much hot weather & lots of sunshine the balcony is about a month ahead of where it would normally be at this time of the year!

 

Like yesterday I also planted out 40 Cosmos seedlings as well as the trayful of Calendula seedlings from my own saved seeds last year.

I still have several trayfuls of Cosmos to put in the church gardens - but even they are becoming a bit too small for me!

I also have 6 trayfuls of Carnation seedlings! At present I have no idea what I'm going to do with them all!

I have to make space for when my son brings me the growbags for my tomatoes tomorrow afternoon!

 

Now that there's no viable commercial alternative to Pathclear, I'm giving white vinegar a go on the gravelled areas. Handweeding isn't an option with this little blighter! Spotted Spurge - Nuturf
A 20l container of 10% vinegar cost €22 and, slightly diluted, was enough to spray about 1000m2. The results were rapid and impressive, burning off the top growth within a few hours. As today is drizzly, it'll be interesting to see whether the vinegar inhibits seeds from germinating too.

 

We have block paving at the front of our house and the only worth while weed killer we have found is to use white vinegar. It keeps the front of the house free from weeds for at least 6 months.
Mix 4 parts vinegar to 1 part washing up liquid + 1 cup of table salt

 

Buried a crow that had broken its neck flying into the house, it was being pursued by an irate seagull at the time.
Planted out some lobelia, watered in the greenhouse, cleared out some more young plants onto the hard standing outside the greenhouse.
Picked gooseberries and raspberries.

 

This week I have planted seeds of ...

Adenium Llung Lai

Adenium 'Variegated'


Adenium 'Amata'


Oenothera versicolor


I have two purple Amata and three variegated germinated. Just planted the Llung Lai and Evening Primrose this morning.

 

Nothing. I got up this morning and twisted my back getting dressed, so I am now hirpling about even worse than normal.

 

Looks as fantastic as ever, @Balc !

 

My latest video if you have some time to kill lol.

 

As usual very interesting, thanks burnie.