What jobs are we doing in the Garden today 2015

It seems to do - I trialled it in some seed trays first to see how it performed, and it did really well - - the same size trays with the same type seedlings with plain compost dried out a lot more readily than the ones with nappy fluff mixed in.

I have discovered that the easiest way to do it is to use the hose to soak the nappy first, then a wee slit with a razor blade to expose the absorbent pad, then extract it all out into a suitable container (I used a standard kitchen mixing bowl), add more water until it gets to the consistency of wallpaper paste and then add it to your compost handful at a time until you get the desired consistency. Two nappies was giving me a large mixing bowl full of gel to use.

The key seems to be to not let it dry out completely (sets hard as rock if you do - I did it deliberately with no plant in it just to check, but even then it took on water readily and became soft again); so far it seems every bit as good as 'normal' garden swell gel, but it is a whole lot cheaper

Anything to keep my plants nappy happy

 

I suppose the acid test is going to be my baskets and planters - see if they manage to stay moist during the heat of summer; hopefully it will cut down on water usage as my water bill was painful last year.

 

Buy the cheapo ones, they are just as good. I got a box of about eighty or something for around £8 in Sainsburys

 

I was going to have a lie-in this morning due to watching the skies until just gone 3am but one of my Cats, Jenny, kept banging on the bedroom door at 6.15am because the Sun was shining and she wanted to be out in the garden So I decided after some toast and couple of mugs of tea to have a wander around the garden. That got me tying in and training the Clematis on the Trellis entrance for the umpteenth time. That led me to the Green House where I tied the Tomato plants to their canes, watered them. There was several trays of Rudbeckia, Asters, Cosmos in the Green House, so they came out and I started trying find places in the borders and the containers for them to go. After that I decided to screw some hooks into the front of the Arbour to tie in the stems of Rose "Alchemist", Rose "Compassion", and the three Honeysuckles, on either side of the Arbour, as they were starting to hang down.
Then on visiting the Pond I discovered there was no noise of the waterfall and discovered the pump had stopped. That led to a quick check of the electrics, which were fine. So I dug out the Chest Waders and went for a paddle to check on the pump in the middle of the pond.
On pulling the pump out of the water I found that it was blocked with mud, rotting debris, leaves and stems. A gentle feel of the bottom of the pond led to me finding around 8 or 9 inches of the stuff lying there. I had to fetch a large stainless steel fine sieve and then get back into the pond so that I could scoop out as much as the mud as I could and throw it onto the bog garden and surrounding banks. I think I managed to get as much on me as I did the pond banks. That done, I cleaned out the pump and put it back in place but left it off as the pond water was now the colour of the River Ganges in full flood. I don't think the fish were too happy as they all came to the surface But by tomorrow the water should be crystal clear again and I can switch the pump back on and listen to the sound of the waterfall. A shower, a mug of tea and I was feeling fairly satisfied...........but I don't want too many "quiet" days like today !!