What jobs are we doing in the garden today 2016

Thanks Anthony. I must refer back to your other post about perennial tulips. I'll do that this summer when I start thinking about next year :D

 

I feel positively lazy after reading your post @shiney.

Yesterday I was mainly planting out. 2 yellow pear toms, 2 gardeners delight toms, 2 courgettes (one each, green and yellow), 2 aubergines - listada de Gandia (a new variety for me), my runner beans, and my purple teepee French beans. Also planted out my indoor-sown wildflower mix, into the steep bank of grass, as I was afraid that strewn seed would get too quickly washed away. Oh, and a few trug fulls of weeds removed from around the fruit trees and bushes. All looking much better today!

 

You've all been busy! I hope I get faster as I learn more. It all takes me ages at the moment.

The solitary Geum and Dicentra in the front garden are thriving. The raised veg bed in the back garden is also flourishing with a very random assortment of veg and salad leaves which is an interim measure for this year. By next year I want all the raised beds in use so I can be more organised. I sorted another 1.5 raised beds since planting the random one, and they're now planted with courgette, cucumber and mini corn. For the 0.5 raised bed (i.e. half is full and the other half is not) I opened the manure from my friend's livery yard for the first time and was so pleased that it has indeed rotted well in the time I've been storing it. It was crumbly, no bad odours and absolutely stuffed full of worms. I've got loads more to use when they're needed which is great.

For the front I planted a hanging basket with some fuchsia - an upright (Blackie) and three trailing ones (Eva Boerg). I did forget to pinch out the growing tips though, so that's on tomorrow's list.

In other news, I've spoken to some guys about them helping with clearing the front and back gardens of the overgrowth and weeds, and getting some paths round the raised beds at the back and a slate circle in the front garden. I have a vision of how I want it all to be and I'm getting more certain about the planting for the front garden. If we crack on with the foundational elements it I can have at least enough of it in place to enjoy the gardens a bit more this year and gradually add to the planting over time. Weed membrane will be my best friend for a while though...

 

Went outside to enjoy a cuppa ...

... pulled up some weeds from a gap between the concrete (lovingly known as "patio"); remembered a forgotten lavender down by the chicken coop and brought it up to the patio, tidied up underneath it where some weedy things were beginning to sprout; hung some hooks on the back of the back gate so I have *somewhere* to hang the yard broom (still sans shed at the moment); tasted cuppa - gone cold #2 son offered to make another so, while the kettle was boiling ...

... made some 'garlic slug buster' and, while waiting for that to cool, noticed "stuff" was accumulating so went around with a rubbish bag tidying up; checked to see if the gladioli I planted a couple of weeks ago were showing signs of life and delighted to report a big fat ; my "bronze and gold" bearded iris from @shiney land 2015 has now fully flowered ... a gorgeous ... dark purple!!
Tasted cuppa: stone cold! #2 son offered to make me one more So, while the kettle was boiling ...

... I sprayed the hostas/seedlings/sunflowers with the garlic slug buster, checked the berry bushes and weeded beneath them; noticed the solanum crispum hadn't died on me but was showing signs of life since its transplant Took off all the brown, dried leaves and attached the stems to a piece of trellis; checked the little patch of wildflowers beneath it, all taking off now Spotted some bits of bindweed as I returned up the garden path, so pulled those; remembered I planted some beans/peas recently so, pondered where I had put them remembered checked, but no signs yet. Decided it was time for that cuppa ...

... quickly threw out the cold one before #2 son noticed, put the kettle back on and made us both a cuppa and a fish finger sandwich

 

How well does the slug buster work please @"M" ?

After two weeks away I've cleared out the casualties from my greenhouse, about a quarter of what was in there, but to be honest none of the bedding plants have done well this year, the weather here has been to erratic. The rest I hope to get outside tomorrow to start hardening off. My three of five surviving tomato plants are now down to two and they don't look at all well either. They are now on their third chance to pick up, they've got two weeks! I thought last year and the year before were bad growing seasons but this year has beaten those. I'll give all my remaining plants a half feed later and hope that acts as a pick me up. Fingers crossed!

Fuschia's are doing well though @Anthony Rogers!

 

First time I've tried it @Sheal (only heard about it at our local gardening club last night ) but I'll keep everyone updated

 

Thanks "M", I'll keep my eye out for that.

 

Lots of my July flowering plants are starting to bud up now - is that happening to anyone else? Clematis 'Buckland Beauty, Allium sphaerocephallon and one of my Dahlias all have lots of buds on them now.

 

I've been tidying up the little garden of my Aged Parent today - trying to get rid of grape hyacinths, cutting off daffodil etc. leaves (no, they weren't ready, but it's her garden), trimming shrubs, de-blackspotting roses and what have you. Also planted out a few Zinnia, Pelargonium & Begonia a friend gave her, and the first of the tomatoes.

 

All I did this evening was have a big seed sort out. Put a few to one side to take into school.
Lunchtime today (with the kids) we replanted containers with lobelia, marigolds and verbena and some of them continued the hard graft of breaking down the compacted raised beds. They are really enjoying it and everywhere is looking better already. Next week we are going to paint some pots and take some cuttings.

 

Yesterday I didn't do too much. I swept the dust/leaves/bits off the drive; weeded a trug full of weeds (I love the trug measure, my 40l rubber bucket, in case you hadn't noticed!!); re-wound in the runner beans, i think the blue tits are messing with me!!, and wrote a care note for the plants I gave my friends who visited from the Netherlands at the weekend.

Today looks wet, but I had two squirrels having a tantrum on an empty nut feeder first thing, so I suppose I'd better fill that between showers, before monitoring my remaining indoor plant nursery.

What do you do with surplus sowings? If a seedling or plant wants to grow, I am reluctant to throw out. Thinking of offering my spare chilli plants to help raise money for a youth summer camp - do you think there would be many takers? Do I need to do care notes for the plants, etc?

 

I am sure that also schools local to you wouldn't dismiss the idea of taking in two or three seedlings/plant. Some schools they have their own tiny yard for educational purposes.