WHAT JOBS ARE WE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY 2018

Spent the morning in the polytunnel installing another water tap and a stop tap, preparing for installing the misting system and another auto irrigation system.

Then tidied up the dead leaves on the polytunnel floor.

A steady way to pass on a few hours

 

@Verdun this is the last chance I'm giving the roses before I get rid of them....or move them elsewhere.

Id read the bordeaux mix might help apple scab my bramley has had. Theyre rotting on the trees before theyve fully developed. This last year id pruned back hard and made sure i "thinned" out the apples so they weren't bunched closely together and went bad. They also suffered from some type of parasite (fluffy white webby stuff on them). Such a shame.

Thought id thin it out again (more than last time) and spray with the bordeaux mix. Really want to get the apple issues sorted as might be able to purchase two acres of land this year and would like to get an orchard growing on it.

 

Depending on variety Snorky.....if spur bearers......I summer prune my apples and pears.
I get the impression you have a lot of woody growth there that might encourage a lack of ventilation etc ??? Winter pruning now encourages lots of regrowth and less fruit....summer pruning does the opposite. This might help.

Plus, again, the varieties you choose......research varieties that are resistant to diseases too when you plan your orchard. Include a couple of local/indigenous varieties

However, you seem to have woolly aphid .....pests not disease....so I would apply a soft soap wash and try to scrub areas clean. I think better aeration via summer pruning will help alleviate the problem

 

Last day of the year, and just managed to plant the last bag of daffodils, as the ground has finally thawed enough...