What Jobs Are We Doing In The Garden Today 2019

After hand sieving another 55 litres of top soil, I started another giant pot of Sweet Candle seeds using my template for spacing - taking us into triple figures between the two pots.



Having the poles and mesh sticking up over the corral was really bugging me, so I moved them both underneath the greenhouse staging and wrapped the mesh around it. Even with the pegs it's considerably tidier than attempt no.1. I think I'll tidy it up further by sewing a zip or putting some velcro on the join once they're done for the year.

 

Potted on the cucumber plants into their final pots in the conservatory.
Done 5 pots with 2 plants in each.

 

Another potting on day here and general faffing.Thoroughly enjoyed it.Also got a couple of the 'staff' on mealy bug duties,they'll be expecting extra grated cheese in their pay packet tonight.

 

Today was work on the greenhouse day. The feed lines for the auto-pots were connected to automatically water and feed the tomatoes. The garden plants were moved to larger pots as we are still weeks away from being able to plant them. And, I recently purchased a 6' x 12' piece of 40% shade cloth on eBay to be used to provide shade for my shade loving plants so they can share the greenhouse with the tomatoes. The shade cloth was twelve dollars and change and I did not expect much for that price, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was twice the size I needed so I have some to spare. I have a large commercial quality shade cloth to cover the entire roof of the greenhouse when the weather gets REALLY hot so I needed something in the interim.

 

With the weather taking a considerable turn for the worst, I decided to fix the bodge job from Tuesday. One roll of adhesive 'hook and loop strip' (i.e. the Velcro branded stuff was far more expensive) later and job done.

 

You've got my attention! How may areas will the one reservoir/auto-pot system service? I'm thinking of incorporating it to feed my capillary system.

 

I am not sure of what you are thinking so let me explain how it works. The systems consist of a reservoir with two pots and what they call a smart valve. I have three systems in series for a total of six pots. I could simply add more systems by extending the feed lines. The "smart valve" is simply a float valve gravity fed by 1/4" tubing from the large green tank seen at the rear of the greenhouse. Each valve is supplying two pots. I suppose you could have as many of the systems you like and just increase the size of the tank.

That said, at one time I purchased just a valve for ten dollars and used a large kitty litter tray and a huge pot from Wal-Mart to build my own system. The valve simply controls the level of water in the reservoir. Although they call it a smart valve it does not know if the reservoir two feet long of twenty feet long, it just senses the water level.

 

Not do much in the garden recently but for the odd potter round and weedinh and looking after seedling / plants in pots. I did sand down the garden bench and re stained it in light oak .

 

Potted on 5 tomato plants into their final pots in the conservatory. Can't do much else because we have April shower all day and tomorrow.

 

Gutted!!! Thought I'd just have a look how much gravel I'd put over the old pond, about 8" down I hit concrete, can't remember doing that!!! I'll drill into it on a dry day to try and see how much is in there, looks like the flower bed will be on a back burner for a while, I noticed the acers there are flowering can't say as i have ever seen them flower before.

 

Another washout in Staffordshire, but I did remember to bring the 'lids' for the corral in, so I could break out the wood filler and tidy them up a bit. First thing even remotely approaching actual woodwork I've done since I left school.



Now to wait for them to set before sanding and stapling the mesh to them all.

 

Just back and rain is imminent...the start of Storm Hannah so set about checking everything is securely battened down, gh windows closed and ready for those supposed 70 mph winds.

 

No work in the garden today, I can barely walk, driving almost impossible, new kitchen on hold until tomorrow hopefully? Don't you just hate arthritis!

 

I watered my indoor plants. Lots of seedlings are ready to go out, if only "out" would please get warmer! I know. it's far too early, but every year I start getting excited about planting out my seedlings and here we are with 32F nights still.

It's been raining quite a bit and we've got a little break so I'm hoping that the cold frame structure dries quickly as I noticed a couple of places where the Velcro could use another staple or two.

And while out there, I'll be harvesting a little of the chives for the first potato salad of this year. Got the whole fam damily coming for a BBQ tomorrow so the pressure cooker weight will be dancing tonight

 

Weather not suitable for any gardening. However I did make a "cover on a stick" for the nuts we leave for the squirrel in a small container in one of the rose pots. It annoys us that the wood pigeons think they are there for them. Now they can't get under it, but the squirrel can.

We didn't see "Minnie," today, (well that's what my wife called it when she saw it yesterday), a pigmy shrew, which was in and out from under one of the pot movers, feeding on some of the peanut butter the birds had dropped, that's in a feeder near the ground on the patio.