3: Gardening Diaries ...

[Upsy Daisy]

I have never pickled anything in my life. Also I'm running out of room storing the flour. This week I have hardly used any as son is with ex. I'm glad he's out in a calm area and enjoying fresh air and daily walk! And probably drinking ..

He's probably reading this now. Son, it's ok to drink, but don't overdo it.

Hubs pickkes anything......have to admit( quietly so as not to hurt his feelings) I'm not that keen on pickle things!!

Whereabouts has ex and son gone for their holiday?

 

[Leeski]

Yes, I think I can do Pak Choi. What do you do with beets please? I hate the earthiness of it. I must get a seed fridge - so cool!

Beets I pickle I grate them rather than slice I store half of them in sand in my shed last good few months then I roast them as and when my seed fridge was a tatty old under counter fridge works fine but only fit for the garage it serves it purpose

 

[alp]

I am not partial to it either, but I do like pickled jalapeño!

Son is staying with ex as he's on holiday. He's quite lonely and I think I must have worked my solder too hard (he might be reading this! !) He is sharp in certain ways, but can't never tidy up after himself, just like his mum! Well, he's an extreme version of me!

Ex likes to walk and son loves that. We're thinking of going to Wisley for the flower show. I might go to Hardy's if I can fit it in.

 

[alp]

Beets I pickle I grate them rather than slice I store half of them in sand in my shed last good few months then I roast them as and when my seed fridge was a tatty old under counter fridge works fine but only fit for the garage it serves it purpose

I have stored the squash, but they tasted strange. Thank heavens I don't have one this year. I have tons of beet seeds. I'm so mad. I need to restrain myself from buying any more beet seeds.

What a lousy year we have had weather wise. Some dahlias are just showing BUDS!

 

[alp]

What temperature do you keep in your greenhouse in winter please, @Leeski ?

 

[alp]

My mood board for yesterday and I have done them all and more

Brolly in the lean to or all my plants will be toasted. Not this week

Free fishing brolly from freegle

I have to elevate my pepperdew peppers to the ceiling to get sun

Some of my cuttings - PLEASE LIVE FOR ME! PLEASE!

 

[Leeski]

What temperature do you keep in your greenhouse in winter please, @Leeski ?

I haven’t used it much in winter I use my conservatory planning on using it this year as I have no room

 

[alp]

Those big holeless trays are so useful! Yes, costly to heat a greenhouse. I have collected quite a bit of candles and will use the same old method last year with several terracotta pots on top to keep the heat in.

 

[Leeski]

Agapanthus seeds are starting to bulge
And phantom and twister seedlings are showing I know agapanthus like to be pot bound is this why the first to show are tight to the seed tray ?

 

[alp]

Even the breeder of agapanthus admits that you should pot them one size up. Can't really see very well from here! Try not to crowd the seeds. But it's true that some plants do like to be pot bound eg Bird of Paradise. Your best bet is to cut a bit from the existing plant. Not the whole and then separate them. As you can see from my pic, they are very easy to tease apart. But of course, I wouldn't want you to kill the plant.

For some reason, your seed pods don't look too bulgy! But you will definitely have seeds. You can pull the ones which have gone yellow at the tip and start collecting. I collected my Silver Baby all in green. One seed head yields about 40 seeds even though the seed pods were very green whilst being harvested. Don't be impatient.

 

[Leeski]

finished my first wormery lol

 

[alp]

Just too hot and had to come in. Weed the nursery bed and saw a pot labelled Bowl of Beauty and lamented it had been left to dry out and the plant died. Turned it upside down and saw a root. Can't believe my eyes. Now it might really have died. It was a packet of seeds bought from China.

@Leeski Did you drill all the holes? Mine is very hot and has had no juice as that part of my garden is an oven. Now it is covered with wood chips and hopefully it won't be that hot.

Looks the job! Make sure it is not too cold in winter or you will have to drape it with a duvet!

Took some pic for you to see the agapanthus seeds. The stalk had been snapped in the middle and hence the seeds have not been well developed

If you can see, there is only one or two black seeds in the seed pods. When I opened the yellowish one, the seeds were still green and not formed. So be patient. I had to take it as the stalk had been snapped for a while.

For some reason, the laptop won't load the pics. I'll try another browser!

 

[alp]

Opera is willing to play the game

Can you see the black bits. Those were seeds. Not a lot, but just a bit. But I was lucky to have these few as the stalk had been broken long time ago. It's getting very hot for me. But I will go out after a bowl of cereal.

Just replanted about 8 irises to the hottest place on the border.

Please rain tonight. I need it.

 

[Leeski]

Just too hot and had to come in. Weed the nursery bed and saw a pot labelled Bowl of Beauty and lamented it had been left to dry out and the plant died. Turned it upside down and saw a root. Can't believe my eyes. Now it might really have died. It was a packet of seeds bought from China.

@Leeski Did you drill all the holes? Mine is very hot and has had no juice as that part of my garden is an oven. Now it is covered with wood chips and hopefully it won't be that hot.

Looks the job! Make sure it is not too cold in winter or you will have to drape it with a duvet!

Took some pic for you to see the agapanthus seeds. The stalk had been snapped in the middle and hence the seeds have not been well developed

If you can see, there is only one or two black seeds in the seed pods. When I opened the yellowish one, the seeds were still green and not formed. So be patient. I had to take it as the stalk had been snapped for a while.

For some reason, the laptop won't load the pics. I'll try another browser!

Yer drilled -the bottom has chicken wire as a filter I put it in a warm shaded part of my garden and have sown to sleeping bags together so can slide on top to keep them warm in winter I have even asked the worms what tog duvet they prefer during the colder months strangely no reply lol

 

[alp]

I have even asked the worms what tog duvet they prefer during the colder months strangely no reply lol

Worms: Please give us 13.5 tog and we will love you and foul your bin for you!