What did you do in your garden today?

[UrbanWild]

The gargantia pile is now complete. 2 full loads of leaves. And a whisper of the possibility of another next week. Even if that doesn't happen... Gladly received!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

lovely sunny day, bit chilly, so we went for a walk around the lake at Ashburnham place, returned to the garden in the afternoon, found my cauliflower seeds and planted some, in the propagator the chillies, summer purple broccoli, leeks, bush tomatoes, some more moneymaker, and some lettuce are all germinating. I am waiting on aubergine, the cat walked through the seed tray, but so did she with some others that are doing okay. The first lot of tomatoes I planted very early to test sved seed are coming on on the windowsill, but I put some in the greenhouse as it was crowded, really didn't think they would survive, but they are still going, though not as quickly as the indoor ones.
Then I got my buckets together and went down the road and collected a load of rotted manure. There is a little bed, about 7' x 3', opposite the greenhouse that was the only one cultivated when we came here, I cleaned it up and spread about 4" of well rotted manure over it, put a bit more a couple of other places and four buckets on top of the compost heap, but it will be a few more trips before I am done for the season. Been quite a busy day, but satisfying.

 

[Tundra20]

planted a bed of tendersweet carrots and some more radishes
cut lettuce from aquaponic tanks and replanted some back

on the carrots i covered them with garden fabric so mabe this will help speed up germination a bit
what yal think ??

 

[Meadowlark]

...what yal think ??

Yes, tendersweet are really good carrots. Just be sure to keep the seed from drying out, keep it moist without fail during germination. Garden fabric might help. Don't give up on them cause it may take many days during cool weather.

My old friend and respected gardener @Durgan uses the board method to aid germination. I'll re-post it here to save you from having to research it. It works.

Carrots are difficult to geminate. I cover the row with a oar and water can to keep damp until germination. Works well.
http://durgan.org/2017/April 2017/25 April 2017 Planting Carrots Board Method/HTML/ 25 April 2017 Planting Carrots Board Method
Carrot seed to obtain good germination and spacing some steps can be taken. Use the board method to improve germination. Adequate seed spacing at planting means no thinning of very small plants is required. Covering the seeds with a board prevents the seeds from drying out due to hot sun and moderates the soil temperature (Carrots will not germinate above 80F), and from getting moved by heavy rainfall until the plant is established. The board covering is raised with cross pieces so the emerging plant has some vertical growing space before being removed. The board is removed immediately upon the plants emerging. The board method improves germination for most seeds.

 

[Tundra20]

i failed to mention the carrots are in beds in greenhouse

also i have a area that im adding on
what are your thoughts on no till

its not a lotta weeds just grass but soil is kinda compacted so was gona till it and add compost then my topsoil just curious on yals thoughts?

well gona im sorry in advance i just saw the thread on no dig does it work

 

[Meadowlark]

Yes, see that thread...grass is not good in garden space IMO

soil is kinda compacted so was gona till it and add compost then my topsoil just curious on yals thoughts?

My thought...the above is perfect going generous on the compost

 

[Sean Regan]

I was only saying the other day that I hadn't much to do.
But things "find me."
I should have finished the new hedgehog feeder by tomorrow. I'll put out the one that will go between the two houses at the bottom of the garden , just to check what it looks like. I've already planted out the two new rhodos.

I'll start putting out the one that goes on the main patio, towards the end of February. So if the hedgehog that's in the adjacent house, comes out early, (providing it has survived), it will "find it where he left it."
The other two houses can go out in early March.

I got into the sixteen roses in their ceramic pots. I removed some dead wood and the top layer of compost with any weeds, then re-filled with fresh compost. They're all starting to sprout. I gave them a bit of a feed and a dose of Sulphur Rose, in the hopes I can get ahead of the usual black spot, I get on several each year. But it's probably a waste of time.
Tomorrow I'll scrape out between the flags on the rose patio and brush in some sand. If it's dry enough. I'll also weed the rockery again.

 

[Sean Regan]

I got done much of what I wanted to do today.
But three hours in the cold was enough. I then had other jobs in the house to do, like the laundry.

I assembled the two hedgehog feeders.

I found I didn't need brackets to secure the tube to the fronts. I'd made the apertures in the front and back bits of plywood tight enough for them to be unnecessary.
I've angled the front of the entrance tubes to give them a bit of protection from rain.

The boxes had locking handles. I had to remove the one from the front to get the tubes in. But I've kept the ones at the back. Those and a brick placed on the top should deter any fox trying to get at the food.

I did a "dummy run," positioning the houses and the feeder to see what they looked like.
The houses and the feeder on their pavers should stay dry.
Then I put them all in the shed, for later in February.

There's a lot of dead bamboo leaves down there. They don't degrade and they're a pain to remove. The bamboo along the back of the fence looks a bit thin, but it always does in the winter. It will thicken up later in the year, as it has done for over thirty years.

I've moved a tall grass to a couple of feet from the front of the feeder. That, the azalea, the hydrangea and the new rhodos, should hide it a bit.
The bottom of the garden is a bit of a mess, there's been so much rain. The less said about the state of the lawn, the better, but it will recover with some help.

I then got into the rose patio, raking out between the flags and vaccing all the debris up. I had a full bag of fine yellow sand and used up half of it brushing it in, with a wide paintbrush. Fortunately, it's dry today. It would have been impossible if the flags were damp.

If it's still dry tomorrow, I'll weed the rockery.

 

[Tundra20]

was able to get some more carrots pulled today not many but couple ziploc bags full they are really good
also pulled some beets didnt get pic of those
lookin foward to those tendersweets

 

[Sean Regan]

It was a bit colder today than yesterday, but when you're busy, you don't notice it.

I got into the rockery and got a lot of small clumps of grass out of it. Then I tackled the moss. I don't mind it on the rocks, but it likes to spread into the phlox.
I then mixed up two and a half bags of topsoil with most of a bag of compost and spread it over the rockery, then watered it in.
We've a few snowdrops showing near the first Japanese lantern.
Watered into the lawn, some three-in-one ,

I gave the wood panels on the new hedgehog feeders another coat of Dulux woodstain. I'm running out of this now and I'll need some, as I'll be giving the pergolas and the tea-house a coat in the Spring.
All paint is expensive, it's over £70 in the local Dulux shop, I've ordered it2.5 ltrs of it, via eBay for £58 with free delivery.

I've always used it on our garden woodwork for nearly forty years. It keeps the rot away.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I've always used it on our garden woodwork for nearly forty years. It keeps the rot away.

Does it live up to it's ten year guarantee? Reckon those panels will probably outlast the plastic box if it does.

Watered into the lawn, some three-in-one ,

My immediate thought, 'What! Oil?", then I realised it is probably a something like lawn sand with weed killer, moss killer and fertiliser added.

 

[Sean Regan]

There's a lot of "3 in 1" lawn treatments, "weed, feed and mosskill." There's granular, But I prefer the stuff you dilute.

I re-paint the woodwork about every three years. It forms a polymer seal around the timber of my constructions, which are all made of softwood. If the seal is broken, there's a chance that water can penetrate.
It's not for wood like fence panels, it needs to be planed and sanded.

It's not essential that I paint it that often, but wind and rain weathers the surface layer and makes it a bit dull.

 

[Meadowlark]

Made my first planting of potato today...about 10 ft of Yukon Gold. I like to get them an early start. I'll plant another 10 ft of them next week before starting my main crop Sarpo Mira and Red Pontiac filling the 85 ft row.

 

[Sean Regan]

Just did a bit of leaf collection and gave both of my jukeboxes a "run-out" of about an hour each.
As far as they are concerned, "use is the best form of preventative maintenance."

But I decided to give the "Rabbit Shed" a bit of a tart up.

We still call it this, as I built it fifty years ago for our eight-year-old daughter's expanding collection of rabbits and guinea pigs. I made a bank of cages on each side,
so we could separate the sexes, as we didn't want the numbers to increase.

It's made of reclaimed roofing ply and softwood.
I did replace the roofing felt ten years ago.

It's been my garden shed for forty years now.

There's benches either side and tools hang on the back wall.

Over years, the top layer of ply gets multiple cracks, so you have to work in the paint.
I used up most of the last of the paint I had.
I've a new can coming soon, for when I start on the rest I need to do. The two pergolas, the tea-house and five wooden troughs.


There's windows in the sides, from next door, when they had double glazing fitted, they are the wooden ones now hinged at the top . The back, is the end wall of the garage.
The roof is very strong, it easily takes my weight when I'm pruning next door's trees.

There's hooks on either side to support a dartboard, although I rarely use it these days. The front window is plastic!

These are handy for small tools, nuts and bolts, screw etc.

I "recycled" them from my office when I retired.

 

[Meadowlark]

planted a bed of tendersweet carrots

I planted a couple of HK tubs today with the Tendersweet. Also, one HK tub of the Red Giants carrots.