What did you do in your garden today?

[Oliver Buckle]

Its for tomatoes. And they are open on the bottom, so ideally the roots grow into the existing soil. I've filled these up with a bunch of old rotten firewood and brush.

Plan is to plant about 6 tomatoes per bed. I'll be doing the florida weave method with a metal stake at each end of the beds.

I said 'seems narrow' as I wondered if there was an explanation, and there it is
Tomatoes are a whole different experience in an English climate. I grow them in buckets in the greenhouse, take off all the side shoots, and stop them when they have three or four trusses of flowers, so about four foot tall. I do grow some outside, but it is a gamble, last year they got heavily rained on at the end of the season and I lost a lot to disease. Good luck, keep us posted on how it goes, it's interesting seeing different approaches.

 

[Sean Regan]

I did quite a bit this morning.
I re-painted the pergola ferrules and added a few for possible replacements.

What makes you think I've done this before?

I also re-painted the sorin.

This was a pain to make thirty-odd years ago, mostly from stuff I had in the garage.
There's a central steel rod.

From the bottom.
A shaving foam canister top.
A wooden cupboard handle.
Nine drilled out brass cupboard handles.
Nine shower curtain rings.
Nine 4pt milk carton tops,
A nut.
A Blagden garden lighting support spike, I drilled holes in.
Two wooden beads.

It's as authentic as I could make it.

I gave the little acer another trim and was able to remove the dead wood of which there's always some.

The quince on the fence are out. We've three. I keep them as a "band," along the top of the fence. I don't like them growing outwards as they will interfere with the rhodos and makes it more difficult for me to walk behind the planting. I don't like them too tall, as they add more shade to the lawn, which encourages moss.

The little phlox plug plants are "desperate to get out of the shed." But it's still too early to put them in the rockery.

I gave everything a good water and put the lawn sprinklers on for a while.

The jukeboxes got a good run out. I've removed the insulation, but I left them with their dust covers on, I made out of some old thermal backed curtains.
I've put their heaters back on timers, as although, it's still cold at night, it will get very warm in there during the day. In May, I'll open the roof vent and the two in the bottom of the back wall.

I'll finish the pagoda tomorrow. It looks odd without its ferrules. The roofs have had two coats of paint. Would you believe £30 for a ltr?

I've decided not to do any patio re-pointing. I'm taking my wife's advice and I'm going to "get a man in." I'm going to get some quotes. I expect it will be a "dear do."

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I made a new sign for my mailbox garden. I kept it simple and easy to read, and I painted a rusty-patched bumble bee on it, which is an endangered specie that can be seen in my gardens.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

$45 a yard for topsoil / compost mix

last year it was $30 a yard. But, they are under new management. Also they are open earlier in the year, and have a better selection. So I'm not complaining....too much.

I'm doing the 50/50 compost / topsoil mix because last year I did straight compost and it was too hot. My loofah plant only made male flowers and I didn't get any loofahs. I also felt like some of my peppers were more stunted than I expected.

 

[Meadowlark]

Wow $45 per yard. My cows produce about 20-25 yards per winter...a gold mine

Today, planted sunflower seeds. The weather has warmed up some. I like the mammoth giants, teddy bears, and Mexican sunflowers ringing the garden and trapping insects. Planted right up against cover crops and row crops.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Yet another disappointment with a young kid, he was about 22 years old. We agreed on $18.00 an hour. He picked up all the branches in the yard, limbs etc using wheel barrel took to the burn pile. Some raking out of areas, dragging leaves to designated area. At the end of the day I wrote him a check for $72.00. He said he'd be back Thursday at 10:30AM. Now its 2:18PM no text, no call, no show. Guess he's dead in the gutter.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

Yet another disappointment with a young kid, he was about 22 years old. We agreed on $18.00 an hour. He picked up all the branches in the yard, limbs etc using wheel barrel took to the burn pile. Some raking out of areas, dragging leaves to designated area. At the end of the day I wrote him a check for $72.00. He said he'd be back Thursday at 10:30AM. Now its 2:18PM no text, no call, no show. Guess he's dead in the gutter.

$18 an hour cash in PA is good money too for a guy that young.

Thats a shame.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

Wow $45 per yard. My cows produce about 20-25 yards per winter...a gold mineView attachment 107539

Today, planted sunflower seeds. The weather has warmed up some. I like the mammoth giants, teddy bears, and Mexican sunflowers ringing the garden and trapping insects. Planted right up against cover crops and row crops.

View attachment 107540View attachment 107541

My chickens will make me about 3-4 yards a year, I just started my first batch of compost after cleaning the coop out. We use the deep litter method, it was about 3 bales of straw and 3 or 4 bales of wood shavings. I soaked it down with water and added a bag of sugar to encourage microbe growth. Its already breaking down really nicely. I'll probably add some of it to the beds mid summer for a boost for the plants, but right now it is way way too hot to add to the beds.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

$18 an hour cash in PA is good money too for a guy that young.

Thats a shame.

I thought so also. Still no text or call and tis after 4PM. SMH. Even my husband is surprised, he thought he was a good guy. And he shook his hand, "see you Thursday" Sadly this young lad will never succeed, can't keep his word.

 

[Sean Regan]

I thought so also. Still no text or call and tis after 4PM. SMH. Even my husband is surprised, he thought he was a good guy. And he shook his hand, "see you Thursday" Sadly this young lad will never succeed, can't keep his word.

It's hard to judge without any information, but maybe he got a better offer elsewhere?

 

[gary350]

30°F freeze warning tonight. New potato plants came up 2 days ago. I raked 2" of soil over new plants for protection. Freeze will not kill plants they will grow back but freeze might slow plant growth several days. EIEIO.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Did about a third of my back lawn. Tried the electric rake, but not working properly so changed the bar to the scarifier, took out a good winter's worth of moss, then picked it up with the mower, but it seemed pretty dense and wet, I had to go over it a couple of times. Potted on some sweet peas, I reckon they could go out but the missus hasn't decided where yet and they need more root room. Planted a row of broad beans, got a couple of rows of Autumn planted, but it's nice to have some fresh later as well. Watered lots. Brought the 'Jetfire' daffs down to the patio as they are flowering, did various small odd jobs, pushing a mower and scarifier left me not wanting to do anything too energetic, but I did hoe a fair bit of hoeing.
Reading Gary talking about having bird boxes around his garden it seemed really sensible. If a family of chicks are being fed continuously by two parents they are eating a lot of bugs, multiply that by a few ... Looked on line and found an offer of six bird boxes for a bit over £18. They are not amazing, but not bad either, decent 1/2" timber, got the first couple up.

 

[Tundra20]

cut more spinach beet leaves and bok choy today for us and the chickens they love this time of yr they get fresh cut greens everday

 

[gary350]

Reading Gary talking about having bird boxes around his garden it seemed really sensible. If a family of chicks are being fed continuously by two parents they are eating a lot of bugs, multiply that by a few ... Looked on line and found an offer of six bird boxes for a bit over £18. They are not amazing, but not bad either, decent 1/2" timber, got the first couple up.

You need to target the birds you want. Build a blue bird house only blue birds will stay in it. Red birds live in very tight dense bushed. Robins like tree limbs with 3 forks. Wrens will live in wren houses. Sparrows have houses they like best. Robins are ground feeders they eat worms. Doves are ground feeders they eat seeds. Birds will not live in house with a perch other birds can land on. 95% of the bird house plans online are rubbish. I use to like Wrens but they are very aggressive birds they will run off other birds. Online info claims wrens eat there body weight in bugs every day. Target birds in your geographical location. Wrens will land 8 ft from your face then chirp there lungs out like they are telling you to get the @#$% out of my yard. Wrens are funny birds but I don't want them in my yard anymore.

 

[oneeye]

I did quite a bit this morning.
I re-painted the pergola ferrules and added a few for possible replacements.

What makes you think I've done this before?

View attachment 107526

I also re-painted the sorin.

This was a pain to make thirty-odd years ago, mostly from stuff I had in the garage.
There's a central steel rod.

From the bottom.
A shaving foam canister top.
A wooden cupboard handle.
Nine drilled out brass cupboard handles.
Nine shower curtain rings.
Nine 4pt milk carton tops,
A nut.
A Blagden garden lighting support spike, I drilled holes in.
Two wooden beads.

It's as authentic as I could make it.

View attachment 107527

I gave the little acer another trim and was able to remove the dead wood of which there's always some.

View attachment 107528

The quince on the fence are out. We've three. I keep them as a "band," along the top of the fence. I don't like them growing outwards as they will interfere with the rhodos and makes it more difficult for me to walk behind the planting. I don't like them too tall, as they add more shade to the lawn, which encourages moss.

View attachment 107529

The little phlox plug plants are "desperate to get out of the shed." But it's still too early to put them in the rockery.

View attachment 107530

I gave everything a good water and put the lawn sprinklers on for a while.

View attachment 107531


View attachment 107532

The jukeboxes got a good run out. I've removed the insulation, but I left them with their dust covers on, I made out of some old thermal backed curtains.
I've put their heaters back on timers, as although, it's still cold at night, it will get very warm in there during the day. In May, I'll open the roof vent and the two in the bottom of the back wall.

View attachment 107534

I'll finish the pagoda tomorrow. It looks odd without its ferrules. The roofs have had two coats of paint. Would you believe £30 for a ltr?

View attachment 107533

I've decided not to do any patio re-pointing. I'm taking my wife's advice and I'm going to "get a man in." I'm going to get some quotes. I expect it will be a "dear do."

Your yard is awesome and I love the pagoda too, looks Japanese.