Happy Birthday To Me

Bit of a break today. Spent all yesterday digging mother's garden & it's not light work.

Just a bit of gentle hoeing, potting up & sowing January King, Harrier Squash, Red Kuri Squash & purple & white sprouters.

Hope to get off to the south coast tomorrow, so no gardening reports for a while.

Pictures!

I have some piccies for you now, I forgot to update yesterday, but having done two more sessions, I've now finshed the digging. I can sit back and relax.

Yeah right.

So we have some piccies of how the Kelvedon Wonder peas are doing and the caulis under the debris netting. Hopefully it's self explanatory which is which!

Rain's forecast next week & about time too!

Oh - and there's the first decent harvest of the asparagus>

Meanwhile, back at the plot...

Day off yesterday - man-flu! Still getting over it, but there's work to be done.

More digging - nearly there & planted nearly 40 cauliflowers, Clapton & Nautilus. Look cosy under the debris netting. Heritage peas coming through!!!!

You guessed it - Digging

I reckon 3 or 4 sessions & it's cracked.

Early Nantes coming through.

Got a stinking cold, plot may be doubtful tomorrow, I finf it useful to breath whilst digging.

Got the B*&@£$%

Large dead snail in the greenhouse this morning - eat my pea would you?!

More digging, (soon be done), 200 onion plants in & parsnips are coming through!

Potted up over 100 chitted sweetcorn, put them in the cooler garage overnight to slow them down until I could get around to them. Still a few not chitted, so they're either not viable, or slow developers. They're back in the airing cupboard to give them a chance. 100's enough anyway for a 5 x 20 block.

Bit of this, a bit of that

Bit of digging, (as usual), bit of sowing. Autumn King carrots in, row of beetroot & row of spring onions.

Kelvedon Wonder still looking healthy & cut 3 cauliflower! Not very big but anything is an achievment for me cauli wise. Variety - Walcheren Winter Pilgrim.

On the down side looks like a slug or snail has attacked my one pea of the "Gladstone" variety - don't think it will survive the night - NEITHER WILL THE SLUGS OR SNAILS - I've seen to that!

Chits Away

Thought I'd have a peek at my sweetcorn. It's only been 2 days though.

Arrrrrggggghhhhh!

Peas Progress

Up to the plot again today, apart from more digging staked up the 3 rows of Kelvedon Wonder peas. Not much more to add, I'll the the picces speak for themselves.

Better Day

Brightened up this afternoon, so got some more digging done. Noticed that the KW peas are rocketing, so I think the first job tomorrow will be to take the nets off & stake them up.

Started the sweetcorn as threatened in two sandwich boxes. 131 seed in total, hope to get at least 100 for a block of 5 x 20. We'll see how we go. These are last year's seed, but should be OK. Bought from Moles Seeds at a fraction of the cost elsewhere.

Here's one box, the pink is an anti-fungicide.

What to do on a dank day

Miserable day outside yesterday, so got on with the job of sowing 200+ climbing beans of various types, plus loads of dwarf beans.

Marrows, outdoor cues, courgettes, pumpkin & Savoy cabbage all went in, the cold greenhouse is starting to look a bit full now! Hope to start the sweetcorn chitting today.

Boring update

Not been idle the last few day, but nothing really interesting.

Continued digging, the peas are coming up really thickly and started to pot on the 70 tomato plants destined for the cold greenhouse. May have a couple spare for the neighbours.

Starting to think about the Mid April sowing schedule, beans, sweetcorn etc. May give chitting the sweetcorn a go this year. Anway ...... back to the tomatoes!

Spuds in at last

Day off yesterday re family commitments.

Finished th spud planting at long last & got 4 rows of heritage peas in. Also did a part row of mange tout.

Asparagus is starting to show, 3 spears poking through & the Kelvdon Wonder peas seem to be coming through quite densely.

This chart shows the spuds planted this year, (more for my benfit), row width is 32 feet. Each row is 2 feet apart, other than the maincrop, which are 2 feet 6 inches apart. Within the rows the first early spuds are 12 inches apart, second earlies 15 inches and maincrop 18 inches.

Now to mow the lawns!

Back In Action

Back down the plot for a four hour session. On site by 7.30 a.m.! Two rows of "Picasso" spuds planted, "Loch Ness" blackberry tied up & more preparation.

And - YES - the Kelvedon Wonder peas are showing themselves - that's only 10 days from sowing, left outdoors to their own devices.

Planted out the tomatoes into the prepared greenhouse border. 6 x Shirley & 6 x Brandywine. Not sure where I'm going to put the spare 8, but the next door neighbour wants some.

Time to break this text up with a piccie, so here's the tomatoes!

Rainy Days & Fridays...

No plot today. Rain stopped play.

Shuffled the plants around, took brassicas etc. out of the cold greenhouse & put on the patio. (6 slabs at the back of the house). Sowed more Clapton caulis & Primo Cabbage.

Pricked out lettuce & made a sucessive sowing.

Forked over the tomato beds & watered again. Chucked in load of chicken manure. Look about right for planting now. Maybe tomorrow if I get the opportunity. Hoping for finer weather to get more spuds in, would like that job out of the way!

An interesting day

Row of Ambo.

More digging.

Doesn't get any better than this!

Yet more diggin'

More digging down the plot, have done enough now to accomodate the 5 rows of lates which I aim to put in over a few days.

Tidied Mrs Digger's strawberry patch, (the old one, not the new one I've just put in!).

Started preparing the greenhouse for the tomatoes. Going direct in the soil this year as I've got 2 compost bins that I've not touched for 5 years or so. The compost at the bottom is almost black - looks a bit of good stuff!

Heaved most of it out into the beds and begun to dig it in. The aim is to keep turning it and watering it for a few days to get it well dug in and raise the moisture level before planting the toms. Will throw in some chicken manure for good measure.

More Diggin,' More Plantin', More Sowin'

More digging over to put the spuds in. Two x rows (32') of Charlotte & one row of Kestrel.

If I've got it right, there's one row of Ambo, two rows of Picasso & two rows of Sarpo Mira to go.

Sowed a row of Early Nantes carrots, half a row of mini finger carrots and half a row of "Wanganui Giant" carrots, the latter sent to me by an Ozzie member of the forum.

The pea is still growing!

Yes!!!!!!!!

Remember my single seed of the "Gladstone" variety - it's germinated!

Been away for the weekend & it's poked it's head though. I think this one's in for a lot of TLC!

Further Update

Had a 4 hour session on the plot this morning. Finished planting the PJ's and cleared enough for the two rows of Charlotte and one row of Kestrel, plus a bit more!

Promised a photo - here's the tomatoes after their first night in the greenhouse.

Progress Report

Things are starting to move now.

Moved the Shirley & Brandywine tom plants into the greenhouse & wound the wick up a bit. The seedlings of the other 5 varieties have taken their place in the window sills.

Sowed a few more herb seeds and some of those flowery things.

Down the plot I've got all the "Swift" spuds in and half the "Pentland Javelin". One more session left before we're off for another weekend away!

Must try & break this boring text up with a photo or two!

Back To The (S)log

Back yesterday. Never take your eye off tomatoes. The ones I sowed a week ago had come through and had started to go a bit leggy. Emergency treatment with the old foil seems to be working.

Finally managed to get the parsnips in & three x 24' rows of Kelvedon Wonder Peas.

Next stop - spuds!

May leave it a week or two before sowing the heritage peas.