Gardening.

kyoto49

Well-Known Forumite
The southern plot here is a bit more shaded than the northern one, even more so in the winter half of the year, so it is colder and wetter. The other plot has had the winter shreddings stirred in regularly, but the southern one has been too claggy.

So, yesterday, I forked it over, to break it up and let some air in. This I managed to do as potential snow showers went past on both sides, but I got away with it.

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I planned to leave it for a few days, then run the tiller through, but there was a long sharp frost here overnight and it looked doable this afternoon - so, the tiller was applied and minced it up nicely. From here on, I can apply shreddings and clippings to both plots.

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The idea was to be planting some stuff this year, but I never got around to doing anything and I've been housebound with plague a lot of the time. Next year, maybe, or there might be some salad stuff yet.

This is the first time I've noticed that they're not the same length...
Have you ever tried no dig gardening? Highly recommended

 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Have you ever tried no dig gardening? Highly recommended

It will head in that direction, I expect, but there were a lot of issues that conflicted here. The plots had been pushed hard for twenty years and needed a bit of replenishment. They've certainly benefited from the added matter over the last two years. I also started using the heap to recycle encroaching grass from around the garden - a year in the dry and dark and it can be stirred up and scattered about. There may eventually(?) be a more structured organisation.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
It's getting proper windy (again) off to the west of you lot.

I have a few of these plastic "bell jars" and I've put a couple over the rose cuttings that I planted out a while back, more to stop them being blown about than anything else.

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Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Having planted out two of the five successful rose cuttings into their final locations, I'm still nursing three others.

One has now gone into a large 'recycled pot', to either stay there as a container plant or be usable as a 'strategic spare', should that be necessary.

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I produced a few of these pots in the 70s and 80s, but the two that I've done this century show just how much more substance there is in a modern tyre. Even with slitting the tread, I was only just able to do it. I'm fairly sure I couldn't do it now, in my current fatigued state!

I need to find homes for the other two cuttings shortly, I think.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Last year, I started a new heap, as the old one was, and still is, being used to recycle grassy clods. Some stuff that was too damp to shred successfully went into the new heap whole. I turned it over a few times, chopping up the stringy stuff, then I glazed the old cold frame that it was in, to warm it up,

As the weather has warmed up more, I started ventilating it, to reduce the moisture content and I have just succeeded in running the finished contents through the shredder - with this result.

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I have a considerable quantity of this and it looks and feels almost edible. It may benefit from a bit of coarse sand, I think.

I may try to improve the system a bit more - making drying racks, to hold the moister debris off the ground for a few days before I attempt to shred it.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Last year, I started a new heap, as the old one was, and still is, being used to recycle grassy clods. Some stuff that was too damp to shred successfully went into the new heap whole. I turned it over a few times, chopping up the stringy stuff, then I glazed the old cold frame that it was in, to warm it up,

As the weather has warmed up more, I started ventilating it, to reduce the moisture content and I have just succeeded in running the finished contents through the shredder - with this result.

View attachment 12358

I have a considerable quantity of this and it looks and feels almost edible. It may benefit from a bit of coarse sand, I think.

I may try to improve the system a bit more - making drying racks, to hold the moister debris off the ground for a few days before I attempt to shred it.
You ruler survived the shredder well !
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I decided to wash the greenhouse roofs and let the rain rinse them off.

At the moment, the greenhouse gutters don't feed into a water harvesting system, but they will eventually, as 'rain water off glass' is 'nice'. When I get around to sorting that, I will make the system divertible, so that the rinsing water doesn't make it into the storage container. I might not have thought of that, without doing it in this order.

I suspect that 'my' rain may have reached Formby in time to give @proactive a little more time for vin rouge?
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
I decided to wash the greenhouse roofs and let the rain rinse them off.

At the moment, the greenhouse gutters don't feed into a water harvesting system, but they will eventually, as 'rain water off glass' is 'nice'. When I get around to sorting that, I will make the system divertible, so that the rinsing water doesn't make it into the storage container. I might not have thought of that, without doing it in this order.

I suspect that 'my' rain may have reached Formby in time to give @proactive a little more time for vin rouge?
Thank you Michael Fish. You were correct.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
Thank you Michael Fish. You were correct.
Phew, I was concerned that you might be contemplating overdoing it.


It has turned into a beautiful evening here - the second nearest acceptable pub beckons.

The nearest has had a fire, but should be back in action reasonably soon.
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Phew, I was concerned that you might be contemplating overdoing it.


It has turned into a beautiful evening here - the second nearest acceptable pub beckons.

The nearest has had a fire, but should be back in action reasonably soon.
Not the warmest day today. I'll put it down to a chilly wind sent to annoy me by the Irish. Perfect weather for gardening though, so that's all done now and the waste taken to the tip.
 

Gadget

Well-Known Forumite
Currently waging war on aphids and ants in my currants. It's aphid-aggeddon out there right now. The situation had become dire and was an emergency annihilation. Hopefully the currant will be saved and gentler gardening can resume. Selective ant murdering will continue however as they are everywhere and starting to cause problems.
The tomatoes are now baby plants and are too big for the windowsill. Going to get a small plastic greenhouse thing for them next week so they can go out.
 

Gadget

Well-Known Forumite
The ants may be farming the aphids...

A regular spray of very dilute detergent solution can be very effective.
Yes they are little shits. So far aphid-aggedon has been successful. Not seen the ants in that particular currant either. I'll move to the detergent technique now its not such an emergency. If we can get the ants under control we want to ladybird bomb the garden, like we did last year.
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
The rose cuttings that I planted out, two in flower beds and one in a large pot, have buds on and seem to be progressing OK.

But, the two that I have held in reserve as spares are doing better. They generally spend the days outside and the nights in the greenhouse. This has resulted in them being a bit further advanced and buds have been showing impending petals lately - the first flower appeared overnight.

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Bob

Well-Known Forumite
My Greenhouse seems to refill quicker than my wine glass - if you could believe that.

As soon as I start to clear a space, more plants appear as if by magic and fill it back up. ( A combination of repotting and trips to the garden centre)

Of my 19 veg beds I've only got three more to plant up and my greenhouse is overflowing, I can't get that planted up yet with the stuff that needs to stay in there because I cant get the stuff out that needs to not be in there. I think I might have gone a bit OTT on the sowing.

That said I have loads of small tomato plants, strawberry plants, runner and French beans going spare if anyone fancies a drive out to the back and beyond to collect. I've already given crates of veg plants away, I cant get rid of it quick enough.
 
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