Weekend's work

[Dr Bill]

The boards seem to have gone very quiet the last few days. I hope that people haven't been put off by a couple of rather contentious threads on the general board.

Any road up, what have folks been up to this weekend.

We have ordered our new kitchen and paid a deposit, so to calm ourselves down we went to the garden centre. We managed to find a little area devoted to gardening among all the Christmas stuff and other tack. I bought some sweet pea and mecanopsis seeds.

I haven't grown sweet peas overwinter before so I will be keen to see the results.

Today has been spent tackling the garage (again!)

[Deleted]

Hi drbill
No gardening for me this weekend or for the last week for one reason and another.

However we have been busy ordering a new dining room suite ( last one was bought when children were at home) put a deposit down on a different car ( had the last one 8 years ) and also ripped up the lounge carpet which we inherited with the house 18 month ago. Not sure whether to recarpet or sand blast and varnish the boards which are in good nick.
Plus I am continuing to carry on painting in the lounge.

We have made more decisions this last week than we normally do in a year

I think or I know it would have been cheaper to carry on gardening!!!!!!! ;D

Px

[sweetleaf]

Yesterday, OH and I drove to somerset to get "my" tractor ...might have guessed, OH never let me near it, playing with it all day today, he was

Today I was on Barrow and video duty, and I built a small raised bed, on the lottie and fixed the guttering on the shed, removed the tarps from one plot and put them on the other, rivetting eh? Oh forgot to say, it poured with rain all afternoon, soaked to the skin.
Then when I got home the house looked like a small nuclear explosion had occurred, and I had to start work again immediately, to clear up after the magically absent kids, all teenagers .......

[Deleted]

Very lazy, non gardening weekend for me, Winter must be approaching as I'm nearly ready to hibernate!!. Visited some friends and their new born son...all 10lbs 1 1/2 oz of him (ouch)....also been looking after the OH who has hurt his back while doing the hoovering....listened to the football on the radio and cooked a devine chilli, now just having a quick look at the boards before I settle down with another alcoholic beverage and watch some tv.

[Deleted]

Hi - P - we may be destined to talk real time - plus - can't resist a thread if Sweet Peas are mentioned. Got my special compost today, made my funnel - all set to fill up toilet rolls !!! And soak my seeds. Have had a good day, all in all - take care - P

[Dr Bill]

pa said:

Hi - P - we may be destined to talk real time - plus - can't resist a thread if Sweet Peas are mentioned. Got my special compost today, made my funnel - all set to fill up toilet rolls !!! And soak my seeds. Have had a good day, all in all - take care - P

Now that's interesting. I have seen various advice about whether or not to soak/chip the seeds. I seem to remember someone (?Carol Klein) saying it wasn't necessary.

What is the special compost (or is it a state secret?)?

[Deleted]

Hi - no secret - was advised to get proper seed compost with no nutrients - couldn't get JI so got Levingtons - but only has phosphates for root developement, so hopefullly OK. And I always soak my seeds, whatevere they say!!!!
Take care - PA

[Dr Bill]

Thanks for that pa. I think I will follow your guidance. I was going to use a peat free general purpose compost but to be honest germination of some seeds (notably carrots and lettuce) was not great in it this year, so I am going with JI seed compost

[Deleted]

PC went off line - not sure where message went - it seems multi-purpose compost has too many nutrients and promotes leggy growth ( in Sweet Peas, anyway!!) So JI seed compost ( or hopefully Levingtons ) will do the job. (Lots of knowledgable folk on these sites - I just quote!!!)
Take care - PA

[Deleted]

I managed to get some weeding done under a hedge on Saturday - I've got the dreaded Oxalis stricta coming up all over the place My heart wasn't in it though as I won't reap the benefits

Did some shopping in Norwich yesterday, it was fine and dry there but rained here most of the day so I wouldn't have got any gardening done anyway.

I always use seed compost when starting off seeds for the very reasons you say pa
For the same reasons tomato grow bags are bad for young tomato plants - I use JI when potting them up too

drbill - I tried to add a comment to your blogg about your extension on Saturday but couldn't I wanted to ask if the work will be completed before Christmas?

[Dr Bill]

rita said:

drbill - I tried to add a comment to your blogg about your extension on Saturday but couldn't I wanted to ask if the work will be completed before Christmas?

We are hoping so , Rita. The builder seems to think they should manage it. The kitchen fitters are starting at the beginning of December.

Mind you, even if the building etc is finished, there is still going to be plenty to do in the way of redecorating and putting everything back together, so I guess we won't really be finished until well into the Spring.

I had hoped to post some more pictures this weekend but haven't had the time or energy to go out and take them

[Cheerypeabrain]

Hlo Dr Bill..what a lovely new photo of your Grand-daughter.
I didn't notice any contentious threads...what have I missed!?

Anyway...yesterday was a complete wash out for me gardening wise as I was working in the morning, then it was too wet in the afternoon...grrrr..

Today has been glorious tho so I've been out in the garden all day...I feel refreshed and replenished!. The borders have been stripped of their summer bedding...I've got dahlia tubers standing on their heads on newspaper in the GH to dry out ready for storage...and I've planted up the border with primroses, violas, lovely red bellis daisies. I stuck a few grasses, heathers and other stuff in there as well just to fill it up a bit ! It still looks a bit boring as everything's low level...but at least we have some colour again...

Then took a bit of time to wash out all the pots and sweep up the paths and GH...bliss....worn out now!

[Dr Bill]

cheerypeabrain said:

Hlo Dr Bill..what a lovely new photo of your Grand-daughter.

Thank you - isn't she great? And she was so good in Chrch this morning.

The weather has been gloriuos today but I have done nothing. Had one of those "can't be bothered" days.

Have made a fruit loaf though so tea should be nice!

[Cheerypeabrain]

Yes I know what you mean about 'can't be bothered' DB...I was so lost in the gardening that I forgot to feed my OH. So there was no Sunday Roast....we had ham, egg and chips!

[Chuckles]

HERE ARE THE POSTS FROM THE DUPLICATE THREAD Weekend's work

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I finally managed to get some time in the garden today - first time in weeks. The weather was dull and damp but not cold.

I got my litte raised vegetable bed cleared and planted up with garlic, onion sets, spring cabbage, winter lettuce, and broad beans. Not bad in a 4' x 4' bed. I am trying the "square foot" method this time.

Also got the annuals out of one of the beds and tidied it up. Planted the last few alliums and winter aconites.

Planted a couple of bamboos behind the arched seat.

Raked up the leaves from the lawn and bagged them up for leaf mould.

Brought some of the tender stuff in containers into the greenhouse - banana, cannas, pelargoniums, tender lavender and perennial basil.

Now I'm bu**ered. Time for an aliquot of single malt I think and feet up with a good book.

What's everyone else been up to?

God Bless
Dr Bill

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« Reply #1 »

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Not much today drbill.
It is still drizzling and I had heaps of hard work behind the computer.
I did however finish my own little knitted Cactus.
It won't die of over/under watering.
Here is a collection a friend made.

I hope to get to do some gardening tomorrow.

Dutchy
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« Reply #2 »

Ive been potting up my primulas as they were getting eaten by caterpillars,
cut the grass cleared up leaves done a bit of weeding a bit of pruning, got rid of my bedding plants and dead headed my roses.
Not a bad day relay got more done than i expected.

Dutchy love the cactus

Regards Karenwl
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Reply #3 »

Last couple of days I have only done a few bits, need to get finger out really..........

Tidied the GH and put polystyrene on stageing and half way up side, put in some tender plants & young cuttings incase of frosts.
Removed all saucers from pots outside.
Emptied hanging baskets into compost bin
Put wooden table and chairs in shed.

Love the knitted Cactus too, cute

BusyBee

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« Reply #4 »


Had a bit of luck with the bonus ball last Wednesday with the lottery at work so went to order some farmyard manure which will be delivered later in the week (30 bags - can't wait ). Planted the tulip bulbs I had for my birthday and had a bit of a tidy up in the garden and turned out two of my compost bins into the big one for winter. Then the rain came in and that was that. Hoping to get down to my plot tomorrow if it stays dry for a couple of hours.


jlottie


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« Reply #5»

HI jlottie

Congrats on your win! Where there's muck there's money or in your case where there's money there's muck!

Busybee you seem to have done all the things I've yet to do hopefully tomorrow.
I have brought my 2 bouganvillaes inside though as the weather is lousy here now.

Px
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« Reply #6 »


Hi Dutchy - lov your cacti - will take pic of mine sometime - but yours are really good - can you publish patterns
Take care - PA

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« Reply #7 »

Brillian cactus, not a prickle in sight, I've just done some weeding, mown the grass, picked some dahlias & sweet peas, put the pelagoniums near the door ready to go in the cellar, such glorious weather. The job I should have done was clean the greenhouse I thought Tuesday will be good for that horror. Just think a bunch of sweetpeas in October, they have grown again from the base.

gertrudej2nd

[borderbabe]

I managed to plant out mu polyanthus, pansies and bulbs in the front garden on Saturday and yesterday O put the bubble plastic up in the greenhouse after seeing the weather forecast the middle of the week. Put some of the tender stuff in there and generally tidied up and planted a few more containers for the winter. So much of the summer stuff is still going at full steam it seems unfair to the plants to take them out when they are still flowering so well!

The allotment still needs digging - but there's always next weekend!

[Chuckles]

Had a fab day in the gdn on Sunday, the weather really helped. Managed to get all pots together that will need protection from the frost, swept up some leaves, potted up some, Lillies, Alliums and Narscisuss. Put some more tender cuttings in the GH, just got to make room for all the other stuff now.

Today I have had a mega bonfire with my neighbour, we started at 10am and finished at 2pm. We both had loads to burn and really got stuck in and did some more pruning while we had the fire going. A good 4hrs work between us, it makes you feel sooooo good when you can see where youv'e been and nice to do it together.

Just having a well earned cuppa then it's out with the mower while it's dry.

UPDATE......15.40 Lawns mowed time for another cuppa

[Deleted]

Long weekend, its Tuesday I know but I've been putting my worst job of the year off. I've done it I've cleaned out the greenhouse, washed the glass, sorted out the rubbish, relined the shelves. I had help too, no not OH, but a frog and my Robin popped in with me to clean up the insects. When I was down at the bottom of the garden I looked back at the house & saw the TV ariel has blown down.