My spuds are still not sprouting yet, so will be ok @Sheps , but I wonder if the strawberries that are in flower will survive the cold, and will all the apple and pear blossom, that I have hand pollinated, set fruit. 🥶😮🤷♀️
First thing, I checked over about 60 hardy seedlings, one by one, which I noticed last night had some slug damage. (I had dashed down to the greenhouse at very late at night to bring them into the house, because of the 1C forecast! In fact it didn't get lower than 3.5C in the end.) Found two baby slugs. What a lot of damage two little slugs can do!
In breaks from work, I sowed probably too many peas, mangetout and dwarf and climbing French beans. I don't really have enough room in my remaining, free raised bed, although I guess the dwarf beans can go in a large trough. Or I could get round to making up another metal raised bed (but where can I get away with putting it? I am wondering if husband would notice if I put it where the cold frame is... ) Either way, big pots may have to be deployed which is not ideal, or I just give some away. I also sowed 3 types each of courgettes and cucumbers, some Uchiri Kuri and some out of date patty pan squash.
re tomato sauce, I have a small freezer so I roast the tomatoes (sometimes with herbs and garlic but more than often than not, just olive oil or smoked rapeseed oil), then run them through a passata maker, skin,seeds and all. You get a very intensely flavoured, concentrated sauce which takes up less room because the tomatoes shrink when roasted. I freeze most of it - and need to finish eating up mine too! I have been a bit too parsimonious with it. I shall save some until early summer, though, as it makes wonderful gazpacho (with other ingredients added, of course) before this year's tomatoes start cropping.
Gosh, you're all so industrious, you put me to shame. I haven't sown any seeds yet as I've been waiting for the weather to warm up consistently, hopefully by the forthcoming weekend. I bought two tomato plants which I potted on and are now sitting on the dining room table. After lunch, I tied in a climbing rose to the trellis and cut off the faded hellebore flowers, then I weeded a small, rather steep border which was rather awkward. Bindweed growing in this one as well but again I'm waiting for it to warm up before carefully applying glyphosate to the leaves.
Yesterday I started the 'mammoth' task (for me) of extending the patio by 12 pavers. After digging out the flowerbed, and with instructions from my OH I managed to lay 4 pavers. I ran out of sand and cement but Wickes is delivering more tomorrow where I hope to lay the other 8. Husband isn't strong enough these days, which makes him so very frustrated. I know we could get an 'odd job' to lay the pavers, but to be honest I'd rather spend the money on plants. So far I think it's looking well, well enough for a soon-to-be 70 year old biddy. Plus I love the challenge.
The new water butt finally arrived. Unfortunately it's got to be placed slap bang on the patio to catch the water from the drainpipe. So now I'm thinking how to camouflage it. My thoughts are with strawberries. I bought 12 (now 11 cost I lost one) bare rooted Everest strawberries, they're said to be a climber with 1m runners. I also bought 5 pots that clamp to a drainpipe for them, but now the butt is in situ (tho' not yet 'plumbed in') only 2 of them will fit. The other 3 will go on the drainpipe at the front of the house with a few bedding plants in each. Think if I plant some strawberries in the hanging basket above the butt, and a container of sorts on top of the lid, I think it could result in a column of strawberries. At least that's my plan, and I live in hope, hope is what gardeners do best I think!
Pricked out Eregaron Mexican fleabane seedlings, I've been holding off from pricking the seedlings out because they are so small, but I thought the time was right as they were about to get their 3rd pair of leaves. I was pleasantly surprised by their huge root system, so I know they'll be fine. Also pricked out dahlia and frilly pansy seedlings.
@REMF33 This year I am going back to growing French beans in tubs. Last year they were in a raised bed with canes and lattice behind them, they were a pain! Beans hard to reach. So back to basics, two tubs, with wigwams of canes, and two canes tied between the two to make an arch. They go over a trough of spring onion and lettuce, so take up little space. I just have to keep an eye out for windy weather when they get top heavy.
@purplerallim I have done them in tubs before. (I sometimes use those big builders mixing trugs wiht holes drilled in the bottom.) They worked but seemed happier in the raised bed. They probably need more feeding in a tub and I am not always as assiduous at this as the summer proceeds. (I grow a lot of things in pots and it gets a bit ridiculous in terms of time and expense.) They also need more attention in terms of snails. It's not that I am lazy More that I am a bit greedy and grow too much for one person with a full time job to manage so aim for minimum effort. This all said, the dwarf ones, if they come up, will have to go in pots.
Posts
In breaks from work, I sowed probably too many peas, mangetout and dwarf and climbing French beans. I don't really have enough room in my remaining, free raised bed, although I guess the dwarf beans can go in a large trough. Or I could get round to making up another metal raised bed (but where can I get away with putting it? I am wondering if husband would notice if I put it where the cold frame is...
I also sowed 3 types each of courgettes and cucumbers, some Uchiri Kuri and some out of date patty pan squash.
re tomato sauce, I have a small freezer so I roast the tomatoes (sometimes with herbs and garlic but more than often than not, just olive oil or smoked rapeseed oil), then run them through a passata maker, skin,seeds and all. You get a very intensely flavoured, concentrated sauce which takes up less room because the tomatoes shrink when roasted. I freeze most of it - and need to finish eating up mine too! I have been a bit too parsimonious with it. I shall save some until early summer, though, as it makes wonderful gazpacho (with other ingredients added, of course) before this year's tomatoes start cropping.
After lunch, I tied in a climbing rose to the trellis and cut off the faded hellebore flowers, then I weeded a small, rather steep border which was rather awkward. Bindweed growing in this one as well but again I'm waiting for it to warm up before carefully applying glyphosate to the leaves.
The new water butt finally arrived. Unfortunately it's got to be placed slap bang on the patio to catch the water from the drainpipe. So now I'm thinking how to camouflage it. My thoughts are with strawberries. I bought 12 (now 11 cost I lost one) bare rooted Everest strawberries, they're said to be a climber with 1m runners. I also bought 5 pots that clamp to a drainpipe for them, but now the butt is in situ (tho' not yet 'plumbed in') only 2 of them will fit. The other 3 will go on the drainpipe at the front of the house with a few bedding plants in each. Think if I plant some strawberries in the hanging basket above the butt, and a container of sorts on top of the lid, I think it could result in a column of strawberries. At least that's my plan, and I live in hope, hope is what gardeners do best I think!
Pricked out Eregaron Mexican fleabane seedlings, I've been holding off from pricking the seedlings out because they are so small, but I thought the time was right as they were about to get their 3rd pair of leaves. I was pleasantly surprised by their huge root system, so I know they'll be fine. Also pricked out dahlia and frilly pansy seedlings.
Busy day ahead tomorrow.....
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
Why disguise the water butt ?
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I’ve a potato sack at home and coming up nicely nearly full of compost , at the allotment
first earlies coming up nicely and hoed up
Cambridgeshire/Norfolk border.
This year I am going back to growing French beans in tubs. Last year they were in a raised bed with canes and lattice behind them, they were a pain! Beans hard to reach. So back to basics, two tubs, with wigwams of canes, and two canes tied between the two to make an arch. They go over a trough of spring onion and lettuce, so take up little space. I just have to keep an eye out for windy weather when they get top heavy.