Had to go out, but did manage a bit of time in the garden. Emptied one potato sack to see what we had of Pentland Javelin, 3 and a half pounds of new potato sized ones, just right to go with tonight's Lasagne ( home made with last year's Tomato sauce) 😋
Have had to cut down the Canterbury Bells today as they are going over. Such a lot of plants are on the turn now, so early this year. I've taken quite a few babies from the CB,so hopefully, next year, we can start again and grow on properly. OH cut the grass,
A lovely day all day. Took pooch for a leisurely walk and cleared the worktops in the kitchen for the Tescoes groceries delivery in the evening. Checked the greenhouse, gave the tomatoes a drink and feed. Some are very very slowly ripening. Picked a few runner beans and gave them to my neighbour. It looks as if I have lost 4 of my 10 plants. Aw shucks! That was me bushed. I hate having no energy.
I forced myself out into the garden yesterday and spent four hours weeding and cutting back. Transplanted a small acer that I'd purchased last summer from its garden center plastic pot to a terracotta pot. Dug up some pokeweed and pasture thistle from around the property, too. I filled four 75-gallon garden bags with weeds, which is a testament to how bad my gardens are this year. My mother was feeling well the other day and had done a Beechgrove George pruning on her Miss Kim lilac, so I loaded the branches into the back of the truck, along with all the bags of weeds and invasives, and hauled it to the landfill. I needed that; it kept the melancholy at bay for a day. The next few days are nothing but rain and thunderstorms, so no gardening to be had.
New England, USA
Metacomet soil with hints of Woodbridge and Pillsbury
Another round of picking in the greenhouse 5lb of tomatoes and five cucumbers. A handful of French beans and Autumn Raspberries too. I too had to give up at that point, as the rest of my energy went on finishing the hand washing left over from our trip.
That's a good harvest @purplerallim. Our total is 2 cherry tomatoes from our greenhouse!
I did some more light pruning, thinned out the apples I could easily reach and weeded the veg beds while the dandelions were wet enough to pull out easily, then OH covered over the middle bed with cardboard to keep the weeds down. Veg haven't done well this year and we don't have the will or energy to plant any more this year.
I can't understand it @Lizzie27 The weather hasn't been good, the temperatures low and the plants are much less leafy, but they are ripening now at a rate of knots and are larger than usual. Surely just using a self watering system to water twice daily can't make that much difference, because everything else is the same as last year. 🤔
No actual gardening for me but I sat and watched the 2 gardeners who came for the first time. I am still a bit wary of their business set up. Both arrived claiming they couldn't remember their bank details for me to do a money transfer and I refused to pay them cash, I never keep that amount of money in the house. 2 at £20.00 per hour for 4 hrs. We agreed they would call me back later with their details. Miraculously one of them remembered their details just before they left. I have just done a money transfer for them. No company name so I suppose like a lot of self employed, it should be cash in hand, no declaration of earnings. They did work steadily, one was very much the silent partner, hardly opened his mouth. The other one sounds quite knowledgeable, recognised and named some of my more uncommon plants and seemed to be the boss. She is a bright and intelligent young woman but has a shrewd, focussed mind so I am treading warily. They hand weeded the path around the raised beds and pond which immediately made the garden look less of a jungle. I have agreed for them to come back in 3 weeks time to continue but at the moment am still reserving my final judgement. It all makes me sound very suspicious and picky but I have learned over the years to listen to my subconscious. Not always easy when it seems to be unwarranted but hey! It mat turn into a beautiful working relationship.
Spent most of yesterday on the sofa, pole axed by the stomach upset I am struggling with. Now being checked for a bacterial infection, no results until next week. Today I watered the tomatoes and picked half a dozen, will have to freeze them as I dare not eat any fresh fruit or veg. yet. Picked the remains of the gladioli flowers, rain battered and slug chewed, removed the worst damaged flowers, leaving the remaining buds to open indoors. I had a look at the handiwork of the 2 gardeners, pulling the tops off weeds is not my idea of weeding. It will be interesting to see if they call back for another session. My sister's man seems to have disappeared, failed to turn up 3 times so she is giving up on him. I must repot the miniature cyclamen corms I grew indoors last year. I let them dry off for a few weeks then put them outside, noticed they are all producing baby leaves now.
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I just pruned the wisteria strands for what seemed the umpteenth time and then the Claire Austin climbing rose which was also getting out of hand.
Took pooch for a leisurely walk and cleared the worktops in the kitchen for the Tescoes groceries delivery in the evening.
Checked the greenhouse, gave the tomatoes a drink and feed. Some are very very slowly ripening. Picked a few runner beans and gave them to my neighbour. It looks as if I have lost 4 of my 10 plants. Aw shucks!
That was me bushed. I hate having no energy.
I did some more light pruning, thinned out the apples I could easily reach and weeded the veg beds while the dandelions were wet enough to pull out easily, then OH covered over the middle bed with cardboard to keep the weeds down. Veg haven't done well this year and we don't have the will or energy to plant any more this year.
My new gardener's coming tomorrow.
The weather hasn't been good, the temperatures low and the plants are much less leafy, but they are ripening now at a rate of knots and are larger than usual. Surely just using a self watering system to water twice daily can't make that much difference, because everything else is the same as last year. 🤔
Miraculously one of them remembered their details just before they left. I have just done a money transfer for them. No company name so I suppose like a lot of self employed, it should be cash in hand, no declaration of earnings.
They did work steadily, one was very much the silent partner, hardly opened his mouth. The other one sounds quite knowledgeable, recognised and named some of my more uncommon plants and seemed to be the boss. She is a bright and intelligent young woman but has a shrewd, focussed mind so I am treading warily.
They hand weeded the path around the raised beds and pond which immediately made the garden look less of a jungle. I have agreed for them to come back in 3 weeks time to continue but at the moment am still reserving my final judgement.
It all makes me sound very suspicious and picky but I have learned over the years to listen to my subconscious. Not always easy when it seems to be unwarranted but hey! It mat turn into a beautiful working relationship.
Today I watered the tomatoes and picked half a dozen, will have to freeze them as I dare not eat any fresh fruit or veg. yet.
Picked the remains of the gladioli flowers, rain battered and slug chewed, removed the worst damaged flowers, leaving the remaining buds to open indoors.
I had a look at the handiwork of the 2 gardeners, pulling the tops off weeds is not my idea of weeding. It will be interesting to see if they call back for another session. My sister's man seems to have disappeared, failed to turn up 3 times so she is giving up on him.
I must repot the miniature cyclamen corms I grew indoors last year. I let them dry off for a few weeks then put them outside, noticed they are all producing baby leaves now.