Happy birthday to my long time penfriend Claudia, whose birthday it is today.
In honour of the event, I took a day off work. I did enough overtime last month to buy a day off so here today is my day off. The day started well, we had a hire car so took some stuff to the dump and then off to Homebase (10% off day!). It looks like we're going to paint the garden fence while the weather is good so we got some paint and some other bits and pieces for the summer DIY programme. Of course, I can never leave the garden section alone but came away with not very much, considering: a loganberry, a chilli plant "Apache" and tomato plant "Shirley". Also got some garden misc stuff - drip trays and a sack of dirt.
Back home and out into it. Raked the lawn before mowing to clear out the winter detrius and moss. Then did some planting out: 12 chinese broccolis have gone into the veggie patch at the back, Shirley got planted onto the sunny side as did the Loganberry (between two raspberry patches). I potted up the chilli and stuck it in the greenhouse, it will probably be happy in there.
Our neighbour was also out doing her garden so we swapped: I gave her some strawberry plants and she gave me some viola and "blue plant" seeds. They've gone into a dirt tray in the greenhouse, see what happens.
The little red kales pot I've divvied up and potted on individually, same with one of the tomato seedling pots (the Roma). I also did some long intended repotting, dividing the mint into several pots and tipping out the thyme pot, taking a breadknife to the roots, removing the moss and repotting it in fresh soil. I just hope I don't kill it!
The problem with the pear trees: the Red Williams has blossom all over it; the Beurre Hardy has none. How are these supposed to cross pollinate? At Homebase today I tried to steal some pollen from a flowering Conference pear in the garden section by swiping the corner of a tissue through some of the flowers. When I got home I wiped the pollinated tissue over some of the Red Williams flowers. No idea if this will work or not.
Tomorrow I'd like to get on and do some more weeding. I might go through my seeds tonight and see what is there that I either haven't planted or have planted but with no results.
Despite the niggling backache, I feel so much more satisfied with today's efforts than I would after a day at the office!
Friday 23 April 2010
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Sprout
Oca is sprouting! But only the oca down by the shed. The oca in the back corner of the yard and in the sunny spot by the raspberries have not sprouted yet. And the strawbs have flowers so the season will soon be upon us.
Saturday 17 April 2010
Lettuce play
Today I planted out my greens - lettuce "mixed", salad bowl and Morton's secret lettuce from realseeds. They describe it as seed from Frank and Karen's lettuce breeding programmes, a huge diversity in forms and shapes, different varieties you won't get elsewhere. Sounds intriguing.
Also planted are some Minibel tomato seeds and regular Kale (called Borecole on the packet). The garden Kale is definitely about to go over to seed so we'll be saying bye-bye to that very soon.
Fruit tree blossoms are almost out; there are flowers on the main raspberry (not the Lidl raspberries) and the gooseberry. I forgot to check the redcurrant.
Planted out today from the greenhouse: 12 kailaan seedlings, 6 on the sunny side, 6 on the shady side. I also planted out 3 "giant" sunflower seedlings. There's lots more kailaan to go out, just waiting to see how these 12 get on before I plant out more.
Melon seeds are germinating in the greenhouse! The zinnias are also going great guns.
We did some more clearing around the pond today and found some strawberry runners trying to grow on nothing so I've transplanted them. See how they go, it's not like there's a shortage.
Almost all the tulips are out: plain yellow, pink, bright pink, flame coloured red/orange/yellow, two tone maroon-yellow, one white-tipped pink. Still no sign of the Queen of Night yet.
Also planted are some Minibel tomato seeds and regular Kale (called Borecole on the packet). The garden Kale is definitely about to go over to seed so we'll be saying bye-bye to that very soon.
Fruit tree blossoms are almost out; there are flowers on the main raspberry (not the Lidl raspberries) and the gooseberry. I forgot to check the redcurrant.
Planted out today from the greenhouse: 12 kailaan seedlings, 6 on the sunny side, 6 on the shady side. I also planted out 3 "giant" sunflower seedlings. There's lots more kailaan to go out, just waiting to see how these 12 get on before I plant out more.
Melon seeds are germinating in the greenhouse! The zinnias are also going great guns.
We did some more clearing around the pond today and found some strawberry runners trying to grow on nothing so I've transplanted them. See how they go, it's not like there's a shortage.
Almost all the tulips are out: plain yellow, pink, bright pink, flame coloured red/orange/yellow, two tone maroon-yellow, one white-tipped pink. Still no sign of the Queen of Night yet.
Sunday 11 April 2010
Gardening Club - April
This month's talk was on colour for all seasons, and although our guest speaker seemed to have an enormous garden and budget to match, I wrote down some of his suggestions but on double checking on the internet with other people's pictures the ones I most liked were:
- Wintersweet (Chimonanthus)
- Witchhazel (hamamelis) for the great flowers in winter
- Pseudowintera colorata, a plant with NZ origins, also called Horopito
- Species tulips were recommended over other types as they last longer
- Acer auroa, a japanese maple with yellow autumn leaves
- Delphiniums
- Leucanthemum (daisies) - he recommended shaggy but I've just seen one called Goldrausch which is yellow and shaggy
- Hedychium (ginger!) which I didn't know you could grow here but he seems to be doing so. The varieties I noted were Carnival, Pink Flame, Spicatum and densifloram Assam Orange. I'd love to grow ginger so will look into this.
- Colletia cruciata, an amazing looking plant that's more like an art collage. Look it up.
- Astrantia major
- Eryngium which I like the look of but am not sure I would want to grow them as they look a little too much like thistles
- Verbena
- Helenium which seems to come in attractive bright yellow/orange/red combinations
11 April
Today I got stuck into a few areas that I've let get away, namely, the corner near the pond where the strawberries and weeds have gone mad, and the patch down near the gooseberry which has been taken over by the carnation.
The carnation has been there for several years and all it does is sprawl and produce flower buds that rot and fall off. Probably I could improve its situation by moving it, but I was fed up with it so just ripped it out. I dug in some compost to improve the moss situation and planted up some seeds: nasturtiums, calendula, larkspur and marigold. I also cut back the cineraria in the same area to get rid of some of the woody stems.
We gave Sigmund a thorough pruning - there were a lot of dead vines which we were able to chop out, leaving Sigmund much smaller than before. But Sigmund always comes back and there are leaf buds on the bare stems already so there will be leaves by next weekend.
The patch by the pond was thick with creeping buttercup and grass. I cleared some of it but will need to go back another day. I planted some seeds on the sunny side of the garden: two types of beetroot (one from Mr Fothergill, one from Morissons bought who knows how long ago) and some miscellaneous larkspur seeds also from who knows how long ago.
Blueberries have lots of flower buds so they should be very productive when it's berry season, just to be generous I put some new soil in the pots. None of the other berries are at that stage yet, although I got rid of 21 baby strawberry plants to people at work this week.
Fruit trees: the Cox has leaves on it and the new Beurre Hardy almost has leaves. The Red Williams and the James Grieve are falling behind. In fact I'm worried something go into the Red Williams as it looks like the new shoots are just producing flowers, no leaves. And I saw ants on it the other day which makes me fear the sap sucking insects are in there sucking the goodness out of the new shoots.
Greenhouse: this year's winner is the Kailaan, going great guns. But there has been germination amongst some of the sunflowers, the kale, the tomatoes and some of the basil. I'll have to remember to water more often now the temperature is picking up, don't want to encounter wilting plants like I did the other day. Some of the Kailaan is big enough that I might try planting a few out next weekend.
Daffodils are still in flower and tulips are coming out. Most common is the deep pink colour but there are one each of a cream-tipped pink and a yellow-tipped red as well. I'm tagging them this year to know which bulb is which when I'm sorting them at season end as I promised some to Amanda.
The carnation has been there for several years and all it does is sprawl and produce flower buds that rot and fall off. Probably I could improve its situation by moving it, but I was fed up with it so just ripped it out. I dug in some compost to improve the moss situation and planted up some seeds: nasturtiums, calendula, larkspur and marigold. I also cut back the cineraria in the same area to get rid of some of the woody stems.
We gave Sigmund a thorough pruning - there were a lot of dead vines which we were able to chop out, leaving Sigmund much smaller than before. But Sigmund always comes back and there are leaf buds on the bare stems already so there will be leaves by next weekend.
The patch by the pond was thick with creeping buttercup and grass. I cleared some of it but will need to go back another day. I planted some seeds on the sunny side of the garden: two types of beetroot (one from Mr Fothergill, one from Morissons bought who knows how long ago) and some miscellaneous larkspur seeds also from who knows how long ago.
Blueberries have lots of flower buds so they should be very productive when it's berry season, just to be generous I put some new soil in the pots. None of the other berries are at that stage yet, although I got rid of 21 baby strawberry plants to people at work this week.
Fruit trees: the Cox has leaves on it and the new Beurre Hardy almost has leaves. The Red Williams and the James Grieve are falling behind. In fact I'm worried something go into the Red Williams as it looks like the new shoots are just producing flowers, no leaves. And I saw ants on it the other day which makes me fear the sap sucking insects are in there sucking the goodness out of the new shoots.
Greenhouse: this year's winner is the Kailaan, going great guns. But there has been germination amongst some of the sunflowers, the kale, the tomatoes and some of the basil. I'll have to remember to water more often now the temperature is picking up, don't want to encounter wilting plants like I did the other day. Some of the Kailaan is big enough that I might try planting a few out next weekend.
Daffodils are still in flower and tulips are coming out. Most common is the deep pink colour but there are one each of a cream-tipped pink and a yellow-tipped red as well. I'm tagging them this year to know which bulb is which when I'm sorting them at season end as I promised some to Amanda.
Saturday 3 April 2010
Easter
Leaf report: there are leaves on the gooseberry, the redcurrant and the raspberry bushes. The Cox Orange Pippin apple tree has leaves but the other fruit trees and the blueberries aren't there yet.
Things to eat: the kale survived the winter well and is in good eating condition, and will probably remain so until the insects wake up or it goes to seed.
Flowers: daffodils are coming out and there are buds on the tulips. The winter flowering heathers are still flowering.
Seeds : planted up a big load of seeds today.
Things to eat: the kale survived the winter well and is in good eating condition, and will probably remain so until the insects wake up or it goes to seed.
Flowers: daffodils are coming out and there are buds on the tulips. The winter flowering heathers are still flowering.
Seeds : planted up a big load of seeds today.
- A whole tray of zinnias using the last of the seeds in the open packet
- Beans: fasold and opera (in toilet paper tubes since I have no peas it seems)
- Chillis: wenks hot yellow and pretty in purple (from http://www.realseeds.co.uk/)
- Waltham Squash (also Real seeds)
- Musk Melon (Real seeds again)
- Cabbage: savoy and red although there were not many seeds left in the packet
Seeds growing:
There seems to be quite a bit of stuff growing in the greenhouse. The kailaan are going great guns, I just hope when they make it out into the garden they don't get eaten by bugs. The basils are hatching and growing slowly as are some of the flowers. The yellow tomatoes are doing well and the kale is showing promise.
In the beds:
No sign of the oca yet (probably too early and not been warm enough). There could be signs that the yellow beets and spring onions are coming up but I'm not being too optimistic.
If we get any more good weather this weekend (in between the heavy rain showers) I might try and plant up some rows of beetroot in situ but where?
I've had some offers from colleagues at work to take the baby strawberry plants which would give some extra space on what was a greenhouse last year and is just shelves this year since the cover ripped itself to pieces (well it was a cheapo from Lidl).
Waiting for three sunny days in a row so the yard dries out enough for me to mow the lawn.
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