I'd arranged to meet the volunteers coordinator, D, at my garden as she hadn't seen it and she had a starter pack for me. I headed out early with my marigolds, strawberries and the biggest of the beans. I had to load them in to buckets to get them there, I must have looked quite a sight on the bus.
The mist was hanging low, it almost felt like rain in the air but it was pleasantly warm. By the time the plants were in and D had arrived, the sun was breaking through. I'm going to need to get plenty more canes for the rest of the beans and my climbing strawberries.
The little tips of the onions were finally peaking out today. It made me happy.
Friday, 25 May 2012
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Sunny days
On Sunday, my friends N & J took me to Dobbies Garden Centre. I picked up some huge tubs of fertiliser and chicken manure to try and put some nutrients in to the soil.
Today as it was so sunny I decided to head along to the garden after lunch. Unfortunately E wasn't in so I couldn't access the tools or the water. It wasn't a wasted session however. I started out by top dressing the potatoes with manure and fertiliser. You've got to love clay soil, where it had been left with a lovely loose surface, some rain and some sun had baked a lovely crust on the bed.
The onions and garlic then got the same treatment. I fear squirrels or some other little pest may have been in my beds, there was a distinct lack of onions and garlic. Maybe they've just sank deeper into the soil so their noses are no longer visible? I guess we'll have to wait and see what comes up.
Unsure what else I could do, I took a break and wandered down to the other part of the garden. The rhubarb had gone wild and was covering the path so I decided to do some crowd control. I started out by taking out the stems that were growing over the path. I then realised there were stems underneath being smoothered by some huge leaves so I took the big ones out too to let some light in. Then the stems with dead leaves were taken out before they started to rot. There was still loads left when I'd finished but the patch looked a lot tidier and at least the path is usable again.
I then added some fertiliser/manure to the unplanted bed. I figured it would give it time to start breaking down before I plant in it. The garden waste bin was only half full so I cleared the pile of waste that had been created earlier in the year.
Still with a little energy left and not wanting to go home I decided to see how much of the final bed I could hand clear. The new growth of plants was cut down to a manageable height and then I got quite a few of the shallow rooted plants pulled out by hand.
I need to start hardening off my seedlings but I can't cart them up and down the stairs twice a day to the little backgreen of my flat. Instead I'm hoping putting them in a room with the window open will at least harden them slightly!
Today as it was so sunny I decided to head along to the garden after lunch. Unfortunately E wasn't in so I couldn't access the tools or the water. It wasn't a wasted session however. I started out by top dressing the potatoes with manure and fertiliser. You've got to love clay soil, where it had been left with a lovely loose surface, some rain and some sun had baked a lovely crust on the bed.
The onions and garlic then got the same treatment. I fear squirrels or some other little pest may have been in my beds, there was a distinct lack of onions and garlic. Maybe they've just sank deeper into the soil so their noses are no longer visible? I guess we'll have to wait and see what comes up.
Unsure what else I could do, I took a break and wandered down to the other part of the garden. The rhubarb had gone wild and was covering the path so I decided to do some crowd control. I started out by taking out the stems that were growing over the path. I then realised there were stems underneath being smoothered by some huge leaves so I took the big ones out too to let some light in. Then the stems with dead leaves were taken out before they started to rot. There was still loads left when I'd finished but the patch looked a lot tidier and at least the path is usable again.
I then added some fertiliser/manure to the unplanted bed. I figured it would give it time to start breaking down before I plant in it. The garden waste bin was only half full so I cleared the pile of waste that had been created earlier in the year.
Still with a little energy left and not wanting to go home I decided to see how much of the final bed I could hand clear. The new growth of plants was cut down to a manageable height and then I got quite a few of the shallow rooted plants pulled out by hand.
I need to start hardening off my seedlings but I can't cart them up and down the stairs twice a day to the little backgreen of my flat. Instead I'm hoping putting them in a room with the window open will at least harden them slightly!
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
Finally making progress
After a busy six weeks with Beltane and bad timing of weather on the days I was free, I've finally made it back to the garden.
I got there around 9:30am, overcast but not too cold. I had a great three hours. I began by digging out trenches for my heritage potatoes. I started with good intentions, dug out the soil and planned on riddling it back in on top of the potatoes. A few loads in through the riddle and I realised that my soil is made of coarse gravel and little pebbles. I was getting out more pebbles than I was putting soil back in so I quickly gave up on that method. Instead I broke up the soil as best I could with my hands and just back filled the trenches. I didn't have any fertiliser so I'll need to find one I can water in. At the start of the season I had the best of intentions to dig, get the roots and stones out and mix in compost and fertiliser, unfortunately time got in the way. In my potato plot I have, from left to right, highland burgundy, shetland black, yetholm gypsy and salad blue.
I had to rearrange my plans a little and shift the aliums down to next to the potatoes and move the beans and brasiccas further up. The onions and garlic where next, a bit late in the season but better late than never. Digging for these was a bit easier, forked the soil, dug and turned, forked again and then raked level. Left hand side of the onion plot is Hyred, left is Hercules. The back half of the garlic plot is Elephant garlic whilst the front is TM Choice, I did have "flavour" as well but they had all gone mushy.
By this point I was exhuasted so I swept up, watered in some nematodes to kill the slugs and then sprayed some weed killer on the paths as I made my way out.
I got there around 9:30am, overcast but not too cold. I had a great three hours. I began by digging out trenches for my heritage potatoes. I started with good intentions, dug out the soil and planned on riddling it back in on top of the potatoes. A few loads in through the riddle and I realised that my soil is made of coarse gravel and little pebbles. I was getting out more pebbles than I was putting soil back in so I quickly gave up on that method. Instead I broke up the soil as best I could with my hands and just back filled the trenches. I didn't have any fertiliser so I'll need to find one I can water in. At the start of the season I had the best of intentions to dig, get the roots and stones out and mix in compost and fertiliser, unfortunately time got in the way. In my potato plot I have, from left to right, highland burgundy, shetland black, yetholm gypsy and salad blue.
I had to rearrange my plans a little and shift the aliums down to next to the potatoes and move the beans and brasiccas further up. The onions and garlic where next, a bit late in the season but better late than never. Digging for these was a bit easier, forked the soil, dug and turned, forked again and then raked level. Left hand side of the onion plot is Hyred, left is Hercules. The back half of the garlic plot is Elephant garlic whilst the front is TM Choice, I did have "flavour" as well but they had all gone mushy.
By this point I was exhuasted so I swept up, watered in some nematodes to kill the slugs and then sprayed some weed killer on the paths as I made my way out.
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