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Post by Pip Freeman on Mar 2, 2009 14:44:39 GMT
At last we are officially in Spring.
There is still so much tidying up to do in the gardens. I have six large bags of manure to dig into the vegetable plot, a greenhouse to sort out for seed sowing, a vine and some roses to prune, and a bed of cabbages etc to dig up, they have been decimated by wood pigeons. I still have a bed of leeks to harvest and everlasting spinach to pick.
A new raised bed to be made using some old breeze blocks, this will be a bed for salad crops. Also the possibility of turning my small squares of vegetable plots into raised beds which will be easier to care for.
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Post by maryinkentucky on Mar 2, 2009 18:05:15 GMT
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Post by maryinkentucky on Mar 5, 2009 23:23:25 GMT
It should be 70 tomorrow, so I can't decide whether or not to work in the flower garden or go shopping with my birthday money, hint, hint.
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Post by maryinkentucky on Mar 11, 2009 0:01:30 GMT
Hubby tilled the garden for me. I was afraid it was too wet, but the soil worked up nicely. I'll plant some early crops this weekend, or next week. onions, lettuce, cabbage, etc.
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Post by Pip Freeman on Mar 16, 2009 12:38:52 GMT
This is a lovely day to be gardening, I'm off down the field now taking a lunch of Irish soda bread and honey with me and I'll make a cuppa in the pigsty shed. There's lots of digging and weeding to do and planting seeds in the greenhouse. The cats for company and Classic AM playing quietly in the background, what more can you ask for?!
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ragdall
Global Moderator 
Posts: 1,687
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Post by ragdall on Mar 17, 2009 0:09:22 GMT
Pip,
That sounded like a perfect way to spend the day. Do the cats help you dig? Mine used to.
I'm envious that you can garden while I sit here with several feet of snow and ice covering everything.
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Post by Joan on Mar 17, 2009 5:26:37 GMT
Pip, Your afternoon gardening sounds what I need right now. I am so fed up with winter and snow. The pile at my driveway is approx. 15 feet high, I am nervous about backing on to the street as I cannot see cars coming. Ragdaal is smart she backs her car in but I cannot.
I shall make a cup of tea and imagine your lovely day!!! "Some day my wish will come" maybe July 1 st.?
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Post by maryinkentucky on Mar 18, 2009 2:49:32 GMT
I'm gardening too! Today was warm again, and tomorrow will be nice. I worked in the flower beds this evening - now my hands are stiff. I plan to plant onions tomorrow, also pick up tree branches remaining from all our ice storms - better get the aspirin (or alleve) ready. I know I'll pay for it - always do.
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Post by Pip Freeman on Mar 31, 2009 9:14:51 GMT
Yesterday with help we made a new raised bed using some old blocks of stone from a shed my neighbour demolished. Filled with a mixture of soil, compost and manure it is going to be used for salad stuffs. I must enclose it somehow as the cats are viewing it as a brilliant new area made specially for them! Today I am going to plant some potatoes in special grow bags www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/potato-gro-sacks-x3-pid2036.html hopefully it will mean early new potatoes. Also I hope to plant a lot of new strawberry plants. It's a lovely sunny day but still a cold wind. |
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ragdall
Global Moderator
Posts: 1,687
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Post by ragdall on Apr 1, 2009 10:01:46 GMT
Mary,
Have the onions sprouted yet?
Pip,
The grow bags look very interesting. Where will you have them, on a patio? Have you used them before?
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Post by Pip Freeman on Apr 1, 2009 10:43:34 GMT
I tried them last year but the crop wasn't very good, it was poor growing weather for most years..
I have put the bags on an old wooden pallet in one of the old pigsties down the field. The potatoes are in about 7" depth of compost with a little dried manure. When the green sprouts appear you add a few more inches of compost and so on until the bag is full. Hopefully it will be full of delicious new potatoes!
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Post by maryinkentucky on Apr 5, 2009 18:59:50 GMT
Onions, turnip greens, lettuce and broccoli all doing well.
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Post by Joan on Apr 14, 2009 1:37:05 GMT
Yesterday with help we made a new raised bed using some old blocks of stone from a shed my neighbour demolished. Filled with a mixture of soil, compost and manure it is going to be used for salad stuffs. I must enclose it somehow as the cats are viewing it as a brilliant new area made specially for them! Today I am going to plant some potatoes in special grow bags www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/potato-gro-sacks-x3-pid2036.html hopefully it will mean early new potatoes. Also I hope to plant a lot of new strawberry plants. It's a lovely sunny day but still a cold wind. Hi there, Your potatoe bags sound wonderful. Would it work if I use a sack? or ? I am not much of a gardener, altho I was a florist for many years. Today I planted seeds inside as we are still at least 6 weeks from outside planting. My snow is only about 2 feet deep on the flat and melting away at the driveway. I have raspberries that are great (not much help needed)and hard to kill ;D |
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Post by Pip Freeman on Apr 14, 2009 9:51:08 GMT
An ordinary hessian sack wouldn't work as it would get very soggy with watering and would rot. I should think one could be used inside a large black plastic bin bag, or just use the bin bag. Just put in about 8" of good compost, plant three potatoes and off you go.
When the first green shoots appear cover them with another layer of compost and continue this until the sack is full. Hopefully when the plants are fully grown and have flowered you will have mountains of delicious new potatoes!!
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Post by Pip Freeman on Apr 20, 2009 10:38:15 GMT
We will soon be able to pick a meal of delicious asparagus.
Jon has now set up my irrigation system, this year it will be entirely from the water butts round the house. Our water here is very hard and limey and not so good for the plants.
We have 12 water butts that we bought cheaply from e bay, they are bright blue and advertise that they had once held mango chutney imported from India, they are well hidden from view!
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