Trowel and Error

[Mountain Goat]

OOH, great call, I have found some that's bagged (lots of others you need to bag yourself....) though it doesn't specify if it's well rotted or fresh so I suspect fresh, I will investigate.

Oh god. I might need to move it. Not with these wrists though.

[baargain]

Yeah, I think if it doesn't say it's not well rotted, then it'll probably be fresh. I'd be tempted to make a temporary compost heap directly on the bed, and then push it over when it's nearly done. I did that at the allotment with a load of pig shit, it wasn't completely rotted, but meh, the worms can sort it out. I've pushed it away from the plants so they don't get burnt. My allotment doesn't need to look pretty though, and the smell isn't a problem (it has stopped smelling now). And I don't also have a heap of turf on the go

[Mountain Goat]

Yes, it's not really a big enough garden for a compost bin, a heap of turf AND some rotting manure. Also just at the point where we finally get some garden furniture and can sit out. I may just pay £££ at the garden centre tomorrow and investigate other options for later. Next door has a horse, I wonder what she does with its poo. They're on holiday at the moment and I don't think it's a thing you interrupt someone's beach time to ask.

[baargain]

I'm such a hoarder of actual shit and debris you could probably get a dumpy bag of compost delivered? That might be cheaper? though you might not need masses actually - I think I'm working on allotment scale I think throwing money at this is probably a better plan.

[Mountain Goat]

We got nine 50 litre bags for £57 which was better than I expected (but also not now sure it's enough...). I am hoping to weed the bed, smash up the small bit of concrete and decompact the soil where it got thoroughly stood on (handy spate of rain showed the compacted patch very clearly ) over this week and get the manure down at the weekend. I am less sore today, yesterday was quite extreme. I sat crosslegged on the hallway floor to do some cleaning and couldn't get up again, because of my poor wrists, and J was at the tip. I sat there puzzled and laughing for some time before I just opted for the pain.

I am doing a planting spreadsheet, with coloured cells for the plant colour plotted along column headers for each month, also split into sun/shade and height.

[Mountain Goat]

I just realised I have a 20% code that runs out tonight, so I have ordered some definite plants that are relatively expensive to make the most of it - most of my thoughts are subject to change still, but I have now ordered a hydrangea (incrediball), a vibernum (roseum) and some foxgloves for towards the back of the shady part of the border. Vibernum was my absolute favourite as a small child and I always wanted my photo taken next to it so I am particularly excited to have my own.

[Squirrel]

That sounds like a fabulous plan, Goat. I would absolutely love someone to make a spreadsheet/plan like that for me. I will ask my gardening friend if I can pay her to do it but I know she’s really overbooked at the moment so I’m guessing she won’t be able to. I get disheartened and overwhelmed way too quickly to do it myself, I need a grown up.

I ordered a Viburnum (tinus) the other day too , it should arrive in the next day or two.

[absley]

I think that is vibernum tinus that we (my neighbour) has at the back of our garden - it's lovely and smells great, I've been picking it for months! Roseum looks very fancy, Goat!

Ps, my potatoes have been out for weeks, no sign of any chitting thing!

[Mountain Goat]

Ooh, the tinus is lovely - I've seen it around and not even realised it was the same family!

Squizz, I can assure you the concept is better than my execution of it. I will inevitably drift off part way through and then alight on a better way and start again, and then drift off again, and in the meantime, will accumlate a raggle taggle bunch of plants that don't really work together.

I'm trying to do half an hour or so of prep each day after work, yesterday I got most of the weeding done but today's digging in the rain was not much fun.

I want to move around the planting at the front/side of the house too but it feels like too much to take on at once. But is also bugging me. It's not a garden, just a stupid narrow new build strip that goes on forever, as it's all been planted up but not very well. On one side of the front door we just have a tonne of skimmia with lime green flowers, and nothing else, and on the other side, some dark purple heuchera and some spiny oleaster. The skimmia could be lovely next to something dark and brooding (such as the heuchera, plus something else) but on its own is just bla. So I think I want to move some of the skimmia over to the other side, and some of the heuchera in the other direction, and add something in some dark rich jewel colours (???) and do god knows what with the oleaster which I have bloody tonnes of. And then there's the other side as well, which is all manner of random plants that happened to be on the plant lorry that day (including giant catnip, which is staying for the entertainment it provides from the kitchen window as it lures in passing cats). BUT I can feel my focus ebbing and that I'm thinking about too many borders at once now.

[Squirrel]

Well done digging in the rain! I’m very much a fair weather gardener, I walk the dog in all weathers and refuse to do the gardening as well.

accumlate a raggle taggle bunch of plants that don't really work together.

This is my garden, it started off well when we had an actual gardener helping to establish it, but then things died and I messed it all up .

The viburnum has arrived, it’s a lovely big healthy plant and smells gorgeous so I’m really pleased. It’s going in a spot that has been a bit cursed so I’m really hoping this one will survive.

[Mountain Goat]

Oh that sounds lovely. I hope it's happy in its new spot.

I would not be digging in the rain if I didn't have beloved plants arriving soon with the bed not ready. My foxgloves have been delayed which is fine by me and gives me breathing space.

[Disco]

I keep thinking this thread is a beauty thread!

I've had a nice afternoon in the garden. It was such a mess. It still is but it's slightly tidier with lots of weeding done. I sowed lots of seeds I had knocking around - tomatoes, dill, broad beans, rainbow chard, rocket, gem lettuce - and they're now all in trays in my bright warm attic room. Baa, your set up is so impressive. What a lot of hard work but so nice to reap all the reward of nuturing and eating.

Very exciting for you both Abs and Goat, having new gardens.

I've dug over a quarter of my small vegetable patch. It's under some over hanging evergreen confir pine thing so needles always drop and I need to sort some see through covering to protect future growing vegetables from the acidy needles. I think that's what the deal is. They make the soil acid? I could be making that up and will google now.

One of my robins came down to see me so I was pleased.

[baargain]

I think they can be acidy, but I don't know how many you'd need to heap on to actually alter the soil,so you might be OK. I'm pleased your robin came to supervise!

My tomatoes have just popped up, we will be rich with tomato

IMG20230330183006.jpg

I have sprouting broccoli!

[Squirrel]

That broccoli is a thing of beauty!

[Disco]

Bounty!

[absley]

How exciting baa, edible stuff! I need to do lots of seed sowing today.

I also need to finish clearing my veg beds, Disco, but atm it just feels like I'm creating exciting places for cats and foxes to poo, so my motivation is dimmed until I have veg to put in them!

It's been a productive week - the tree surgeon came round and sorted some trees that were growing into the house/ had dead wood and we have used the chipping he had in his van from mine and other branches to refresh the mostly composted wood chipping on the veg bed paths. I've also been doing lots of tidying-up pruning (I now have several spherical hollies ) and started weeding - I've realised that most of what I hoped were foxgloves is green alkanet so that's a big job in several beds.

It's looking lovely though, thanks to the previous owner's efforts. Lots of tulips coming up now, alongside daffs, narcissus and hyacinths.

[Squirrel]

I've realised that most of what I hoped were foxgloves is green alkanet so that's a big job in several beds.

I have exactly the same and it drives me potty. The alkanet absolutely loves it here and seems to spread and spread despite my best efforts! Whilst the foxgloves are reluctant and in danger of being weeded out by mistake.

I’ve been given a lovely olive. I’m thinking of putting it in the south facing front garden, I’ve got a terracotta pot that I think would be perfect.

[absley]

Sorry you have the same issue squiz - I'd love to do an x-ray to see where all the alkanet tap roots are, I bet it would be amazing!

Will you need to be able to bring your olive in, or do you think it would be fine out if its south- facing?

[Disco]

I have the same issue too! I only realised late last year that two of the pesky green alkanets were in fact the foxgloves I planted ten years ago. I've been pulling them up ever since!

I've got swiss chard germinating and some of the tomato seeds too, no dill making an appearance yet. I got some courgette seeds so have popped those into some pots yesterday. I ordered various seeds last night. Mainly a variety of tomatoes as I love them and to have several varieties a week in pricey really from the supermarket. I can't remember what else. Broccoli. Artichoke (globe) - I like them as flowers so let's see how difficult they are to grow.

[FiveO'Clock]

I want to join in but have neither the skill nor endurance of Baa, so I'm going to give it a go in a small way. I've purchased seven varieties of basil and peacevine tomato seeds to start now and hopefully grow on our deck this summer.