Trowel and Error

[wendy james]

Thanks!

[Cosmopolitan]

I love salvia amistad, it's the best looking one

[Mountain Goat]

Thank you, I love it too. It will be weaving through Rudbeckia Goldsturm (among others) so hopefully quite a bold summer border, if I don't kill everything. I suspect it's a bit too tall for where it needs to be to get enough sun (the back of the border is shady, and the plants there are immature so still quite small) but I'll just have to see how it turns out.

Darnell, who was ill in the night and didn't have breakfast, just jumped up in the utility room and proceeded to chew on my new lovage. (he has his own large pot of cat grass for that sort of urge).

[Cosmopolitan]

Fingers crossed, it grows really quickly (when the sun is out) so suspect you'd be grand. And good choice on the rudbeckia

[absley]

Amazing asparagus, Baa. How's your bed coming along Goat? I love the sound of your planting plan too.

I desperately need to get into the garden tomorrow. I want to weed and try to make sure my rhubarb is not bolting as the stems are suddenly quite spindly (I don't think I've been over picking)

I'm away for a few days next week and of course now is when the seedlings I planted weeks ago are finally peeking out - how would you keep them moost enough etc? I don't have lids for the trays to keep moisture in, but am pondering tented bags v. a shallow tray of water, as my original plan of putting them under a tree to get drip through rain is scuppered due to a dry week being forecast.

[baargain]

Probably put them in a tray of water, and put them somewhere coolish. The tent might make them overheat if you get some sunny days. Back in my previous house, I had those zippy greenhouses, I forgot to open them once and the soil was steaming and hissing :lol: RIP chillies.

[absley]

That sounds terrifying Baa!

And thanks, I can bring them into the utility which is always cool.

Eta, are your pink fir apples in the ground? Mine have barely sprouted so I'm not sure whether to wait longer or plant regardless.

[baargain]

How long are you away for? The utility sounds like a good shout. Holidays are more complicated now :lol:

Yes, I put the pink fir apples in the ground last weekend, don't worry if they haven't sprouted, apparently chitting doesn't really make much of a difference! Non chitted potatoes will catch up with chitted ones. I bought all my potatoes a while back, so they did do a bit of chitting (in their bags, rather than on purpose!), but interestingly, but PFAs did the least amount of chitting compared to the other varieties. Potato farmers can't do it due to the space needed, and their potatoes work.

I've been trying to remember to weigh my harvests, I think I'm going to add up each month, rather than individual harvests, as the spreadsheet might get unwieldy! More asparagus crowns are producing, so I don't think I need to fill any gaps

[absley]

Only 4 days so it's hopefully me worrying for no real reason. They're nestled in the sink in the utility and hopefully all will be fine. My lovely neighbour has promised me x4 varieties of tomato babies when I'm back as she has too many, so that will make up for any losses! I planted out the sweet peas and the one (out of ten) cerinthe seeds that germinated, in the hope that being in the ground will be better for them.

I had a really productive day, I focused on discrete tasks rather than (endless) weeding, so I have a real sense of achievement

[Cosmopolitan]

We've been doing more stuff with sleepers and more eradication of concrete by building a proper bed around this tree, where before there was a circle of fugly concrete blocks. (see the pic from last summer with the dead grass)

[absley]

Look at your cannas! What kind of tree is it Cos? It must be so much happier without the concrete.

[Cosmopolitan]

I really hope my cannas come back, it's not looking hopeful at the moment, there are no sprouts at all. I think the frost might have killed them.

It's a juniper tree. I gave it a big trim the other day and it smelled like gin when I was under the tree

[absley]

Fabulous! Fingers crossed for the cannas. :fc:

[Mountain Goat]

Oh good work Cos, that's so much better! Our raised bed is still not built (tomorrow after work, apparently...) but we have about half of the soil mix to go in it (all we could fit in the car).

I had to google Cerinthe, that's so beautiful! I hope the rest of the seeds germinate too.

We built most of the garden furniture on Sat (table still to go) and today I planted out hydrangea no three (limelight) as well as loads of herbs. In pots we have rocket and mitsuba, there is also one mitsuba experimentally in the shady border - they are quite temperamental and bolt if the sun even thinks about looking at them, so I'm trying a few different positions. In the sunny dry herb bed, I've added a couple of purple sages and an oregano to the existing rosemary and thyme, and in the sunny moist herb bed (ie I will water it more vigorously :)) ) I planted sweet cicely (x2), lovage (x3), hyssop (x2) and broad leaf sorrel (x 2), with some chives as edging. I'm waiting for mint, lemon balm, flat leaf parsley and coriander (pots, part shade) and basil and tarragon (windowsill). Still missing: bay (as I don't know where I want to put it yet), shiso (as it's not available yet), dill and borage. Nasturtiums and marigolds due later this month. I think that's that box almost ticked. Oh and I blood fish and boned the flower bed.

I have some lovely dark purple, double headed poppy seeds to go out the front/side, but I'm not sowing them until they've tarmacced the pavement as they'll get trampled as they do it. Hurry up!

[Jupiter]

For those not on FB may I introduce you to my new favourite thing?

I've got tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, raspberries, sweet corn and kale in there but it's barely scratching the surface!

[Mountain Goat]

Oh WOW. That's enormous!

[baargain]

Oh it's so lovellllyyyy. Show us the inside!

[Derek Nimmo]

Good lord, that's like a mini (ish) Crystal Palace!

I just wandered over to my peony clumps to check out the progress of the buds only to find them covered in creepy crawlies of some nature. I have sprayed them over-enthusiastically (like The Terminator) with a mixture of washing up liquid and water - die fuckers, die

[Jupiter]

Thank you! A couple of inside. Going to use grow bags in the short term and will eventually put in raised beds.

[baargain]

Oh so much room in there!!

AHHHH

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