Trowel and Error

[Disco]

There must be approx 30-40 balls on it. I don't think they will all open.

[Derek Nimmo]

Yay! My dark pinks are looking similar, the pale pinks (at least one of them) will be out - finally - by tomorrow I reckon.

[Disco]

Del is the foliage on your pale pinks a different green to your dark pinks? I ask because I've got another peony that has never bloomed where I found it (within metres deep of ivy) so I moved it a couple of years ago but still hasn't bloomed. I thought it might not the first year after moving but this is now year 3. The leaves a slightly lighter green than the blooming bush.

[Mountain Goat]

How frustrating of it!

I've just been out for an inspection and I can report that my broad beans and cucumbers are flowering now, and my first courgette will be ready in a day or two. And some buds on my potatoes and tomatoes. One slug relocated from carrots to compost bin, and one escaping slug nudged back into compost bin.

[Disco]

Hurrah for flowering veg. My lone courgette plant has died. None of my tomatoes are yet big enough to flower.

[Mountain Goat]

Oh no! Your poor courgette. Was this at the hands of slugs?

[Disco]

No it was my stupidity. i potted them up on the first boiling hot saturday, then decided to make my own greenhouse by putting them into big clear plastic bags. i killed 75% or all my seedlings thay day. This was the sole courgette survivor of that massacre.

[Mountain Goat]

Oh I remember now! That's so annoying.

[baargain]

Boil in a bag :(

[Derek Nimmo]

Del is the foliage on your pale pinks a different green to your dark pinks? I ask because I've got another peony that has never bloomed where I found it (within metres deep of ivy) so I moved it a couple of years ago but still hasn't bloomed. I thought it might not the first year after moving but this is now year 3. The leaves a slightly lighter green than the blooming bush.

Yes! Very slightly lighter green foliage on the light pink flower bushes. Whose buds still haven't bloomed

[Disco]

Oh! I have hope this is my favoured pale pink peony now :frolic:but maybe I need to move it to get it to bloom.

Fingers crossed for your balls.

[absley]

There must be approx 30-40 balls on it. I don't think they will all open.

That's amazing! I have far fewer buds this year. I read something earlier about rubbing washing up liquid on peony buds if they are reluctant to open. This was about cut flowers but could be worth remembering.

We havw just had a lone peach peony bloom on a plant that didn't flower last year - so pretty.

[Derek Nimmo]

Nooo! I freaked out at ants all over my buds last year (turns out they're harmless and I should have just let them be) so sprayed them with a - far too strong - mixture of washing up liquid and water.

Every single bud and most of the leaves turned black and dropped off. I'm amazed I didn't kill them off for good :lol:

[baargain]

Cheap slabs! We just need to unload them at the allotment next :lol: I'm trying to build a path to keep the grass at bay.

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21 of them for a tenner, just had to wheel them through some woodland

[baargain]

Hurrah!

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[Cerise]

I bet that was hot work today!

[Mountain Goat]

Good work! You don't mess about.

I have harvested one (1) tiny courgette today and spotted a teeny cucumber, it's at its gherkin stage. More cornichon.

[Mountain Goat]

Q: if my purple sprouting bloody broccoli has still not purple sprouted is it now time to give up? I am using the leaves (but also have two Trees of Chard) but there is nothing broccoli like (and amfertilising weekly). I could do with the space to plant out my new broccoli and cavolo nero baby plants soon.

[Disco]

There must be approx 30-40 balls on it. I don't think they will all open.

That's amazing!

It is, if it were true. :lol: I've counted them and there are 22. A lot of them are open now andit's all propped up nicely.

You must never sit still, Baa, with all that garden work.

[baargain]

I am so bruised, all up my thighs :lol: I was bracing the slabs on them to get them up and into the wheelbarrow. They were 40kg each. I foolishly then had to rebuild the flint borders to my home garden, so it was all extremely hot work.

I don't know how I fitted this all in with full time work, it does look lovely and neat now (but I should probably find more clients).

Goat, I might be tempted to give up on the non sprouting broccoli, it really should be doing something by now. Hurrah for courgettes and cucumbers though!