2022 - What I did today

Running around today, plot for an hour planted out more chard/spinach and some beets and cable tied/secured the squash arch frame and cfb's arch.

Then town, picked new glasses, haircut, and dentist(initial appointment, taken me 2 years to get registered but all good)

An extra strand of twine used round the 2 rows of peas as they are growing - some are starting to flower. Then weeded as best I could, not easy as surrounded by chicken wire to protect from wood pigeons. I find that protecting stuff from one pest often enables another: netting over strawberries to keep off birds saves them for mice or squirrels, netting brassicas to keep off pigeons and butterflies also keeps off blue tits and wrens allowing mealy aphids to thrive.

Fed and watered tomatoes, chillies, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, melons, young brassicas.
Made more comfrey tea and bottled last week's batch.
Put up pea sticks for the m-t.
Planted out last batch of peppers, chillies & aubergines plus another courgette. I say last batch, but there are a few more lurking

Planted out sweetcorn Picasso and Swift. They had to go out they were over a foot tall and only in deep root trainers. Perhaps I should delay sowing next year. That's all the spare space gone now until I dig up the chard and the broad beans finish.

Cleared some ground, enough to plant 7 or was it 8 Ichiku kuri squash against a fence.
Did something I wouldn't normally do - pulled up raspberry canes that were in flower and will soon be fruiting. They were in the way and taking up too much space that could be better used for veggies.
Thinking of digging up most of the small plum trees. They're a few years old but show no sign of flowering. Also some are throwing up spiny suckering shoots that are threatening the main trunk. Don't think they earn their keep so they'll be gone soon.

I tasked the teenager with cooking dinner, which she did very well indeed, while I went to get a boot full of horse manure. It's fresh, so I'm putting it into the big compost heap with a load of cardboard. That should break down quite quickly shouldn't it?
Now I need to carry on looking fir someone with actual old stuff, well rotted, that I can use immediately- desperate times!

Planted out my squashes around the plastic greenhouse frame/arch thingy (2 x Uchiki, 1 x Harlequin, 2 x Table King, and 1 x Butternut Chieftain).

Direct sowed runner beans.

Declared today to be Fernless Thursday as there are large clumps of ferns taking over some of the garden. Imagine hacking your way through the jungle - that was me this morning.
The ferns tell me that the garden has become too shady and I need to make some clearings - so I started with two self seeded oak trees that are about 6' tall. Ever since I spotted them as foot high seedlings I've been meaning to dig them out as they're in completely the wrong place. Don't like destroying little trees but, I'm sorry, chaps, when its a choice between you and the apple trees, you come in second place. I've only cut off the branches, still have the root to remove. Another day, when the rain stops!

Up at 7am and as you probably know I don't do early mornings any more. The upside of that was to get out in the garden by 9am planting out bedding. Completed one bed and am looking for places to plant out more. Then shopping.

Did some emergency repairs to my new hardening off bench. The legs I’d made for it were perfect, however the interior door they were attached to didn’t cope well. So belt & braces later and a bit of luck. It’s fixed and will handle the weight of well watered ( it’s raining again! ) plant pots.
I also planted my very first crop in our new garden   .

   

5 Runner beans & 3 Lima beans. They’re planting in the little woodland area because that’s the only bit fenced.