2024 - What I did today

More of the usual stuff - a bit of digging up of weeds, raking out of couch grass, turning the piles of weeds that are drying/composting, more compost sieving and tadpole spotting. Also planted about a dozen spring onions that have been sitting in a jar, building up their roots.

Planted some Ouddorpse Bruine shallots. I grew these last year and saved a couple of dozen bulbs for planting again this year.

Cleared the far end bed in GH2 and sowed carrots, turnip and spring onions there.
Cleared a patch of ground at the far end of the garden and sowed the rest of the carrot & turnip seeds. No onions because they were all sown in the GH.
Added a bag of coffee grounds to the Hotbin and gave it a stir. Sieved some compost. Its very satisfying watching the sieved compost pile growing. I've been mixing some with coir when potting up seedlings.

Levelled shelves. Filled shelves with mint and other herbs. After pruning, weeding and removing any beasties from bottom of pots. Also weeded and add fresh compost to some potted plants that will eventually go on my sales barrow. Filled a couple of pots and put them in propagator to warm before sowing. Painted and added a couple of metal pegs to my barrow.

Planted some Orinoco DFB seedlings in a planter in GH1.
Filled some modules ready for sowing some tomatoes.
More digging up buttercups and lemon balm and compost sieving - should finish that tomorrow.

More raspberry pruning, compost sieving, buttercup removal, tadpole observing, blackberry chopping down. Just another day of much the same as ever!

A bit hit and miss because of showers but sowed tomato seeds pricked out others. Transplanted/pricked out some Apollo Brokali into individual pots.

Pulled up some young chard plants that have been in GH2 overwinter. They were very holey, probably from the Cabbage White caterpillars that seem to be everywhere at the moment. I cleared a patch of ground at the feet of Arthur Ash and planted the chard there. Apart from the holes, the plants looked quite healthy so I'm giving them a chance to prove themselves.
The tadpole pond was almost dry, not a sign of a little taddie anywhere. I poured some water in, where the frogspawn used to be, and the ground came alive!! Lots of little black taddies. I don't really want it to rain on the garden but some in the pond would be good. Need a cloudburst over the pond, nowhere else.

Did some more construction on the polytunnel. It has door frames & base rails now. Filled some pots with compost for potting on more chillies and sweet peppers.

Popped over the plot this morning.

Planted out 11 broad beans.

Sowed the 2nd lot of parsnips.

Then a bit of general weeding.