2026 - What I did today.

Summerhouse waterbutts installed in time. I helped out by getting rid of the smelly sludge and scrubbing the innards of one. The expected 3 or 4 hours of decent rain turned out to be just 1 hrs, but we could hear the trickle of water going into the clean butts, so ther might be an inch in there. Planted out some struggling flowering strawberry runners from very small pots into the ground. Today will probably be digging out spent bluebells and weeding or planting out pea modules. Maybe both if I'm lucky.

Started sowing beans and winter squash. I've left them chitting in sheets of kitchen roll in the heated propagator and pot up whatever germinates when I check each day.
Potted up the basil cuttings again and pinched them so they bush out.
More weeding!

Thanks to yesterday's rain, the ground had softened enough for the planting of mangetout seedlings. They were desperately seeking a way out of their modules. I have another tray too but they'll have to wait until I've cleared more room against the wire fence.
The usual round of watering and compost sieving.
Jammed some stones down the hole in the corner of the GH where some little crittur has gnawed its way through the breeze blocks that support the frame.

Boring paperwork. Then a bee inspection. Just taking bee suit off when the message comes in for help at the cafe. Now going to pot up some squash & more tomatoes.

I have a couple of pots of Astrolomeria which have been on the bedroom windowsill all winter. Even though they were watered regularily some of the leaves are turning yellow, so decided they were ready for potting on?

Not before time it seems as the root system and corms were totally congested.  I have now split the root system up and now have five pots full with new compost. The reason for five and not the four that would have been if I halved each plant, was that by breaking apart I found I had spare corms that hadn't broke surface. These were potted up seperately and I am convinced they will break surface as I could see new shoots in among the roots.
Really drenched the lot with water as previously no matter how much water I gave the compost stayed dry.

I am about to head out now and see if I can get the chainsaw fired up as I have no excercising this evening so will do my excercising with the chainsaw, whilst tidying up the top end of my garden of stored (scrounged) timber.

Took out the obelisks from the garage and put them back in the garden in preparation for the mini climbing pumpkins. Sowed some climbing nasturtium seeds around the base so they can get a head start and I'll see where they are when the pumpkins are ready to be planted.
Planted out some overwintered blackcurrant sages which I'd grown from cuttings.
Moved around some self sown borage seedlings I spotted.
Yet more weeding!

Moved my rather sad looking dahlias from the upstairs room into pots outside. The sprouts have really not progressed beyond that stage and some refuse to sprout still. Good thing I bought more flower seed today to assuage my flower fever.

Just another round of tub emptying, sieving and refilling. I need to soak a block of coir tomorrow, as I mix it with the old compost. plus chicken pellets and vermiculite - and some molehill soil if there's any lying around.
Also did a bit of sticky willie weeding. That boy gets everywhere!

Dug more daffodils. Cut off spent flower stems and planted them all in a big plant pot. Then dug out all the weeds along the length of the fence at the back of the postbox bed. So Bob won’t catch the fence when he’s in there with the digger. Then did the same on the other side. While doing the other side. I removed the stones that were round the 4 mini beds that were up against the fence. Then started laying weed fabric. Unfortunately rain stopped play before I’d finished.

Started filling one of my raised beds with dire cheap compost and some of our homemade compost that has been sitting for probably 3 years or more (since the early rat incursion days). My cheap compost says on the bag to use as soil improver rather than potting mix, so I'll need to get something else to mix in and finish filling the bed. I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that my cheapness may cost me.

Potted on a couple of seedlings into the suspect compost but waiting to get something more sensible before potting on anything else and transferring those little chaps.

Still need to get organized and chit my beans.