2026 - What I did today.

Spent most of this afternoon sieving compost in the sunshine. Some months ago I emptied the hotbin into 4 supermarket crates and stacked them in the garden to continue breaking down. I only managed to sieve one crate today - as the compost was a bit wet and sticky. Next time I'll cover it with something 100% waterproof (not a tray with holes in)! Result - 3 builder's buckets of compost, ready to be mixed with coir.
Found at least 6 avocado pits but no sign of life.
Also did a bit of raspberry cane topping & bramble chopping. So good to be able to potter in the sunshine. Spotted a bumble bee, butterfly and a caterpillar!

After a few weeks, I’ve managed to do a bit more tidying in the tunnel. Only had about an hour between rain stopping and losing the light.

Cut back my thornless blackberries and tied in this years canes.
Picked up lots of branches and twigs from the Silver Birch.
Then general garden tidying.

Topped some hedges prior to the 1st March hedge cutting embargo.

A bit of hedge attacking here too - the bay tree that the woodpigeons frequent and drive the dog and me, bonkers. So its been opened up and topped in the hope that the pigeons will find another tree to call home. Filled two garden waste bins with the cuttings.
Also planted some hyacinths and rehydrated a block of coir.

I’ve potted up my latest farmer Gracy order. 5 different varieties of lily. Asiatic mixed, hocus pocus, hachi, honeymoon & night rider.

Chopped and cleared some more of the bay tree. Some branches need to be sawn up as they're too stout for the loppers so they've been stacked for another day. Rain stopped play.

Took some blackcurrant cuttings and sowed tomatoes and a few courgettes. Might be a bit early for the courgettes.

I've been sowing lots of flower seeds and a few vegetables, like aubergine. I've also been to the plot a few times this year.

I can't remember if I said we had a half tonne of compost delivered, and more recently I've been chopping off the edges of my beds. My plot is uphill of the next plot and the edges are about 6 to 8 inches higher than the path, always growing unwanted grass among other things. I started hacking into the grassy bit and discovered there is more path underneath that we've never seen in 6 years! I've done about half of the path and got to finish the rest in the next couple weeks.

To end my novel here, I'll say that I'm really set on growing more flowers this year. I think some of my poor soggy dahlia rivers may still be firm in their pots from last year. Any thoughts about whether I should try to shake the soil off and put them in a blow away for the next couple months, it best to leave them and cross fingers?

^^^^^ flowers for me as well! I sowed a couple of £1 boxes of mixed annuals and flowers for bees last year and had a good show of colour, very cheaply. I have bee to the plot today and I am surprised at ow many have self seeded, which is an added bonus.I need to clear away the dead foliage then it will be a struggle to sort the flower seedlings from the weed seedlings, although the flower seedlings seem to dominate.
This year I will try and concentrate on mixed biennials and perennials which I have also seen in boxes cheaply ready to spread around. I did sow the annuals and half hardies last year in rows but the self seeded plants naturally aren't in rows but will be left in  two foot wide blocks with paths in between them. Its a shame to hoe off the seedlings that are on the paths, but without paths it would become unmamageable.