2021 - What I did today

Planted my JA's in 30 litre pots

Sawed/dismantled and dumped the plot fence that had fallen down

Finished tv series Vikings, looked up when it started, been with it since May 2013!!

I have a row of JA's on my plot as a windbreak for my runner beans. I haven't harvested them for a couple of years and just wonder whether the corms will get bigger or smaller the longer they are left? I would imagine smaller because of lack of nutrition but I aint sure? I suppose the only way to tell is to dig a few up!

Hacked my way into one of the Forgotten corners of the garden - this one has fruit bushes including one that produces long canes about 12' long, that root wherever they touch the ground. I stayed out of this area last year as a blackbird had built a nest a couple of feet off ground in a fruit bush. She raised her chicks in peace there and fed the babies on all the fruit that I should have had. Didn't begrudge it to her though!!. Just hoping she doesn't come back to the same place this year, the nest itself has disintegrated.

Did a lot of pruning of dead wood, tying in of canes and talking to Mr. Robin. Need to go back soon and dig up some docks, nettles and brambles, and finish the pruning.

Planted another 5 garlic cloves. At least 16 of the first 20 cloves I planted, have there heads above the ground now. Potted on the wild bergamot and the 6 asparagus plants. Pruned all the dead out of the strawberries and gave them a good drink. Did a little bit of tidying up in the tunnel. And had a chat with lot of new seedlings. That have appeared since I was last in there. Made a Christmas pudding.

Started my seed sowing today.

Bought some wood to make a couple of shelfs above my tomato bed in the greenhouse, will be making them movable so that I can use them up until the tomatoes are growing, hope to make them tomorrow

More fruit pruning, de-brambling, deadheading of perennials, pulling up montbretia, raking dead grass from beds, generally busy but nothing to show for it. Who cares, it was fun in the sun.

Weeded three quarters of the Hot bed and mulched.
Pruned a big hydrangea.
Cut down a beautiful blue conifer, one of the first things we planted ten years ago and clearly not dwarf, or not dwarf enough and making a path unpassable! You know you've been somewhere a while when you start removing plants you put in.

Long day today.....

Sainsbury's delivery at 7.30

Wickes compost delivery at 8.15

Plot at 8.30 for a couple of hours, moves tubs with JA's, cut more brambles on the fence border, planted one raspberry to test the soil etc, dug and potted some snowdrops that were in the no fly zone

Builders again today, sorting the damp that arose from the November 2019 floods!

Oh, and the Mrs brought a new car to replace her one written off 2 weeks ago

Another day of random gardening in the sun.
Raked off some of the grass thatch that has grown in the rhubarb patch, hiding the emerging stalks. Put some bottomless buckets around them so that I won't trample on them by mistake!
Pruned the raspberries in the netted GH which is badly drained. The path and beds are covered in moss so I started clearing that and digging up some of the unwanted yellow raspberry canes - that's yellow fruit, not yellow canes.

Harvested the last of my sprouts and cut them down. Removed all the stakes. Pruned some dead out of some herbs. Finished covering a bed. Emptied the Belfast sink I use for growing watercress. Won’t be getting refilled until it’s been relocated. Replanted some cuttings that Mrs blackbird chucked on the floor. Had a little tidy up here and there around the garden. This afternoon we went and marked out the house, garage & drive. Considerably more accurately than we have in the past.