2022 - What I did today

My strawberries are just starting to change colour so its time to get the nets on.
Re-potted herbs then weeded the parsnip bed again, rehoming teasels and violas.

I've spent most of the day making the lemon and amaretto trifle today, but had enough time to go outside and pot up all my achocha plants. They've gone really quite wild in the greenhouse and getting a bit tangled, so they were definitely a priority today!
I've arranged for a horse manure drop, and I have a feeling I'll be shovelling a fair bit of it for Sunday and next week. One trailer and barrow at a time

Looking after other people's gardens yesterday and today, but today I did manage to prick out some winter cabbages.

Turns out that I was pretty tired today. Only woke up at half nine (I used to be very good at sleeping half the day, but not in recent years). Then I struggled to get myself going for quite some time. Made it outside around half one and decided that the first job was to strim the glorious no-mow May lawn

I've never used a strimmer before, so I decided I'd strim the back first and do the front once I got the hang of it! The strimmer is an old one that my vendor left in the shed for me, along with some replacement wire, and an extension cable to stretch up the lawn. Well, it took a while for me to figure out the wire, but I got there and it seemed to turn on okay in my living room. Except when I plugged it into the extension cable to take it outside, it tripped all my electrics - whoops! I worked out it must be the extension cable that was the problem, but decided I could at least strim my bottom lawn with the main cable.

Well no.

I think it's safe to say that strimmers aren't supposed to smoke, right?

So I gave up on that plan and started trimming more prunings for sticks to make obelisks from (since mine are all in storage and can't come to me until everything else does). Only for my neighbour to pop his head over the fence. I mentioned my strimmer woes by way of an explanation for why no-mow May seemed to be stretching out a bit. He very *very* quickly offered me his strimmer. Needless to say, he and his wife keep a pristine garden

So, I have strimmed most of the back garden today and will do the rest and the front garden over the weekend (I have been loaned the strimmer for a few days). It's surprisingly heavy going, so I couldn't do it all in one go on a hot day. I have brought the strimmer in very tidily (it was handed to me with the cable beautifully wrapped in neat loops, not at all like the tangled mess that I favour!)

Came back inside for a lolly and a drink around half three. Around half four, I must have dozed off on the settee and only woke up at half eight. Whoops again! I must have needed it though.

Hopefully I will manage to be more productive tomorrow as there's so much to get done.

Assembled two obelisks I got from Argos and planted out the climbing borlotto beans and thunbergia on them. Also planted out the Heavenly Blue morning glory and Spanish Flag (Ipomoea lobata).

They’re going to look smashing Garrett. I love all of those climbers.

So, I have strimmed most of the back garden today and will do the rest and the front garden over the weekend (I have been loaned the strimmer for a few days). It's surprisingly heavy going, so I couldn't do it all in one go on a hot day.

If you can adjust the strimmer handle and base try to set it up so you're not leaning forward. I sometimes use the heavy petrol one which although it has a harness still leaves my back and shoulders aching. No wonder MrPP is retiring from the gardening side of the business - folks always expect him to work all day even when it's baking hot.

Popped over the plot and planted out the cfb's, then went home to put together their arch. Beginning to think I should have did this the other way round!

Tidied the sweetcorn bed that was planted yesterday & subsequently dug up by some little @@@@@. Hopefully they will survive, will surround the bed with chicken wire tomorrow morning if it looks okay.

Planted out courgettes, picked strawberries, planted out one very small and stressed kale

Did the weekly sow list and somehow despite being outside all afternoon, that's all I did!

I remember! Armpitted the tomatoes and stuck half a dozen Mount Vesuvius in a pot as I need two more plants to fill the frame.

Lurked in the GH this morning, in the warm. Pruned and tied in the toms. So heartening to see the flowers on them - especially on some I've never grown before like Gardener's Ecstasy.
Spent most of the afternoon clearing the main path edges as all sorts of unwanted plants are encroaching and narrowing the path. Cut off a number of suckers from the base of a plum tree - they look so healthy compared to the rest of the tree. I don't have much success with stone fruits - should really stick to reliable apples.
The apple mint is about 3' high and the leaves are enormous. There's a limit to how much I need for mint sauce!