2023 - What I did today

The Hotbin has come up to 22 degrees C overnight. Not bad as it was only 17 degrees outside! I've had to clear my fridge out as I seem to have nudged the temperature setting and lots of my veg has gone off. So, bad from a food point of view but good that it's meant another bucketful of food scraps to add to the Hotbin. I have one squash from last year that rotted on the inside before I could eat it but looked and felt fine from the outside. I'd already scooped all the rotten mush from the inside, but the outside was absolutely solid and impossible to cut with a knife (I have already bent one knife trying). I wanted to add it to the Hotbin rather than giving up and chucking the whole thing in the rubbish, so I decided to try hitting it with a hammer to see if that could break it up. Worked beautifully and I spent 15 minutes smashing it into little chunks on my kitchen floor. I did put it in a bin bag to contain the mess, but that quickly split and I still had to lift chunks out to get them even smaller so I ended up absolutely covered in bright orange semi-rotten squash splatter. With the extra food scraps today (plus paper/card and bulking agent) my bin is now pretty much filled to the point where the hot composting is supposed to get going. I'll check it tomorrow morning, but then it will be Friday before I can feed or check on it again due to my shifts this week.

I've also shifted lots of seedlings outside to sit in the carport. Probably the wrong week to do it, but I can't wait until I'm actually at home all the time or I'll miss the window to plant things out. Hopefully they are shaded enough in the carport and can sit in there this week then move into more sun next weekend before getting planted out the weekend after. No babying! I've also completely failed to pot anything on this year, so all my seedlings are crammed into small pots with several others. They will have to go straight from there to the garden and I will just have to hope they aren't too small/stunted when they go in he ground to catch up/fight off pests. I'm all about the tough love this year! (However, if it works, what a time saver!)

Potted on marigolds and then rinsed a trug full of used plant pots.

Planted our DFB and marigolds at the plot. Watered small stuff and friends' poly tunnel as they are traveling. Thought that I was running out of space and, alternately, that I do not have enough plants. The real situation will reveal itself soon, I expect.

I set up a second row of bean sticks and netting with the intention of planting out all the beans. Then I saw the forecast for next week with temps as low as 3°. The Web says beans don't like lower than 10°. So I weeded instead and will continue putting the beans under cover at night.

Bit of weeding and planting flowers

A quick dash outside this morning to water the seeds I sowed on Saturday and the seedlings moved outside into the carport (that have survived the night!). I've also checked the Hotbin - the temperature on the top thermometer (which is measuring the air at the top of the bin rather than the compost itself) is almost at 30 degrees so doing pretty well. I have broken up the big cardboard boxes it came in and stashed them somewhere dry ready to make my last few new beds for this year. Finally, I've jammed a branch against my falling down fence so the new neighbours don't think I'm a complete slob. Really, I need a whole new fence but the quote was £2.5k so I think I'll get my kitchen done first!

I'm now preparing for a night shift. Hoping to get at least three or four hours sleep this afternoon, but it's never easy.

Potted on kale, planted out coriander then weeded parsnip bed.

Planted out some salad crops:
Little Gem lettuce
Mixed lettuce
America spinach
Lilia purple spring onion

Got another load of pots ready to the new garden. Weeded all the pots. More packing.

Planted potatoes as planned. Had to clear 2 patches of ground of couch grass, dock and other weeds before I could bung them in. The weeds have been laid out in the sun to shrivel. My "new" plan is to use these shrivelled piles to mulch the spuds.
I still have 2 bags of Maris Piper to plant. All the spuds are freebies, I haven't bought any of them so I'm not too worried if they're a failure.
Also did some weeding in Bed 16R - mostly Montbretia & Vinca. This bed is completely overrun by the pesky things. Might make a good spot for some more random potato planting.