2025 - What I did today

As I predicted. I was grading, shovelling and mixing all day.
Skew helped 

I hope you've got a large sieve on an A frame (like they have on archaeological sites), not one of the p*ddling little ones I have.

Pruned the hydrangeas and fig tree.
Removed last year's foliage from the crocosmia.

Did some more sieving with one of the p*ddling little ones   . It really didn’t go well today as it started raining again overnight. Sieve clogged up quickly and repeatedly. So the rest of it got shovelled off the trailer. So I can go back to it as a when I want too. Filled some pots with compost and put in propagator to warm. Ready of potting on of tomato seedling tomorrow.

Sowed some seeds, flowers and herbs. Poked around in the compost too see if a few more varieties were sprouting. I'm impatient with my outdoor seeds even though they've done pretty well.

Fishing yesterday, 1st day of the trout season. Caught a lovely large rainbow trout on a nymph fly which nearly tore my arm out of joint whilst landing it. Happy Vinny!
Today, long wak to allotment with Kato then try and dig some worms for my eldest son who has back problems and can't fly fish, and also my Grandson who has just came out of hospital but should be able to worm fish. We are all meeting up at the waters edge on Monday, along with my other son who is a keen fly fisherman for a family fishing day out!

Covered a path between 2 beds with cardboard, watered it then piled dead leaves and grass on top. I'm hoping that it will break down, encouraged by walking on it and I'll end up with a path of compost that can be spread on the adjacent beds. At worst it should stop the weeds growing there.
Pulled up some winter radish from a 30ltr pot in GH2. There was only one edible radish but I replanted the plants in the garden so that they can either bulk up, flower or die!. Planted 2 courgettes in the empty pot.
Watered the potato tubs with diluted hotbin liquid.

Did someone more pricking out of seedlings and potting on. A couple more barrow loads of soil / peat / manure mix into the cut flower bed. Did a little more sieving of gravel. Put all my veg fish boxes (this year’s veg garden) up on blocks. As they’re all on a big lorry tarp. It’s a little too like a swimming pool after rain. So now they can drain and not spread the summer with soggy bottoms. That’s not good for anyone!

Lots of weeding then topped up the bed with dalek compost.

     
This big plastic tub used to catch rainwater for the veg beds and topping up the pond. I had to empty it as it was in the wrong place and turned it upside down to drain. I also hoped that it would warm the soil beneath it and I could sow seeds there. Today, I turned it into a giant cloche and planted some courgette seedlings under it. I'll lift it off during the day and plop it back down at night.

Lots more pricking out and potting on. Put more pots of compost into the propagator. Rain stopped play outside.