What are we doing in the garden 2025

We’ve been using our washing up water for pots for some weeks now.

I haven’t totted up the figures but March the rainfall was in single figures and April was way below average too. It’s also been quite breezy a lot of days so lots of evaporation too.

 

A cold wind here today too tho pleasant in the sunny spells when the wind dropped a bit. OH has been out cutting more long grass with the strimmer on wheels and then raking it all up once dried. Long job.

I got out there before lunch to water all my babies in the polytunnel and on the outdoor benches for the less tender plants. After lunch I raked over our new strawberry bed as the chooks had been busy rearranging the fresh garden compost and then scattered on loads of pelleted manure and gave it a good soaking. Had to send OH out to get me some weed membrane as he'd forgotten and then I pegged it out.

Going to be too cold tonight to plant out th enewly bought plants that I've been growing on in the PT and the other strawberries are either too dry to lift and re-plant just now or are already showing baby fruits and can't be moved. Never mind, that gives me time to water and plan.

Potatoes earthed up again and watered too.

Tomorrow I shall be marking out my new ornamental bed ready and clearing perennial weeds ready for OH to rotavate it and then I can start on the fun part - planting it all with treasures from my collection of pots filled with bought plants, divisions, cuttings, donations and swaps.

I have had no success with Cosmos seeds apart from our first year here but this year I do have a lot of California poppies "Mikado", burgundy coloured dwarf sunflowers and Mexican Hats.

 

Planted some wild poppy seedlings in the front garden and some watering.

 

I have been using my washing up water on the front garden for the last week or so. I have several new shrubs that were only planted in the autumn so I'm keen to keep them healthy. I won't be buying any new plants until the weather turns.

 

I was busy nearly all day yesterday - re-potting my bush / cordon tomatoes into 9L pots, which have now been moved into the patio cold frame instead of bringing them in each night. They should be OK as I've added extra cardboard and foam packaging on the concrete floor for added insulation- with a fleece covering to keep them cosy.
The 5 cordons will then be going in to 20L- 30L pots when they are large enough to face the outside elements.

It's now 12 noon and I'm pleased to say my plants are now in the sun looking very happy

 

Disappointingly, I need to empty quite a few of my pots.

A lot of my tulip pots have come up blind or with tiny withered flower buds. All my Verona tulips were fabulous, but the failures are all Antoinette. The pots are in various positions around the garden, some more sheltered than others. I thought the latter were ok as the leaf growth looked stronger (if slow) but inspecting them yesterday there’s little sign of any viable flowers. I had a mixed result with my tulips last year so in a quandary what to do going forward. Tulips always feel like an extravagance but are, usually, reliable for a good display.

I will email the supplier as I wonder if there was an issue with the bulbs. Given the pots are in different locations, I’m not convinced it is all weather related? They were a mix of old (used) compost and garden soil so no issue with residual herbicides in bought-in compost.

 

I spent yesterday prostrate, unable to move for stiff joints. It was freezing all day.
Thank goodness I can move today, just.
I am hoping to spray the brambles today as it is fairly still.
I had a flash back when planting the potatoes. I have a mucky plastic sack that contained some very old sloppy farmyard manure, I was contemplating throwing it away when I remembered my grandfather used to put horse manure in a square of hessian and hang it in his water butt to use as liquid feed so I am going to put my yucky sack into one of my water collecting dustbins before throwing the plastic sack away. I cannot waste anything!

 

That's a good idea, @Goldenlily26. I've got some left over bagged manure I haven't used it so I I can find a suitable hessian container I could do the same.

Yesterday I tried to re-mortar an old breeze block boundary wall, three blocks of which were kind of hanging unsupported horizontally! The old mortar had dried and fallen out and I suspect there is probably some ground movement going on. Because of it's awkward position and even more awkward access behind our old garage it isn't possible to demolish the wall and re-build. There was only just room for me to kneel down. Re-mortaring the gap was easier than anticipated thanks to the tub of ready to use mortar I already had which hopefully should help support the wall a little longer.

I had a surprise in the morning when the Council tree team turned up to prune some of the big trees on the verge outside our boundary wall. They tackled the biggest first, a 50ft high Norwegian Maple but soon discovered that I was right and that it is dying rapidly. The upshot being that it is being felled tomorrow as it's in such a dangerous condition. It's right above my potting table!
Sorry as we are to see it go, we won't miss the continual mess of falling leaves, pollen, seedlings and daily poo deposits from the roosting pigeons. It will also allow more sunlight onto the orchard and veg beds and eventually when the roots have rotted (several years?) more moisture in the ground.

 

Not doing anything outside today. I have the "days" when I sneeze and eyes run and then the next day I'm fine. If this is hayfever then why are many days OK? Odd!

 

Maybe it’s just a few specific varieties which effect you @On the Levels My OH is the same

 

I get this cough from time to time, it always finishes with couple of sneezes.

Its year round, I buy the cheap anti histamines from Morrisons, they seem to help.

Spent too many years inhaling wood dust.

 

I developed an allergy to Rowan pollen last year, repeated this year. I wouldn’t mind if it was just sneezing but combined with congested sinuses, coughing, sore throat and headache, I now sympathise with anyone with hay fever. My garden got an intervention free week last week so we may see some improvements .

 

Not done much today other than water the seedlings and plantlings and hoe and rake the dahlia bed where some weeds are trying again and the chooks have been rolling. A few dahlias are now showing their noses so, after the next good rain I'll be able to plant spares to fill the gaps and then mulch with chipped wood and bark.

I've also unrolled and untwisted the seep hoses to use as an outline for my new bed. OH is going to be horrified but he has a rotavator so tough.

Didn't have time for much else as Cosmos has another wound from playing with farm pussies so I've been at the vet's for the last 2 hours - waiting for much of it as an emergency came in.

 

We did a tour of the garden centres in Crews Hill. We bought some bedding so we can redo some pots that have faded bulbs in at present.
I have just finished watering both front and back. In spite of mulching heavily, the soil was cracking in places.

 

Checked the greenhouse over and then watered the veg plot, everything I remember planting so far this year.
Dug the mower out of the shed, it started up, but only after I muttered scrapyard in it's carburettor. Proceeded to cut the front grass and then moved onto the area under the trees.
Got the strimmer out and emptied the battery.