What are we doing in the garden 2025

@CarolineL ,yes I've found that removing the clutter first, exposing the main trunks is the best way to go,I'm putting all the smaller stuff straight into the chipper ,any stems left laying around are lethal the thorns go right through the soles of my trainers.
Don't want the dog getting any in his feet.

 

I have finally accepted that the spinach beet has bolted and pulled it all out. That leaves me a little space to grow something new.

 

@Escarpment we are the same. The swiss chard and spinach are all bolting and while we can harvest some of the smaller leaves the rest is no good. However we can't sow anything else yet as we really do need rain. The hose just doesn't do the job of rain.
Did harvest some kale and small leaves from the swiss chard and some peas. These are "dried" ones and the plants really do not like this hot weather.
How do pea farmers manage to produce so much peas when we can't even get a small row to give us a decent harvest?

 

I am planning to sow some dwarf french beans in pots. That way I'll be able to keep them watered, and hopefully by the time they are ready to go out we will have had rain.
We had a shower this morning but it was far too brief.

 

I'm growing cavolo nero and radicchio, both Italian veggies, and they are not doing well in this heat and drought. Watering keeps them ticking over but they are definitely not thriving. Even the fig tree and artichokes are crisping up.

I harvested the garlic yesterday and, while the bulbs are firm and healthy they are also very small. The shallots are so small they're probably only good to store and plant next year in th ehopes of getting better results.

Meanwhile, I need to give careful thought to what crops I sow next year and find lots more composted material to improve the soil. It's fertile but not when it's bone dry. More seep hoses too.

 

'tis a mystery!

Still no rain here. After last week's hot spell (I refuse to call a couple of normal summer days a "heatwave") and yesterday's strong winds, everything is looking ragged. Gales forecast for today, but only a 30% chance of some accompanying drizzle, so all my outside efforts will be on keeping pots upright and watering anything that looks like it still has some potential for flowering.

Might even do the first dead leaf collection of the autumn, even though we are only halfway through summer.

 

After the rain stopped yesterday, I got some deadheading done [which took a while], cut back the Osmanthus, filled bird feeders [again!] and did some final concreting next to the side gate and another base for a 'mushroom' in the front garden. I think I did something else but I have trouble remembering anything nowadays. By then it was 5 o'clock so I chucked it at that point.
Not sure anything will happen outside today as the rain's to start soon, so I'll get my walk and then decide...

 

Nothing today it's raining, so no watering.

 

You have rain, send it here please. We've had two or three splashes of spots that have dried up in less than a minute.
Watered the Allotments again today, even Watered the fruit trees and blackberry (which I never normally do). Dug some second early spuds, Charlotte, nice and clean reasonable size. Dug up a Dahlia that was clearly struggling, it had been struck in one of those wretched "teabags"
jiffy pellets the roots had barely moved out. Brought it home to plant hospital, but I think it's terminal.

 

Same here with the rain. We've had a couple of showers but too brief to do any good.

 

We've had some good rain but it's going to be dry tomorrow.

 

harvested the onions and shallots this morning. Best crop of both in some years. Will need to get going with pickling the shallots.
Then out in the orchard realised the choke berry bushes were covered in berries. So busy picking them. Will use them first for wine and then turn the rest into jam.

 

I sorted out the little concrete area by the back gate - it needed new wood put in etc, tied in sweet peas and tomatoes, and potted on a few things. Deadheaded the nasturtiums in the troughs- which took a while. Can't remember what else I did -probably a lot of pondering. It was very pleasant as it was dry all day and a mix of sun and cloud, so not too hot.
Might try and get the grass cut today if it dries out, which it should do by early afternoon or so. Covered in moisture this morning. The showers look like they'll miss us today, so fingers crossed.
Should have done it yesterday, but...

 

Not much in the daytime as other things kept us busy. Spent the evening watering both the front and back, mainly the pots but some eds as well. Still no substantial rain.

 

I'm painting my new metal Arch bolts & joints with Hammerite paint.....
It's taken me as long to put my quite tight overalls on than it was to
paint it.