the daydream fund challenge thread

Winged_one

Well, I didn't manage to sow anything yesterday, but I DID get the spinach and calabrese pricked out and potted on into individual modules. OH came with me to the plot for offiically 1.5 hours today (I kept him there for almost 3!). We planted out the beans, all of them, and the caulis from FIL, lettuces, 2 cabbages, a few calabrese, and a pot of spinach. OH did a LOT of weeding, clipping paths, clearing around the fruit bushes and getting lots of water etc. So it looks ok - although the lack of water there is getting obvious (the difference between the plants at home and there is enormous).

Yes, life is hectic and about to get more so. The announcement of the foreign job came out today, so I am not planning on brussels sprouts this year. But mangetout in the garden will be sown tomorrow, and a couple of more lettuces.

Davesnave

Choille, that's very upsetting, having a person poking around, but there's more than a chance that it's someone simple or ignorant rather than malicious. Perhaps they took the hen to 'help' it. There will be all sorts of daft holidaymakers about in the summer months.

I also have a tree that's come back from the dead, rhiwfield. It's a Sophora tetraptera (Japanese Pagoda Tree?)I grew from seed, so I'm glad it's still with us. It would stand a much better chance of surviving if I planted it in the ground, so I must find it a proper home this summer.

I got a bit of nursery work done today, but there were other distractions, including doing my patriotic duty by eating and drinking heartily at the Street Party.....:D

lostinrates

choille, I echo the caution to be careful.

But....as a slight ''relief'' we've had them go missing not leaving a feather...day before a return visit to take more. we've pointed fingers at neighbours and its been a hungry animal all along. The relief s that it might just be a person...could Teddy have been riled at animal intrusion? (not sure who Teddy is sorry!) but that locking up and any failing timber/weakspots might need addressing.

lostinrates

I'm making lists...that dreadful process of getting things on paper to prepare for leaving for a day or two....that is so exhausting you wish you weren't going!

choille

Ach - suppose I'll never know what happened.
Been up & put a light on at neighbours staircase so it shines through & looks as if someone's home.
There's nowt gone that we can see - only poor, pecked hen - poor thing.
Not got a lot done today really - Oh well.

choille

Mr Teddy is my buff Orpington cockerel - he was out of his & Mrs Teddies pen - he's clipped so couldn't get out. It's a new, very secure pen I had done by my fencer. I had two black Orps in the neighbouring pen & they were also clipped - couldn't get out, yet one is gone.

I know what you mean about animals getting them. But someone has been down here - that I know as the chain was put on the gate differently than what it was left on.

lostinrates

choille wrote: »

I know what you mean about animals getting them. But someone has been down here - that I know as the chain was put on the gate differently than what it was left on.

Yes, you do know things like that...I know exactly about things like that too.

Rummer

Glorious sunshine today, although still quite a strong wind, at least it is warm today!

Been out in the garden for hours and I have got a whole load of things planted up. The huge bed is just too intimidating at the moment and I am chewing over going back to my original way of doing things and just planting in rows. I would love to take a more integrated approach, and I know it is really silly, but every time I go to plant it I panic myself to a standstill . I think if there were things in it permanently then I would feel a bit more confident, as I would be just filling in the gaps, but it is just a huge empty space :eek:.

I finally feel as if the whole of the garden it taking shape though it is amazing what a grass cutting and edge trimming session can do for the appearance of the garden. Now it looks neat and tidy and ready to burst into life.

Finally taken steps to sort out the shaded bed. I have waited until the perennials have come up as we have a lovely peony and a few other as yet unidentified flowering perennials so I wanted to wait until they were up before I started to dig things out or plan to any great degree. I think some ferns and hostas are a definate and I want to have a couple of evergreens so that it doesn't go totally bare in winter. Then I will pop in some bulbs or seeds so colour comes up every year. Not going to spend too much on it as the fence needs replaced so that will be done in the next couple of years .

There was a huge celebration here last night (not wedding related) as my OH for the first time on 8 years successfully managed to produce compost :j I was over the moon as we are skint and I was fretting about getting the rest of the pots filled! You should have seen his wee face he was tickled pink :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Anyway enough chatting I am away back out to get some more planting done, chat later

Lotus-eater

Rummer wrote: »

Been out in the garden for hours and I have got a whole load of things planted up. The huge bed is just too intimidating at the moment and I am chewing over going back to my original way of doing things and just planting in rows. I would love to take a more integrated approach, and I know it is really silly, but every time I go to plant it I panic myself to a standstill . I think if there were things in it permanently then I would feel a bit more confident, as I would be just filling in the gaps, but it is just a huge empty space :eek:.

I'm not sure what you are planning to grow in there, or how big it is, but with anything like this, it has to be broken down into manageable chunks.
Use something, canes maybe, to cut the area into smaller bits and work out what you want where, work on one small area, I can fit 12 beetroot in here, but I need 24 beetroot, so I'll make this space twice as large.
Then the next bit.

If you are trying to fit a certain amount of stuff into the bed, I would do it this way and plan it all before you plant anything. If you are just fitting into it what you can, you can start at once corner and work your way out.

choille

Found pecked black orp hen wedged between hen houses - half under it & she's alive. Amazing.

I can't believe I've found her alive. She's fine but was scared & has been there since Thursday. She was very thirsty & hungry but okay.
If I could get my hands on who let her out - and Mr Teddy in the neighbouring pen - I'd have something to say to them. I'm amazed she wasn't eaten by a marten through the two nights she's been out - incredible.

What a glorious day with a stiff breeze making it pleasant to bracken & bramble haul out doon t'slope.

Goodness I am pleased about the hen - The gate is now padlocked & will remain so.