Living in the midlands and wondering what you're doing now!!

mrbadexample

Lotus-eater wrote: »

There are loads of ways of doing it, but I'll tell you the way I think is best atm.

I get an old plate, lay a couple of bits of kitchen roll on it, add a dark coloured napkin, wet it with warm water and lay the seeds on top, I then put a bit of clingfilm over the top.
As soon as you see the tiny white roots, (easy to see with dark coloured napkin) you use a pair of tiny fingers or tweezers and put them straight outside into a prepared bed.
If you really want to go the whole hog, get a crowbar and make a long hole in the ground where each seed is to go, fill it with HM compost or soft soil, (I think MP compost may dry out too much, but you could use some of that, half, half, with sieved soil) and put germinated seed on top of it.

I very gently place seed with root pointing downward and stick some compost on top of it.
New root shoots are very delicate, so be careful not to break them.

And yes, it is alot of faff for parsnips

I'm doing this to test the germination rate of last year's seed.

zarazara

Rocket germinated. Leeks ditto. shallots starting to sprout green tops. Beetroot and radish sown today.

katholicos

I purchased a further 320 litres of compost today (I bought 320 the other day too). That makes a total of approx 1,420 litres of compost since the gardening bug bit me a couple of months ago. If anything, that is an underestimation.

This lot of germinating veg better ruddy grow now.

Just been out an spotted some more ants around the veg - we have massive ant infestations in the grass every year - so i made up a borax and sugar solution and put it in to two small empty plastic pots and placed them on the ground between some of the plant pots. Anyone else use borax to kill ants? If so, please share your recipes, percentages of borax used etc, as i would be very interested to know if i need to use a stronger, weaker, more effective solution.

Hope it rains soon, i hardly have any water left in my water butts. One is completely empty and the othe has only 1/3rd left in it.

zarazara

Forgot to add to above post, gooseberry bushes in flower and we had the first pullings of rhubarb for pudding today. blackthorn hedges in flower [sloes] also the bullaces. Picked some dandilion heads to cook in pancake batter -a la Alys Fowler] but left them at the allotment. Plan to plant some Elderberry bushes along the fence line for their flowers and fruit.
Apple trees in bud. Pear tree just coming into leaf.

lutink

zarazara wrote: »

Forgot to add to above post, gooseberry bushes in flower and we had the first pullings of rhubarb for pudding today. blackthorn hedges in flower [sloes] also the bullaces. Picked some dandilion heads to cook in pancake batter -a la Alys Fowler] but left them at the allotment. Plan to plant some Elderberry bushes along the fence line for their flowers and fruit.
Apple trees in bud. Pear tree just coming into leaf.

i think i'm in love with Alys.....shes great!! brought her book the other day, is worth borrowing, but not buying....i dont know....i think its for people who know more than i do about plants and the micro systems of gardening......:(

lutink

Totally impatient now, i want to get my babies in the ground! HOw much longer do i have to wait!

katholicos

I've made a start on t'other side of back garden now. There's lots of stuff do do but now i've got a plan for the garden, i really enjoy being out there. Can't do much at once but little by little it is getting done and that's better than nowt.

Will post pics later if i can.

heynonnynonny

It will soon take shape I am sure katholicos. Weather given out ok for rest of week, not scorching but just ok. Still so much to do isn't there!! I feel so behind with it being May so soon!

katholicos

Warning: Image heavy post!

Thought i'd show you all how things are progressing in the garden...

The right hand side...(please ignore decrepit fence)...

oops, first...the £2.99 trug i bought from Aldi today...



right hand side of my garden...















Left hand side...just started working on it...







Hope you enjoyed sharing my garden with me...feel free to come along and do some of the hard graft LOL!

heynonnynonny

Lovely to see these photos keep posting them