Does anyone keep a gardening diary on MSE?

LavenderBees

LavenderBees

LavenderBees

LavenderBees

Garlic to be planted this coming weekend, hopefully, if weather is ok

LavenderBees

LavenderBees

H/B&se sale at the weekend - snaffled 16 x paving slabs in the sale for the path up the middle of the lottie. Bit of a bargain, so well chuffed.

Also bought more seeds for planting next year - Kale, parsnips, leeks, purple carrots etc. As I don't have a greenhouse, I'll probably need to sow directly outside, which will be a brand new experience for me - any advice, gratefully received.

I think we may have sourced some reasonable horse manure :T

Starting to think of having chickens next year....hmmmm...need to think carefully about this one, but I'm Sooooooooo tempted

mrbadexample

Cracking progress! :T

LavenderBees

Had a lovely surprise this evening when I popped to the lottie to see how it's survived the week and what I need to take up there tomorrow...:j

My fence is finished and the path up the middle of the lottie is laid....whoop! Whoop! :T

I had no idea this was getting done this week. The path isn't finished, but what a difference. Photos tomorrow...

So, tomorrow then, garlic to plant, then finish digging the other 2/3rds of the big bed next to the fence. I can already feel my back groaning.

Can't wait :rotfl:

Suffolk_lass

Hi LB, I have been offline as moving our son to his new accommodation for Uni - only 20 minutes away but in a town which is where he needs to be at 20 - not stuck out here in the sticks with his Ps. Loads of work needed to make the new place work for him means last weekend was a write off in the garden. We need to get a move on this weekend otherwise the raised beds won't get done over half term.

I had a quick check to see what varieties of raspberry and Strawberry we grow. I am pretty sure they are mainstream varieties with an early mid and late of each species. I know DH bought the Strawberries from Ken Muir (Clacton in Essex) and if you were interested you could get runners now or cold-stored plants next spring - but I do think they are rather expensive. We already had autumn fruiting raspberries but bought 2x5 canes last year from Crown Nursery at Ufford who also do mail order. The varieties they offer are more limited but they are cheaper and I can vouch for the quality. They specialise in fruit and native trees but do loads of bare rooted plants. I found them in an RHS year book and I have been impressed. We will be buying hedging from them soon.

The other way is to chat up your new Lottie Chums and tap them up for strawberry runners or runaway canes. We made the mistake of planting raspberries in a raised bed (no good as they like to grow new shoots adjacent - so through paths!) so they are better in a widish strip you can walk round. We also underplabted with Strawberries but to be honest, only those in some sun have flourished (fruit wise) and the best most productive ones are those that set roots in gravel!! Hence some reworking to move ours for next year.

I hope your weather is good and you can crack on this weekend.

Have a good one
SL

LavenderBees

Well, I feel like I've had a week and a half - quite stressful in parts both at work and at home...and then there's the lottie...it started last Sunday...

I'd spent Saturday happily planting more garlic, digging the large bed, and less happily providing thousands of midges with my blood :mad:.

Sunday dawned beautiful and sunny and off I tootled to the lottie again. My nice lottie neighbour, who is also the lottie officer was there, and asked me if I'd had permission to put up my fence! :eek: Em, no! :eek: I hadn't read the rules and had no idea I needed to get permission first. Cue big panic, and apology email to the Parish Council :eek:, and lots of anxiety all week until I heard the news - There was a PC meeting on Tuesday, and the lottie officer went into bat for me. He says my fence is fine, and retrospective permission has been granted. :T Lesson learned there, that's for sure!

So, good news by the end of the week, but rather worrying...the person who complained is my not so nice lottie neighbour, who is not working his lottie...and it's his weeds I'm trying to cut out of my lottie...hmmmm

Anyway, onwards and upwards. My path is already proving worth it. I was going to buy bark chippings to finish it off, but the lottie officer has been notified that the council are chopping some ash trees, and has put my name down for some of the ash tree chippings to finish my path off...I love a useful freebie. No idea when..but I can wait if it saves me lots of money :T

I've asked my PC for permission to keep chickens, but am waiting to hear. "Everyone" says it'll be a formality so I've started planning their area, but I've learned my lesson and will get permission before I go ahead with any work I need to get on the OS chicken thread and pick up some ideas

Thanks for the info on the raspberry canes SL, very useful, and I appreciate you taking the time to post, when you've clearly been busy :cool:. I'll take a look one evening next week. Lots of digging over the last few weekends and tonight, I've finally finished all the digging for the autumn :T

I'll post some update piccies soon....