Awful weather - typical Brits talk

wort

Farway had to laugh at this
saw the week's weather this morning, snow for some later in week, including Dartmoor area, what normally happens is the cherry blossom opposite just reaches peak flowering when a hurricane arrives to clear it
I said exactly the same to my sister!😂and today it's definitely blowing a hooley! ! My blossoms have taken a hit overnight! I expect the rhododendrons to be off too! Even though I sat out on weds with a cuppa and a book after, some pruning and weeding.

Apodemus

Greenbee,  my garden waste bin was collected last week and completely refilled a couple of hours later, with more in a pile waiting to go in.  That's despite putting a pile of prunings into the bottom of the new compost and sweeping more "under the carpet" at the base of the Leylandii hedge!  I'm thinking I might go for a second garden waste bin next year!

I was out for a walk, yesterday and got caught in the hail at the most exposed point on my circuit.  3C on the car thermometer when I got in from the walk and driving home last night I was above the snow line!

wort

Thanks for link Dave, something to watch after work, so fed up of scrolling through endless tv channels with nothing interesting on them. I have just downloaded books onto my kindle instead.  
Let us know how you get on with the fig ,Farway,  as last year we bought one for my sister, that turned up infested and the leaves dropped off!!😔 we finally after much trouble got a refund though. 

greenbee

@Apodemus - I can't actually work out from my council website whether I can get another garden waste bin! But then, it's a council website, so not being informative is par for the course. I do, however, still have my brother's garden shredder taking up space in my garage, so am trying to summon up the energy to do some pruning and shred it into a couple of old plastic dustbins ready to mix into the compost heap. I'm also contemplating using the firepit as a substitute bonfire... 

Thankfully no snow here, although as usual at this time of year, we've got a warm week forecasted, followed by a drop in temperature. 

The sun is shining today, but there's a cold wind, so I'm going to hide in the greenhouse and pot on aubergine and tomato seedlings from the fibre pots I unwisely sowed them in. I think I might compost the rest of the fibre pots so I don't forget how annoying they are and use them again next year (they were given to me). It's not like I have a shortage of plastic pots, modules and seed trays. 

Farway

greenbee said:

@Apodemus - I can't actually work out from my council website whether I can get another garden waste bin! But then, it's a council website, so not being informative is par for the course. I do, however, still have my brother's garden shredder taking up space in my garage, so am trying to summon up the energy to do some pruning and shred it into a couple of old plastic dustbins ready to mix into the compost heap. I'm also contemplating using the firepit as a substitute bonfire... 

Thankfully no snow here, although as usual at this time of year, we've got a warm week forecasted, followed by a drop in temperature. 

The sun is shining today, but there's a cold wind, so I'm going to hide in the greenhouse and pot on aubergine and tomato seedlings from the fibre pots I unwisely sowed them in. I think I might compost the rest of the fibre pots so I don't forget how annoying they are and use them again next year (they were given to me). It's not like I have a shortage of plastic pots, modules and seed trays. 

Watch out with garden waste bins, we can have as many as we want, but have buy authorised ones from Council £26 each, plus it's £70 per bin per year for emptying.

I only have mine collected because I can't manage taking it to the tip these days, and if I had larger garden I'd have jumbo compost heaps and bonfires

I've tried those fibre pots, all the rage once but useless as you've found out, a good idea but no thanks

wort said:

Let us know how you get on with the fig ,Farway,  as last year we bought one for my sister, that turned up infested and the leaves dropped off!!😔 we finally after much trouble got a refund though.

Checked earlier this morning, still alive and green buds opening, no sign of rooting yet but early days

Sunflower & Welsh onion seeds sown in pots in the sunshine

Apodemus

Farway said:

Watch out with garden waste bins, we can have as many as we want, but have buy authorised ones from Council £26 each, plus it's £70 per bin per year for emptying.

I only have mine collected because I can't manage taking it to the tip these days, and if I had larger garden I'd have jumbo compost heaps and bonfires

Yes, it's not necessarily the cheapest option. I can't believe how dependent on it I've become, having argued for years that any decent gardener should be able to cope with everything on site! Our Council is £45 per bin per year, which is less than the fuel for a trip per month to the tip.

greenbee

We have no charge for the bin, but the large one is £59/year subscription. I stopped going to the tip as I seemed to get punctures every time I went. And at the moment I don't have the time, energy of inclination. Even with two pallet compost bins and a hotbin (which I mostly use for food waste) there's no way I can process everything I produce! My parents managed it, but they had a larger garden, a large veg plot, plenty of space for a multibay composting setup and regular bonfires!

I've used up more of the fibre pots simply because I couldn't locate enough small plastic ones. I've put the tomato seedings in them on the basis that I can dump the whole pot into a big post once the outgrow these. 

I still haven't worked out where everything is going to go - I need to organise the greenhouse better this year (and get the water butts and irrigation system set up). And I don't have that much room for growing veg - a 3ft x 3ft raised bed, an 8ft x 3ft raised beds (currently being taken over by strawberries), a couple of small 'veg trug' planters (one of which is full of strawberries, although they're not looking very happy - I think they might have dried out too much over the last few dry weeks, the other has radishes, lettuce and carrots in it)) and 4 large plastic pots for courgettes. I need to do some planning!

twopenny

Some sun, some cold wind, some rain and my trapped nerve kicked off today so I'm sitting watching my Blackbirds collecting tiny worms for it's brood or the missus. So no more poisoning weeds for a while yet. They usually have 2 broods so that's the whole summer.

Seen the odd bee or two, hope they're visiting my fruit blossom.

I've got 3 clematis, 2 scabious, 2 tree heathers to plant and are in place ready plus a red leaved Weigela and Prunus shrubs to plant. Also two large pots of box balls to sink. Plus making the bed wider so I can move everything forward. Going to have to wait now so cooler weather is probably preferable. Maybe tomorrow I can continue.

  

The red tulips were Poundland, they did a couple of years in a pot then the garden. So moneys worth

Dave, if the primroses are Vulgaris they will grow, be moved even grow from a stump that's left. I had loads in my last place. Working on it now.

greenbee

looks fabulous @twopenny - and I agree on the primroses. I'm constantly moving mine (like @Davesnave, sticking them on the stream banks). They seem quite happy to be dug up and shoved vaguely in the direction of the ground. There were a few here when I moved in, and now the far bank is covered with them, as is much of the 'lawn'. I'll probably move a whole lot more as a displacement activity when I should be doing something else. 

I've rounded up various pots that have been lurking around the garden, and will make sure they are put into productive use this year. If I move strawberries into them, it'll free up the larger bed and planter for veg. I just need to organise yet more compost and some bark mulch to be delivered. 

twopenny

Thanks, not fabulous but a new garden in progress - with the supermarkets not getting their plants and the garden centre here picking for impulse sales it's not going as fast as I'd like.

Awww a whole bank! Would love that. But they are increasing rapidly which is why I want to widen that bed