+++ Whoops! Here comes the cheese! +++

redofromstart

It has been suggested before that we eat the weeds. Mr Redo is a competent forager, and I am a dedicated herb and vegetable dodger. Vague plans for elderflower cordial, and he really wants to make dandelion and burdock this year.

food shopping this morning included 2 x £3 on stainless steel tools from MrL, a double ended hand hoe, and a weeding trowel. Money well spent I think. The rain has been constant though so no more weeding done. 

redofromstart

The shiny new kenw00d has made some very nice cakes, bread alternate days (split tin loaf and used for toast on day two) and mince.

Nice clean meat home minced meat (beef skirt MrS and pork loin chops on offer) has made some very tasty low fat options. I want to do some lamb and then find a good keema naan recipe.  It isn't cheaper, unless you get lucky with reductions, but I at least know what we are eating. It says I can mince nuts too - which ones and why are on my google list. 

I've got beef madras in the instant pot for tonight. Bread rising in its tin. I want to make cake but probably shouldn't. Next week we finish the DS chauffeuring as he has his final exams, and we can go back to walking hurrah. One last cake, adding to the burden or a final treat?

the slugs are marching on relentlessly. One cucumber still standing and the courgettes looking very bare. Hoping for a dry spell and the opportunity for much weeding tomorrow. 

Sun_Addict

Slugs have been munching my Chinese cabbage and the courgettes. I made a beer trap and am astounded just how many it’s catching! Greedy devils 😞

redofromstart

They didn't like the 'lost lager' @Sun_Addict, doom bar and old peculiar to try next

Sun_Addict

redofromstart said:

They didn't like the 'lost lager' @Sun_Addict, doom bar and old peculiar to try next

They seem to like Carling, maybe they don’t like anything fancy 😆

redofromstart

GardenWatch - may I suggest the following?

1. quick revisit to the areas you have weeded to pluck out or how off any new growth. Far easier to keep on top this way. 

2. Another bucket of weeds

3. Plant out or pot on anything that needs it - avoiding the peak of they day and watering in well. Dahlias, bedding plants, etc.  feed or dig up bulbs that you want to retain.

4. Watering and do you need to feed as you water? I use tomato feed on the greenhouse and polytunnel plants.  

5. As @kajikita suggested look at your edges, do they need trimming or re-defining? 

6. Check any beans for black fly, and everything else for green fly. I generally favour gloves and squishing intruders.

7. it's a good time to have a go at soft cuttings - herbs and cat mint on the go here.

Sun_Addict

By coincidence I’ve done 1-4 this afternoon 🙂

redofromstart

So I have done lots more weeding, held a ladder while mr Redo climbed on the roof to pull the blasted wisteria out of the attic, held a ladder while mr redo chopped back honeysuckle from some power cables, and I broke a finger nail picking some sneaky ivy off the house wall before it destroyed anything. Mr redo sharpened my new pointy weeding trowel and demonstrated its effectiveness on the front lawn while I made admiring noises. 

Planted out the bought Broad beans, and wailed at the remaining half a leaf on the last cucumber. Wrestled half a can of san Miguel from the eldest into the slug trap. 

Watered the green house, which reminds me I need to do the tunnel. Tomatoes and peppers doing well. Weeded the tunnel beds again, little and often for that job. Had minor palpitations when tiny cat bear dropped onto the poly tunnel roof and then again when she attacked my hands through the side fabric. She does like company in the garden.

pretty things - so a fresh bunch of roses picked and in the snug. Fed and watered the various house patio tubs and watered the drive wall tubs (stainless steel and blue lobelia, east facing). My favourite bit at the moment is the repeated colours so the three planted sections by the house patio, one has many purple alliums, the next two have self seeded deep purple blue lupins, I really like the repeated colour and will build this in to my future plans. Realised we have a nice hanging basket bracket on the brick shed (made by the resident black smith!) which I have never used. May see if I can find a nice basket this week as for once I have time to water.

greenbee

I weedkilled last night, but today it has been raining, so I've potted up some tomatoes and aubergines. I had some help on Friday so a couple of sections of the borders have been dug over and I now need to find stuff to fill them with. Probably cosmos and nicotiana.

There's a skimmia and several hydrangeas that are in the wrong places, so I'm wondering whether I can get away with moving them now. I can add some ericaeous compost and give them a good water (or the rain will).

KajiKita

I did a job in a timely manner (for once!) yesterday: namely supporting a plant that flops over everything else in the border every year - caught it just as it was running up to flower but before it had started to lean. Might be worth looking around for your typical ‘floppers’? 

There are a couple of soft bodied but still spiny thistles that need hoicking out this afternoon, in between showers ….

KK