GreenFly - A 'flylady style' gardening thread with weekly tasks to tame your garden

greenbee

I just lay the wire on the empty beds and pin it down with netting pins until I do the planting. I have fencing pins for temporary fencing (and tend to use the green wind mesh for that as it's a bit easier). You can grow stuff through the chicken wire if you want to (I did that in my first house where the neighbouring cats were a menace). 

debtfreewannabe321

I like the idea of five minutes gardening a day. I don't have time to be out there hours but I would love to make it a habit to walk around daily and do something. 

I updated my diary with this but will update on here too, we have had our wood hoard (courtesy of last owner leaving it) cleared! It's so exciting to have empty sheds and shelving in garages (nevermind the 8ft pile in the corner of the garage 🤣🙈) it means I can finally get to all my garden tools and lawnmower! 

Has anyone cut their lawn yet this year? We never did a final cut last year as we were just too busy..so it's pretty long. Wondering if it's coming up the time when I could do it without ripping all the grass up 😆

kazwookie

I've cut this year, but on a high setting, to let the sun dry it out.

Go for it, but on a high height setting

New_in_the_fens

I’ve been following along and getting inspired by all your stories. Our garden is the biggest I’ve ever had and we are slowly changing it over from an allotment style garden from the previous owner to a more useable garden. Plus trying to see exactly what we have in terms of shape and size as it’s been fenced off into ‘sections’ (and more concrete paving than I’ve ever seen!) 

I put down turf in an area we’d cleared last summer and the turf looked fab, really pleased. And then the moles came 😳 maybe that’s why there were so many paving slabs!

Anyway, I too have a lawn that is full of holes and hills now (which is very sad after all the hard work last year), but you’ve given me a couple of ideas how I can improve the situation. I’m also pretty sure the dog can hear or smell the moles as she keeps digging in different areas - adding to the overall carnage!

Hope you don’t mind me popping by and adding to the chat 😀

redofromstart

Very welcome to join us @New_in_the_fens.  The moles here come in from the churchyard here every so often and it is so frustrating.  They do push up under the paving stones too. I have vague memories of classic gardening books telling you to cut a cross in the turf, fold the grass back, fill it in and re-lay it.  Out grass isn't worth saving like that but yours may be?

I know some swear by those sonic noise things, which are supposed to push their territory away, a couple of my neighbours have them. 

debtfreewannabe321

I've decided this year I will put some new beds in but my previous idea of veg and fruit is going to change. I don't think I'll have the time to tend it during growing season. So I'm going to firstly make the raised beds but then I'm going to have a herb section for cooking (and the smell! I have a beautiful large curry plant already) and pretty flowers. I think that would be easier for me to ease into as I've not properly gardened in a few years and pretty to sit and look at (we found a fantastic sleeper in the wood hoard that we are wondering if we can turn into a bench to put by the new beds). I hoping to create a zen vibe for some downtime after work.
I got the parkers catalogue yesterday and am debating throwing it straight out as there is too much temptation in there....😆.

Where have you all found the best bulbs and plug plants from? I bought locally before and only had partial success.

redofromstart

Young plants: Parkers Anwick used to be a good garden centre years ago, but they had a rack of stuff from the catalogue which really put me off ever buying plug plants when I saw the state and size of them.  The bare root stuff from them was very good - the roses and honeysuckle I planted earlier this week came from them, and I have got garden ready lavender on order with them. If you do buy from them then wait for a code, there are a lot of 15% off/Free delivery things at the moment. Online I used Sutt0ns last year, but I bought 'garden ready' perennials on offer rather than plugs and planted them fairly quickly after they arrived.  Both T&M and Sutt0ns have £7/15 plants for garden ready stuff at the moment.  The link should add the code to the basket, you can't combine offers and the P&P is c£7 on top.  The quality of what I got last year was excellent, and the ones I planted promptly took well (Verbascum and Verbena).

Bulbs: I got some nice quality ones from T&M from 'bargain' links on FB and via the emailed 'buy it all' newsletters but generally they are expensive bought online, especially if you have to pay for P&P too.  Better value for me has been supermarket for bulbs and tubers.  The peonies I bought from MrM at £2 a pop, they also have young climbers at £3 each (3 for 2).  Bulbs, Mr S have some great mixed crates for £10 (similar are £12 in MrT/MrM).  I have had a couple of these because it was cheaper to get the bulbs I did want this one, and then view everything else as a bonus.  

Hope this helps.  

F4rmer Gr4cy have a free P&P code on their website currently.  I am currently resisting buying toad lilies from them to go in my dappled shade border.  P4rkers are delivering some swamp lilies today.  My resistance is not working well at the moment, but there are far worse things I could be spending my fritter money on.

greenbee

I've been picking things up in supermarkets too, as well as ordering online (late night/work avoidance browsing is a bad idea!). I need to stop buying and start planting, so have decided that every time I go somewhere that has compost I will buy a couple of bags regardless of price point (unless ridiculous) as I don't want to order bulk bags again this year but will still need a fair amount (I really do need to up production, but it's more mulch/veg plot quality than potting compost). 

Waitrose didn't have any more potted tulips or frits, and Tesco primroses were looking very sad (probably should have got them, as i'm sure they would have recovered). But did get more summer bulbs in boxes. And compost. 

Signs of bluebells in the front, which is good. I can't remember how many I planted last year (either 100 or 250), but hopefully a few will have survived. Aconites have come back, and primroses seem to have made it. 

Crocuses moved in a hurry from under the shredding pile last year have survived and really need dividing this year. Snowdrops planted in the bed by my mum are doing well, and others have emerged elsewhere now they have access to daylight.

More plants are arriving today from online orders (not entirely sure what...) as is a random selection of raised beds which I will then need to work out how to make fit the remaining veg plot beds!

PIty the premium bonds didn't result in a retirement fund, as it's going to be hard fitting work in. But I do think the orchard/fruit bushes/veg plot construction/bulbs are important to do now as they take time to settle in. And the patio pots are too, mostly for my sanity looking out across the bleak expanse of grey paving...

greenbee

Pots on the patio are full AND i've tidied the packaging away. Last of the bag of compost tipped into the asparagus trench which needs more work later today as i need the wheelbarrow, which is full of soil/compost from the bed! 25 double snowdrops shoved into the ground under the copper beech in the front garden, near the bluebells, primroses, and cowslips I put in last year. Actually, I'm pretty sure I put in yellow rattle plugs last year, so fingers crossed those get going!

MadamMim2013

New_in_the_fens said:

I put down turf in an area we’d cleared last summer and the turf looked fab, really pleased. And then the moles came 😳 maybe that’s why there were so many paving slabs!

My grandad used to put little children’s windmills (the wooden stake variety) in the ground where the moles had taken interest, he said they disliked the vibrations from it as it went round in the wind and they then would move on? 

The W*rks do giant sized ones so perhaps that could cover a wider area? Not sure if it’s fact, yet reading about your unfortunate incident made me remember it from when I was small.. ☺️