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

greenbee

Cherryfudge said:

And another question if anyone is knowledgeable about compost please - how long does it take eggs shell to break down?

Forever... (you need to dry and crush them)

Cherryfudge

greenbee said: Forever... (you need to dry and crush them)

Thanks @greenbee, I really wanted to hear that.  I dried them... I don't think 1 cm pieces count as ;crushed' though, do they?  

Cheery_Daff

kazwookie said:

I have 4 full  water butts!!

Last of cucumbers picked and toms as these were direct in the ground. I have also weeded that area, and in the gaps put strawberry runners.

Garden furniture put away in shed, cushions / pads etc in the house in vacuum bags.

Currently in dream land I've seen a property on internet, with 11 acres! dreaming of polytunnels, raised veg beds, proper orchard and alike, gardner, cleaner, some one to look after the wood land etc etc, and dream away. 

Just having a catch up having ignored both this thread and my garden for the last few weeks... 

@kazwookie Speaking as someone who actually bought a house with 11 acres.... it's a surprising amount of space I have neither a cleaner or a gardener nor someone to look after woodland, and it shows I struggle to keep on top of the garden bit, let alone everywhere else, and constantly feel like things are falling down round my ears (largely because they are). We had 2 acres planted with 1000 trees (by someone else, thank goodness), about 8 acres are used by a dairy farmer for his pregnant cows in the summer, and the other acre is the bit I'm meant to be scything, although this year I've only managed one single row

I wouldn't swap our place, and I'm am SO grateful for the opportunity to experience it - but next time we move it'll definitely be to somewhere with a sensible sized garden

I have been out chipping away at the giant patch of nettles behind the house over the last few days, and it's pretty much all scythed now - I just need to rake and shift what I've cut down. This is about 3 or 4 years of growth, which is why it's so wild. Not necessarily a problem - but it means we can't access an outbuilding, and it's also the most scenic bit of our view so it would be nice to sit there occasionally :lo:lol:

I'd like to spend some time in the more 'garden' bit of the garden though so I'm going pop in here more regularly! 

redofromstart

I have to admit that when I move my plan is for a smaller garden. I just can't keep on top of everything that needs doing here on my own. And I don't want to work to pay someone to do the garden. 

It doesn't help that I am also busy with the house clearing stuff. 

Cheery_Daff

You've got a lot on your plate redo! 

I do sometimes think fondly back to our old garden. It was tiny, just a strip adjacent to the pavement. It could be a right mess, and I could go out and weed the whole lot, cut bushes back, turn compost, sweep up debris and have all the bags loaded in the car for the tip before lunchtime 😂😂 Oddly enough I probably grew more food there too 🙄😂

redofromstart

My first house (with my first husband) was a 1930s semi with a really long back garden that we had bought from someone who had kept it immaculate. We knew nothing about gardening and learned some hard lessons very quickly. The one after that was a new build so we made the garden from scratch which I enjoyed, plus it could be 'done' in an afternoon for weeding etc so we both got quite interested. I wouldn't quite want to go that small again, but 'manageable' has its attractions. If I could pick and choose it would be a south facing courtyard with some nice trees round the edges and no lawn.

I am reliably informed that the bamboo I innocently planted at the new build was painful for the neighbours for many years afterwards. I know better now!

Merlin's_Beard

redofromstart said:

My first house (with my first husband) was a 1930s semi with a really long back garden that we had bought from someone who had kept it immaculate. We knew nothing about gardening and learned some hard lessons very quickly. The one after that was a new build so we made the garden from scratch which I enjoyed, plus it could be 'done' in an afternoon for weeding etc so we both got quite interested. I wouldn't quite want to go that small again, but 'manageable' has its attractions. If I could pick and choose it would be a south facing courtyard with some nice trees round the edges and no lawn.

I am reliably informed that the bamboo I innocently planted at the new build was painful for the neighbours for many years afterwards. I know better now!

my newbuild tiny garden is no lawn, path around a central bed and beds to each side and I have to admit I am often quite grateful I didn't get anything bigger - manageable is best!

KajiKita

Actually did some serious gardening today 😊

Weeded the new flower bed that was created by my work’s gardeners. I am regarding this as ‘clearing the seed bed’ of weed seeds in this section for now. 

Weeded the bed which runs the full length of the front of the house (our house is long rather than deep) which we want to install wild flower turf on. Focused on perennial root weeds - so bindweed, bramble, dandelions etc. and left the self sown, pretty leaved pink flowered thing that scatters itself about here, as it is very easy to remove 😊 Again seeing this as a ground clearing / prepping activity. 

Severely cut back the cotton lavenders (santolina?) on the drive that are flopping everywhere and make Mr KK’s legs wet as he parks on that side. They need relocating really. 

Made visual list of learning points and ideas for next year on my phone via images which I will write up now. 

Am a bit sore and soil covered now (keep finding it in my ears! 😂😂) but satisfied 😊 

KK

Cherryfudge

KajiKita said:

Am a bit sore and soil covered now (keep finding it in my ears! 😂😂) but satisfied 😊 

KK

Apparently physical contact with the soil is good for you. I wish I'd bookmarked where I originally read that, but there's something here. I don't think I've ever seen the ears recommended as a starting point, though!

Cherryfudge

Another hour, more or less, in the garden today, mostly cutting back honeysuckle and other bits in the front garden. I feel the need to keep pushing on while the weather holds!

I also bought a primrose from the car boot sale. Sadly, it seems the one I inherited from my Mum, and that she had from her best friend's garden back in the early 60s, hasn't survived the summer despite watering. I decided that if I can't keep that line going, I will at least still have a primrose patch.