The first rule of potting shed is YOU ALWAYS talk about potting shed. The thread continues.

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Here goes, and feeling bit cheeky as I didn't post much on the last one.

A fine autumn day here, with much seasonal clearing done. Now I come to think of it, is there ever a non-clearing season? :o

Jealous! My sweet peas haven't even geminated yet (well not broken the surface of the soil anyway). I expect they have rotted off with all this cold weather.

Finally got some seeds in pots ( peas) and did some general pleasing greenhouse tidying. Ordered netting so I can plant the raised bed and DD1 refreshed her stone markers from last year which disproportionately cheer me up. Trying not to look at the weather which seems to be saying rain every day for the next 2 weeks.

I'd let them get a couple more pairs of leaves so they're a bit more established- but maybe you could try pinching out half now and seeing which do better?

More things have survived The Great Cold than I expected, which obviously pleases me greatly. Even the tarragon that I left in the garden by accident.

Am planning on potting up my dahlias today. Why do I always think "I'll remember what it is" when labelling, or more specifically not labelling something? I am pretty sure what the one unlabelled dahlia is, but can't be sure...

Is anyone trying anything new this year?

Ps Cathpot I love the markers. How old is DD?

DD is 13 so not some sort of pre-school stone art prodigy! But when she is in the mood she is very helpful.

My sweet peas are only just germinating!
I have had a nice half hour in the greenhouse . I have sown some more sweet peas ( not all eggs in one basket sort of thing) .
I have potted up some Ranunculas - 'Pauline Violet'. New to me SeaRabbit I bought them on a whim for the lovely deep purple, but don't actually know where I am putting them so decided to pop them into pots to get them going, and make the decision when more stuff has popped up.
Also just started to pot up overwintered geraniums and fuchsias . Not quite sure they are going to come back - theres a bit of cobwebby/white stuff on the roots ..... Have to leave the dahlias for later on in the week, when I have the time .

Such is the magic of the heated propagator, I have 2 batches of sweet peas.

Hard frost here and snow forecast (although it is beautiful at the moment) so I am sitting on my hands. We are in the far south west and this is NOT NORMAL. I found ice on pots in greenhouse this morning and then found a hole in the glass which is now blocked by cardboard while I think about that. Chicken proofing net has arrived. They are going to be very put out when their favourite rootling about area is off limits. On the plus side they have very effectively spread out the horse poo I put in the raised bed.

we had snow yesterday, and more overnight here - blooming cold , so must be even more of a shock for you Cath !
I finished potting up my overwintering dahlias, the other day, so they are now covered with fleece in the greenhouse. No gardening/allotmenting today .
Really sat on my hands re sowing anything at the moment .
It hasn't stopped the iris and crocus flowering though - they are looking lovely, and my dark purple hellebore is just starting to look lovely

Snow overnight and more snow this afternoon. Unusual for this part of the country so we are not geared up for it...narrow, hilly, slippery roads are not good. And I hope my camellia buds don't all go brown.
Oh please hurry up Spring, I am yearning for warmth so much now.

cathpot I'm also in the far SW...this is not NORMAL!

Our community allotment session took refuge in the pub ! Really would be lovely if we could crack on with this season finally.

fuzzycustard~ I know! We were on the beach this morning in beautiful sunshine and now the garden is under several cms of snow. It’s very odd and while it was fun the first time I’m enough now. Lots of things had put out shoots and my almond was blossoming.

We had a beach walk on Friday (north coast) and all got a bit of a red nose from the sun. And ended up sitting on the sand with an ice cream. But today is flipping freezing and horrible with wet snow falling all day. My dwarf prunus was trying to flower too. It will have changed its mind.

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the weeds are growing, and I have to go to bloody work to argue about shit.

Life sucks. I want to go out and dig.

Just been out to the bottom of the garden and have seen that my Ceanothus, planted last year has been badly affected by frost.
A week ago it had managed to survive the worst of winter, the the extra cold has all but done for it!
Although it was a young plant it is about 4ft high. I’ve given it a light prune, so I hope it will survive!☹️

I need better plant labels. I use those plastic sticks, but waterproof pen rubs off. I don't want to spend a fortune as I use lots for seedlings for my Dad's church plant sale, but is there something better than the plastic ones?

erm - used lolly sticks - in my defence I don't eat many , but DH is another matter ... ( magnums of course!)

Bert apparently chinagraph pencils will endure on plastic .
www.staples.co.uk/black-chinagraph-pencils/cbs/297756982.html

and apparently ( me ,researching on line ? nooo ) pp cut up milk cartons and the like to make their own markers .

Oh I like that milk carton plan!

I have just read my Gardeners' World magazine (subscription a super present from lovely DH) and it is banging on about warmer weather and Spring and everything growing. I know it is all produced well in advance but out of my window it is grey and chilly and forecast to get colder and even snowy again in a few days time.

WHERE IS THE BLOODY SPRING?????

it was today Fuzzy . I work in a (charity) Horticultural society shop , and I was run off my feet this morning!

Bert I said carton but rereading it the reference is to a "plastic milk bottle ".

But both sound like possibilities .
Have also read suggestion of planting into polystrene cups and writing directly on the cup .
But maybe not quite right size for your purposes ?

Oh it is LOVELY today...sunny and wall to wall blue sky, and a bit windy too (so I have done another 5 loads of washing - it's Spring cleaning) and I have planted out my new white paeony and then sat in the garden reading a book.

Happy days.

(Yes I know it is going to rain tomorrow and then get colder, but today I can dream, can't I?

SPRING!! I got very over excited and planted up the raised bed having bought hoops at garden centre for netting in the end which would have been good value if I hadn’t also bought 4 types of parsley and bird food and garden ties and those cardboard pots that look like a good idea and then go mouldy. Potted on tomatoes into soon to be mouldy pots and then went to the beach. Lovely lovely day .