What have you done in the garden today?

[ThreeRingCircus]

I thought it would be a nice idea to share what we've been up to in our gardens.

Today I planted potatoes in buckets (with drainage holes drilled into them.) Six buckets in total, three second earlies and three main crops. I have fond memories of digging up potatoes with my dad when I was a child.... I still get excited rummaging around in the buckets when my potatoes are ready!

I also made up a herb planter from an old plant pot that had been hiding behind the shed. Mint, parsley and thyme planted in that so I'll see how that does.

I fed my pot plants with blood, fish and bone and gave them a water.

What have you been up to?

This is how it looks today - in full bud.

Potted on chilies, planted out cosmos seedlings, filled buckets to top up the pond.
Now lazing on beanbag in the sun

Had a real stroke of luck ! Someone kindly offered 6 of those halos for tomatoes on a local gardening site as she couldn’t get on with them , just had an email that she dropped them over my gate 😎🙌. I’m going to try growing Roma that like outside in them , to date , said Roma are still at the 2 leaf stage as first lot failed ( as have most things ) Iv finished gravelling my veg plot and planted a couple of artichokes in the back of a boarder as they are such big beautiful plants .or will be ! Iv got an old water feature, square base , then a 6foot sort of Greek urn with a broken top , I’m thinking of planting ivy in the top and using it to cover one of the man hole covers in my boarder . Loving the sunshine, but as not wet will have to rotivate and seed grass this weekend.

Sowed some more sunflower seeds and have planted out my cosmos in the border. Weeded the front of the house and the back definitely needs weeding too. The weather is meant to be lovely here this weekend though so I'll also be sitting outside in the garden with a G&T for most of it!

We completed today so took over essentials- tea making things plus strimmer, hedge trimmer and loppers.

Strimmed the grass, attacked the pampas grass and started uncovering the summer house from under some kind of tree . I have found the Apple tree which is being engulfed partially by the pampas grass and partially by some old vine looking things which I think might be clematis Montana.

Sat out with fire in fire pit,and red wine. The others have gone. Just me,the embers,the gurgling of the pond and the sound of the blackbird singing. Bliss.

I've planted snapdragons and nicotiana today. Tied up some honeysuckle. Noticed the new salvias I planted a couple of weeks ago are looking a bit odd. They aren't growing straight up, but are curling over, as if they are wilting. Not over watered so not sure what's going on there

@Hedjwitch has the best answer!

Actually, that puts me in a mind... those water statues you get for sale in garden centres for around £150. Very relaxing, sometimes quite tasteful, they are sort of ongoing somehow with no electricity, like the water goes down stairs then up again or something. Are they as good as they look or does the sound actually get on your nerves? Can you turn it off?!

I dug some soil from the bonfire along with some mowed grass into the clay-like border, along with some clay buster granules to break it up a bit. Watered the hydrangeas which are getting attention from slugs it seems. May put in marigolds tomorrow, put some soil improver on top of that flowerbed. Low key.

I netted my gooseberry bushes. The squirrels got them all last year. I noticed that some of the leaves on our new greengage tree have holes in them. I’m wondering if the leaf cutter bee has got to them.

I sorted the pots by the summerhouse. Filled them with heuchera, hakonochloa, Briza , cosmos and freesia. I really don’t know if it will work. Briza sulks when moved but generally perks up so we will see tomorrow. Do think it’s quite a weird combo. I just used what I had. Planted my solitary courgette, surrounded it with a grapefruit half skin, and some price reduced, possibly dead garlic. Thought I might put a third ring of onion seedlings round it, and then Maybe utter an incantation of death to monopods under a full moon. The squashes and Orlaya haven’t germinated, dont know how much longer to give them. Something has eaten my sunflower seedlings. The pergola, which was all clean and lovely earlier has become a de facto potting area. I seem to make more mess planting up pots than other people would make speed gutting fish, so the pergola is now dreadful. It does all make me very happy though.

What are halos for tomatoes?

Halos ( probably wrong name ) are plastic containers that sit in the ground. They have a tube in the middle to plant in directly in to the soil and an outer collar, mines boat shaped , that you fill with water and slowly seeps down to water plant , so never drys out 🤞🤞

I want some!

That's lovely.

That’s going to look lovely! Is that Ragged Robin you have in there?

The pink flower I mean, not the Centaurea nigra

Very relaxing, sometimes quite tasteful, they are sort of ongoing somehow with no electricity, like the water goes down stairs then up again or something. Are they as good as they look or does the sound actually get on your nerves? Can you turn it off?! I’d be asking questions about algae. Perennially wet, in full sunshine - perfect conditions!

Congratulations @Seaitoverthere hope you're enjoying your first morning in your new place!
First thing I spent any money on was getting tree surgeons in to clear the crappy evergreens/ overgrown borders/general shite so I could start on the garden properly. Best money spent. Funnily enough, the only things that survived were a pampas and a fucking palm tree as DH and the kids liked them

All I've done today so far is flick the solitary but defiant lily beatle off my mother's day gift from the kids... Will try to start on the weeding soon!

@NorthernChinchilla thank you 😊 We are in the lucky position of it needing work and having somewhere to stay nearby. I am going to have the tree surgeon at some point but he is so busy at the moment.

What beautiful weather for gardening today.

We have a traditional style solar fountain. To avoid algae in the water a small amount of Hydrogen Peroxide is added.. Completely safe for wildlife.

It is indeed.

Trying to get a decent photo of one of the hundreds of bees in the comfrey for National Bee Day🐝

Last year's experiment in self-watering tomatoes was a success so I have potted on a couple of those today. The rest of the pots I use are currently full of the bare root plants from Farmer Gracy, so they will have to wait for another fortnight.

Planted out the last of the sweet peas from seed, so I have hopes of a very long flowering period with all this successional sowing. Weeded and de-cat-crapped the raised beds and netted them off.

In case it's useful for anyone:

Self-watering tomato planters -
1 builders bucket, 99p from Wickes
1 ice cream tub or similar (don't need the lid)
1 large plastic plant pot
1 piece of cotton fabric, like an old tea towel or T shirt

Tear the fabric into strips. Stuff them in the drainage holes of the plant pot like an upside down U, dangling down at least the height of the ice cream tub. You need about two or three strips of fabric. Hold the loops of the U to the side of the plant pot and fill with your potting compost. Plant your tomatoes and stake as required.
Cut a couple of holes in the sides of the ice cream tub so water can get in and it doesn't try to float,
Put the ice cream tub upside down in the bottom of the bucket. Put the plant pot on top, ensuring the fabric can reach the bottom of the bucket. Pour water into the bucket.

The water will wick up into the plant compost as required. Just check every few days that there's water in the bucket resevoir. In the heat wave in July last year I only needed to water every 3-4 days.

Tidied up pots. Planted geraniums in pots for the outside stairs. Picked yarrow for making an infused oil.

Made a garlic spray for deterring slugs etc.

Finally cleared out the ugly dumping ground corner of the backyard and made a pallet planter out of a pallet that had been sitting there for a year. Gave it a wipe down and liberally slapped half a tin of chalk paint I found in the shed on it. It's, ahem, rustic, but I reckon once it's full of terracotta pots and colour it'll look great. It's going up against an ugly new brick wall so anything has to be an improvement. South-facing so I'm hoping it'll be good for herbs etc.

Also found some pretty metal hanging pots in the shed that I'd forgotten about. They'll look great with some trailing plants in on a bare bit of fence that needs brightening up.

It's definitely going to be a trip to the garden centre tomorrow!