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?

Does the Merlin app rely on you being able to catch a solo performance, or can it handle a garden full of birds all shouting at each other at the same time?

Yes, it can handle a garden of birds. I’m really impressed with it.

Here’s a screenshot from a walk this week.

Excellent!

I have a colony of sparrows with no manners in my garden, so if it can separate the rest of the chorus I'll be very impressed.

@BestIsWest that’s an impressive list. I’ve discovered Merlin over the weekend and mine always starts with sparrows and starlings. Sadly there doesn’t seem to be much variety where I live.

I’ve dug another metre of turf out of my border, and replaced with soil. I think I’m at the halfway mark now so hopefully another two weeks and I’ll have it done.

I mainly sat on a steamer chair and read my book. But I did stick in some onions, red barons grown from seed. I’m usually awash with salad greens by now, but they havent germinated. I’m a bit annoyed. It’s so easy to grow and so expensive to buy that it makes all the hard work and other failures worth while. I should have a tray of good plants in the green house and 2 directly sown areas by now. But all I’ve got are the dregs of stuff I grew over winter in the green house and some starting to bolt spinach. Gah. Oh well, I’ll sow some more tomorrow.

@SBAM not from my garden sadly! I get blackbirds, bluetits, starlings, jackdaws etc but nothing exciting.

Hacked back my rhubarb which seems to have flopped but found a million snails having a festival in there so I hope I haven’t unleashed them on the rest of the garden.

Picked the first strawberry of the year.

Doing a bit of remodelling and gathering rocks from the hidden undergrowth, we came across Mrs Tiggywinkle having a nap. I’m so happy the shy creature is living in my garden.

Tried to resuscitate a new bedding plant that just hasn’t taken- one of those purple spiky things that are everywhere. I kind of knew it was dodgy because the roots just seems really weedy- almost like it wasn’t one plant but a load of bits stuck into soil. Anyway, think it’s past resuscitation. Some you win some you lose.

Also got my table and chairs out of the garage and organised a tonne of flowerpots etc to take to the recycling place at the tip.

chased landscaper re fencing quite as hoping to do that in October and need planning permission

will put the hose on the tubs tonight as very warm here ( south coast)

More. Feckin. Brambles.

I feel your pain .....

Gave everything a good water though. I normally take a survival of the fittest, low maintenance approach, but given we're now on sandy soil and everything is new in, I'm watering every couple of days.

Also confirmed the new hibiscus is not dead, which is great news. Generally just enjoying everything coming into bloom. And tomorrow I can buy my additional perennials, can't wait! Tracked down my 'picked up randomly at an NT, turns out to be very unusual and impossible to buy' polemonium at a nursery in County Durham

Thank you Bideshi, it's a sweaty, thankless task but vital! Hope yours aren't too rampant....?

I wrestled a salvia from the border at the front on the house, it was swamped by day lilies, along with a pathetic purple verbascum. I replanted them in the new back garden border and watered them well so fingers crossed they perk up.
Apart from filling the bird feeders and giving everything in the new borders a good watering this evening I haven’t done much.
I enjoyed sitting in the sun knitting and listening to an audiobook 😎

Sounds lovely almost the same and enjoy listening to audible while watering the garden…no bird feeders as I have a murder kitty 😞

@BinturongsSmellOfPopcorn I never thought of taking it on a walk! This was literally one minutes worth at lunchtime today

Haven’t read all of the updates since I was last on but I am so impressed with the idea of this birdsong app! I’ve downloaded it and can’t wait to try it.

I bought loads of bird feeders and haven’t put them out yet. I’m wary as some of the neighbours complain about attracting unwanted vermin but I would love to have birds around.

The last couple of days have been uncharacteristically sunny where I live. I weeded the whole of the front garden, turned all the soil, added in soil improver and finally cut down my tulips for the year. I’ve planted a few new things too so curious to see how they fare. Thinking my soil might actually be clay based when I didn’t think this was the case. I also used up the last of my bedding plants to fill a pot, potted a rosemary plant, watered and fed everything, planted the beginnings of what hopefully becomes a box hedge.

Gave Merlin a quick test in the garden this evening, and it was able to pick out a goldfinch from the sparrows' nightly episode of Eastenders.

I tried the Merlin app last night but the sound of crickets is so loud it didn't pick anything up. Will try it this morning and see what gives.

Quick go this morning. I want to catch the woodpecker when it starts.

Someone (sorry I can’t remember who) had asked for a picture of our Polycrub when finished.

we finished it (just about) at the weekend. The lemon tree has been out there for two days and the lemons are starting to ripen (one is now bright yellow, pics a couple of days old).

still need to put the raised beds inside but structure done!

What a lovely structure. I want one!

Wow @buddhasbelly that looks fab