What have you done today in the Garden?

Nothing outside so i sowed some more wallflower seeds.

 

Did a bit more tidying up of a border. Caught a fair few Slugs and Snails hanging out suspiciously around my Dahlias. They were sent on a trip over to the nearby fields with no return ticket given.
The rain came earlier than forecast so I quickly hauled all the seedlings/ plants out for a good dose of fresh rainfall.
Just been out to gather them all in again and got very wet myself.

 

No gardening today. I've been chasing up quotes for a new mains water supply.
Over the years, it has steadily decreased. I know United Utilities know the pressure is less than it once was, but that's because of the new builds in different areas of Manchester.
They have tested it at the water meter and the pressure is still at a level which they are obliged to provide. It'll be the deterioration in the lead pipe which is now sixty-odd years old. A couple of years ago I had to take the return springs out of my two lawn sprinklers as the pressure wasn't sufficient to make them "pop up" with them in. But lately it seems even lower. It's a £1000 job, but worth it in my opinion.

 

NightOwl— it is not too late to plant summer leeks and later in the summer you can plant winter leeks.

 

Nothing today in the garden apart from slug patrol during the day, they are worse this year and my lilies have been eaten so there won't be any orange ones. Will the bulbs be alright to flower next year? I'm planning on digging them up in the autumn and store them in the garage over the winter.

 

It has just been day after day of hard graft here. I have not had time to sort the pics and write any accounts.

 

Here, the slugs are the size of a cigar, mainly nocturnal. I gently re-home them to the chicken yard... Sometimes I re-home them to the duck yard. Ducks take to slugs like a T-rex goes after lawyers.

Don't overdo it Mr Sjoerd! Gardening is meant to feel good. (Practice what I preach, not what I do .)

The slicing tomato bed is in pretty good order now. All planted. I decided to use store-bought supports this year. Making my own is too much for me now. Last year I let them sprawl. They produced great but I missed some good ones.



Cardboard mulch is more complicated due to the supports. I will figure it out.

The sauce / salsa tomato bed is almost all planted. Some tidying and rearranging is still needed. First job tonight is hook up individual drip lines, as in the slicing tomato bed.



At one corner is an accidental redcurrant. I want to move it out of there. At the back are Egyptian Walking Onions that I should move elsewhere but not in a hurry.

My cherry tomato seedlings didn't grow this year. Everything else did, and they are about 75% from home saved seeds. While at the hardware store to buy supports, I saw a small dwarf cherry tomato plant - "Husky Red Cherry" with rugose leaves and short internodes, so I bought it. Also a "Supersweet 100", which will need a special location due to its vigor.

I planted basil plants among the green peppers. The basil will be harvested before the pepper plants need the space. Tonight's plan includes mulching them with dried tree leaves.

I planted these seeds today -



One thing I am learning is, if I keep the seeds boxes tidied and remove varieties that I can't see growing again, it's easy to avoid accidentally buying seeds for varieties I already have. How old did I have to get for that to sink in? One packet can be stretched for quite a few years.

I also planted these flower seeds.



The image is not 100% accurate. I had two other packets of dwarf sunflower seeds to also plant. Also, I left out "Alaska" dwarf nasturtium. I'm starting it again because I'm suspicious that the Steller's jays ate them. I also accuse them of eating Sweet Peas and Snow Peas, and beans that grow only if highly protected. And Morning Glories.

Marigolds will follow next, and epizote.

I wonder if I'm trying to grow bearded irises completely wrong. The leaves become a mess of distorted, dying leaves and growth becomes stunted. Meanwhile the extras get carelessly planted in the hillside duck yard, and thrive and bloom on zero care. Plus this one in my garden border, Iris dalmatica, zero care other than weeding.



One of the removed fir trees has quite an area of mounded contour of soil around the trunk. I wonder if I should move the irises there and basically forget about them.

When it cools tonight -

Plant the cherry tomato plants that I bought, tidy up the tomato bed, hook up the drip emitters, thin peaches, and mulch chili peppers.

 

Hey there Daniel— I saw that foto of your iris plants growing in the grass there. You mentioned having trouble with them. Now, I do not know much about them, but I used to grow irises, and one thing I learned that was essential is that the root section needed to be proud of the soil so that the sun can shine directly onto those exposed root sections.
You may already know this, if so then just ignore the info. Haha.

 

Today. I finally felt like it was warm enough so I planted tomatoes and a green pepper.
I also continued my rearranging of Hostas and other shade loving plants to put them in better conditions. The tree removal has given me opportunities to plant more sun loving perennials! I started with some Salvia, Allium, Yarrow, and Rudbeckia.
We also planted grass seed in bare spots, so I’ve got Bob on watering duty now.

 

After drinking my morning liquid courage (coffee and huge protein shake) to tackle the garden and pastures. Did the usual mow, mow, mow , mow. …daily - I know I sound like a cow. Mow, Mow, Mow…All worth it now bragging about no underground critters spotted for months.

After the past few years the moles / gophers / voles had turned the pastures / lawns/ gardens into Swiss cheese. Not a single clue as to what has transpired this year . Where are they ? All intelligence reports indicate that the enemy may be regrouping. All quiet at the front. The last time this happened was just before the vole take over lil wannabes" had a labyrinth of tunnels underground, including barricks, supply depots, hospitals, mess hall and officers club! All fortified by the rocky outcroppings of my garden. The enemy was well entrenched.

Dont know what seems to have happened but suddenly the garden has a burst of growth, outposts that I had bugged out of, can now be recaptured and resupplied. I may be able to reestablish my seed stock supply lines. As long as I continue the mow , mow , mow onslaught around the entire pastures and total property line and everything in between. About a 3and1/2 hours . I have not seen a new mound yet this year. I had threatened to use my weapons of mass destruction against them. It seems to be working.

 

Thanks for your experiences Sjoerd.

I have tried keeping the rhizomes exposed, and always was diligent about weeding. What I notice around town here is that a lot of the healthy irises are bark mulched and on a hillside. I don't know! The irises in the photo, with grasses, are my healthiest clump.

Every year I say I will give up on them, but I continue to try.

 

Maybe they learned you don't like them and they left?

 

Not a lot at the moment just moving things around to harden off, this year there's a lot of slugs and I'm waiting for all of the spring bulbs to die down a bit more so i can take all of the vegetation so that they can't hide.

 

Mow again I mow alternate rows every 2 rows next day mow the rows left. No moles, voles, gophers, mice, or deer scat… it’s a win…SO FAR.
Got the string battery op trimmer did a bit in front, side and back gardens.
Cleaned up the lily pond. It’s a uh-ooo moment the pond container has sprung a leak. 25 years the hardy water lilies have faithfully been in that pond and bloomed.
Pulled out blackberries sprouting everywhere mountains to go.
Planted a small container .


I’m pooped. Time to recharge my batteries…

 

What a day you have had Pac. That is a nice-looking planter container, mate.
Time now for a rest.

Daniel- good to see all those seeds.