What have you done today in the Garden?

Say Clay— how long does it take for those seeds to germinate where you live?

 

Too wet for gardening, but I did some related shopping. I bought some Hedgehog food, from Pets Are Us, which was reduced in price, don't know why, they're only just coming out of hibernation.

I also bought some, "Grass Gains," for £7.50 (less than half retail price) from the local Homebase, which is closing on Saturday and being replaced by B&Q.


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My search for brick setts goes on. To remake the ones around the smaller of our two acers.

The nearest I've found are these from a brickyard 20 miles away at 80p each.






Or these at £1.85 from B&Q. "Your local rip-off merchants."





"It's just lawn edging." I'll leave getting the cheaper ones for a couple of weeks.


I've linked another hedgehog video from last year, to my, "Build a Better Hedgehog Feeder" on my YouTube Channel
It's of the old feeder, but demonstrates how a 4" pipe entrance, is quite acceptable to those hedgehogs who used it.




I bought a replacement corded drill on eBay, (for the one which went U/S when drilling the hedgehog doorway) knowing it wouldn't come with a case, just in a cardboard box. But I thought it deserved a case rather than being stuck in a cupboard. So I looked on eBay and saw this and thought it had possibilities.





For what it was originally used, I had no idea, as it had two hard foam plastic inserts that completely filled both halves. It arrived this afternoon. So with a hacksaw blade and "a bit of fettling," I now have a case for my drill.





Maybe I've too much time on my hands?

 

You are very good with your hands!

 

I did a little in the garden. A little more smoothing and filling in of the final raised bed.

We went to the farm store. I asked yesterday, they said they would get a shipment of baby chickens to start selling at noon today. There was quite a line.



They had some varieties that are good egg producers. We bought two Americauna and two brown Leghorns.



They are warming up in a bin in the sunroom now.

If weather is good tomorrow, I want to start renovating the rose garden. Also a bit of puttering in the vegetable garden. And there are more onion sets to plant.

While at the farm store, I bought these.



and these



The farm store didn't have onion sets. I'm glad I bought them earlier.

This year I want to grow a more diverse kitchen garden, but less of most items.

 

@Sjoed too cold outside starting indoors 5-20 days depending on the flower. Today I did the cold stratification method in an old plastic gallon milk jug with milkweed.

 

Our neighbors grow organic produce & have free range chicken eggs. They deliver eggs to local restaurant's since the shortage. I am spoiled and appreciate all the work they do to keep the farm up and running with so much lovely produce to choose from every year. It’s a 24/7 job 12 months a year and so nice to get fresh produce every year without all the effort. I miss growing my own at a certain time in life it has been one thing I have had to let go .

Awww @Daniel W your new chicks are so cute and gonna keep you plenty buzzzy and outta trouble for awhile. Stay vigilant with keeping them safe. I know they are in good hands and lucky to be in your backyard chicken farm.
And a lot of good choices of bulbs and seeds too.

I wonder if space warranted maybe a couple of ducks or chicks for Easter gifts instead of eggs would do. Due to all the limited availability and price rise to make hard boiled chicken eggs it could be more economical to offer other prizes for the annual Easter egg hunts . Due to shortages and prices of eggs it will be hard not to have chicken eggs for decorating this season, I will miss that. It’s the little things I miss most. Even chicks are becoming more costly and less available. Of course I have been known to never turn down a chocolate Easter egg.

Every Easter season my friends get together and we make Easter baskets for the children at the abused women’s shelter in our local city. This year we will use plastic Easter eggs of different sizes to fill with goodies. Remember the pantyhose company that sold them in giant sized white plastic eggs? One of the gals found some of those eggs on ETSY and all marked as vintage by the brand ‘Leggs’ where pantyhose are tucked inside those huge white plastic eggs. Cost from $13 to $20 each. Well that’s out.. Uh and they were ALL labeled Vintage . WOW !!! That was an ego-bruzer. Vintage…? I recant my memory of any knowledge of ‘Leggs’ pantyhose sold inside plastic eggs.

I will have to put my seedlings in a plastic half egg shells instead of real egg shells. Usually I’ll add seedling starts in real half egg shells positioned in egg cartons where all the children have to do is just pluck the egg shell from the carton and plant the whole thing as is. We also add donated food , toys and clothing.

 

Hubby's been clearing the ivy that has grown through the hellebores and pulling up the stinging nettles, i had to wash my hair.

But it's very windy but mild.

 

Ooo that dreaded evil ivy… it is so hard to get rid of. It’s another battle here too.

 

Daniel— nice shopping trip. I hope those little kippies will turn out to be good ones.
Your gardening strategy sounds sound to me. I can’t wait to see how it goes.

 

Somehow I had missed pruning one espalier apple tree. Good varieties, Gala and Honeycrisp. So I pruned it today.

I completed filling in and evening up the last raised bed. I used mole hills from the chicken yard. I'm chuffed to have all of the raised beds ready for the year, and it's only February. Way ahead of last year.

Then I started on the rose garden. Quite a challenge. There are about 16 rose bushes. A few are giants - more than 12 feet tall! I had already cleaned up, removed weeds and blackberries, and partially pruned three. Today I did that, with thorough pruning job, for two more. And started another. The buds had already started growing on some.



I'm not certain of the best, minimal work / best result approach to take. Native blackberries and mints grow so quickly, it becomes a challenge. I'm thinking to spread grass seed and just use the mower, for grass paths. The ducks will like that too.

Oh - I pruned back the container roses that I had half-pruned in early winter. I cut these quite low.

 

I thought that it would be nice growing on the back wall until it started growing and we couldn't keep it maintained at that time.

 

@Daniel W Botanical Interests have the nicest artwork of all the seed companies in my opinion.

 

Did quite a bit today.
Gave my garage a good tidy and chucked out any stuff I thought I might never need.
This still left quite a bit!
I keep a lot of bits and pieces in these thick walled polystyrene boxes, which are used when on-line suppliers send the frozen food we've occasionally ordered over many years.




Then I sorted out the "cupboards" under my bench. They are really an old sideboard which I recycled when we bought a new one. Then vacced everywhere.





By lunchtime, it had warmed up and was bright and sunny.
So I got my lawn scarifier out and did both lawns, using the highest setting. I collected a lot of thatch and dead moss, without ripping out the grass.

I then mowed both lawns and gave them a feed and chucked some grass seed about. If the weather stays mild, I expect to see an improvement over the next two weeks.
Watered the rose pots and sprayed them with Sulphur Rose, which is supposed to stop black spot, but doesn't.









Although there's been no hedgehog activity, it can't be long now, so I put out the second feeding station. I did put a brick on the roof.

 

Ivy can be a nice fence climber and look great at first. After about 3-5 years ivy will consume anything in its path. I am constantly pulling a section off trees in the south garden. This may sound crazy .I’ve had luck opening up that section where the ivy has invaded to the deer and they keep the ivy in check in one winter . Try to do that in winter when they are hungry. I don’t spray due to my animals. I have left that area up to the deer to maintain. At least the invasive ivy has been kept in check by the invasive deer.

It’s a constant battle isn’t it. Climbs 80’-100’ trees and grows 12 months a year, has literally killed trees in the PNW forests from shading out the sun. The last 20 years garden centers and nurseries cannot sell ivy it’s banned and considered an invasive species. The Oregon and Washington Department of Agriculture has banned the transport, sale or propagation of English ivy, which threatens to smother trees .The national forests and parks, ivy infiltration causes what foresters call “ivydesertification,” where ivy vines choke out native plants.

 

Pacnorwest that's good that the deer keeps the ivy in check.

The trees around here have ivy growing up them and not looked after well. Some trees fall down with it.

Did a bit of cutting out the old loganberry canes and tying in the new, hubby pruned 2 more rose bushes.