What have you done today in the Garden?

I got into the two wisterias on the pergola on the back of the house. I needed to be up the ladder waist high above the cross beams to see what I was doing. My wife always moans at me for doing it, but it's necessary





You can see they are different ones as the foliage is of a different colour.

The one on the left just need a few straggly bits removing, a lot more of it is unseen behind the other one right up to the right-hand end.

I thined out the one on the right as it had got very bushy at the right-hand end.

I'm trying to get it to cross more with the one on the left.

It won't travel far left if it's energy is going into the bit at the top of the support post.

Now's the time to do it as it's the time when they put on a lot of growth as the energy is no longer needed for blossom

 

I've walked outside, a couple of times the last few days, but mostly I just look out the window. The rain started Sunday, maybe late Saturday. We had a river running down our sidewalk, out front, Sunday evening. On the bright side, everything is getting watered!

 

I've been busy dividing perennials and moving them about. They are being very tolerant of this (wo)man handling. Those that aren't, I temporarily put up a beach umbrella over them for shade.

The temps are looking pretty good here for the next ten days. After Thursday I should be able to plant out the tomatoes, cukes, squash. I've been getting tired, carrying them out during the day on at night!

Multiple Episodes of Garden Intrigue are happening at the Community Garden.
I won't bore you all with the details, but it has taken some energy to deal with it. It's all mainly covid-related concerns that the Town might shut us down due to liability concerns. The Town had closed the Town Common and the Parks & Rec Dept. Conservation Commision land is still open and we fall under Conservation.

So we are all trying to "fly under the radar". Low profile so we don't come to the attention of the Town fathers.
We garden surreptitiously. In camouflage gear. Some have taken to gardening at night, with flashlights. Those gardeners have evolved a modified Morse code communication with their flashlights which no one seems to understand. Not even them. It does help though with social distancing. Oh the Garden Intrigue!

 

Oh, what a shame that the community garden is coming under fire from the town. Our town's community garden is still functioning without any restrictions or "oversight".
Gardening with flashlights? Isn't that called "hunting for slugs?"

 

What a beautiful display this time, Doghouse.

Today we have planted out the first set of runner beans and they look pretty pittiful.


Ach...they will get better as time goes by.

The parsnip were weeded and the extras were removed. They are looking quite good.


We had covered the strawbs and spuds with fleece and curtains.


Here it is today--there was damage to the leaves in spite of the protection. Damage, but they are actually looking pretty good.


We watered all the plants , also the toms in the greenhouse. The first tros of flowers are showing themselves on most of the recently planted plants.


Not only the toms but also the plums and apples are beginning to swell.


We finally finished transplanting the beetroot plants. The only open places that we now have will be for the courgettes.

BTW Cayu--I read with great interest the goings' on at your municipal garden complex. I would like to hear more.

We used to have probs with the municipality who rented us the land. One day it came to a head and we suggested that we buy the land and the mayor said, "Why don't you just do that".
So we did. The upside of this is that we can make our own rules; however, we do have to adhere to certain municipal and agricultural rules.

Whew, what a day.

 

Finally got round to replacing the door in this fence.

The fence is between the corner of the house and the corner of the garage. It prevents anyone from walking round the back of our house.

I built the fence out of 3" X 2" beams, 4" X 4" door pillars and featherboarding. I bought the door from B & Q. The trellis brings the height up to nearly eight feet.

But the door is on its last legs.



As you can see by the fact that I'ne had to lower the staple a few times to make the hasp fit. The tongue and groove boards are sliding down and towards the left, the hinges are no longer straight, this is because of the rot in the door.

The arch is just decoration. The door came with a curved top. There's two 2" X 3" full width beams doubled up, which support the top of the featherboarding and also form the door lintel.

Still it's all sixteen years old. The fence I built is still in perfect condition. There's a moral there.

I wanted to make a new door myself. But couldn't get tanalised tongue and groove, so had to buy a door ready made, "sight unseen," from a local wood yard.

Ring up try to describe what you want, pay for it, go and collect it.

I knew it'd be rectangular, so I'd have to shape it, but it was much thicker than the old one.
So I hade to do a bit of "fettling" to make it fit.








I need to put in a few more screws, but I ran out. I saved all the furniture. I wanted to put bigger hinges on it. But Wilko's only had one so I used two of the old ones. I bought their last two jigsaw blades. They're very short of stock.
I added two 4" X 1" planks doubled up to each side of the door posts, so the thicker door is now flush with them.
A bit of filler at the bottom of each end of the arch is required and redundant screw holes filled and the screwheads filled in the false door pillars
Just managed to get one coat of Dulux Woodsheen on it tonight. I'll give it another coat when I come home from golf tomorrow. That'll even up the finish.

 

I bet it'll look great Dog when you get done!

SJ, I missed what is eating your strawbs. Is it insect, bird or mammal?
Seeing your garden makes me full of anticipation for my own!

Re our Com. Garden Intrigue, we may all be overreacting. It's just that the Garden means so much to all of us, especially now that we are still on a shelter in place dictate, we don't want to risk being closed. Spring is the most important time, gardening-wise. You all did realize I was kidding
about the camo and flashlights, right?

What was funny was the local newspaper chose
this moment
to want to write a story about us: gardening during covid or some such. I managed to squash the story but the photographer didn't get the message and she showed up and interviewed our Most Loquacious Member. (Loose lips sink ships)
So then I had to squash THAT as well.
A never ending intrigue.

 

Cayu-- Meid, nothing was eating my strawbs--it was freezing/drying wind damage to the spuds that took place through the fleece. I ought to have made the layer double.Only a couple of strawb flowers had black faces.
Yeah, the camos and torches sparked my fantasy quotient and I began imagining a scenario worthy of a Telly series. chuckle.
I can see why you guys were a bit publicity-shy at the moment. Wise to keep a low profile. If we were not permitted to go to the lottie, why I don't know what I would do...spend more time on here waffling-on about this 'n that. Gadzooks!

 

We've had several days of rain. Today for the first time since Saturday I finally got to get out and actually do something! I braced up my raised bed. I put flat half square brackets on the top of each corner and corner brackets around each corner. I now have two, a pot and a bag of potatoes coming up! The potato bag one came up during the rain. My rhubarb is about 10 inches and getting it's third leaf. But two different neighbors came by and told me I could have as much of theirs as I wanted. So I now have some rhubarb straining and will try the rhubarb jelly recipe I found. I've made strawberry rhubarb jam and crisp before but never rhubarb jelly, so hopefully it'll turn out good. I thought with all the rain it it should be a good time for juice. I'm debating on whether to put some ginger in it, or maybe cinnamon. Want to give some input?

 

Didn't do much today as it was golf day, then grocery shopping etc., so didn't get home until gone 3.30pm.

Spent an hour working on the fence, just adding extra screws to the new immitation door pillars. Had to make sure there were enough long screws that went through the added facings into the actual door pillars themselves. Otherwise the heavy new door could be dragged off the hinges by a gust of wind. Then fill in all the the countersunk screw holes. I'll rub it them down tomorrow then get on with the painting. That will then be it. Treated the door to a new set of brass door knobs.
I've to cut up the old door tomorrow into three bits with my trusty jigsaw, then take it down to the tip which is now open.

 

I spent the evening catching up on all Stewbies gardening efforts and intrigues. That was so exhausting that my little bit of weeding and transplanting is hardly worth a mention. Plus it’s now time for bed

 

When it finally stopped raining

 

Wow @dogsandgardens! Quite a haul!

@Willowisp0801 when you get a chance, will you post a pic of your raised bed?

@Doghouse Riley sounds like you are making progress on your door.

We've gotten our pool up and running. This is the earliest we've done that! It looks beautiful, but of course it is f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g!!!! Even with my wetsuit I am too intimidated to venture in.

We've finally gotten some warmer weather, but here's a pic of me just a week ago,

on one of our walks, duded up for the chill as well as for the virus! No one would recognize me. I'm puffy because there's a down vest under that jacket.

 

Today we were back at the lottie. It was a hot and transpiring day.
We planted some courgettes and watered everything in the greenhouse and on the garden plots.
The Bride had been saving this one red strawb for herself, she thought that it looked too attractive, so she placed it slightly under some straw. When she went for it today, it was gone! Only one thing for it--the nets must go on, over the beds. No discussion.

But as so many of our days, it was not all work and no play. We had guests come by. My Bride's sis dropped by to have tea (she brought her own cup) and drop off some face masks that she had made for us. We paid her back with a jar of creamed honey from our bees. About fifteen minutes after she left, we were getting ready for netting the strawbs and who showed-up-- our pal Karel with his own cup (We have everyone trained to bring their own cups if they want to come for a natter and a cuppa). hahaha.

After the tea he asked if there was anything that he could do, and the Bride said, "Sure, just give all the plants in the greenhouse some water". He did that and then headed home before we found anything else for him to do.

Once at home, we had washing to do. Today it was the turn of the towels and rags of all sizes and functions. Then The Bride thought that it would be nice to have a simple ceiling fan in the bedroom for those warm and perspirant summers' nights. It was sort of uncomfortable last night and she slept even less than I did. The search continues.

What a cool and adorable foto of you Cayu--I'll have to take your word that the puffiness is a down vest though.--cackle.