What have you done today in the Garden?

Today I potted up another clump of bearded irises.



I also cleaned up and repotted some carnations that I grew last year from seeds. They never thrived, but they did survive and bloomed (a little). That was the bad batch of potting soil. I think they are worth saving, so I cleaned up and pruned the plants, washed as much of the soil off as I could, and potted in fresh potting soil.

Before.



After digging out.



After trimming and washing.



After planting.



I don't know if this spa treatment will get them to thrive and bloom next year. They are worth a try. The flowers have a strong, spicy scent.

 

Well Daniel, those cleaned-up nicely, didn’t they. They may well go on to perform for you. If there ever was a project worth doing, this is it. We call this type of flower, anjer and it is one of our very favourites. What are their colours?
Well done, you.

 

Thanks Sjoerd. I never grew carnations before last year. They are variegated, shades of red mixed with white.

I forgot to add, I also did about 3/4 of the thistle removal from the large garden bed I'm decommissioning. This downsizing is hard work!

I also dug a row of potatoes. Five more rows to go.

 

Thank you for the kind Squash comments. I don't know if a queen is supposed to get so excited about eating her subjects over the next six months, but I sure am.

@Daniel W - I didn't know that carnations were a perenial for you. Very nice. That thistle is my nemisis. I'll keep the finger pointing game going though, as BC has it labelled as an invasive species, actually one of the first to make it to Canada. "Canada thistle (Creeping thistle, California thistle, Cursed thistle) is a shiny green, spiny thistle native to Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. It’s likely one of the first invasive species introduced to North America and received its name by early settlers blaming its emergence on French traders from Canada." Canada seems to like to blame the French for a lot of things. Sheesh. I like the name Cursed Thistle hahahaha. My neighbour doesn't take care of thiers so I'm always dealing with the "down of a thistle" making it's way over here, slowly through the pasture.

I'll come and get your thistle....if you will throw in some figs and blackberries. I was actually just looking at a dwarf fig that can be grown indoors and only gets about four feet tall. hmmmmmmmmm

The deer have found my kale and swiss chard, so today is making Kale Chirizo soup, leek and potato soup and some zucchini leek soup. Then hopefully this afternoon I will pull out the corn and pea plants for composting.

 

Ha ha Mel— I’ll bet those squash are delighted to be a part if your meal. There are several, aren’t there.

 

I read in one of your posts that you woke to 26 C Sjoerd. That is so hot - I hope your temperatures are calmer now.

 

Started planting the polyanthus and wallflowers along the path. A lot of the polyanthus survived the summer because it was a wet one so didn't have to do them all.

 

I needed a new seal for the bathroom basin plug, so I called into the local plumbers merchants.
At the same time I asked if they'd a short length of key terrain pipe. The guy said he thought he had an off-cut somewhere.
He came back to the counter with a bit about a metre long. "Will this do?"
I said "That's fine. I want it to make some more secure short length entrances to a hedgehog house and a feeding station, how much?"
He replied "Well, if it's for hedgehogs, then you can have it for nothing."

This was the same reply I got at the local wood yard when I wanted a short length of decking timber, to make the doorway in the side fence for the hedgehog.

"Everyone loves hedgehogs!"

 

Mel— yeah, it was a hot period. It has broken now and we will be able to spend more time in the garden.

Loggie— they are looking good. You are really getting a head start there. Congrats.

 

Thank you Sjoerd, for me it's best to start planting the wallflowers now so that they can get established.

 

Thanks @Melody Mc. for the thistle info. So now I have to blame France! My weight is their fault too. All of those French Fries LOL. The name "Cursed Thistle" sounds good, especially after all that (unspoken) cursing when they scratche me!

Oh, the carnations. I didn't know they would survive here either. Now I feel more motivated to take care of them.

Anyway, here's the decommissioned garden bed now.



Now the deer don't have to fight thistles to steal apples. That pile is about 1/3 of the thistles. The other 2/3 is on the burn pile, waiting for the burn ban to end.

I've been looking online for seeds to sow on the area. With mowing, the thistles will die off. I think Dutch clover and throw in some English Daisy seeds for fun. It needs to be dry tolerant and tolerate mowing. Maybe mix the clover seed with grass seed. Decisions, decisions.

@Logan your border is looking very nice! And not a weed in sight! Very nice indeed.

@Doghouse Riley I like hedgehogs too. We don't have anything nearly that cute around here.

Today, no garden work. Yesterday, the thistle removal, digging potatoes, and starting blackberry removal.

Bush Bean raised bed. Getting closer! The only maintenance now is turning on the drip irrigation.


Sauce Tomatoes from yesterday.


It doesn't look like a lot there. That's because they hide! Here's what I picked.



I made sauce from the smaller bin. Not sure about the rest. I was thinking about removing the skins, quartering, and freezing, but need to find out how.

The largest sauce tomato crop now is the Roma VF. They surpassed the Suprema tomatoes, and are redder and nicer now. I chose the best four, for seeds.



(What are those purple stains on the cutting board? Was someone filling grape jelly jars there?)

Slice and scoop out the seeds.




Add some water to the jar. These will ferment for a few days, before rinsing and drying.



I think this is the eighth generation of my Roma VF seed saving. So far they grow true, every year.

 

Thank you @Daniel W because there's no weeds because I've just weeded it so i can plant, i only do it once this time of year and the next will be late spring.
You're doing well with your tomatoes and that border will look great with some wild flowers there.

 

Great pics and harvest. Those Romas look perfect to me.
Do you remove the seeds to save or do you just not like eating them?
What about that great pile of refuse that Rufus is guarding…or contemplating using as a toilet?
Will you not use that in your compost bin?

 

I had some funny little squash bumming around, from three seperate squash plants. Maybe the seeds came from the same squash? I'm not sure. They give me the giggles though.




I have strawberries hanging in there for their final all hoorah. The chipmunks keep stealing them, so it is a race to the finish.




I have four Red Robin tomatoes and a basil plant still hanging in there.


We're enjoying our "fun-ions" as Hubby calls them. Tonight we will have baked onion with our lamb chops. They will have to move inside very soon.

 

Ah Melody, our onions have been hung to dry and cleaned and brought into the house. I know onions are cheap, and if we didn't have lots of room we wouldn't plant them, but I agree with your husband that they are fun!