What have you done today in the Garden?

Well beginning to reclaim our jungle I picked and processed our long bean crop and finally got all the weeds out of or garlic box after harvesting this years crop. Next I gotta wack back the wisteria growing over our front door. It is trying to close off the door in its tentacles. Hate to cut too much cause its in full bloom but i need to amke a hole to the door and try to set our lil gate free from its clutches..

 

ahh, thanks. I assume the "council" is a person or a group of people or the government?? learning about another country is interesting with such differences. I couldn't imagine moving to another country and learning how everything is done. we grow up building the knowledge of how our own works bit by bit as a child growing into an adult but going to a new place would be difficult trying to learn it all and not make mistakes. we think in terms of cost as what is high but I am not sure how your £50.00 compares to what we would pay for something. I know the conversion amount but not the amount of work it would be. We had someone take down a row of dead trees that cost us $1700.00 for the work, but it took 2 or 3 men 2 days to get the work done. then this past week we paid some one else 500.00 to do a days work and we rented the chipper and already own the dump trucks to haul the 5 loads of chips away. (which I wish I had been prepared to take them, but I had no place to put them while they were being made. they would have been in the way of the new building and all the construction going on back there.)... so to me your £50.00. sounded like a bargain.... but maybe not... especially if it was a small amount of work.

 

I just planted 6 fennels grown from seed. I have never grown fennel before, so we shall see how it does.
The bad news is that the pump at the community garden is not functioning well. I had plants to water, and only dribbles coming out. I parsimoniously passed what water I could get to the saddest of the transplants. : (

 

customers, watered watered watered again... got a fathers day order ready for a church, watered again. picked snow peas.

 

Drove to the Hardware Store to get some 8 Foot high canes for my Hollyhocks and Delphiniums,..they are over six foot high at present,..heavy rain was due,..on my way home the rain arrived,..a cloudburst,..parts of the way home had well over two foot of water,..drove slow so the engine electrics wouldn't get wet and stall,..plants were well saturated and leaning over,.. though none had broken,..thankfully.

 

Sounds like you got those stakes just in time Philip.

 

I hope that those fennels do well for you. I sure do like the flavour...and they are easy to grow. Harvesting them on time can be tricky. I am debating whether or not to do them this year. I plant them every year, but I am sort of half-way looking for something new.

What a shame about the water pump not working so well at the gardens. I hope that you guys can have that repaired soon, as the dryness is waiting in the wings.

 

wow Philip! that is a lot of rain. Glad you got your flowers staked in time.

 

Thanks Sjoerd. I did not know fennel were easy to grow. Maybe I will have good luck with them!

I have emailed the other community garden members about the water pump. I am hoping we have a pump wizard among the newer members!

Hope you are enjoying your strawberries. BTW you mentioned before that you freeze your bok choi. I did not know this could be done. I think of them as being like lettuce....which they aren't. Do you just wash & freeze them or parboil them first?

 

Hiya Mizz C-- I wash the Bok Choi and then slice them then finally blanch them for three (3) minutes.
After which I cool them off as quickly as possible and then bag them up to freeze.

Well, I find fennel easy to grow...I just stick it in the ground and only cast a glance at it when I walk past. I only give it water if there is a drought going on, further I do not do anything at all...just harvest. Gôh meid, I sure hope that you will have success with these.

 

I bought a pack of bulbs for £1.00. Its been full with Poppies, Anemones, and today loads of yellow type daisies in the mix. Not bad for the quid I paid.
K

 

Sounds lovely Kate. Do you post pictures? I'd love to see one if you do.

Re photos, I have just joined the modern age. I have traded in my non-smart phone for a smart one. Not that I know how to use its features yet. (My husband reassures me that I am still smarter than it. What a guy, huh?) I am hoping I might be able to easily post photos from it to the Stew.....stay tuned!

My other news is that the Community Garden Powers That Be (I shouldn't actually put it that way, they are all great people...what gardeners are not?) have ordered a NEW PUMP for us!!!! We will still have to lug water from the pump to our gardens, but at least there will be consistent water to lug. Or so we hope.

Yesterday I was at the Community Garden, watering. Plants are coming along. Lettuce looks good, peas are beginning to produce, asparagus ferns are still gently swaying in the breeze. Tomato transplants are growing. Voles have not devoured anything more yet. I am hopeful. I am deepening my vole trench around my plot. It is supposed to be 12" deep. Mine is only 6" so far.

I hope all your gardens are doing as well.

 

whoo hoo we got 1/2" of rain last night and this morning.... We were so dry. now, back out side to work again.

 

Cayuga Morning,..looking forward to seeing your progress with the Smart Phone and pictures

Carolyn,..lots of rain during the past two days,..flash flood days,..today its 70F and sunny.

 

Carolyn, send some of that rain to us!

Philip...sorry about the flooding.