The Veg Plot.

[Adam Ef]

Finally got a few seeds planted. Not much as it looks like most of what we had in the box is very out of date and having to make do with what we have at home at the moment as we're still quarantined. So, just sugar snaps and a few courgettes for now.

We have a bet on to see which will arrive first, the first signs of green breaking through the soil or our home food delivery that we can't get before April 6th at the moment.

[Sir Trev]

Good luck getting the rest of your supplies Gary, now we're all being told to stay home.

Adam - see if you can get some seeds from the supermarket in your delivery. Most of them sell seeds so it's worth a try.

[garynortheast]

Busy couple of days yesterday and today.

The pear trees I was going to take out have had a reprieve. They're getting a last chance, so yesterday both my daughters went out and weeded most of the area surrounding the tree in the worst shape. It was falling over gradually and struggling for food and moisture, so it's now been weeded, soil loosened, a good feed of well rotted horse poo, and pulled back upright(ish) and staked. I'll give it a spray with a liquid seaweed solution soon and mulch the whole area with bark chippings.


Peartree by garynortheast

I have another pear tree and two apple trees all needing the same treatment, so that'll be one of the jobs for the next couple of weeks.

I have three gooseberry bushes which are starting to be similarly dealt with. I'm keen to keep these going as they are cuttings I took 23 years ago from a bush which was then at least 50 years old. They are dessert gooseberries; big, fat, pink fruits and very sweet. I eat them raw quite often straight off the bushes.


GooseberryBushes by garynortheast

I have a few of these growing under my fruit trees. They come up dead reliably every year.


Fritillary by garynortheast

The bulk of the work today has been this. Finally starting to get the top bed into shape. The timber I was waiting for to make stakes with arrived this afternoon so we were able to make some progress. Tomorrow, Sioned and I are going to get one end completed first so the the rather tall broad beans I have in toilet roll tubes can be planted out. Hopefully by the end of the day we'll have the whole bed finished.
Sioned also put together the narrow bed behind the sleepers and planted lots of bulbs and some wildflower bombs in it. We'll plant loads of stuff in there to attract pollinators and predators to the garden.


TopBed by


TopBed by garynortheast

[Sir Trev]

Fantastic Gary. Makes my effort so far seem puny. My first lettuce seeds have come up in pots on the utility room windowsill and it looks like the tomato seeds are just about to push through as well.

Early spuds and parsnip seeds will go in this weekend for me.

[garynortheast]

I bought this great little mini greenhouse affair from Aldi a few days ago. Perfect for hardening off stuff before it goes into the veg plot. It's much fuller with seedlings now than it is in this picture!


Aldi mini greenhouse by garynortheast

Sioned planting bulbs yesterday.


Sioned planting bulbs by garynortheast

This is where we had got to with the top bed by 2pm today.


Top bed - first part done by garynortheast

Then by 6pm this evening the first part of the bed was dug, mucked, and ready, so the broad beans went in.


Broad beans by garynortheast

Originally Posted by Sir Trev

My first lettuce seeds have come up in pots on the utility room windowsill and it looks like the tomato seeds are just about to push through as well.

We have lots of tomato seedlings almost ready to be potted on now. I started them quite early as I want them to be a good size when the go out into the bed, to make the most of the growing season.

I'd not thought about lettuce in pots but now I'm thinking I might get some going in toilet roll tubes to put out when they are bigger and better able to withstand the advances of the slugs and snails!

Originally Posted by Sir Trev

Early spuds and parsnip seeds will go in this weekend for me.

You're ahead of me here Trev but I shall probably sow parsnip seeds fairly soon too.

We have quite a few potatoes chitting on various window sills at the moment, and the Charlottes will be going into one of the tyre towers shortly. Sioned and I need to go and harvest a load of the dead bracken off the allt first though to pack the tyres before we put the compost in.

[Sir Trev]

I always start the lettuce off on the windowsill after so many got "slugged" when I tried direct sowing. I have a small heated propagator as well but this seems to work best for lettuce. Just hope it's not quite as cold as predicted this weekend.

Great work on the top bed by the way.

[garynortheast]

Close to finishing the construction work on the top bed now. Another hour tomorrow should see it finished then I just need to dig it over.

I ran out of stakes before I could finish it, need to cut some more in the morning. I suppose you could say that by the end of the days work the stakes were rare.

I'll get my coat.....


Top bed, nearly there by garynortheast


Top bed, nearly there by garynortheast

[shiftin_gear98]

Gary, looking good. Nice work.

[garynortheast]

Thanks Martin.

Feeling pleasantly tired now after all the digging. Really looking forward to seeing this bed finished and ready to plant up.

Once this bed is finished we can start on the job of the new 25ft terraced bed.

[chris8886]

Originally Posted by garynortheast

Close to finishing the construction work on the top bed now. Another hour tomorrow should see it finished then I just need to dig it over.

I ran out of stakes before I could finish it, need to cut some more in the morning. I suppose you could say that by the end of the days work the stakes were rare.

I'll get my coat.....

GROOOOAAAN! But good work!

Originally Posted by garynortheast

Thanks Martin.

Feeling pleasantly tired now after all the digging. Really looking forward to seeing this bed finished and ready to plant up.

Once this bed is finished we can start on the job of the new 25ft terraced bed.

You're a sucker for punishment aren't you?!