Signs of new life 2010

Popped into my daughters shed this eve to find the marigold durango seeds have begun to germinate on day 3. Hopefully this is a good omen for things to come rather than me counting my chickens before they have hatched. I normally cover my seed trays with a sheet of glass as I have found by experimentation that this can cause faster germination by up to 50%. The other thing that I am happy about is that I now know for sure that my flouresent tubes work, this is the only light source as I have blanked out the windows in the shed. So much for fancy expensive gismo's, these were a fraction of the cost and give a larger area of cover. Hope I haven't jinxed thing for myself now :-)

My lupins were looking pretty miserable so I cut back all the dead wood, some more to do next weekend. Can't remember where I read the type of feed to use for these flowers, know I saved the article somewhere.

Weeded, dugover, added a barrow load of homemade compost to each of 2 raised beds, then I covered them with polythene so that they'll be weed free when I need them in the next couple of months. One more bed to do next weekend.

Dug up some strawberry plants 11 in all and put these in tubs at the back door. They may be seen by my daughter there and maybe she'll water, feed and pick them now that they are under her nose. Poted up 5 runners from last year. Must do some more runners this year as this crop of strawberry's are in their last year.

Nearly got the greenhouse bubble wrapped, but forgot to bring some corner clips with me this morning. Another job to be finished off next week end.

Started my seed sowing today.

Rudbeckia: becky mixed, hirta toto and cherry brandy.

Petunia: salmon velvet F1.

Marigold: durango tangerine F1.

Gaillardia: goblin.

Fingers crossed.

Got my propogator and lights set up in a tempory place for this year. I was never quite sure whether the lights had any effect or not as I usually set this up in a heated greenhouse, but this year it's set up in my daughters shed as I haven't a garage or greenhouse up yet. Going to sow next weekend so I'll keep u posted as to the outcome.

Today also tidied out my daughters greenhouse, it was a job long overdue. Everything has now being removed ready for a good old washdown and bubble wrap next week end.

What I did today

Managed to pick up some used carpet and underlay today, so this afternoon laid it out to make a bed of 40' X 6' . Hopefully this will kill off everything underneath and leave me with some good soil. Won't probably do anything with it until much later in the year when I'll be preparing it for 2011. The other good bit of news is that I'll be doing some seed sowing and gardening for my daughter this year, she has run some power into her shed so I'll be able to set up my propogator in there for flowers for her garden and will also do some veg as well in her greenhouse for planting out later on. Once I get the building work done in my own garden which will probably take me most of this year, it will be full steam ahead in 2011 all going well.

Evening all,


It's hard to believe that 6 months has passed by and I haven't done a single gardening job. Moving house is a right old pain in the neck, but I'm happy to be where I am now. 2010 is the start date, must iniatially do some outdoor buildings but hope to start on the garden as well.

A few pic's of my new garden taken in sept

Haven't been doing much around my daughters garden for the past month or so, too busy getting things organised for my new house and I suppose that will be the way it will be for the next couple of months anyway. Last saturday I rescued this green house from ending up in the builders skip. It will take pride of place in my new garden, did I mention my new house is in 0.8 of an acre, so plenty of room for anything I want to do. Would hope to start on the gardening side of things in sept as I'm sure my better half has plenty of plans for me to do work, work that is, not gardening.

2 of the apple tree's which were planted last september seem to have little apple's appearing, hopefully they'll grow on into something nice and juicy.

Have been late planting out to the 3 raised beds, it's been a bit of a struggle to keep the plants in the greenhouse alive for the past month or so as the day's have been ultra hot, the spuds seem to be growing away, bushy but no great height, don't know why this is but I'm sure time will tell.