Cheers, the camera flatters it a lot, but it has looked good this yearwinnie wrote:it all looks great... the lawn looks like a carpet
The Nasturtiums in that corner will be there for a while yet (and are doing rather well), either until the first hard frost turns them to green mushStonedSince'67 wrote:that corner is still my favourite bit, good to see the nasturtiums expanding and taking over
If I do rip them out it will be as we are getting nearer to hard frosts
Well I had a couple of the sort of job that can make my sciatica, shall we say interesting that I wanted to get out of the way, but depending on the weather & some one dumping a laptop for looking at don’t helpStonedSince'67 wrote:quite right, summer is over, it is now autumn, my how time flies
it sounds good to have a week off to devote to the garden and get ready for winter ... that is my goal in the next month or so too, be ready for winter
Nice one, as StonedSince'67 said it all depends on what the soil is like so once you have given it a bit of a dig you will start to get the feel of what you have gotCisco wrote:Well I am pleased to announce that I should be contributing to this thread soon , but in my case what's in your allotment
Just taken possession of a plot at new allotments in my area so I'm chuffed to bits , been wanting to get some organic crops on the go for a while
So what are my options now , winter veg ?
Going over on Sunday to turn it over so shall get some pics up to show my plot
Awesome! Bloody Awesome!luvtick wrote:Just yesterday she fluttered by...this butterfly...caught her with her wings forward! Cool!
So Anyway the update on what I have got done this week
The top of my to do list was to sort out the border to the right of the lawn
The soil there has always been heavy clay & bright orange at times, so last year I dug in a load of compost & sharp sand and filled it with annuals
In spring this year I dug it over several times adding the last of the sharp sand, then raked & raked it
Then I started removing the big lumps of the really heavy stuff (and dumping them by the tree stump in next doors bit, that’s where the nasturtiums came from)
So again it was filled with annuals for the summer, I had got all the tall stuff out the other week so it was just a case of pulling out the few nasturtiums and give it a dig over
And it looks like the work last year & in the spring has paid off & it looked like half decent soil
I then added a good bit of compost from the heap in next doors bit along with a smattering of chicken manure pellets, leave it for a couple of days while I confirm that I have a free source of stones to cover some of the weed sheet
I have just put a strip of the sheet about half the boarder’s width up there with stones next to the lawn and soil holding the other edge down
So it was time to plant it, I put one lavender in at the end nearest the house in spring, which has struggled a bit but it was swamped a bit with the poppies and cornflowers
Using the stuff I have had going in pots for most of the summer I have gone for Lavender & Pinks
Then I had a flash of inspiration and got some tulip & crocus bulbs, and put a tulip in each gap between the plants and two crocus bulbs just in front of them
It may be fun trying to keep the border under control next year as the poppies & cornflowers are trying to go for it already
The next job on the list was sorting out where the sweet peas were & lettuces had been, and I didn’t really have a plan for that bit
Anyway the sweet peas were duly ripped down & the tattered weed sheet ripped up
The last of my compost from next doors heap & the last of the chicken manure pellets were dug in
A plan was starting to form…. As I had the plan for the border I would have some lavender & pinks left over, and I also had some oregano ready to go in the ground as well as some thyme that is probably far to small to stand the winter but might as well go in & some garlic that I got growing far to early in the year
The oregano & thyme have been planted more or less where I see them living permanently, the garlic where I would like it to grow
And then just put the lavender & pinks in to give them a chance of lasting the winter and being ready to move in spring
The only job left on the to do list was then making a start on hacking stuff back the geranium have been cut right back, some of the campanula has had nearly the same and the aubrietia given a bit of a trim in places
It will let some more light and air in around everything and has already got me thinking about moving/getting rid of some of the stuff in there
The top of the would be great if I can get it done list was to try to give the lawn a tidy up, cut & feed before I start to raise the blade height
Now due to the damp nature of the beginning of the week this didn’t work out that well
On Monday after doing my normal pension run for my mum then going up to their house to do what I can in the garden for them, I decided I would give mine a quick cut, mistake it was wetter than I thought and looked bloody awful after
So I left it for a few days and as it started to dry again I got the stiff yard brush out and swept it, then gave it another cut and it looked better
Now yesterday morning for some reason it seemed like a good idea to have a go at spiking /aerating it, well the surface was still moist so the fork would go in easy, which it did
So at last I have finally got it done (should have done it 2 years ago, in spring last year, this time last year & in spring this year)
After that I gave it what will probably be the last feed of the year
And I am now aching in places I had forgotten I had
But it looks ok from a distance
TTFN
