[surbie100]

well the last year I have technically been employed but only on a pay as you go basis and the work has been thin on the ground ( a couple of hours work this year), which has given me the time to work on the allotment more regularly, at least almost everything is in the ground now, so the long work days hopefully wont impact too badly, quick visits on the way home from work and weekends, much as previous years when I was working, ah well.
Grendel

Congrats Grendel, and at least the plot's fully prepared for our *summer*!

[angelavdavis]

Nothing at the plot as work continued in the garden.  Cut back a weigela which had got very leggy, plus a big trim of the fatsia and a big weeding session.  Twenty compost bagfuls of prunings later, we had finished.  It looks like a trip to the tip is in the offing tomorrow.

Stick those prunings through a shredder and add them to your compost heap. Saves on driving time / petrol and adds to the garden in return.

Waste not want not.  A brilliant soil improver!!

Yes I agree & was going to suggest it,plus it's amazing to see a huge pile of prunings go down to such a small pile of shreddings.

I would usually agree totally - would never take prunings to the tip as the shreddings are invaluable for the chicken coop (they then go on the garden once the chooks have had a good go at them!). Unfortunately, when I adopted my children I discovered that they are both terrified of the shredder noise! 

I always have a long list of jobs that I need to get done when the children are at school, the prunings just piled up and up waiting the day when I would have time to do the shredding.  I had to just accept that the trip to the tip was necessary on this occasion as I am so sick of the garden being a mess.  On the plus side, I had removed the leaves and soft growth by hand, so it was just twigs in the bags. 

The best bit was that I tried to burn them the other day when we had a drizzly day here, and my old incinerator collapsed - it had rotted through!  Typical!

Roll on September when my youngest goes to school full time so I have more time to do these jobs!

Grendel, I have just seen your news, congrats!

[jmc1949]

Congratulations Grendel

Better get back on topic. Weeded three beds, prepared the area where I'm planting the comfrey tomorrow. Harvested a few veggies and strawberries, and chatted to plot neighbours.

[Fairy Plotmother]

We have 1 1/2 plots and going by what I see everyone here gets up to I could probably grow a bit more. Lesson for next year! This morning I tied up my tomatoes and weeded between the onions while the plotfather made and fitted a wire framed 'door' on the fruit cage. Turned 1 compost bin ...the contents are coming along nicely. Not there for too long as it was freezing.
Congrats Grendel!

[Beetroot queen]

Well done grendel
I am giving my night up on the plot again to hubby. Maybe tomorrow i'll get a go. 
Hubby is doing more digging, bit of weeding and some planting squash in the compost bin. He is good as he has been looking after florence all afternoon while i was sent to bed.

[seaside]

Pondered where to pot up the last of my chillies that have started to flower. Decided on a couple of grow bags.
Wondered where all the strawberries went.
Tidied greenhouse
Planted out last few held back pot bound sunflowers, with the hope they'll flower after the others.
Attacked the caterpillars on the cabbages and decided to get the rest of them tomorrow morning with a hose.
Harvested some great carrots, beans and onion.
Used up the last of my blue slug pellets at last. Time for an experiment.

[snowdrops]

Nothing at the plot as work continued in the garden.  Cut back a weigela which had got very leggy, plus a big trim of the fatsia and a big weeding session.  Twenty compost bagfuls of prunings later, we had finished.  It looks like a trip to the tip is in the offing tomorrow.

Stick those prunings through a shredder and add them to your compost heap. Saves on driving time / petrol and adds to the garden in return.

Waste not want not.  A brilliant soil improver!!

Yes I agree & was going to suggest it,plus it's amazing to see a huge pile of prunings go down to such a small pile of shreddings.

I would usually agree totally - would never take prunings to the tip as the shreddings are invaluable for the chicken coop (they then go on the garden once the chooks have had a good go at them!). Unfortunately, when I adopted my children I discovered that they are both terrified of the shredder noise! 

I always have a long list of jobs that I need to get done when the children are at school, the prunings just piled up and up waiting the day when I would have time to do the shredding.  I had to just accept that the trip to the tip was necessary on this occasion as I am so sick of the garden being a mess.  On the plus side, I had removed the leaves and soft growth by hand, so it was just twigs in the bags. 

The best bit was that I tried to burn them the other day when we had a drizzly day here, and my old incinerator collapsed - it had rotted through!  Typical!

Roll on September when my youngest goes to school full time so I have more time to do these jobs!

Grendel, I have just seen your news, congrats!

Hi Angela,I know what you mean, I ended up putting 3 trugs full & 1 large bag full of of prunings into the garden waste bin the other week when it had all got wet & slimy as I hadn't got to the plot with it as I had been unwell,as I tipped out the bag I realised it was full of shreddings that i had carefully prepared. It bothered me for days that I'd wasted it all.

[Handy Andi]

A bit of weeding, snipped off the sideshoots from the toms in the greenhouse, planted out a dozen or so cabbages and decanted 8 more litres of comfrey and guinea pig tea - what a bleedin stick!! 
 

[Jackypam]

Went down after work.  Picked 6 strawberries and shared half with my son, who followed me down when I said they may be ready.  Took advice from this site last week and allowed the biggest sideshoot on my leggy tomatoes to grow but picked off the rest ( brill idea, whoever it was!). Picked more broad beans, watered and weeded the baby asparagus I grew from seed.  Looked hopefully for the 4th sowing of French beans -why won't they germinate?!  Came home to make dinner

[surbie100]

watered everything, dug a ditch, ate a strawberry and looked around happily.

[Sue33]

quite a bit of weeding and picked over 6lb of strawberries, yes, sad I know but I just had to weigh them 

[Beetroot queen]

quite a bit of weeding and picked over 6lb of strawberries, yes, sad I know but I just had to weigh them 

I do it too and then list it  they all do it, only the brave are honest

[Herb]

quite a bit of weeding and picked over 6lb of strawberries, yes, sad I know but I just had to weigh them 

I've been weighing mine too! - so far 13lb of strawbs picked over the last week or so.

By far my best year for them, and no signs of stopping yet!

[Sweetpea C]

Another full weekend and a cold to boot so just pottered at home, put canes in the toms in the greenhouse, had a move around to accommodate them, now have all of my pots at the side of the house on staging - they all need cleaning :-(...it's dirty work but! I also need to turn the compost but not sure I am brave enough to do it today!

[grendel]

up the plot by 8 this morning, weeded my peas and beans, picked a handful of mange tout, then weeded another section of strawberry bed - 3 hours and not a lot to show for it, but at least the weeding is done.
Grendel