Gardening tasks this week - New Diary Thread

wait4me · 07-02-2012 12:56pm #1

Gardening tasks this week - New Diary Thread – to help everybody get the best out of gardening!

What are you doing this week?
Planting seeds indoors in a propagator for planting out in tunnel, greenhouse, or directly into the ground? When to plant seed for planting outdoors? Covering plants against frost? Pruning? Fertilising? Thinning?

This is an attempt to create a diary from gardeners for gardeners and is not intended to be a question and answer thread – more an informational thread. If something in the thread needs clarification – perhaps that clarification could be taken to a new thread. We will try collectively to put in a weekly break so that this could become a thread of 52 parts (maybe there are some garden tasks that happen through mid December – February?) which could also become an annual record of boards.ie Irish gardeners.

wait4me · 07-02-2012 12:58pm

To get this started: When do we plant seeds indoors for onward planting into greenhouses, tunnels or directly into the ground?

sponge_bob · 07-02-2012 2:56pm

i planted seeds for tomatos, peppers and chillies at the weekend, have them in trays on the window in the living room, will be moving them out to a greenhouse at a later stage.

Ophiopogon · 11-02-2012 5:13pm

Tbh I'm not sure how reader friendly this would be suppose it needs a few posts to test it.

This week I pruned my apple trees and fruit bushs. Rose bush are to be done tommorrow hopefully.

Planted calla lilly and begonia bulbs inside.

Have a number of seeds on order.

I have a small greenhouse so just starting to increase watering slightly.

Main job for this week for me is rebuilding a wall.

For Jan/Feb alot of what I have been doing is fixing hard landscaping. Very boring but needs to be done I suppose.

Beaver1 · 12-02-2012 12:48pm

so is it too soon to start planting seeds indoors or in a green house, great thread keep it going

Ophiopogon · 12-02-2012 1:02pm

Depends on what seeds you mean? Sponge bob has already pointed out what he had planted.

I'm awaiting an order of seeds but will be sowing some next week.

dory · 12-02-2012 1:15pm

Great idea for a thread. It'll be very interesting to see who's doing what when. I'm just starting out with gardening and have planted loads outside in the past week. Maybe I was a bit (or way) premature with that.

mp22 · 12-02-2012 1:24pm

Today, planted tomato seeds in a heated propagator in the greenhouse.

Sonnenblumen · 12-02-2012 2:55pm

This week expect to complete a large granite driveway. Friday commenced planting (new Box hedging). Once granite works are finished, work on a new boundary hedge Bay laurel hedge as well as a new lawn (roll turf) will also be completed.

By Wed hope to start (rendering boundary walls of rear garden walls) landscaping works of rear garden.

Hope the weather lives up to forecasts.:)

livinsane · 12-02-2012 7:38pm

I planted some tomato and coriander seeds in plastic covered trays indoors.

Lidl have a walk in greenhouse complete with stands and shelves on Thursday for €59.99 so I will be buying one of those.

This is my first year of proper veg growing (did a bit last year but want to expand in a big way). I was due to start a course on the same in a local school but it was cancelled due to lack of numbers, which I thought was very surprising. So this thread will be a great help in keeping up with the seasons.

redser7 · 12-02-2012 9:26pm

Bit of advice on those greenhouses. They are also affectionately known as fly-aways. They are very light-weight and will blow away or blow to bits in strong wind. But I had one and it was great. You just need to weigh the base down with something heavy like blocks or patio slabs. I also found that the bars sometimes came out of the plastic connectors during high wind which could demolish it. I tied lengths of twine between the bars and that held the whole thing together. Sounds like a real hastle but only take a few minutes to set up and then they are right. For the money you can't go wrong. One other thing, because they are small they heat up really really fast. So you need keep an eye on fine days and roll up the door a bit or your plants will fry. You'll get the hang of it.

wait4me · 13-02-2012 12:21pm

FWIW: I'm starting some tomato seeds tonight in a heated propagator.

Mr.Triffid · 14-02-2012 1:44am

About 25 Alpine strawberry plants in their second year, there was no crop in the first year so I'm expecting a large bumper crop this year, there are many fully formed leaves growing on them, I keep them in a small growhouse.

Just growing the following from seed: Marigolds, Aubergines, Cucumbers, Gherkins and Radishes I will check up on them this week and put a little water into their tray(this is their second week now).

paddy147 · 14-02-2012 5:00am

livinsane wrote: »

I planted some tomato and coriander seeds in plastic covered trays indoors.

Lidl have a walk in greenhouse complete with stands and shelves on Thursday for €59.99 so I will be buying one of those.

This is my first year of proper veg growing (did a bit last year but want to expand in a big way). I was due to start a course on the same in a local school but it was cancelled due to lack of numbers, which I thought was very surprising. So this thread will be a great help in keeping up with the seasons.

Be prepared to watch it either fly away or else watch the covers get shredded to bits by any sort of wind.

They are pretty crap at best.

redser7 · 14-02-2012 9:13am

paddy147 wrote: »

Be prepared to watch it either fly away or else watch the covers get shredded to bits by any sort of wind.

They are pretty crap at best.

Totally disagree. Used one for 4 years and it was great. I only retired it because I built a polytunnel. Just weigh it down, brace it up and take care of it. For the money they are worth it. You can get ones half the depth of the Lidl ones in argos for half the money.

Ophiopogon · 14-02-2012 11:53am

My dad got one those types of greenhouse as is garden is too small for anything else. He has it going on two years now, although may not last the another two has worked perfectly for what he needed. So for the price I think they are grand as long as you look after them.

Just got my order of seeds today...ordered off Seedaholic on Friday arrived this morning. She does a great service with an attached info sheet for each variety. 30 euro for the lot. Have already started a wish list for next months order:o

This is what I got this morn and will be sowed over the next week or two.
Basil
Borage
Camomile
chives
beetroot "storuman"
Carrot "Autumn King"
Tomato "Tigerella"
Tomato " F1 Totem"
Broad bean " Bunyeards Exhibition"

Alcea rosea
Calendula
Cosmidium burridgeanum
Cosmos bipinnatus
Delphinium belladonna
Digitalis purpurea
Dipsacus sativus syvestris
Erigeron karvinskianus
Euphorbia schillingii
Lobelia erinus compacta
Lathyrus odoratus

paddy147 · 14-02-2012 7:50pm

redser7 wrote: »

Totally disagree. Used one for 4 years and it was great. I only retired it because I built a polytunnel. Just weigh it down, brace it up and take care of it. For the money they are worth it. You can get ones half the depth of the Lidl ones in argos for half the money.

Well from my experience of them......I had 2 of them in my back garden,and both the covers shredded to bits by the wind (especially around the zipppers amd fabric hooks/loops).

The covers and fabric hooks came away from the frame far too easily.

Glad to hear that you are happy with yours,but I personaly wouldnt buy 1 again.:(

Bixy · 14-02-2012 8:25pm

My chillies have germinated in the heated propagator, so will move them to a windowsill and start the tomatoes and pumpkins in there. Started chitting my potatoes in egg cartons in the shady side on a unheated glasshouse (Maybe a bit early?

) and harvested the first of my winter sprouting broccoli - I think the pigeons have been beating me to it up until now!

Jellybaby1 · 14-02-2012 10:15pm

paddy147 wrote: »

Well from my experience of them......I had 2 of them in my back garden,and both the covers shredded to bits by the wind (especially around the zipppers amd fabric hooks/loops).

The covers and fabric hooks came away from the frame far too easily.

Glad to hear that you are happy with yours,but I personaly wouldnt buy 1 again.:(

Mine also tore to shreds in high winds, no-one here to do any DIY anchoring and I don't have the muscle power to get nails or screws into the garden wall, hammered for ages one day and couldn't even dent the wall. I bought a new plastic cover but so far I haven't used it. I feel it was a waste of money.

paddy147 · 15-02-2012 7:02pm

Painted some railway sleepers with a black preservitive today.Big black cloud appeared over me half way through it,and a few spits of rain fell,and I was standing there shaking my fist at the cloud.

The spits of rain suddenly stopped and the cloud moved on fast enough then.Phew.:D

wait4me · 16-02-2012 2:31pm

paddy147 wrote: »

Painted some railway sleepers with a black preservitive today.

paddy147 - what preservative did you use?

paddy147 · 16-02-2012 2:51pm

wait4me wrote: »

paddy147 - what preservative did you use?

Ridgeway.....Water based.

Touch Dry in about an hour,and 3-4 hours in between each coat.3 coats rollered onto each sleeper:)

Thanos · 17-02-2012 3:20pm

My task for this weekend (should have done it last weekend but the weather was not great) is clear my plot of weeds and give it a rough turn over to let the elements at it.

Will also look into getting my seed potatoes (early variety) and onion sets.

Pruning of the plum tree and rose bushes is also on the list of things to do.
Anything that needs to be pruned can be done now.

Discodog · 17-02-2012 6:13pm

This week & during the weekend I will be ..............cutting lawns

livinsane · 19-02-2012 3:47pm

Well I've put up the "fly away" and Im well impressed with it. Spent ages securing it together, and tying it down. Put two large rocks on the base also and they aint going nowhere. I've planted lettuce, spinach, beetroot and mange tout in some window boxes. Its so warm inside it, Im thinking of heading down with a chair and a bottle of beer while the sun is still shining.

I've also ordered a book "Grow your own Vegetable" by Joy Larkcom, which I've heard great things about. Supposed to be a down-to-earth (lol) basic manual.

Tall enough to stand inside comfortably

Sturdy shelves

With door closed

Jellybaby1 · 19-02-2012 6:18pm

Livinsane, your looks well harnessed so it could be a winner. Mine didn't have any way of anchoring it down. I was told to tie it to a wall but I can't manage it. Your shelving looks like mine but after a stormy night I found the whole thing had travelled across the garden and the shelves were hither and yon. It sits looking at me daring me to put it back out into the garden! Wishing you good luck with yours!

livinsane · 19-02-2012 7:28pm

Thanks, I was thinking of taking pegs and ropes from my tent and adding them for extra security. Unfortunately, if you want it to be exposed to sun, its also not going to be sheltered from wind.

Discodog · 19-02-2012 7:56pm

A simple answer is two building blocks & some rope. Lay a thin strip of old carpet, thick plastic or similar over the roof along the line of the middle roof spar to protect the plastic. Then put the rope over the top & tie it to the blocks on each side. If you want to be really secure then repeat the process with the front & rear roof spars.

One essential is to make sure that the wind cannot get in via the door end. Even a moderate wind will lift it if the wind gets inside.

redser7 · 19-02-2012 9:54pm

Don't mean to be a downer but it's just not going to last like that. You need to use a great deal of weight across the bars on the ground to anchor it. Like cavity blocks or a few heavy paving slabs. But even if it is well anchored on the ground, as the wind hits it broadside it can lift the bars out of the connectors and then it's game over. You need to tie the bars to eachother to stop them lifting apart. Also, you have no shelter at all. Can you place it against a wall? Keep an eye on the forecasts and first sign of high wind get out and see what it is doing to it. They are just one big sail and need lashing down. Just don't want to read of another fly-away flying away :-)

livinsane · 19-02-2012 10:41pm

redser7 wrote: »

Don't mean to be a downer but it's just not going to last like that. You need to use a great deal of weight across the bars on the ground to anchor it. Like cavity blocks or a few heavy paving slabs. But even if it is well anchored on the ground, as the wind hits it broadside it can lift the bars out of the connectors and then it's game over. You need to tie the bars to eachother to stop them lifting apart. Also, you have no shelter at all. Can you place it against a wall? Keep an eye on the forecasts and first sign of high wind get out and see what it is doing to it. They are just one big sail and need lashing down. Just don't want to read of another fly-away flying away :-)

Thanks, the reason I didnt put it by the wall/fence was I wanted maximum sun but I realise it is too exposed. I'll move it and do a major job on securing it.

Mr.Triffid · 24-05-2012 9:44pm

30 alpine strawberry plants nearly fully grown, strawberrys are getting bigger on it, needs regular watering in this heat.
Placing lavender in the center of the strawberrys,
when the lavender flowers more bees will be attracted to the strawberrys.

Gardening tasks this week - New Diary Thread

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