Today I did something in my Garden

beggars_bush

SouthWesterly wrote: »

I went no dig last year and used woodchip a d cardboard. Very few weeds in the garden this spring compared to last year.

Interesting.
I have to dig it at some stage as I've to rotate veg

looksee

We put down a substantial carboard layer under some fruit trees, and covered it with woodchip, completely forgetting there were daffodil bulbs planted in the area. The daffs have come through no problem!

deathbomber

Weeded and rotavated 23 raised beds, covered until i fully plan this years harvest. Picked up an electric rotovator, best thing ever, doesn't hold charge for long but surprisingly got through all the beds in about 25 mins:cool: bring it on

beggars_bush

deathbomber wrote: »

Weeded and rotavated 23 raised beds, covered until i fully plan this years harvest. Picked up an electric rotovator, best thing ever, doesn't hold charge for long but surprisingly got through all the beds in about 25 mins:cool: bring it on

Where did you get that? And what brand is it?

jaffa20

I broke my spade

magicbastarder

deathbomber wrote: »

Weeded and rotavated 23 raised beds

i hope it wasn't yesterday that you did that, if you had the same weather as we had in dublin.

magicbastarder

jaffa20 wrote: »

I broke my spade

i broke a true temper fork several years ago, with a level of force that shouldn't have been enough to break it. they sent me out a replacement (and better) one, as well a couple of sets of gardening gloves, some trowels, and a pair of secateurs, by way of apology.

jaffa20

magicbastarder wrote: »

i broke a true temper fork several years ago, with a level of force that shouldn't have been enough to break it. they sent me out a replacement (and better) one, as well a couple of sets of gardening gloves, some trowels, and a pair of secateurs, by way of apology.

My one is ancient. A really long handle one that i like. I might try get a strong replacement handle for it because most spades are terrible these days.

magicbastarder

a handle replacement shouldn't be too hard to arrange.

SouthWesterly

Garden too wet to do much. Got notification from fruithill farms that my seed potatoes are on the way.

10 kg CAROLUS Seed Potatoes UG:E (35-55mm)
Cert.Org.

10 kg Charlotte Seed potatoes non-organic untreated

10 kg Pink Fir Apple Seed Potatoes UG:E (35-55mm)
Non-org. untreated

10 kg Sarpo Una Seed Potatoes UG:E (35-55mm)
Cert.Org.

10kg BLUE DANUBE Seed Potatoes UG:E (35-
55mm)non-organic untreated

10kg SARPO MIRA Seed Potatoes (35-55mm),
cert.organic IE-ORG-03

ednwireland

wood chipping on Saturday, mulching fruit trees on sunday

the Stihl GHE150 i got before christmas has reduced the piles of branches i have all over the place (got another 6 40kg coal sacks full as well)

looksee

Just be a bit careful with the sacks of wood chips, in some circumstances they can heat up (probably not likely in this weather, but still). We had some bagged that worked up a fair bit of heat.

ednwireland

looksee wrote: »

Just be a bit careful with the sacks of wood chips, in some circumstances they can heat up (probably not likely in this weather, but still). We had some bagged that worked up a fair bit of heat.

thanks for the heads up !

Igotadose

Put a layer of builder's film on the one remaining bed I'd missed from the fall (still had a fair amount of viable greens in it so I let them go, well, now they're done.) Yeah, it's February and I'll be starting seedlings up for that bed in about 6 weeks, but never too late I guess. Fortunately it was pretty weed free, and I had been digging in the compost bin the last few weeks for usable compost, so I put a layer of that in place before putting the film on. Funny how chicken egg shells don't dissolve in compost worth a damn, yet pretty much everything else does.

SouthWesterly

Just got delivery of my seed potatoes

SnowyMuckish

Not exactly started doing anything yet but I’m just after giving Dermot Gavin’s Gardening Together another go. I’m enjoying it more the second time around! Nice to have a distraction until I get outside.

I also ordered a new type of lavender that I never heard of before, lavender phenomenal, it can reach up to 80cm and is hardier than others. It was expensive at €20 for 1 but I plan to use it for cuttings, so it’s an investment!

As for this cold weather coming, I’m going to need to get out and fleece my garden. I had so many verbenas that came through last winter, I can’t see that happening this year unfortunately!

looksee

looksee wrote: »

We put down a substantial carboard layer under some fruit trees, and covered it with woodchip, completely forgetting there were daffodil bulbs planted in the area. The daffs have come through no problem!

Did you soak the cardboard first? I want to do this - cardboard and mulch - but my main concern is that all the bulbs I have won't come through?

magicbastarder

i suspect the carboard will get soaked regardless. our back garden has been like a swimming pool for the last few days.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

i suspect the carboard will get soaked regardless. our back garden has been like a swimming pool for the last few days.

True, I know that some people use old carpet with the backing taken off and bulbs are resilient feckers. I planted a few upside down and they still managed to find a way to the surface.

I'll probably go down the cardboard and mulch route in May after all the spring blooms are gone and as I start planting for the summer.

deathbomber

beggars_bush wrote: »

Where did you get that? And what brand is it?

got it off Amazon, no brand name on it, 90 euro. Good for raised beds and allotment work in general, as it only lasts for 20 mins a time etc

looksee

Deleted User wrote: »

Did you soak the cardboard first? I want to do this - cardboard and mulch - but my main concern is that all the bulbs I have won't come through?

No, but obviously it got well soaked just about immediately! The daffs certainly had no problems. My daughter had weighted it down with some slices of logs just till it settled and one was still there. I asked her did she check were there any daffs under it, so she moved it and there was a clump of very pale-leaved horizontal daffodils looking very sad. They have since picked up and are progressing nicely!

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

i broke a true temper fork several years ago, with a level of force that shouldn't have been enough to break it. they sent me out a replacement (and better) one, as well a couple of sets of gardening gloves, some trowels, and a pair of secateurs, by way of apology.

My wife broke an almost brand new true temper shovel and they replaced it in the local providers.
Although the owner (whos a bit of a sack) accused us of "asking it to do something it wasn't designed to do"...... digging a hole

Frogeye

BrownFinger wrote: »

My wife broke an almost brand new true temper shovel and they replaced it in the local providers.
Although the owner (whos a bit of a sack) accused us of "asking it to do something it wasn't designed to do"...... digging a hole

I got a kent and stowe spade as a present 2-3 years ago. The blade broke. cracked across the top of the blade just under where the handle finishes . I sent K & S a photo and asked for a replacement.

They asked me if I had registered my spade with them!!!!! Is registering spades a thing?

Eventually the replaced it to be fair to them. I was surprised it broke and where it broke to be honest.

Frogeye

magicbastarder

was it bought from them, or from a shop?
the law says any redress is through where you bought it; if you'd bought it in a shop, they would have been legally entitled to tell you to deal with the shop. that registering nonsense is usually just market research with 'extended warranty' as the carrot to partake.

Frogeye

magicbastarder wrote: »

was it bought from them, or from a shop?
the law says any redress is through where you bought it; if you'd bought it in a shop, they would have been legally entitled to tell you to deal with the shop. that registering nonsense is usually just market research with 'extended warranty' as the carrot to partake.

It was bought in a shop i guess... I got it as a present so I don't know where it came from and the man that gave it to me died in the meantime so I couldn't ask!

Anyway they replaced it but I was surprised it broke.

looksee

I bought a Roughneck mattock - absolutely the best garden tool you will ever buy, the mattock I mean, not necessarily the Roughneck - and was amused to see the instruction to the effect that it is not intended for levering. At any level that is precisely what it is used for! It is absolutely brilliant for grubbing up bramble roots and breaking ground.

CelticRambler

That reminds me of the "four seasons" protective covers I got that included the instruction to not use them during strong wind, rain or heavy snow ... :rolleyes:

SouthWesterly

looksee wrote: »

I bought a Roughneck mattock - absolutely the best garden tool you will ever buy, the mattock I mean, not necessarily the Roughneck - and was amused to see the instruction to the effect that it is not intended for levering. At any level that is precisely what it is used for! It is absolutely brilliant for grubbing up bramble roots and breaking ground.

I had to look that up:)

Very light trim of the back garden. Spring bulbs bursting out of the ground after a few spring like days.

Skill Magill

I'll be doing my parents garden for them and haven't a clue where to start. Its mostly pots and a raised bed (an old coal bunker filled with soil).
Can I plant things in the pots now? I'll empty them out and put fresh soil in them. Do I put in bulbs or just scatter seeds in them and hope for the best?
What can I plant now?

Complete novice by the way I primarily cut the grass and thats it.

Any links or advice will be taken on board, thought this might be a good thread to post.

Thanks

I'll make a fresh thread for this