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Today I did something in my Garden

blackbox

In the car maintenance forum there is a popular thread called "Today I did something to my car"

I'm proposing a similar thread for gardening that the mods might consider making a sticky! Please give a THANKS if you think this is a good idea.

I'll kick it of with:

Today I picked my redcurrants. They seem to have been early this year. They mostly ripen together but I will get a handful more over the next week. I have a small bush in a dodgy location but I got a couple of hundred grams that will make some nice jelly.

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magicbastarder

sorry, didn't realise it was a pissing contest!

CelticRambler

SouthWesterly wrote: »

I suppose you want a medal for that

:pac: So glad it's not just me! Read that earlier and though "one cubic metre - that's so cute!"

I shifted twenty four trailer-loads of topsoil yesterday. Had hoped to do the remaining 30 today, but 80km/h winds and rain persuaded me to concentrate on a bit of indoor carpentry instead. The way things have gone all afternoon, though, I'm not entirely sure it was the right decision ...

[Deleted User]

magicbastarder wrote: »

about to roll up the sleeves and move the soil delivery for the new beds. got a cubic metre, have only to shift it about 30m thankfully.

I suppose you want a medal for that

We shifted 10 tonnes of compost last week. Took 2 of us 2 days.

magicbastarder

about to roll up the sleeves and move the soil delivery for the new beds. got a cubic metre, have only to shift it about 30m thankfully.

[Deleted User]

CelticRambler wrote: »

Ah. Not really the same arrangement as mine then, which is this:

There's about half to two thirds of the height of the brick buried in the ground there. Although it's not easy to see in the photo, the height on the (asparagus) bed side of the edge is the same as on the grass side.

(The rounded top edge to these bricks is a kind of "tongue" that fits into a matching concave "groove" on the bottom. If the way they're used in my barns is typical, they're normally laid flat.)

That looks very nice. Yeah, mine will be a slightly different set up. I'll lay them flat and put them in a slight trench and cement them in place to create a border.

Those bricks are quite unusual, but their depth is ideal for what you've used them for. Nice job.

CelticRambler

Deleted User wrote: »

am going to sit mine on flat to create a defined edge between the lawn and bed while, hopefully, retaining mulch. I have natural edges out the front but this area gets traffic with kids so will be low profile.

Ah. Not really the same arrangement as mine then, which is this:

There's about half to two thirds of the height of the brick buried in the ground there. Although it's not easy to see in the photo, the height on the (asparagus) bed side of the edge is the same as on the grass side.

(The rounded top edge to these bricks is a kind of "tongue" that fits into a matching concave "groove" on the bottom. If the way they're used in my barns is typical, they're normally laid flat.)

[Deleted User]

CelticRambler wrote: »

I can (but not until the next hours of daylight!) Not sure it'll address your concerns, thought, as these aren't standard bricks at all. They're about 40cm long, 20cm high, 5cm deep and hollow inside.
Because my soil is so clay-rich and will turn to concrete when it dries, I haven't used any extra cement or other "glue" to fix them. The tiles that I mentioned using on another bed are still standing upright after about ten years, despite being much abused by lawnmower wheels getting too close!

That would be great. I have clay as well but am going to sit mine on flat to create a defined edge between the lawn and bed while, hopefully, retaining mulch. I have natural edges out the front but this area gets traffic with kids so will be low profile.

CelticRambler

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Any chance of a few pics of the brick edge? I'm going to edge a large border with salvaged brick and wondering how it worked out for you. Did you put them in loose or use cement?

I can (but not until the next hours of daylight!) Not sure it'll address your concerns, thought, as these aren't standard bricks at all. They're about 40cm long, 20cm high, 5cm deep and hollow inside.
Because my soil is so clay-rich and will turn to concrete when it dries, I haven't used any extra cement or other "glue" to fix them. The tiles that I mentioned using on another bed are still standing upright after about ten years, despite being much abused by lawnmower wheels getting too close!

[Deleted User]

CelticRambler wrote: »

Yeah - that flash of inspiration, when you realise that you can not only get rid of "rubbish" but also build something useful without having to find a load of new materials, is very satisfying.

My version of that, this week, came when I looked up instead of down: needing edging material for my asparagus bed and thought I could use roof tiles that are falling off a damaged barn. But finding enough tiles with a long-enough straight edge to be useful wasn't going to be easy, as they were falling off the roof, first onto a mezzanine floor, then through the mezzanine where a beam is starting to collapse and onto the ground. All of a sudden, I realised that the mezzanine is made from a type of flat brick with a rounded edge on the long side, and if I salvaged those, not only would I have a decorative edge, but I'd also be taking the weight off the remaining beams. Job done! I'll go back for some more in due course to edge the opposite end of the lawn.

Any chance of a few pics of the brick edge? I'm going to edge a large border with salvaged brick and wondering how it worked out for you. Did you put them in loose or use cement?

blackbox

I spread fertiliser on my lawn ( not the dug up bit!). Now that I have a robot to do the work I'm not worried about it growing fast.

I used a little spreader machine that I inherited with the house, but I have no idea how uneven I was. The fert is grey/black so I couldn't see where it was going.

We'll see in a couple of weeks, I guess.

Lashes28

blackbox wrote: »

I live near the sea (shouldn't be too frosty) and I'm a bit impatient!

The rest of the grass is growing, so I'll chance it as soon as I get seed.

Ha ok I have a patch I need to seed and I've it ready to go,so I'm itching to get started.

GarySmith

I always wished to plant some plants and trees since my school days, and I did somehow but as living in rented homes it was only possible to grow in pots, but now I am very near to add big plants also by buying a house with some piece of land attached to it to grow some plant could become big trees sometime, I have some flowers and aloe vera plants in pots presently.

blackbox

Lashes28 wrote: »

Isn't it too early to seed?

I live near the sea (shouldn't be too frosty) and I'm a bit impatient!

The rest of the grass is growing, so I'll chance it as soon as I get seed.

[Deleted User]

Just been out building a pallet compost bin

. Also spread loads of lovely chicken manure mixed with woodchip on a bed
We used a deep litter method by putting 12 inches of woodchip in the run last summer which we've just replaced

It's broken down into a lovely compost over the past 9 months.

CelticRambler

I have some slates, but they're destined for more conventional arts-and-crafts projects. The rest are old (very old, as in up to 200-300 years old) terracotta tiles which are very fragile. When the time comes, I'll throw most of them into a cement mixer with a couple of quartz rocks and turn them into sand, but the less broken ones do make a nice edging where space is at a premium.

I've successfully used the cement mixer-with-added-rocks as a way to grind up broken glass. Every so often I come across a corner that a former owner obviously used as a midden, where there'll be old, broken wine bottles and medicine vials. Some of the vials are really beautiful, so I pick those out, but the rest is neither suitable for use or bottlebanking, but makes good grit when ground down!

looksee

Great idea with the bricks, but no matter how tempting don't use roof slates (though maybe yours are actual tiles?). My mother edged a bed with slates then managed to trip and her knee came down on the sharp edge. Nasty bit of damage to knee. I have loads of slates but they are a very miscellaneous assortment of size and damage, can't bring myself to throw them out though!

CelticRambler

looksee wrote: »

I did however realise that a job that I had tossed up buying decking planks for, or doing complicated stuff with paving has a solution. I have rocks (the smaller ones in the heap). I have sand. I have cement. I will build a low retaining wall that will double as a seat, chuck the old concrete bits and pieces that keep turning up in behind it, and level it off with flat stones (which I also have) or old slates (ditto). Great!

Yeah - that flash of inspiration, when you realise that you can not only get rid of "rubbish" but also build something useful without having to find a load of new materials, is very satisfying.

My version of that, this week, came when I looked up instead of down: needing edging material for my asparagus bed and thought I could use roof tiles that are falling off a damaged barn. But finding enough tiles with a long-enough straight edge to be useful wasn't going to be easy, as they were falling off the roof, first onto a mezzanine floor, then through the mezzanine where a beam is starting to collapse and onto the ground. All of a sudden, I realised that the mezzanine is made from a type of flat brick with a rounded edge on the long side, and if I salvaged those, not only would I have a decorative edge, but I'd also be taking the weight off the remaining beams. Job done! I'll go back for some more in due course to edge the opposite end of the lawn.

looksee

Moved more rocks. All this is in order to create a potato patch, which is getting nearer. The rocks are all gone out of the original heap and are now scattered somewhat, looking daunting. Lovely soil remaining where they were. I did however realise that a job that I had tossed up buying decking planks for, or doing complicated stuff with paving has a solution. I have rocks (the smaller ones in the heap). I have sand. I have cement. I will build a low retaining wall that will double as a seat, chuck the old concrete bits and pieces that keep turning up in behind it, and level it off with flat stones (which I also have) or old slates (ditto). Great! But first, the potatoes.

CelticRambler

Must admit to being a bit jealous of ye all. Today I did the same thing in the garden that I've done every other day for the last ten days or so - dug the same hole again, just another bit deeper!

Well, that and a bit of general housekeeping - moved half the turf sods recently removed from the new asparagus bed to a new home at the back of my rhubarb bed (and dug a few docks and tufts of grass out of that).

Also had another stand-and-look-at-it session in the (old) herb garden until all the pieces came together in my head. That side of things was successful: I know what I want to do, and it'll look great ... only now I've added building a very complicated planter to my To Do list.

But first I have to get to the bottom of that hole, and shift all the soil to its new location (oh, yeah and fix the trailer that I broke shifting the last lot ...

)

beggars_bush

Reckless Abandonment wrote: »

Spent the day mulching all the beds and built a zen garden well zen ish

Not sure about the granite, not sure how to edge it. Open to suggestions

Reminds me of a Japanese garden i once visited in Portland Oregon.

Lashes28

blackbox wrote: »

I have a section of lawn that go destroyed by being covered in soil when I got a garage put in. I finally relocated the last of the soil yesterday and hired a rotavator today and churned it all up.

I'll rake it and seed it tomorrow (if seed arrives).

Isn't it too early to seed?

blackbox

I have a section of lawn that got destroyed by being covered in soil when I got a garage put in. I finally relocated the last of the soil yesterday and hired a rotavator today and churned it all up.

I'll rake it and seed it tomorrow (if seed arrives).

Bill Hook

Today I finally finished weeding my asparagus bed. The "weeds" are strawberry runners because I put my asparagus in the same bed as my strawberries and the strawberry runners have gone everywhere. Stupid me!

daffodils100

Reckless Abandonment wrote: »

Spent the day mulching all the beds and built a zen garden well zen ish

Not sure about the granite, not sure how to edge it. Open to suggestions

This is beautiful! Well done

Reckless Abandonment

looksee wrote: »

Nice! You should paint that wall blue maybe? I like the granite round the edges, I think the stones piled round the shrub don't really work, needs something simpler. The effect overall is very pleasing though.

Thanks for your feedback. Had been playing with the idea of a different colour but trying to keep it very simple. But actually never thought of blue.. 100% right about the stones around the tree. Just kind of dumped them there (its in a black plastic pot) for now. Can't find a nice pot big enough for it .

looksee

Reckless Abandonment wrote: »

Spent the day mulching all the beds and built a zen garden well zen ish

Not sure about the granite, not sure how to edge it. Open to suggestions

Nice! You should paint that wall blue maybe? I like the granite round the edges, I think the stones piled round the shrub don't really work, needs something simpler. The effect overall is very pleasing though.

[Deleted User]

Rodin wrote: »

That's just delivery or for the material also?

He lives locally and just drops them on his way home. 15e for the load.
Load size can vary depending on what he has

Reckless Abandonment

Spent the day mulching all the beds and built a zen garden well zen ish

Not sure about the granite, not sure how to edge it. Open to suggestions

looksee

We just moved three of the biggest boulders, with the sled and the muscle power of a honda jazz! We lost a few divots on the way, but we got there!

CelticRambler

looksee wrote: »

Muscle power is the limiting factor, we are two women, one of whom will not see the three score and ten again.

Ah now I wouldn't write ye off on that account - my dolmen was shifted with the assistance of two German vegans that I picked up on the side of the road. They wouldn't have been the strongest specimens of our species!