Late January Garden

Today: a bleak late January day with minor snow flurry.

The garden doesn't photograph well in the sun as it is directly south-facing, so a dull day is 'better'

Photographed from the patio doors. The vegetable patch will be off to the left at the side of the house. 

Have a good day and keep warm, Steve

Seed Inventory

Not too much pressure to buy seeds for planting later this year, as we have a stock left over from last. The weather has turned colder with an odd snow flurry, though not as bad as other parts of the UK (or the US at the moment according to the news).

Here is a list we have already:

Sow February onwards

Pea Twinkle

Carrot Early Nantes

Feb onwards in pots

Tomato Gardel

Tomato maskotka

Sow March

Pea meteor 

Pea Cerese

Pea Boogie

Salad Leaves bright and spicy

Salad Leaves Speedy

Radish French Breakfast

Radish Cherry Belle

Herb Bouquet Dill

Lettice salad bowl

Lettice gem (4 small packets)

Lettice winter gem

Sow April onwards

Dwarf French Bean tendergreen

French Bean Blue Lake

Parsley 

Herb Bouquet Dill

Courgette el Greco

Courgette Tricolour

Indoor

Alfalfa

Beetroot Detroit 2

To have a happy marriage ........

A  Frenchman told me (roughly translated)  "To have a happy marriage go in the garden." 

There was a fine drizzle this morning but just cloud this afternoon. I took the scorpion saw back to B and Q for a refund (they are usually good at that sort of thing), so it's option C from yesterday.

I then  took out an old shreader from storage and managed one bag before it also packed up. So the branches sadly are for recycling at the tip and the  shreader as well. I guess a powerful enough shreader may be too big a commitment  for a small garden like mine to replace at the moment. 

I managed one trip taking branches for recycling.. Nice dinner at the Bent Arms this evening with V, J  and R.

Another day tomorrow
Steve

A few of the many branches to clear, at the side of the house. Also showing, the new fence, the frame for the polytunnel and the trunk of the apple tree.

More tree trimming and the saga of the saw

Today was fairly good weather and I continued to trim the trees and remove ivy from the path leading to the shed. There has been a lot of ivy in recent years. I used it to cover the old fence, now replaced, and it probably also held it up. It was a home for snails though.

The garden is a mass of branches now. Because my chain saw stopped working yesterday, first thing I went to B&Q looking for a reciprocating saw. I thought the only one in stock looked too heavy, I settled on a Black and Decker  Scorpion saw. I will put a picture from amazon below, although of course I didn't buy it from there, but happen to have the picture handy.

The scorpion did the job of cutting branches brilliantly and is quite easy to handle with one hand if necessary, and with care. It is much lighter than a chain saw, and probably safer though slower as it has less power.

Late in the day the Scorpion died a death. Perhaps I over-worked it but that is disappointing, and I will take it back, probably tomorrow. On the other hand a liberal oiling seems to have revived my chain saw.

This opens up a delightful range of opportunities.

a I can take the Scorpion back and ask for a replacement. I did find it handy.
b I can ask for a refund instead, and perhaps buy a replacement on-line cheaper.
c I can ask for a refund and manage with the chain-saw for the current work.
d. I can ask for a refund and look more closely at a reciprocating saw. I really think a cordless one would be easier to use.

Who says free will is an illusion!

That's enoughit for today. I will try to chip the branches tomorrow if its fine and there's time, then we are out for dinner with friends tomorrow evening.

Steve

Tree trimming day and gnome photo

I was tree trimming  today along the side of the path leading to the shed (I will post some pictures later to put this into context), It was a cold but sunny afternoon. I took out my trusty electric chain saw for the first time this year;  which worked first time and then died after fifteen minutes. No amount of removing and replacing the chain helped.  I carried on with hand saws and an axe, which is slower but probably safer. I may retire the chain saw and purchase a new reciprocating saw to finish the job. Your views are as always appreciated,

On a lighter note here is a photo I took some time back, not all mine but in a garden centre. I don't know why gnomes get grumpy. Perhaps mine are irritated because they keep getting knocked over. Just ignore them!

no dumping sign

link

Walking along, I noticed in a local village in Sussex  so many home-made signs saying what everyone else can't do! I am with 'no dumping' though, of course.

Bordeaux Mixture

This new blog is part scrap book and part diary. I am not an expert. I hope to list and describe my modest gardening efforts over the next period of time, starting in winter. We have a small house garden in West Sussex, England, by the way. I have e made a start in January by sorting out the shed and tidying up the side of the house, what used to be a green house then a polytunnel, and then a mess left over from replacing the fences last year.

Prompted to blog having sprayed the fruit trees with Vitax 175g Bordeaux Mixture. I obtained this and used it following instructions. i used a supplier fiom Amazon (see picture below).  My local garden centre now has very little gardening chemicals but I did try there first. I am mainly organic but as a 'natural remedy; I am happy to use this, in moderation.

My main target was peach leaf curl which wiped out the leaves last year, so that tree was sprayed thoroughly (£1.99 spray bottle from Robert Dyas), While I was at it I also sprayed a small plum and a damson tree, and our larger apple as far as I could reach. I sprayed the black currant canes by the shed but forgot a few by the path. It will be interesting to see any difference by the summer. Finally I sprayed a few roses at the front, as we suffer from black spot 

Cold but sunny today, early frost.  Birds are busy munching food I put out from last week. Saw comet Lovejoy a few nights ago by the way.

Thats it so far.  Will update as and when. Comments welcome.

Steve