Topic: What did you do in the garden today?

[Emagggie]

Got to plot at last, it looked very sad and unloved as I've been so busy all summer and paid it scant attention. Removed beans and marigolds (saved seed) picked last of toms and beetroot, some brussels, a cabbage and parsnips for tomorrows dinner. Cleared space for the manure BW and I are going to collect tomorrow. Drank a pint of tea and felt very happy to be back 'at it' again. ;D

[Tin Shed]

Emptied the contents of one compost bin into the other, the bell rang for coffee break, so sat down and had a chat with everyone and had a cup of tea.. Then cut the grass and spent the last half an hour sitting in the sun sorting out the french beans for next year's sowing.

[Eristic]

pushing the boundaries out and just an experiment to see what happens,

Hoi! That's my job.

[SMP1704]

Yesterday had a general tidy up, pulled up the summer flowering annuals, beans etc and composted.  Went up and down the street outside the lottie collecting leaves - 4 barrows and 4 garden tidy bags later and the 1000lt jumbo bag is full.  I'll top it up again next weekend.  Tidied up the strawberry bed and composted the runners that I don't need and can't give away ???

Picked the last of the calabrese - must do more successional planting next year.........but have left the plants in place just in case I get some side shoots, but maybe a bit too late in the year?

Read Eric's link to composting and digging last weekend - set up a jumbo bag for 3rd composting area (its already full - need to get a small child in there to jump up and down!)  Using his digging technique, I was like a woman possessed and got masses dug - I suppose its easier since most of it has now been dug at least once if not twice.  Two areas about 8x10' are dug over and weeded - had achey legs rather than back ;D

Also last weekend, set up two more beds at the shed end of the plot - V dry soil (tree roots) so plan to enrich one bed for flowers and the smaller bed will be for herbs.

Staying home today to do some chores :'( but might sneak out for an hour or so - well a girl needs fresh air. ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Combined a queenless hive with another. I checked one which I combined last week, which had a drone layer, ie an unmated queen which only lays drone eggs. The hive I combined it with had an unrelated strain of bees, but I found two distinct broodnests, with both queens present. It's the first time I've come across a (more or less) natural two-queen hive with unrelated queens.

[Andy H]

Will 2 queens live in the same hive then?

[Eristic]

Tidied up the strawberry bed and composted the runners that I don't need and can't give away

Don't remember seeing them in swap shop.

What did I do today? As it was raining on and off and the soil was muddy it was declared a no dig day. Brought in another vanfull of manure and tidied up the shed a bit. Now I can sit inside it while I drink my coffee. ::)

[Weed-Digga]

Sowed 3 Rows each of: Peas - Meteor
                                      Broad Beans - Aquadulce
                                      Broad Beans - The Sutton

Note - Netting is NOT a 1 person job!!
                                     

[Andy H]

Netting---a substance that needs about 8 people to get it neat like the neighbouring plots

Also an item you never ever see anyone else fighting with!!! :-\

[SMP1704]

Don't remember seeing them in swap shop

True Eristic - just don't have time this week to get to the post office during opening hours and didn't have the will or pots to pot up I don't know how many.............still this years unwanted runners are next years compost.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Will 2 queens live in the same hive then?

Yes and no. The classic stereotype, based on the Italian subspecies, is that they always fight to the death. it's a half-truth at bast. UK bees are known for tolerating multiple queens, but they're normally sisters, or mother and daughter. They raise new queens, and keep the old one going, or keep several sisters. I've never heard of unrelated queens living in harmony, but they are maintaining separate broodnests, so it may be a matter of bees from the two colonies maintaining some separation, and keeping the two queens apart. Whatever, it's a very interesting situation, which is unlikely to last long. The drone layer colony was already making futile attempts to raise a new queen. It doesn't work with male eggs, and it's far too late in the season for a queen to mate in any case.

[Andy H]

Thanks for that, sounds very interesting. Although if you knew me!!! I would never be the sort of person to keep bees wasp flies or any other annoying thing when I am having a BBQ! :D

Amazing how they make honey and pollinate our plots!

[Froglegs]

I got rid of a conifer today. feel my age now though my legs, back and arms are aching  think I'm going to suffer in the morning

[Froglegs]

All I've got to do now is get rid a this lot. :(

[cambourne7]

froglegs all i can say is WOW¬!!

with regard to getting rid of the tree you have a number of choices like shreading and using on paths and using the logs to make beds etc. But given the time of year i would also try contacting local groups having bonfires who would be glad of it and will collect :)

Personaly i have spent the morning plonked on the sofa watching tv, then spent the afternoon tracing family history. This evening i have been cooking batches of cookies for hubbie to take to work and typing up family history :) Tomorrow i am going to st neots (about 20 miles away) to lidl then back to the plot to move more wood chips if the weather stays nice.

[Vony]

I've  had my mower out for the last time this year - I hope,  as I was just finishing the roller part you sit on became jammed, another job for the winter month,

Leaves galore in our area this time of the year.
Vony

[theothermarg]

insulated the greenhouse all a bit patchy I,m afraid think I,ll have to buy some more next year
marg

[Sparkly]

Haven't been down to the plot since Thurs - am getting withdrawal symptoms! We have guests staying from tommorrow evening and we have been trying to finish decorating and tidying etc. I am hoping to get down tomorrow and plant the last of my japanese onions and thin out the spring brassicas.

[manicscousers]

we're having a big bbq, firework and bonfire do on saturday, everyone welcome..just bring food, fireworks and wellies,
been moving and storing up all the old wood all day, weeds and plant debris to burn, should be good  ;D

[Trevor_D]

Haven't posted for weeks, I've been so busy. But every time I turn up at the plot someone seems to nab me for committee business, so the poor thing has been looking very neglected. And then last week I managed to develop 'tennis elbow', which went to my shoulder, and I've been in agony!!

But yesterday, I planted out the broad beans I'd sown in modules. And today I've pricked out a load of lettuce and spring cauliflower and sown sweet peas. This afternoon I went to the plot, got involved helping a friend glaze her greenhouse, then actually got round to doing a bit of tidying up on plot 2. Beautiful weather! I must get up there again tomorrow. (But I've also got to make phone-calls about Sunday's committee meeting and run off minutes & agendas & stuff.)

Hope this weather holds....