Allotments 4 All

Let me tell you about my (gardening ) weekend so far.

Yesterday morning went garden shopping for som e new plant and various 'supplies' for the garden. Some from B&Q the rest from a nearby nursery.

Got home, quick lunch then out to plant new purchases (a Weigelia as a key plant for a new bed, a Clematis tangutica, to replace on that died and some osteospermums).  This was a planting session of contrasts. The clematis took ages since at the site for it the soil was hard and stony (as most of my soil is) and needed breaking up.  The weigelia went in a new bed where the soil was perfect and this took no time at all.

To 'finish' the day i spent time sorting out our patio containers and plant up the Dahlias, some into a couple of the containers, the rest in to individual pots so they can be placed in gaps in the border.  Guess what the time was when finished? 8.30!  Still the evening was perhaps the best part of the day on saturday.  Needless to say i was early to bed that night!

Sunday after a slow start and a bit of a lie in, the later part of the morning was spent setting up an irrigation system around the summer raspberries and the new strawberry bed.  This was a bought system with pipe and lots of nozzles to direct the water to the plants. It needed carefull measuring and fitting together, but it should eb worth it, as we already have on set up for most of the veg garden (runner beans the particularly) which we used for the first time last summer.  Should save a lot of time and wasted water The raspberries in partiular i find a pain to water, so often in the past not bothered (consequence - a poor crop!). No excuses now. Once the summer fruiters have finished, I will move the system onto the autumn canes.

Phew!  Still Sunday PM to go! Perhaps it is not such a bad thing that Monday is due to be wet. Give a bloke a chance to recover before getting back to (paid) work on Tuesday!

Well haven't you been a busy  boy Richard ;)  I am impressed with your watering system.  Would love to do something like that but I'm afraid my garden is just too big to tackle such a task.

It's been a good weekend so far here in Herts so have been out in the garden most of the time, mainly planting out more bedding plants and pricking out the seedlings I got from the Secret Seeds site.  Also been doing a bit of work in my friend's garden (the one who is battling cancer). She is away for a few days so am looking after the place for her.

We had one shower this afternoon but really could do with a bit more as the ground is beginning to dry.

Keep up the good work :)

Don't think we could risk such a fancy watering system on the lotties, richard, but am sure it's great.  Whereas I toiled in the hot sun  8) watering peas, beans, lettuces, fruit bushes etc etc!  Put in another 3 rows of peas, and also 6 rows of swedes.  Ground is very dry.

Still lots to get out in the ground (more cabbage, caulis, sprouts, leeks, cus, lettuce and so on and on ...)

Lovely!!

Pat: My garden is quite large but i have only two small (ish) bits covered by the irigation system, The fruit and veg plot (the best bits!) Never worry about watering the ornamental garden , even in the height of summer,(except for pots and newly planted stuff of course) Then its out with the can or hose  ::).

This said we have also got some nifty drip nozzles to fit on the end of fizzy drinks bottles. Just fill the bottle, screw on the dripper and push it into the compost in the pot and it seeps into the pot. Neat Eh? It means i can leave the bottles to do the watering for me (just need to automate the filling of the bottles now and i am well away!  ;D).

Wicker: i am sure a resourcefull lottie like yourself can devise some form of cheap/recycled system for watering the lottie, as it is no fun doing it by hand.  You are right though the kind or system i use would probably go 'walkies' from a lottie (though my system wasnt THAT expensive, it probably looks it!).