I installed a new fountain in my pond this weekend, the solar fountain gave up the ghost at the end of last year so I've had to put in a different one. It's important to have some running water in the pond because it helps to keep it clean. I had to put the pump into a mesh bag because as I was putting it in one of the tiny tadpoles was sucked up through the pump!
I do love the sound of running water though and especially when it's hot outside (and it's been really hot this weekend). The pump comes on at 12.15pm every day and runs for 4 hours. It doesn't need the sun to work so I don't need to worry about it not charging if it's not sunny but I think I will take it inside when it's very cold.
I've also been working on a new flower bed this weekend. I cleared the old strawberry bed because frankly I hardly got any strawberries thanks to the squirrels and it was simply a pain try and protect them all the time! Last week I bought some plants from the Harrogate Flower Show and I've sown some seeds in the polytunnel so I got 2 more obelisk with the intention to put the jasmine and honeysuckle on one each and then some sweet peas in the middle. In the end I put the jasmine and honeysuckle onto one obelisk and so I might put a clematis on the other with sweet peas still in the middle. I'll have to think about it.
I have made a point of making sure that I have labelled all of the plants so that as things die back I'll know where they are when I'm planting spring bulbs. I've planted the Phlox (Clouds of Perfume) right on the corner of the bed and I'm hoping that as it grows I'll get the scent every time I brush past.
I have sown some tomatoes but as usual I have done them a bit later than other people seem to have (partly because I don't have room in the house to keep them on a windowsill and I don't have a heated greenhouse). My friend therefore gave me 3 very well established, and super healthy plants. You'll see in the picture one of them is in a red pot, which is a self watering pot with built in support. The other two are in terracotta pots; which are inside big plastic pots. The purpose of that is to try and ensure that the tomatoes don't dry out; especially as I struggle to get up to the plot in the week and there's a possibility that they'll be unhappy with me if I don't do something!
I did also buy some tumbling toms that I wanted to try in a hanging basket. I have 6 of them so I put 4 around the sides and 2 in the top. I used sphagnum moss to fill the in-between spaces because I thought that it would not only stop the compost falling out but help to retain moisture in the basket.
I'll just take a moment to tell you all what I do with my compost to prepare it for plants; it's literally like a recipe!!
- 3 parts multi purpose compost
- 1 part horti grit (or vermiculite)
- 1 scoop Richard Jackson's Root Booster
- 3 scoops Richard Jackson's Easy Feed
- 1 scoop water retaining granules
As you know, I do like Richard Jackson's products, the root booster gives all of my plants a great start and the easy feed is an all season feed so even though I do use flower power if I forget, my plants will still get fed. The grit is good for drainage and the water retaining granules help to ensure that my plants aren't dried out in the week when I'm not able to get there. Aside from that I've added capillary matting to all of my trays in the polytunnel to again try and keep the seedlings watered (albeit that's hard when the weather has been so warm!!)
Finally I couldn't let this blog go by without mentioning that yesterday was Global Naked Gardening Day. Check out #nakedgardeningday on Instagram. I did take part (look away now if you're easily offended!!) strangely enough there was hardly anyone up at the allotment yesterday, I don't know if the heat kept people away but it did mean that I could be very cheeky and take a quick pic in my polytunnel. I know its not everyone's cup of tea and I saw on Facebook that some people were unhappy about photos being posted but what I love about the day is that it celebrates people - no matter how they look or what they're preferences are. Gardening is something that anyone can enjoy regardless of skin colour, gender, sexual orientation, age etc. etc. etc. and I don't know why but getting your kit off seems to demonstrate that :-D
You will notice that I'm posting this on Sunday when there's another day left of the weekend. Mr L and I are planning to make a start on the new plot tomorrow so I'm going to do a specific post about that - watch this space.
Until next time then, happy gardening xx
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