Monday, January 23, 2012
Invigorating
A word we use when we are too polite to say "freezing the bollocks off". Actually it wasn't really that cold down the lottie yesterday, and I worked like a navvy so I was actually a bit clammy by the time I had finished. I got stuck into the raspberries, chopped the whole lot down, removed a few rogue suckers and some old wood. They look much tidier now and I even had a little hack at the gooseberries, so they grow outwards more (easier to pick!).
I then had a big of a dig in the soon-to-be onion bed, pulled out the old nasturtium vines and chucked them in the compost, threw a layer of sand over my top path which tends to get grassy in spring, though that might calm it down a bit. I pulled out a couple of dead brussel sprout plants and generally had a wee tidy up and a prune. I also did something a bit sneaky which may or may not work. My neighbour has 3 lovely grapevines. I noticed that she had pruned them and the vine cuttings were lying in a big pile by the path. I nicked about 6 or 7 of them.... Even though they were not just cut, I read that any trimmed wood will retake if put in the soil, so I stuck them into a pot with some sandy compost. I wouldn't take any living plants or crops, but as the dead wood was just lying there - I figured a few sticks missing won't be noticed. Except later I might have to explain how I got a grapevine :-S That is, if they even take, it's a bit of a long shot. But as the vine had been trimmed, I couldn't ask her to cut even more off, and I only see her once in a blue moon. if they take I will admit to my bit of thievery. So that was my confession for this week.
And after my criminal activity, I packed up and went home with 4 leeks, a bag of sprouts and some green kale. Yum yum.
In the house, the onion seedlings are doing well! I am chuffed as I have never grown onion from seed before. I even sowed another two pots, to see how they get on. I did half and half of Bedfordshire Champion and Ailsa Craig.
I then had a big of a dig in the soon-to-be onion bed, pulled out the old nasturtium vines and chucked them in the compost, threw a layer of sand over my top path which tends to get grassy in spring, though that might calm it down a bit. I pulled out a couple of dead brussel sprout plants and generally had a wee tidy up and a prune. I also did something a bit sneaky which may or may not work. My neighbour has 3 lovely grapevines. I noticed that she had pruned them and the vine cuttings were lying in a big pile by the path. I nicked about 6 or 7 of them.... Even though they were not just cut, I read that any trimmed wood will retake if put in the soil, so I stuck them into a pot with some sandy compost. I wouldn't take any living plants or crops, but as the dead wood was just lying there - I figured a few sticks missing won't be noticed. Except later I might have to explain how I got a grapevine :-S That is, if they even take, it's a bit of a long shot. But as the vine had been trimmed, I couldn't ask her to cut even more off, and I only see her once in a blue moon. if they take I will admit to my bit of thievery. So that was my confession for this week.
And after my criminal activity, I packed up and went home with 4 leeks, a bag of sprouts and some green kale. Yum yum.
In the house, the onion seedlings are doing well! I am chuffed as I have never grown onion from seed before. I even sowed another two pots, to see how they get on. I did half and half of Bedfordshire Champion and Ailsa Craig.
Labels: grapes, onions, raspberry, winter
# posted by antipodesgirl @ 12:48 PM 
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
