My mind is elsewhere

Lordy, is it over a week since I've added to this ??

Spending some quality time up at the lottie this week, building raised beds but let's see if I can remember what I've been doing on the plot in that time.

Tomatoes - struggling on. At least I'm getting to pick them now, but very few and far between. Next year there there will be a maximum of 10 plants in the greenhouse and mainly Totem (bush). I've got fed up with all the tying and side shooting of cordons, oh and watering. I'm either going to have to set up an automatic system, or really get my act together. This year was not good.

Aubergines - there are still 3 fruit hanging on for grim death. Still very small and not at all what I'd hoped for. May only bother with one or two plants next year.

Gave the fuchsias a good old hair cut. Far to many dodgy looking leaves and found a bit of rust too, so gave them a good old thin out. The Diascia is still romping away, very impressed with that.

The pansies, wallflowers, turnips and spinach appear to have been well protected from Sluggy and his pals. No damage to speak of. I do have a morning inspection and will have to replace the pellets soon though. It's been quite dry this last week (apart from a drizzly day on Saturday), so the sluggies have obviously been hiding somewhere warmer and wetter or perhaps they're just concentrating on the marigolds which really have suffered this year. It's a good job there are literally hundreds of blooms cos at least half of them are slug brunch. Will make a better effort to protect them next year.

Hestia runner beans are just starting to bear fruit but it really is a struggle. Chillies too, there's one or two I could pick now, but overall really disappointed. I'm sure this is because I've spent so much time at the lottie and not given them the attention they need.

I cut down the majority of sweetpeas at the weekend to compost. They were straggling all over the place and making a proper mess. I've left one batch for seeds though.

I must have a look at the blueberries. I'm sure I noticed some ripe ones there the other day, picked another handful of strawberries last night too. Nothing to write home about. Going to try them in hanging baskets next year I think to give them a bit of breathing space.

The petunias that actually get watered are still going strong, but must admit to have ignored most of them. The pink ones in the diascia pot look very attractive next to their pink neighbours.

The Jerusalem Artichokes are massively tall now, I'd say 11-12' tall. No sign of any flowers though.

In the front border the Love-in-the-Mist is pretty much done now, but I've saved some seed pods, there are still a couple of poppies blooming as well and I've saved plenty of those for next year. The nasturtiums are still doing well in the front, but I really want to hoik them out to make way for the pansies and wall flowers, they can stay for a bit longer though while I'm still concentrating on the lottie. The jasmin in the front has been hidden by the nasturtiums, I found it by accident the other day, it's looking very health though lol.

Jobs to so - hedges need a trim, grass needs cutting, winter annuals need planting up, fuchsia cuttings needs to be taken .......... let's just hope for a long warm September !

:-)

The next bit

Tonight I made a major decision. No more planting goes on up at the lottie until the raised beds are built, so ...........................

A tray of turnips and spinach went in what was to be the strawberry beds. I've decided that the slugs get far too many fruits to leave them in the ground and will have them in hanging baskets next year ........ or something like that.

So here are my new born, look at the nice straight rows with their protective shield (bird friendly of course) . If I find one bit of slug chomp in the morning, I shall be out there with my scissors !

There's another tray of turnip and some pak choi to squeeze in somewhere. This is where the raised bed at the lottie theory may fall down and I may not have a choice !! lol.

I've planted up/potted up the 70 Pansy Can Can that mum bought me. Look how much space I've given them ! I usually squish my plants far to closely so I actually measured these out ! I've another 3 containers full and about another 20 potted up waiting for the border. :-O This first little one is very pretty though, so I'm hoping for a nice display over the winter.

The very kind suppliers are sending me out another box of wallflowers to replace the sat upon ones. I reckon I can save about half the injured tray, but am giving them a couple of days rest to ease their stress before I pot them up too.

The Hestia runners look OK from a distance, but like the tomatoes, are being painfully slow to set. There are some teensy beans showing but it may be nearer Christmas by the time we eat them.

This fuchsia still needs a name. It's the one currently called Gavin and has been hiding away in the greenhouse all summer, just because, well just because that's where he's been sitting. Any suggestions on a name would be muchly appreciated.

And finally, the piece de resistance ........... Deep Purple. I do love this one before it fades to a cerisey pink. It's much nicer when it's dark. I wonder if it was called after the band ??

I think I shall make this my wallpaper for a while.

And now it's time for bed said Zeberdee.

Damn - I cooked the babies !

Got home from work fully intending to paint some raised bed edges with fence stain only to find that I'd forgotten to open the mini g/h yesterday.

Had to re-sow a tray of turnips, pak choi and winter lettuce. That'll teach me for taking my eye off the ball and expecting rain !

Mum's wallflowers arrived but it look as if Mr Postie had sat on them all the way from Jersey. Half the plugs were out of the tray and floating about the box. So I've given them a drink and put them on the windowsill to see if they pick up but will phone the company today.

Thinking of consigning most of the aubs to the compost heap. I don't think there's any point trying to get anything else to set now. So Black Beauty 2 - Calliope 0. 2 out of 8 plants growing fruit - not impressed.

Waiting for dawn to break to go on a slug hunt. See if they dare touch my pansies, I'll not be a happy woman. :-) Oh and I read somewhere that blue pellets aren't as bad as first thought although I'll carry on with the "safe" variety until it's commonly accepted.

Wonder if I'll get any painting done tonight!

We have red tomatoes !

Four to be precise. Tumbling Toms. Not quite ready yet, but they'll be chomped by the end of the week.

Evicted the beetroot and Morning Glory and nasturtiums from the whisky barrel container and planted up some ruffled pansies that mum bought (thanks mum). Put some more in a trough, and terracotta pots, and potted up the rest to grow on and be planted out the front when I know what's happening with the front border. There were 70 plugs all in all, now just waiting for the wallflowers and primroses to arrive. I will have colour over the winter, I WILL.

I cleared the bed ear-marked for the raspberries (pea and sweetpea bed). There's just a couple of french marigolds and a couple of lettuces sitting there now. Just noticed a huge slug drop off one of the marigolds so stuck him in the compost bin. Whitefly might not like FMs but slugs love them.

Picked another small handful of strawberries yesterday but lots had rotted and suffered from sluggy damage. Blueberries look as though they're ripening at last, if I can be bothered to take the netting off, I'll have a taste this week.

One or two aubs are carrying on in the g/h. Don't think I'll bother next year. SO much effort for so little return. 8 plants and only going to be two usable fruit. Well maybe a token one. Chillies are just about starting to fruit but it's sooooooooooooo late so I'm going to be thankful for anything. Not like last year when the cayennes and numex twilight were producing by the score.

The second Deep Purple fuchsia is now putting in some effort. Lots of lovely blooms just waiting to pop, and all the other fuchsias are still going strong apart from Gwendolin thingy which still refuses to budge. RDM51 had the same trouble with his Gwendolin so I don't feel so bad. One of the g/h will be a nursery for the fuchsias over the winter. Will get the cuttings planned pretty soon, but most are still in bloom so can't do anything yet which is just as well as there is so much to do.

Right, just popping over to the lottie. See you there !

At last !

A couple of the cherry toms appear to be ripening, and I've got two blooms on the honeysuckle.

Talk about drawing teeth !

The temperature is distinctly colder now though and I really don't know how long we've got before winter drawers are on.

There's a white lily still in bloom but that's the last of them. The fuchsias are still blooming all over the place. Must get organised and take some cuttings.

The diascia is still in full bloom although dropping like pink snowfall all over the deck. I've two blooms on the clematis but there's another couple just waiting to hatch.

Got a couple of trays of turnip in one of the mini greenhouses, a tray of beetroot and spring onions but it really is painful watching them try and grow. Don't know if they'll ever get in the ground at this rate. Yeah I know I shouldn't transplant but will try anything once.

At least there's a blue sky this morning, hopefully it will bring the temperature up later.

The visit of the sparrow hawk

One just landed on the top of an obelix outside the office window. Sat there watching the bird table for a few seconds, turned round, saw me, flew off.

Lovely bird with no breakfast.

Just got a delivery drom Dobies

So on the sowing menu tonight we had:

White Lisbon Winter Hardy Spring Onions (I know it's early but hey ho)
Pak Choi Tatsoi Supi (says they don't like being transplanted - we'll soon find out)
Turnip Arcoat
Turnip Aramis

Also got my Broad Bean Aquadulce Claudia ready for overwintering and some Mustard that I'm going to throw about with gay abandon and see what this green manuring lark is all about.

All the above are intended for the lottie, but want to get the raised beds made first so will raise them in the mini-greenhouse on the plot first.

Gave the aubergines a trim and brush up tonight. Found a few greenfly so gave them a bit of a spray. The Black Beauty are setting much better than the Calliope (which aren't - not even one). Definitely going to cut down on these as well next year. Far too much like hard work for very little reward.

Was going to pin down a couple of strawberry runners but forgot. Will try and do that tomorrow.

As promised - Love in the mist

So purty don't you think ?

Loaded up the car on Saturday to take a load of bricks and other things up the lottie, blow me if it wasn't the family day at Pollok Park and couldn't get the car in. Grrrr. So came home and cleaned out the shed. Nice and clean(ish) now with everything in it's place, all pots washed and tidied. How long will it stay like that ? Till I spill the first lot of compost I suspect.

Still it was a job that needed doing and now it's done, so I can cross it off the list.

Yesterday was teeming rain so at least I haven't had to water anything outside. Even kept the greenhouse doors closed and the central heating went on last night as it was so cold. I really am a pussy.

Some flowery type pics just to add a bit of colour.


























Here's some of the toms that are struggling on. Who knows whether I'll actually get to eat any this year.


























Last but not least .......... ta dah ! The garlic ! I suppose I have had some success with that this year.

Am rethinking the beds for next year and am considering the square foot thingy again....... watch this space.

Ciao for now.

Another two bins now full

Gave the tomatoes another right good haircut and managed to fill the two compost bins at home. What with those prunings and having a hack at the straggly petunias, clearing some of the dead peas and a mass of sweetpea depodding there was tonnes to top them up nicely. Now just a matter of waiting. The next bag is for the lottie !

The sterile seed beds where the previous home grown compost was put are slowing up on the sprouting now. A good shoogle every now and then just to dislodge them seems to be working.

The ground has been pretty dry as there had been no reasonable rain up until last night. Everything is damp this morning though and it's been very windy. Looks like everything, including the outside toms, JAs and fuchsias have survived though.

Found a couple of runners on the strawbs yesterday, so I guess that means they're on their way out. Still loads of fruit still to grow and ripen but not sure if it's going to happen this year lol.

Back to the toms - they're struggling on. Finally I'm getting a few decent trusses worth, but still so tiny. I'm doubtful whether they'll get to an appreciative size or colour before the end of the month when of course it will start turning noticeably colder.

The lavender cuttings appear to have taken, well they not all keeled over so will nurture them over the winter for planting out in spring. Got to give the bushes in the front a tidy up and trim now that the blooms are fading.

The love in the mist is out on the front border. If the wind has left them alone, I'll take some pics today. Cut a good handful of the big poppy heads for next years seed. Not going to bother with the tiny ones, lovely though they were, they're just not big or blousy enough for me.

The blueberries are just sitting there. Fruit is taking an age to ripen. Every now and then I'll steal one but still very unripe and tart. I suppose I need more patience. There is a handful of aubs that have actually set, all on the Black Beauty plants I think. Can't see one on the Calliopes. Definitely going to rethink the strategy for next year. Maybe one or two plants for curiosity value only.

I really must get round to sorting out the shed again as it's in a right old state. Am definitely going to get some more shelving put in as I'm fed up of tripping over everything.

Am waiting for a bundle of turnip seeds to arrive from Dobies and some green manures that I'm going to try out. Soon enough it will be time to give the greenhouses a good disinfect and I need to start organising the fuchsia cutting for over wintering.

No time to rest ................... ain't it always the way.

:-)

It is purple, really it is !

My Clematis Durandii ............. just a shame about the camera is all. Quite a few more buds coming. I'm more than impressed.