Wee scrotes from the Youth Club next to us keep punching holes into the Polytunnel. Somebody keeps fixing them but we'll have to get something sorted as if they keep doing it we'll have nothing to grow in.

The guy to my left got some bad news and said he's not going to grow anything. If nobody claims it I'll take it over and grow peas and beans mostly for foodbank use. The area around his raised bed interests me more as I can fill it with more pots for salads ect. I topped up his raised bed with that good soil tonight, took 8 wheelbarrow fulls. I also filled 4 potato bags with 4 spuds in each. I also got 18 strawberry plants and a courgette plant from Lidl. I'll go round more often now we're into busy season.

Urine is a good fertiliser Smart but I think you have to let it stew for a month with dead waste. Not sure your dog is helping you

I have noticed an odd looking leaf on one of my pepper plants. I wonder will i get "conjoined" fruit on that part of the plant ?   Anyone had that type of thing happen ?

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My birdbath water is a block of ice this morning, and the polytunnel got to it's lowest temp so far since i put the minimum/maximum temp gauge in there..... 0.5°c 

Twenty Four to zero......... UK Desert

I water my whole garden from the rainwater butts, everything gets watered from a can directly where needed, this keeps everywhere else as dry as possible to make life harder for the slugs and weeds.

I will water first thing or last thing, it just depends how busy i am.

Britain’s gardeners should brace themselves as a combination of weather factors will bring a slime wave of 500 billion slugs.

Experts say a mild winter with no or little frost plus a warm start to spring will see a boom in the population of the molluscs.

Last year there were around 420billion slugs born in Britain – but this year that figure will be more like 500billion.


It follows another winter with above-average recorded temperatures which experts are predicting will bring an ‘explosion’ of slugs over the coming weeks.

Jude Beherall of weed feed and control brand Neudorff. said: ‘A mild winter with minimal frosts will produce a glut of slug eggs and, once hatched, these young slugs will be looking to feed their ferocious appetites and will head straight for the tender foliage of young plants.

‘We are advising gardeners to be fully prepared with slug controls at the ready to ensure their hard work in the garden is preserved.’

Average recorded temperatures for winter 2016/2017 in the UK were a mild 5.0 degrees C – the temperature at which slugs usually come out of hibernation.

However thanks to the weather, conservation charity BugLife say slugs have remained active throughout the winter – meaning a ‘bumper year’.

‘Last year’s wet but very mild conditions means unfortunately we’re in for more of the same,’ said Paul Hetherington of BugLife.

‘The conditions were perfect for slugs to remain active for a longer period, meaning they were eating more and breeding faster and as a result the little ones were maturing at a quicker rate.’

He also added that the continuing decline of natural predators such as hedgehogs, birds and beetles are helping the slug population to swell.

BugLife encourage gardeners to avoid using poisonous pellets as a way of ridding their gardens of slugs, as this is believed to be contributing to the decline of these predators.

‘There are a number of more natural ways to get rid of slugs that do not also involve killing animals all the way up the food chain,’ said Mr Hetherington.

The charity recommends the use of copper tape or sacrificial plants as a more natural way of repelling slugs.

‘I use fuschias in my own garden – slugs hate fuschias, so it’s a good idea to plant them surrounding plants that slugs usually destroy, like hostas,’ he said.

I went round yesterday and topped up raised beds with that good soil. I've only 1 remaining. Nobody has done anything to the site except 1 raised bed filled with potatoes. I'll take over the lot if they want and grow what I want and supply them with surplus. There is 5 large and 3 small raised beds. I planted 6 Cucumber, 6 Courgette and 6 Sweet Peppers yesterday for the Polytunnel.

I've emailed about 210L water containers I seen on Gumtree for £10 each. I had a brainwave of buying 6-10 of these and then getting the local Fire Station to fill them for us for a photo/ publicity opportunity. The water butts we have has a hose attached so we could put 3 butts at each downpipe and use the 1 hose. The 1 water butt we have connected is almost dry but I think 1 butt would be enough for 1 raised bed.

I'll get some Runners and French beans into the Polytunnel this week.

My spinach and tomatoes are going great,bit worried about my anorexic looking spring onion,sweetcorn,broccoli to go in soon

Spring Onions will put all there effort into producing a bulb later in the season, just make sure they are well watered and they won't go to seed. They were one of my successes last year without any water.

Well, imagine my surprise when I looked at the 6 x Gardeners Delight seeds I planted a week ago ... all six are over an inch in height already

No sign of life from my Sweet Babies yet ... I did overwater their punnets somewhat though.  Presently on the window ledge inbibing some serios sunshine.

Just mowed the lawn and weeded and swept patio and pathways. Red and white tulips looking gorgeous. The buds on the apple tree are breaking showing that intense magenta which disappears when the flowers open fully. Did a quick wax pencil sketch to preserve the memory of the moment.

I do sometimes take photos Delta, and it might seem odd to sketch bits of plants but there's something oddly satisfying about doing it. Brings you closer to nature, I suppose.

very artistic!

Sigmund Freud was clearly off his trolley.

Foinavon. Chit Chat Garden (2017).

That sketch is really good Foinavon

I did the opposite today, i took a photo of my "garden ducks" and then did a sketch of the photo.

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Thanks, Smar Tarse and Delta. The ducks look a bit underfed tbh

ST - you ever play the ducks some music? perhaps a little something by Drake?

A garden that's tidy, well-maintained and full of interest.

How do people do it?

This is what I've ended up with thanks to self-seeding and idleness. A bonsai Christmas tree:

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Ovalman: re the water situation. Have you thought about asking your water company for help or sponsorship for harvesting rainwater? Perhaps a waterbutt supplier such as evengreener.com might like the publicity?

I contacted the guy who's selling the 210L water containers and he offered 6 for £50. I'll have to put it to the guy who runs the place tomorrow night and see if they want them. If they do then I think it will be a solution (down my end at least). Up the other end is trickier, they would need an outside tap but that's for the people who spent the money on it to sort. I think once they see the problem they will quickly get it sorted.

The butt is dry atm but it rained briefly today and the foodbank opens on Thursday evening so I'll go around and top it up with a large bucket. Not ideal but better than the situation we had last year with nothing. We've a small water butt to install but I could run 2 of those containers off it. If we had the extra containers then I don't think I'd have to top it up once they are filled initially.

I thought about that Smart but I've stopped using the tap, instead filling my watering can from the top opening. It takes 10 seconds this way so I think raising the water butts would be more hassle than the work involved.