Mowing the lawns

A couple of weeks since lawns last mowed. To be pedantic, 14 days.

sweet peas #garden pic.twitter.com/UqeFegNCmX

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

sweet peas #garden pic.twitter.com/Guy0t7BRAg

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

daisies #garden pic.twitter.com/du8EAZa2yJ

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

apples #garden pic.twitter.com/dSZyTn5TxO

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

apples #garden pic.twitter.com/0Wm1VtkK5X

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

red rose #garden pic.twitter.com/2GccyTvcNi

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

red rose #garden pic.twitter.com/hqkR0cWrAR

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/6N0HtpZU0q

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/L7SwuAo3Xu

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/HvRm2mZTbf

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

white roses #garden pic.twitter.com/FWVFsrJIwD

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) July 4, 2022

Usually this time of year, lawns would be mowed more often than once a week.

Lack of rain, very dry, grass not growing.

Lawns are not looking good, marginally better than before I mowed. They need rain, lots of rain.

Last week the gardener cleared a bed. I took the opportunity to plant out plants that needed planting out. Soil very dry, to the depth of a trowel.

Gardener had placed all that he had dug out on the compost heap. I dug out. Temporary in old compost heap. Forked and aerated the compost heap. Will now add back little by little.

Runner beans are in flower. I need more beans growing.

Planting out sweetcorn tomatoes squash courgette

I picked up sweetcorn plants yesterday, other plants a few days ago.

Yesterday the gardener cleared a border, cut the hedge. The ground cleared, somewhere for the plants to grow.

Digging down the depth of a trowel, I could not believe how dry the soil, more like dust.

Each hole filled with compost. Dug out again, plants planted.

Then watered in. Watered around the plants to soak the dry soil.

Mowing the lawns

Drinking Tia Maria on ice until the sun came up. Awake at seven, could not get back to sleep, decided to get up and mow the lawns before it got too hot.

A very hot day, 30C. Highest temperature 33.7 in Suffolk.

Before nine, a cool breeze blowing.

By midday, too hot to garden. Nearly three hours in the garden. Mowing, hoeing, watering, fork compost heap, plant out a sweet peepr.

I have never tried growng pepper. An F1 hybrid. Usually I do not grow F1, the seeds are sterile, or do not grow true. I never save the seeds from peppers, let alone try growing from seeds. An F1 hybrid may be more suited to the climate. All they had in the greengrocer.

A soak in the bath.

On a hot day, hard work, followed by shower of a bath, remain cool for a couple of hours.

Stepping out into the garden like stepping into an oven.

Mowing the lawns

A couple of hours, mowing the lawns, hoeing, planting out courgette plants.

Apples appear to double in size each week.

Two courgette plants should have been planted our weeks ago,. Holes dug, filled with compost, hole dug for plants, then back fill with soil and compost, spread around the plants, water in.

Birds pulled up grass, created a hole. Filled with compost last week when lawns mowed, grass seed sowed on Tuesday, covered with a little more compost today.

I am now stating to find more compostable coffee capsules when I dig into the old compost heap. Compost well rotted down, but not the compostable coffee capsules. I have not encounterd any compostable coffee cups.

Three runner bean plants growing, starting to climb the poles without my help. Not very successful germination rate. Or were eaten.

Mowing the lawns

Third cut of the season.

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/OkinIaP9CA

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) April 17, 2022

Only mowed last Monday, but a pleasant day, therefore mowed the lawns.

Tulips in flower, including black tulips, bluebells come into flower, fruit trees in flower.

Forked compost to lift and aerate.

Mowing the lawns

Second cut of the season. Rain expected Tuesday.

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/7akxe8h3V9

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) April 11, 2022

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/dmQ5WJkLHY

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) April 11, 2022

female blackbird looking for worms #bird #blackbird #garden pic.twitter.com/zUZbXne7Xe

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) April 11, 2022

mowing the lawns #garden pic.twitter.com/ovOdpNDeF5

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) April 11, 2022

Female blackbird digging up worms, not bothered by me.

Forked and lifted up compost heap. Pleased to find large numbers of compost worms. Was this because I had transported from two other heaps?

I ached all over, but at least was not feeling rough later. After effects of coronavirus?

Digging the garden interval between Storm Malik and Storm Corrie

The calm before the storm, or calm between the storms. Slight breeze, by early evening strong wind picking up, heavy rain.

Finished off the bed I was digging.

Mow lawns hoe water

Lawns mowed. I am still on lower cut, surprised how much grass cut.

Several loads of grass. I ensured not the mistake of last time lawns mowed, not all went on the compost heaps.

Plants watered. They needed it.

Around the plants, soil hoed, though no weeds.

A hot day, next two days hotter, then thunderstorm maybe on Thursday.

Good deed of the day: A lady pulled up, smiled, waved, got out of her car. I assumed it must be someone I know, though no idea who. She was looking for a bungalow. I explained where to find what I thought she was looking for. I asked her to help herself to apples, windfalls. She gave me a jar of Washingborough honey to say thankyou.

• Mow lawns hoe water

Mowing the lawns

Sunday lawns mowed, very little grass cut. Only needs mowing once a week, if that.

As I suspected, courgette plants not looking very happy a few days ago was lack of watering.

Two large courgettes the size of marrows. Needs to pick regularly to prevent this from happening. What I feared, one has cracked. Will eat today. I have an idea how to cook this oversize courgette.

• PHOTOS Mowing the lawns

Mowing weeding hoeing watering

Lawns mowed last Thursday, heavy torrential rain Friday, six days since last mowed and yet very little grass cut.

Soil is starting to dry out.

Hoed, a few weeds pulled. The plants watered.

Runner beans picked on Sunday. Already too big and old, and yet previous weekend tiny.

Cannot believe the size of two courgettes, the size of marrows. Maybe I should have picked sooner. Maybe they are marrows not courgettes. Never grown before therefore no idea.

• PHOTOS Mowing weeding hoeing watering