Hoeing and watering

A very hot day.

Wizz round, hoe, water, and that is it.

• PHOTOS Hoeing and watering

Plastic Free July

Those empty laundry detergent containers, empty shampoo containers, do not throw away, take to a zero waste shop and have them refilled.

That is what I did last week, laundry liquid from ecoleaf, the shampoo coconut from Faith in Nature (which matched the previous contents).

But please never put wrong liquid in mismatched container, it is not only the labelling, we have iconic shapes, ketchup bottles, coke bottles.

Classic, weed killer in a Coke bottle on the shelf in the garden shed.

A zero waste shop recently received a lot of stick when a foolish employee bragged she had found a use for an empty ketchup bottle, filling with cleaner.

If have an Nespresso machine do not not buy the disgusting coffee from Nespresso, and if thinking of buying choose an Opal One a superior machine, the capsules buy from reputable coffee roasteries.

• Kiss the Hippo — compostable
• Colonna — compostable and aluminium
• April — compostable

Compostable, throw on the compost heap.

Aluminium, obtain a gadget from Colonna, Lakeland or Hotel Chocolat and use to extract the spent coffee grounds, scatter the extracted coffee on compost heap or garden, the emptied aluminium capsules, stack to increase their bulk, drop in a recycling bin.

If order from Riverford, veg box or recipe box, delivered in a card box which can be reused, recycled or composted, inside tins, maybe little plastic boxes, fruit and vegetables loose, strong paper bags or compostable plastic bags. The boxes are collected next delivery.

When we recycle, reuse, compost, we are not only reducing waste and closing the loop, we are also saving on embedded energy used to produce the products, thus helping to cut carbon emissions.

We face several global crisis

• global warming
• mass species extinction
• pandemics
• plastic pollution

When out and about, wishing for a coffee, never takeaway or offer a reusable cup, relax and enjoy coffee served in glass or ceramic. The only exception a kiosk or cart.

• PHOTOS refilled containers

Digging out compost bins

Hard work.

The assumption, put grass, weeds, kitchen waste in the top, dig fresh compost out of the bottom.

Not quite. Digging away inside. Clumps of barely rotted grass, fibrous compost.

Barely rotted grass toss back in the top. Fibrous compost spread around courgettes.

Compost heaps are living organisms, communities of compost worms (Not earth worms) and microbes. Treat as living organisms, feed and take care of, and will be rewarded with rich compost.

• PHOTOS Digging out compost bins

Mowing lawns and planting out

Mowing lawns, little grass cut.

I was expecting rain later, but no rain. Heavy rain, possibly flooding, expected over the weekend.

A tomato plant and mint planted out. The mint in a box, otherwise it spreads everywhere.

Later, espresso tonic using Panama Geisha.

• PHOTOS Mowing lawns and planting out

Spread compost around tomato plants

Very litle compost left to dig out and spread on the borders.

Yesterday, spread compost around tomato plants.

Today, was going to plant out remaining tomato plants, but decided too cold, will wait for another day. These are the tomato plants a couple of weeks ago from greengrocer that were in a very sory state, but have now picked up.

Once all the compost dug out, can start a new compost heap. It will start with brambles, thicker stuff, hedge clippings, to provide an open nbse that allows air to flow through the compost heap. This is the key to a well-made compost heap.

• PHOTOS Spread compost around tomato plants

Weeding hoeing mowing

Lawns mowed, weeding of beds, hoeing of beds.

Very little grass cut

Tomato plants from farmers market last Saturday in a very sorry state, now planted out. Problem was, they had been uprooted, dumped in a box.

Mow the lawns before the rain arrives

I only mowed the lawns Wedensday, but one day dry, rest of the week rain, at elast that wa sthe forecats a couole of days agio,

Little grass cut, which was what I had expected.

From Wilco grass seed and compost maker.

Grass seed scattered, compost make on the compost heaps. Annoying the box, no mention of what it contains.

From the farmers market, tomato plants, var Alissa Craig and Gardeners Delight. Maybe I should have bought their heritage varieties, probably a mistake not to. Too much to carry.

• PHOTOS Mow the lawns before the rain arrives

Mowing the lawns before thunderstorm

Very little grass cut, thunderstorms expected overnight.

• PHOTOS Mowing the lawns before thunderstorm

Planting out runner beans

A couple of weeks ago, I planted out runner beans that were becoming too tall.

I was two short. I planted sowed two beans outside, and half a dozen in a tray in the greenhouse.

The two outside have not sprouted, or they were eaten before I noticed them. The half a dozen in a card tray in the greenhouse only two have sprouted.

Not a very successful germination rate.

The two that have sprouted, the only tow that have sprouted, planted out today.

• PHOTOS Planting out runner beans
  
  

Planting out romano peppers

Two sorry looking romano peppers appear to have recovered. Time to plant out on a hot day.

I wish I could say the same of two tomato plants, which have not recovered from their sorry state.

• PHOTOS Planting out romano peppers