Do I DIY?

I was asked if I enjoy doing DIY work today as I seem to be doing a lot of moaning. My initial response, especially as I am into week 3 of rebuilding the shed, was a resounding NO.  Then after a rethink I realised I couldn’t think of anything I’d rather be doing. I enjoy moaning as much as gardening.

Paying Off

My hard work is finally paying off with the shed. I decided to go for a wooden tongue and groove floor and insulated the underneath with 70mm of Kingspan insulation so we won’t get icy feet when the weather turns cold. I’ve given it four coats of varnish to cope with any heavy footwear, I was going to go for five coats but I was told that’s bordering on being obsessive…me? The front of the shed has been given three fresh layers of wood stain to brighten things up. I have made good progress but am still in the position where all I see is either things to do or imperfections. It’ll take a bit more work to get everything just so and I can relax on the veranda and feel a sense of achievement.

It’s been a long drawn out job and the family are just waiting to see what I get next. I’m keeping off the buy and sell sites for a while, so the only things I’ll be bringing into the house will be vegetables from the garden.

Courgette man

In the three weeks doing the shed I took my eye off the veggies. It’s only taken the weeds that long to grow and go to seed. Thankfully the grass has slowed down a lot as the nights/day are getting colder and the light is reducing, so although it took the flymo a while to chew through the clumps, the grass is looking respectable enough. I have to eat my words about not growing excess veg though as I am up to my neck in French and runner beans and courgettes. I have been trying to give the courgettes away but there don’t seem to be many neighbours who like them, I can see the curtains twitching but they don’t come the door when I knock as they can see what I have in my arms. “Not that bloody courgette man again” I hear them saying. 

I asked my lad if you can deep fry courgettes and he tells me you can deep fry ANYTHING, so I might give that a try - maybe in one piece without chopping it all up first. I couldn’t stand another courgette curry so this might be a welcome change.

Deadheading

The other job I have been neglecting is deadheading flowering plants. It’s amazing how quickly sweet peas give up on flowering when not cut. All of their energy goes into making seeds. There are a lot of plants that do this. 

What does deadheading do?

Deadheading refreshes a plant's appearance, controls seed dispersal, and redirects a plant's energy from seed production to root and vegetative growth. It also keeps things tidy, which is what I seem to spend most of my day doing in some form or another.

Deadheading is a maintenance practice that can be done throughout the growing season, from spring until autumn. The best time to deadhead a flower is when its appearance begins to decline. How often a particular plant needs it’s spent flowers removed depends on the life span of its blooms, which can range from a day to several weeks, depending on the species. Weather also greatly affects a flower's longevity. During moist, cool summers, flowers will last much longer than they will during a season of sweltering heat. Torrential rains also take their toll on blossoms.

How is it done?

Choosing the exact point to make a deadheading cut can seem confusing, since perennials have different flower forms. Because deadheading, like other types of pruning, is so species specific, it can be difficult to group plants into categories. For most plants, however, all you need to remember is to prune spent flowers and stems back to a point where there's a new lateral flower or bud. If no new flower is apparent, prune the stem back to a lateral leaf.

Deadheading on a regular basis, the waves of blooms in my garden can be extended by weeks or even months and can be relaxing too, which is just what I need to do for a while.