Gardening in lockdown

As we are all confined to our homes, much more gardening may well happen.

Like...

Making curvy raised beds.

This is made from reclaimed ceiling joists, jointed loosely to create a flexible and bendable shape. It's a bit like a tank track, or a spine. Each joint has a small amount of play in it. This allows the whole thing to be curved round the pattern cut into the lawn, while staying rigidly upright.

The bases of the wood pieces are plastered with pitch to stop soil moisture creeping up into them.

Once the curves were in place, steel sheet was bent round and affixed. This makes the slightly flimsily-jointed, spine-like wood suddenly super-strong. 

Rough-cut steel sheet can be sharp. Yet another slashed arm incident. This looks a bit like a face.

The back of the bed is straight. I ran out of steel sheet, so this is lined with some leftover acrylic sheet, previously scrounged from some skip

Winter is coming

Well, not just yet, but best to be prepared - make hay while the sun shines, as they say.

Anyway, gathering and chopping logs for next winter is a very enjoyable thing...

These are chuck-outs from a tree surgery. Various hardwood trees. Some are better than others. Some cherry, a bit of pear and I think some conker, but quite a few lumps are pretty vague.

It's a good excuse to get the chainsaw out, to cut them down before chopping with the axe.

PPE - always a good idea. Chainsaws can do quite a bit of damage, and so can the chips they  fling out.

Some time later, after a load of sawing, then even more work chopping with the axe, we have many many logs. I left them out in the Spring sun to dry them out.

Shed loft nursery

The upper reaches fo the shed get very warm, due to their big acrylic skylights. I cleared some shelves for seedlings. It is fair to say, they have responded enthusiastically. Things grow from seed to green plant in no time at all.

Tomatoes and butternut squash...

Courgettes...

Fabulous.

Last year's geraniums have been enjoying this warm hug of sunlight all winter. They will go nuts once they get out in the air.

And finally...

Here is a lovely furry friend in action: (Bombylius major) busily pollinating my pear tree. There's its furry arse sticking out of a pear blossom. It's probably off its face on nectar