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Jobs over winter...

• Message 1. 

  Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Sunday, 27th November 2011

  I'm usually a tidy person, everything has it's place but my shed is in dire need of a clear out. As the summer progressed with all good intentions instead of returning stuff to their rightful places everything seems to have been dumped at the door to the point you can't even walk in there any more.
  
  A bag of grass seed was munched by mice in the spring. A job I never got round to doing, was put new seed on the lawn, it now lays scattered on the shed floor, I could have a lawn in there by summer if not careful or provide every field mouse from here to John o Gaunts with winter food.
  
  I'm hopeful there are three pairs of secatars in there, not seen since the spring and I'm almost certain there's some bubble wrap and fleece in packets not yet opened. Tools which I swore would keep clean and sharp are caked in mud and I just know I have more than one peanut bird feeder.
  
  I can't clean the GH until the shed is done Every pot size known to man has found it's way under the potting bench leaving no room for new plants in the spring and a haven for nasties to hybinate over Winter. In just two years the glass clips have gone rusty and need replacing, that was a false economy getting cheap glass clips.
  
  On a positive note, quite by accident I've created some places for the good guys to hybinate over Winter. There's a pile of stuff, canes etc which have long since been forgotten by the side of the GH and I've a frog which seems to keep turning up in the garden, the cat totally ignores it, I'm convinced it lives in a wall by the garden or under the hedge.
  
  What jobs do you plan to do over the coming weeks, what have you neglected over the summer and do you have spots for the good guy's to hybinate.

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by chrisbucks (U14300604) on Monday, 28th November 2011

  I work from home, so use garden jobs as a way to breaking up the monotony of my working day, vital in the winter. What I therefore do is make a list over the year of non-essential garden-related jobs that are too routine to do over the rest of the year, for winter attention, and this list can be kept and added to for subsequent winters. Amongst others these jobs include:
  
  Turn compost heaps
  Chop up old pallettes and prunings for firewood and kindling
  Repair the wood on raised beds at the alottment
  Sharpen mower and garden shredder blades
  Clean names off used plant labels
  Burn garden rubbish, prunings, bits of old wood etc
  Trim and reduce height of hedges before birds nest in them
  Prune raspberry canes and currant bushes
  Taking root cuttings of perrenials
  Dig veggie beds at the allotment
  Prune garden shrubs once their leaves have fallen
  Spread garden compost on flower beds
  Dig out unwanted shrubs
  Remove ivy from garden bushes and fences
  Prune roses, particularly the climbing ones
  
  And of course clear out the shed and greenhouse, and throw away anything that I thought would be fantastically useful, but wasn't!!
  
  
  

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by bookertoo (U3655866) on Monday, 28th November 2011

  The good guys will always find places in which to hibernate - we have several hedges which are probably alive with all sorts of lovely things - and probably some not so lovely ones as well.
  
  I thought I would clear the g/house, polish the glass etc. in the summer, but it was never empty, and somehow did not get done - hopefully next year huh? Far too cold for me to get out and do it now.
  
  I did get rid of all the broken pots from last winters freeze, frost resistant does not mean will survive -17C, and alot of plastic pots that no-one wanted, not even local school charities who are overwhelmed with them. I did find some trowels I had misplaced, when the perrenials died down, another lovely place for garden goodies is in their remnants. There seem to be ladybirds all over the place, but they are not hibernating as such. Sadly our neighbour has several very large conifers in which the local squirrels don't hibernate either - until last year I thought that they did, but they just dug runs under the frozen snow and ate the bird food anyway.
  
  There are always jobs to do, and some to forget, but enjoying the garden heads the list and should not be forgotten whatever the season.

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• Message 4

  , in reply to message 3.

  Posted by nanpickle (U14258493) on Monday, 28th November 2011

  Very important job for Winter - please remember to feed the birds, my bird food supplier told me that his trade drops in Winter as a lot of folk don't use their gardens or venture out there much in the cold weather and they therefore forget to feed our feathered friends. They need more help in Winter, not less, as there is less natural food around for them as well. Nan x

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• Message 5

  , in reply to message 4.

  Posted by Mike (U14311251) on Monday, 28th November 2011

  I'm taking advantage of the fallen leaves by using them as compost and cutting back the bare wood as my tree's and shubs are overgrowing. Makes it easier to cut back when the leaves are gone, see things much clearer. Apart from that most of the other jobs like fixing fence, tidy shed, polish wooden garden funiture (now in shed for protection), can all wait until warm sunny spring and summer.
  
  I got peppers growing indoors to see if they will survive the winter. Only my 2nd year gardening.
  
  Oh one thing I thought was quite good of me, is that I swept all the leaves into my boarder where we need more compost for the raspberrys, black currents and red currents. Should break down into compost quite naturally with the winter weather.

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• Message 6

  , in reply to message 5.

  Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Monday, 28th November 2011

  I've taken advantage of free horse muck left by the road side by farmers and after putting on beds what I have from last year, got half a dozen bags on route home one day, for next autumn.
  
  I'm pleased I didn't load up the car from just one farm though. Aren't farmers sneeky, the top couple of inches was poo the rest was wood chippings and straw at one farm of course I didn't know till it was emptied into a bin when I got home and had to take what wasn't wanted to the tip.

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• Message 7

  , in reply to message 6.

  Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Saturday, 3rd December 2011

  I've adopted your idea Chisbucks and put a list on the fridge door.
  
  Still haven't cleared out the shed though but I've decided to take out some shelving to make room to push the bar-be-cue under thereby creating more space to throw stuff on the floor not... and plan to throw away anything that I thought would be fantastically useful, but wasn't!! This I just know I'll struggle with
  
  Some jobs have been done...
  
  Ordered new seeds. I've gone for old, tried and tested and some new varieties with a selection of colourful vegs, beans come in different colours, I might stand more of a chance of seeing them if they are yellow and purple. Pea pods come in yellow now and I've purchased chad seeds which grow with red and orange stems. Thought I'd try yellow courgettes along with the green ones.
  

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