Jon Knight

Cleared tomato bed with last year's hazel bean supports still in the ground.

The view beyond the old bean supports showing the weedy ground still to be cleared for squashes/cougetters

Cleared last year's bean bed, which will become supports for this year's tomatoes in a few months time.

Still got to clear the area behind it that will be for squashes or courgettes in June... so plenty of time to do it. Also need to get some mulch down to suppress weed regrowth.

#allotment

Oh yeah, that was it. Do you have a target project yet, or are you waiting for Mrs Bagley to suggest something?

Great idea - I've got loads of those. Thanks! 👍

Yeah, I think you're right, so I'm going to scavenge up a bit of mild steel. I need to check how the steering all goes back together though in case there's limitations there (it was about 6 months ago when I took it all apart and need to find all the other bits now!).

Incidentally this was done with one of the pretty cheap (~£70) Lidl flux core wire welders, so it isn't a huge outlay to give it a shot.

It's something I've been meaning to try my hand at for years. I had hoped I'd get to learn back when I used to help restore trains, but so many of the chaps could weld things were quickly fixed before I could get them to give me a go!

@clivebagley.bsky.social welding challenge number 1 tackled. Unfortunately I can't remember what challenge you said you were going to do this year!

I've misted them and there's a little pot of water in the corner of the propagator to keep the moisture levels up with the bottom heat under the modules. I think I just need to be patient (as I often have to tell the clients at the hospital green therapy sessions!).

I've been watching #GardenersWorld since the mid-1980s. Decades on, the programme still manages to tell me (remind me 😁) of something important / useful I need to know now. Love it.

Comfort telly, especially at this time of year - the comfort of knowing growth, flowers & fruit *will* happen again.

I think having the handheld face shield adds to the difficulty, so an auto dimming face mask is going to be on the shopping list, as is an angle grinder and some bigger welding gloves (I used Tanya's old thick leather pruning gauntlets which were a rather tight fit). But I'm happy with that first go

Rusty trolley steering rack with a crack right across the central pivot point.

Cleaned off the rust and old paint back to bare metal ready to weld. I've filed a V groove long the crack to give somewhere for the weld to fill.

Immediately after welding. Scorch marks and weld blobs!

After cleaning it up a bit with a flap wheel

Did my first ever welding this morning. It's not pretty but it does appear to have joined the metal together without burning another hole in it, which is about the best I could hope for. Fingers crossed my garden trolley is back in action soon.

Mine are being particularly sluggish this year, even in the heated propagator. A mix of last year's seed packet and self-saved last Autumn so I'm beginning to wonder if I need to splash the cash on some fresh seed.

I was going to go outside and do a spot of welding but I think I might wait for it to warm up a bit - its freezing in the back garden. 🥶

Fastest hour of the week. Still, very welcome #GardenersWorld

Well that was a jolly good start to the new #GardenersWorld season. And I'm feeling inspired to do some sowing and growing this weekend!

I'm ahead of one of Monty's #JobsForTheWeekend on #GardenersWorld as I've been chitting spuds for a month. First 10 tubers went into containers in the polytunnel at the hospital garden this morning.

You'd need a pretty big window sill to put that potted up Dahlia on! #GardenersWorld

Bring back Berryfields (especially as its just up the road from where I'm sitting. 😉😂)

Ah, the first mention of "grit" in the new #GardenersWorld season. I wondered how long it would take! 🤣🤣

I'm surprised he doesn't just build large raised beds on wheels!

Hmm, the raspberries on my very sandy plot didn't get the "shallow" rooting memo from Monty... they dive under paths to make bids for freedom! #GardenersWorld

😂

Has Monty got some sort of magic trick that lets him suddenly produce additional growing space at Longmeadow every year? #GardenersWorld

Loving these small bulbs and alpines...that iris was a beauty! #GardenersWorld

Nice to see some early Spring colour with the alpines. And good idea for people with limited spaces (or indeed multiple greenhouses!). #GardenersWorld

Yeah, I'd literally just sent my reply when he said that! 🤣

Whenever I see a specialist grower on #GardenersWorld in their greenhouse or polytunnel, I sometimes wonder how many hours its taken to clean up all the usual pots, tools, bits of string, random plant labels, chairs, cardboard, etc that seems to accumulate in protected growing spaces over winter.

Yep - been waiting for it for months! 👍😂

Anyone else more relieved the usual at the return of #GardenersWorld?

Nah Monty - put the couch grass, nettle roots, brambles into soaker bins for six months to a year. Rot 'em down, use the nutrient rich water as feed and then chuck the rotted mess into the normal compost when they're very much life expired. #GardenersWorld