BLOG MOVED TO BLOGGER

DUE TO PROBLEMS WITH WORDPRESS. This blog has now been moved to Blogger

To view click on the link below

http://www.johnthegardener.blogspot.com

Cloud rain and sand

A welcome drop of rain over the last few days has helped things in the garden no end. I must have said this before, last time it rained probably that nothing beats rain. No matter how much water you put on the garden with a hose or sprinkler or watering can, nature can do the job better.

Run out of grit sand for the front garden. Must nip down to J.S Discounts and get them to deliver me 5 bags.

Wallflowers

Time to plant the wallflowers for next year so I get a continuous display.

It has forecast rain for tomorrow. The garden needs it.

Despite the recent cold snap, the courgettes and beans that I planted earlier in the week seem to have come through it well.

The peas in the front window have started to germinate after soaking. The ones we planted straight into the ground don’t seem to have taken but only time will tell. The next thing is to build some strawberry planters . Get the decking out again I think.

30% Off Garden Furniture At Marks and Spencer

Marks and Spencer are offering you 30% off garden furniture between 3rd and 8th May 2007

Now thats definitely worth taking a look at. Just click the banner to take a look.

Ooh My Back

Started work on the front garden today.

Lemon balm roots go down a mile. Or at least my back thinks so.

Started to clear dog rose suckers too. Then of course the phone rings and I have to go out and fix a computer.

Will put some photographs up as soon as I have a blank canvas to work with.

Exclusive Rolawn Discount Code

For a limited time only I have managed to get hold of a discount code from Rolawn Direct.

The Rolawn brand is the recognised benchmark of quality and service, our reputation having been established over 30 years.

Their renowned Medallion turf is Britain’s biggest selling and most frequently specified, being the first choice for both professional landscapers and experienced gardeners who demand the best.

Rolawn Direct also supply Top Soil, Bark and Lawn Seed.

The discount code saves you a whopping 12% on purchases over £150

To claim your discount check out their site Rolawn Direct the discount code is rolawn107 and is valid until 31st May 2007

Planting Out

Its a beautiful sunny day and time to for a bit of planting out. Last years compost is nice, black and earthy. It smells gorgeous.

Today the runner beans, french beans and sweet corn have all been planted in beds. The courgettes have been planted in tubs.

Time to deal with the slugs.

As soon as the french beans had been taken outside, and before we had even thought about planting them, our friendly neighbourhood sparrow who seems to be fond of our conifers decided that the growing tip was his lunch. I found the plant complete with its pot on its side on the patio a few feet from where I had put it.

New 2007 JS Discounts site finished

It’s took Debs a month but the site is now finished.

A lot more product, a lot more articles and of course John the Gardener’s Blog so if you’re reading this via their feed then welcome aboard.

Decking planter plan

Planters.

Just had a great idea for containers for the front garden. Cheap and easy to make.

My local suppliers of garden products do a fair amount of decking. This is extremely strong and being tanalised should last for years. Sometimes. if they haven’t been stored under the best conditions which can happen, it is possible to get old bits of decking cheap. four pieces, 450 mm square will fit in a space if I lift a paver. The only major expense will be the decking screws but I have some of them somewhere or failing that any plated screws.

Four pieces of fencing lath, longer and with a point sawn at the end to go into the ground and lets say 10 inches high gives me a material list.

for 1 planter.

3.6 metres of decking cut into 8×450 mm lengths.
4. 3×3 fence posts or failing that 4 2×1 fence framing or similar. The thickness is unimportant its just to give strength and something to screw the decking to. Length 16 inches each.

32 deck screws 2″

Pencil /ruler /set square.

Instructions.

The fence posts need to be placed a piece of decking’s width from the edge of a piece of decking.

Check for squareness and mark out.

Make sure the post is flush to the decking and drill. Affix with deck screws.

Repeat for other end.

Do the same with another two pieces of decking.

Take another piece of decking and affix underneath.

You should now have something that looks like a miniature fence panel 2 decking pieces high.

The other 4 pieces need to be cut to 450mm LESS the width of 2 pieces of decking.

Affix to your posts. Paint or varnish.

Seems more complicated than it is. I’ll work on a diagram and some pictures showing the different stages of construction.