Gardening During Lockdown – Week 3
So, as we come to the end of Week 3 of Lockdown, many of us seem to be getting into a new rhythm. And in many ways, this strange new life is actually OK. We can spend more quality time at home, eat meals together more often, play more games, find inventive new ways of staying in touch with family and friends. And of course spend more time in our beloved gardens. Our gardens and pets will be hoping this lockdown will continue for a while. So, if you need some hints and tips on outdoors, here is our Gardening During Lockdown – Week 3 blog…
Scarify & treat your lawn
All the hair & beauty salons may be closed and our own beauty treatments on hold, but that doesn’t mean your lawn can’t get some treatments! Now is the perfect time of year to scarify your lawn and get rid of all that moss. It takes a bit of hard graft but it’s worth the effort. Other things to do include digging out those lawn weeds, aerating your soil (you can just use a garden fork) then top dress the grass and add a fertiliser. For more info check out our blog Lulu & Tilda created 4 years ago (and see how cute they are!)
An ickle Lulu scarifying our lawn
Harden off your seedlings
If you planted some seedlings at the start of Lockdown you will probably see some of them shooting up by now. Once they get to a good size, you can start hardening them off so they get used to outside temperatures. Take them outside during the day but make sure to remember to still bring them back inside of an evening for now.
Slowly get your seedlings used to being outdoors by sitting them outside during the day
Give your outdoor dens a makeover
If you are lucky enough to have a den or playhouse in the garden, now is the perfect time to give it a bit of a make-over. Ours has been painted inside and out, some rotten wood replaced, sign updated and curtains/bunting hung up. Perfect for the summer ahead – let’s hope we can have some gang meetings soon!
Get our gang HQ in top tip condition for when lockdown ends
Keep painting!
It’s been 3 weeks of painting and we have achieved a lot! This week we have finished the fences, done the last gate, painted a table and benches, our pink troughs, a retaining wall and the playhouse! We’ll soon run out of things to paint!
There has been a LOT more painting this week at Vialii Towers!
Top up planters and troughs
It’s important that your pots are kept topped up and given new growing medium and feeds each year. Add new compost (you may need to remove some old compost) and add some fertiliser. Many fertilisers will provide 6 months of feed allowing you to put your feet up and enjoy your blooms all summer long.
Top up your planters with compost and feed
Start a new project
We’ve been wanting to give our “archway” a makeover for a long time, but like everyone, struggle to find time to fit in new projects when “normal” life gets in the way. This weekend, we decided to make a start. Our 3 existing structures will become two, we are going to adapt the shapes slightly and then clad them with new timbers and paint some edges. Watch this space as this project evolves.
Our “archway” has been on our to-do list for a while
Put up a tent
We have put up one of our tents to create another space for the kids to play. Daddy Vialii should have been heading off to Parent & Cub Camp this month with Lulu. Looks like it will take place in the garden instead! Good job we have the fire-pit from Week 2 to keep us cosy too!
Set up a tent in the garden to keep kids entertained
Other jobs to be tackling during lockdown:
- Keep on top of lawn cutting and edging
- Weed your garden
- Clean out gutters and soffits
- Get pots, grow bags, veg beds ready for seed sowing outdoors
- Source some bedding plants & annuals ready for when the risk of frost passes
- Protect new shoots of hostas, lupins etc from slugs & snails
- Prune hydrangeas
As always, enjoy your gardens and stay safe.
Vialii
Gardening During Lockdown – Week 1
As the first, bizarre, unsettling week of lockdown due to coronavirus comes to an end, we have collated some of the things we have done in our garden during the last week. With who knows how many weeks to come, there will likely be plenty of time to undertake those outdoor jobs you haven’t got round to yet. If you are wanting to turn your hand to horticulture and not sure where to start here are some ideas to get you underway with our latest blog “Gardening During Lockdown – week 1”
Sow Seeds
It’s the perfect time of year to get some seeds sown and veg and flowers growing. We have sown a variety of seeds, from broccoli and courgettes to sunflowers and nasturtiums. All you need is some compost and seeds (your local hardware store may even deliver to your doorstep). Don’t worry if you don’t have seed trays, anything can be used – yoghurt pots, drinks bottles, butter tubs. Anything!
It’s the perfect time to sow some seeds
Chit Your Tatties
Get yourself some seed potatoes (don’t just use a potato you find in your cupboard) and get them chitting in a bright, cool area. Make sure the “eyes” are pointing up. After a few weeks they will be ready to plant. Chitting will make your potatoes grow faster and stronger so it’s worth doing.
Start chitting your potatoes
Paint Fences
We had a busy weekend painting fences, making sure that they don’t just look smart but are also given added protection and will last longer. We used “urban slate” on our side fences and “black ash” for our bottom fence, the perfect back drop for planting. It’s a great job to get the kids involved with too!
Get the kids to help paint your fence!
Prep Your Veg Beds
Top dress your veg beds with compost and/or manure to make sure your veggies grow super strong. Give it a good dig in and clear any weeds.
Add compost and manure to your veg beds, dig it in and then rake over in readiness for sowing.
Fit/Clear Gutters
We needed to fit a gutter to one of our sheds so that job got ticked off this week. Take the time to clear any debris out of your existing gutters too. You could even fit a water butt to a down-pipe and start storing rain water for use in your garden.
Make sure your sheds have good gutters to protect your shed and harvest rain water if you fit a water butt.
Clear away overgrown ivy
Ivy can be pretty in the right place but can also be incredibly invasive. We had lots growing over a side fence so we took the opportunity to tackle that, clearing it all off in readiness for painting.
Remove ivy to keep your structures safe and strong
We will keep you posted on the progress of our seeds and veg patch as well as what other jobs (there are many!) we will be tackling throughout this lockdown period.
We hope you are keeping safe and managing to spend time in your own garden. They will help keep us sane!
Vialii