I hate gardening this time of the year it is just too cold!
However needs must and as such, a very small amount of time was spent outside yesterday trying to do this very much delayed Autumn job:
The tub of grease was so solid with the cold it was a nightmare to put on. After two attempts and my fingers going blue in the cold I gave up.
This morning, I have been out again this time doing this:
Managed to get 9 trees done in the time it took to do the two yesterday. I've now run out of the grease band so with only 3 plum and one pear remaining, will try warming the grease up just a tad and seeing it it will apply better. That is for another day though!
My garden as you can see, will just not shut down. We got hold of some manure yesterday, ready to use luckily, which I want to put down but it will be so fiddly if the greenery doesn't stop growing.
Ah well, you win some, you lose some, such is the merry go round of life!
DB has been chopping some still too big logs into smaller pieces. We reckon we have another weeks worth then that will be one of our 3 nearly 4 storage areas gone. Should be enough until the end of April hopefully.
Putting the grease on the trees is something we must do, it's on the list. I'm going to put the tub in the microwave first!
ReplyDeleteI shall try that although I think the grease will be a problem when weeding etc, getting on my clothes.
DeleteHow come you grease your trees (excuse my ignorance) I have a plum tree on the lottie and I've not done anything to it..........eeek.
ReplyDeleteIt is to stop bugs climbing from the ground into the trees, such as codling moths etc. I normally use bands but wanted to try the grease.
DeleteWe keep saying, better do some gardening today, but it is so cold, we change our minds.
ReplyDeleteI know, how sad we are:)
DeleteWas about to ask but Julee beat me too it, though perhaps I should have held my tongue and saved my blushes.
ReplyDeleteI haven't done it for two years and my fruit has been a mess so hopefully this will help.
DeleteI know what you mean about your reluctance to garden in this weather! I swept the path this morning, but couldn't bear getting 'down and dirty'! My poor garden looks so sad at this time if year but it really needs a good clear up still before spring begins. I'll have to wrap up extra warm and force myself to start ...... Maybe next week?!
ReplyDeleteI'm planning on getting out whenever I can just to keep on top of it.
DeleteWell done getting out in the garden! I'm very much a fair weather gardener and ours desperately needs a tidy but it's far too cold for me!
ReplyDeleteMust get the manure on shortly so the worms can drag it in ready for Spring.
DeleteI'm glad others asked the question. My trees are very young so perhaps they dont need this yet. Please keep posting snippets like this they are very educational for new fruit gardeners like me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteMine are between 2 and 20 years and all grown in a restricted way. I sometimes buy a codling moth trap but they are getting expensive.
DeleteI need to do my trees. Which works out cheaper? Grease or the bands? I wonder if there's a way to make some from scratch?
ReplyDeleteDon't know if they can be made by us at home. Price is probably similar for both products but bands are far easier to do!
DeleteI am just starting out - at my great age - in gardening, though to be fair I've grown herbs for decades. I will blog about my "progress" as I go, but am at the point of writing lists and making plans at the moment. Preservative and compost and manure blood and bone etc all ready to go, seed potatoes and bags ready to go when the right time is here. I'm excited - but it will be a long time before I am competent to answer a question about greasing your plum trees!! Lx
ReplyDeleteMaking plans is great just don't be too hard on yourself. I am really late with putting these bands on but plan on also doing a winter wash that should also help.
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