Things to do # 1 JUNE - amendment

Authors addition: Sorry I seem to have misled readers with my post. What I was trying to write was a seasonal To Do list to act as a reminder for myself and others of things that can be done on a monthly basis, not as my personal to do list. I wish I could manage all of these things but my superwoman costume has strangely disappeared - sorry if I've spoilt the illusion, LoL. I'm constantly reading or hearing about what we should be doing on a monthly basis in tune with the seasons, and have frequently missed by chance to do by the time I think about it - e.g think about making marmalade just as the last of the seville oranges have gone out of the shops - , so have been noting down monthly to do's so that I can just check my notebook at the start of each month to pick and choose what I want or have time to complete or attempt, and thought I would share it.

I've been thinking for a while about writing a monthly "To do" list for the house, garden etc and I've finally got around to completing the first one.

GARDEN

• Put your garden furniture back into the garden, prepare ready for the summer sun by rubbing down wooden furniture and treating to a layer of teak oil, or washing down plastic or metal furniture with hot soapy water with a handful of soda crystals added

• Sow hardy annuals directly where they are to flower
  Move your conservatory and greenhouse plants outside for the summer (depending on the weather this may be towards the end of the month
  Divide and replant polyanthus, primroses
  Divide and repot auriculus
  Plant out morning glory and black-eyed susan
  Harvest flowers for drying
  
  

• Pinch out any blackfly infested broad bean tips
• Mulch a circle around the base of fruit trees after first giving the ground a good soak
• Protect soft fruit plants from birds with netting
• Protect strawberries from bruising by putting a layer of straw underneath plant
• Do a 2nd sowing of tomatoes and courgettes for late cropping
• Once over cut back herbs to within a few inches of the ground
• move plant outside from the cold frame
• Dig up main crop potatoes, onions, garlic and shallots

HARVEST

• Salad leaves, lettuce, broadbeans, peas, first new potatoes, carrots, baby beetroot, courgettes, basil, mint and other perennial herbs, rosemary, sage, bay, thyme and other ever green herbs, summer cabbages, dwarf beans, onions, radishes, redcurrants, rocket, runner beans, spinach, spring onions, turnips

PLANT

• cabbages, cauliflowers, courgettes

POT UP

• Strawberry runners

PROTECT

• soft fruits, brassicas

SOW

• beetroot, carrots, turnips, spring onions, spinach, rocket, dwarf beans, herbs, lettuce, radishes

KITCHEN

• Bottle and or pickle fruit and vegetables when at their prime
• make jellies, jams and curds from soft fruit
• make elderflower and other fruit cordials
• make the most of the short asparagus season, by baking and freezing such delights as salmon and asparagus quiche
• make fresh tomato ketchup from gluts of over ripe tomatoes

STILL ROOM

• dry herbs
• dry flowers for pot pourri
• collect fir / pine cones for use in crafts and pot pourri
• make lavender bags and other scented sachets
• make insect repellant candles
• Make herb oils
• make herb vinegars
• make lipsalve
• make hand creams

CRAFTS

• Make tea light lanterns for the garden
• make summer bunting
• make iced bottles - cut the top off a plastic coke or large sqaush bottle. Pour 1" of water into the base and freeze until solid, stand a glass bottle in the centre of the container, add another 1" of water and freeze until solid, arrange flowers, fruits, leaves etc around the sides of the bottle and pour in 3 - 4" of water, freeze until solid. Repeat until the container if full, return to the freezer until needed. When you wish to use the container, plunge briefly into a deep bowl filled with hot water - the plastic container should slide off easily. Fill the bottle with whatever you want, it will keep superbly chilled inside its own beautiful ice bucket.
• Make fabric tops for your preserves
• make a wreath of dried bay leaves
• use the time to knit, sew, crochet, cardmake, or jewellery make outside in the sun. Enjoy the sun while still being creative
• visit car boot sales to search out garden ornaments, plant pots etc when people replace with new.

I hope you've enjoyed my first monthly things to do, as I get around to doing them myself I will add to the blog. If you have other To Do's that you complete on a monthly basis through the year, please let me know I'd love to read about them. Let me know what you think.