The last of the grapes hanging on.
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Last of the apples hanging on.
The fence men cometh:
Higher than before, bit of a shame to lose the 3 foot fence but this taller fence will add much needed privacy, and more importantly will prevent the glare of occasional car headlights from the end of cul-de-sac road view beyond.
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I like that fence, you do have a knack for obtaining some quality items 
Tim
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Making a square raised bed/pot for a specimen plant. The specimen is so big that I canāt repot it every 4-5 years when it becomes pot bound. The idea is, as this pot is screwed together, I can remove the sides, trim the roots and screw back. Iāve chosen oak, because it looks good, suits the old plant and doesnāt really need preservative treatment, other than oil, which could potentially give long-term problems to the roots. I havenāt used oak before on this sort of scale and Iām very surprised just how heavy it is and extremely hard. Itās making things more difficult. Each piece is 23kg, the screw bolts that Iām using need to be A4 stainless and theyāre costing Ā£3 each (x 24!).
Typical Naim Forum user problem; Iām actually knocking them to hear what they sound like. Glad no oneās looking.
Lovely looking wood though.
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Hammering the wood was long ago used by Mahler in his sixth symphony.
You are in good company. Some hammer the wood in public even on television or in a packed concert hall. Donāt be shy!
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Can we please see the specimen ?
Many thanks
Ian
Yes of course. Itās a very old olive tree with gnarled bark. Been wanting one for years, but every time I saw one that I liked, it was expensive. Saw this one and it was the best Iāve ever seen, in real life and on Google, but it was really expensive. Left it for a week and went back and bought it. Itās wrapped in plastic atm to keep the stupid amounts of rain off the soggy compost. Iāll post a photo of the completed pot and tree once done.
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Went into a small car park in the summer in Pangbourne, (West Berkshire ) and the olive tree overhanging the car park had fruited and there were masses of olives on the ground
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Ah, an olive tree overhanging a car park sounds like itās putting mine to shame 
Hereās a sneek peak crappy shot Iāve just taken as I come back from my run.
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I have three smaller olive trees in pots. I originally planted them in the ground but was afraid of root damage to adjoining walls so I potted them up. Iāve since discovered olives have a small root ball and it grows very slowly.
Iām thinking of buying a larger tree and will now consider using sleepers as they are not only a cheaper option than terracotta but are also frost resistant.
I donāt think the sleepers will need to be taken apart as the roots grow so slowly and I can always run a sharp, pointed spade down the sides.
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Terracotta looks good for olives, up to a certain size tree. At some point it will become impossible, as theyāre just too heavy.
I think the colour and grain of oak works well with olives, but not the usual softwood sleepers.
Yes olive trees grow fairly slow, but so do Japanese maples and after about a max of 5-6 years, the roots will have filled the pot. At this point thereās a mass of fine roots that spades just canāt go through. Iāve even tried sawing them whilst still in the pot, but gave up. If youāre going to make a sleeper pot, youāre going to screw the thing together, so itās not difficult to remove the screws and sides for a root trim.
Iām going to use 10mm stainless screws. Googled too many reports that 6mm stainless snap.
I recently removed some mature bay plants from large planters. Broke the first planter due to them being root bound and then remembered Iād bought a special spade to remove shrubs from the border.
I can guarantee this spade will slice through most roots. Made by Spear & Jackson and has saved me hours of struggle removing mature shrubs.
It easily sliced through the bay roots in the planter.
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One of my maples was in a pot for 10 years and some of the roots had gone 1/2" plus. Standing on a big pot, with limited access and leverage, nothing could go through them, except a breeze block saw and even then, I gave up. Another mapleās roots grew and the pressure eventually cracked a Ā£400 terracotta pot. When they get big, everything becomes a pain.
I had the same problem with a maple.
For years I thought how well it was doing in a large terracotta pot.
When we moved I discovered it had grown a large tap root through the bottom of the pot.
Preparing a bed for garlic with a little help from my friends.
Tried a green manure, closer and fenugreek, this year as itās been suggested that it obviates the need for crop rotation. It was planted once the broad beans had been harvested, which in turn followed last seasonās garlic. The bed will be topped up with compost / manure up once the garlic has been planted.
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Yes Iāve had that. The thick root had gone through the single hole in the bottom, swollen and totally blocked the drainage. I only noticed in the winter when the pot was a full of water to the brim. Obviously by then the plant had drowned and ruined. I hate gardening. Donāt even know why I put so much effort into it 
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I know what you mean, all my plants are suicidal Iām convinced of it! Itās like spinning plates keeping them all alive.
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Decided to remove it from the pot this morning, only to find itās suffered a little wind damage.
Is it worth replanting.
Looking at your previous photo, the smaller plant looks like it has slightly yellow leaves compared to the healthy one. Not sure why, but could be Nitrogen deficiency or possibly something toxic has got into the soil.
Anyoneās guess whether or not it will survive, but thereās no harm in planting it out if the roots are alive. It may start growing in the spring, if not, just ditch it. When you plant it, I would remove as much soil as possible from the roots and stick it straight into the ground.
Thanks. Iāll give it a try, as youāve suggested.
I think the smaller plant is actually two trees. Presumably theyāre having a battle with each other.